An integrated particle-tracking impact/adhesion model for the prediction of fouling in a subsonic compressor

We report on the analysis of the motion of adhesive particles and deposit formation in a 3D linear compressor cascade in order to investigate the fouling in turbomachinery flows. The unsteady flow field is provided by a prior hybrid LES/RANS computation. The particles are individually tracked and the deposit formation is evaluated on the basis of the well established Thornton and Ning model. The results demonstrate that, near the casing and the hub, the zones where deposit is noticed are mainly related to the presence of strong vortical structures as the ones originated by the tip leakage flow and hub vortex. On the blade, the deposit is concentrated in the leading edge region and, on the suction side, in the region where the particles are conveyed by the hub vortex towards blade surfaces.