Liquid Film Formation Influence on Erosion Induced in an Axial Compressor Subject to Water Washing

Abstract – The utilization of the online water washing technique to clean axial compressors is becoming in-creasingly prevalent to mitigate performance deterioration caused by fouling. However, this approach also leads to undesirable side effects, primarily the erosion of the rotor blades and the development of a liquid film on the compressor surfaces. The liquid film formation on the rotor case has the potential to interfere with the blade tips, leading to severe damage. Furthermore, the presence of a significant liquid film on the inlet guide vanes can alter the erosion patterns on the rotor due to droplet detachment occurring in certain regions. To mitigate these adverse effects, a comprehensive analysis of droplet and liquid film dynamics is crucial. This paper pre-sents a combined investigation of these two phenomena. An unsteady k-ε two-phase numerical simulation is performed on a domain that accurately replicates the inlet section of a real axial compressor up to the first-stage rotor. Liquid wall film is analyzed, with a focus on the erosion induced on the rotor blades. The latter aspect is studied with the help of a statistical analysis of both suspended and impacted droplets distributions.