In the current transition toward detailed design of axial compressors using computational fluid dynamics (CFD) and multi-parameter optimization techniques, the generation of a reliable initial approximation of the flow path is becoming a critically important stage. Traditional one-dimensional methods are highly labor-intensive due to the need for manual iterative matching of interdependent empirical coefficients. The paper proposes an algorithm for automated selection of the number of stages and distribution of loading along the path, based on adaptive variation of the stage work coefficient and the efficiency of the stages until the conditions of integral matching for the cumulative stage work and the total pressure ratio between the compressor as a whole and its stages are met. The developed software module generates initial data for subsequent optimization of profiles and thermogasdynamic performance analysis of the engine, closing the optimization cycle taking into account the powerplant-level criteria. A parametric study was carried out in the following ranges: air mass flow rate of 10–150 kg/s, rotor rotational speed of 1000–25000 rpm, total pressure ratio of 2–15. The dependencies of the number of stages on air mass flow rate and rotor rotational speed were obtained, and the algorithm's boundaries of stable convergence were determined. The algorithm's computational efficiency ensures its integration into automated preliminary design procedures. The results can be used to accelerate the preliminary design of aircraft engine compressors by integration into an iterative optimization cycle with engine-compressor matching.

EDN RTGTEL