Abstract: An experimental study of the stator blade wake in a small axial compressor is performed by using a hotwire anemometer (HWA) under different rotating speeds and mass flow conditions. The mean velocity and turbulence intensity distribution among the stator blade wake region under the same operating condition indicate that the size of the wake region and the position of the wake core vary at different span sections owing to the effect of the upstream rotor blades. The turbulence intensity is significantly higher near the hub and shroud than in the main flow field. A study of the variation of the statistical parameters under different operation conditions reveals systematically the influence of the changing operating conditions of the axial compressor on wakeregion size, wakecore position, turbulence intensity and Reynolds stresses.

Key words: hotwire anemometer, axial compressor, wake, turbulence intensity, Reynolds stresses