Investigation of endwall flow behavior with plasma flow control on a highly loaded compressor cascade

To discover the flow behavior in the endwall region and mechanism of plasma flow control on a highly loaded compressor cascade, distributions of static pressure coefficient, total pressure loss coefficient and streamline pattern were investigated. Results show that cross flow from the pressure surface to neighboring suction surface exists under pitch-wise pressure gradient. The deflected endwall boundary layer flow interacts with the incoming flow, and then both of them leave off the endwall in the form of a span-wise vortex. Effect of angle of attack on static pressure is greater than that of free stream velocity. The distinct variations of total pressure loss with endwall actuations are mainly located within the outer verge of a triangular area with high total pressure loss. Effect of pitch-wise actuation on separated flows is much better than that of stream-wise actuation, and both enhance with the increase of angle of attack and actuation strength. An efficient method for plasma flow control in the endwall region is the increase of actuation strength, such as adjusting discharge voltage or changing plasma power supply.