Chapter 7: Splitter Blades

This tutorial includes:

7.1. Before You Begin
7.2. Starting ANSYS TurboGrid
7.3. Defining the Geometry
7.4. Defining the Topology
7.5. Reviewing the Topology Settings
7.6. Reviewing the Mesh Data Settings
7.7. Reviewing the Mesh Quality on the Hub and Shroud Layers
7.8. Generating the Mesh
7.9. Analyzing the Mesh
7.10. Saving the Mesh
7.11. Saving the State (Optional)

This tutorial teaches you how to:

• Review the topology type for each blade.

• Create a mesh involving splitter blades.

As you work through this tutorial, you will create a mesh for a blade set of a centrifugal compressor
that has splitter blades. A typical blade set is shown by the black outline in the figure below.

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Splitter Blades

The blade row contains 7 blade sets, each containing one main blade and one splitter blade. The blade
row revolves about the negative Z-axis. The blades are flank milled and have cut-off trailing edges.
Within the blade passage, the maximum diameter of the shroud is approximately 13 cm.

7.1. Before You Begin

If this is your first tutorial, review the topics in Introduction to the ANSYS TurboGrid Tutorials (p. 1).

7.2. Starting ANSYS TurboGrid

1. Prepare the working directory using the files in the examples/splitter directory.

For details, see Preparing a Working Directory (p. 1).

2. Set the working directory and start ANSYS TurboGrid.

For details, see Setting the Working Directory and Starting ANSYS TurboGrid (p. 1).

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 Reviewing the Topology Settings

7.3. Defining the Geometry

Load the BladeGen.inf file:

1. Click File > Load BladeGen.

2. Open BladeGen.inf from the working directory.

This geometry involves flank milled blades. For more information on flank milled geometry settings,
see Method in the TurboGrid User's Guide.

7.4. Defining the Topology

For this compressor mesh, H/J/C/L-Grid is an appropriate topology choice.

1. Open Topology Set.

2. Set Topology Definition > Placement to Traditional with Control Points .

3. Set Method to H/J/C/L-Grid.

4. Ensure that Include O-Grid is selected.

This adds an O-Grid around the blade to increase mesh orthogonality in that region.

5. Leave Include O-Grid > Width Factor set to 0.5.

This makes the O-Grid thickness equal to half the average blade thickness. In general, a suitable
value of the O-Grid thickness depends on the blade geometry, topology type, and mesh density.
Trial-and-error adjustments are sometimes required to establish a good value when creating the
first mesh for a particular blade.

6. Leave Periodicity > Projection set to Float on Surface.

This allows the periodic surface of the mesh to deviate from the geometric periodic surface, in order
to improve mesh skewness properties along the periodic boundary. The topology on a given layer
floats on the layer, but is not constrained to stop exactly on the intersection of the layer with the
geometric periodic surface.

7. Click Apply to set the topology.

8. Right-click Topology Set and turn off Suspend Object Updates.

After a short time, the topology is generated.

9. Click Freeze to freeze the topology settings.

This completes the topology definition.

7.5. Reviewing the Topology Settings

To see which topology types ANSYS TurboGrid used for the upstream and downstream ends of each
of the two blade passages, do the following:

1. Open Topology Set > Main Blade and click the Advanced Parameters tab.

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Splitter Blades

Note that ANSYS TurboGrid has selected a J-Grid topology for the leading edge, and an H-Grid
topology for the trailing edge. The J-Grid is more suitable than the H-Grid for the leading edge
because of the higher blade angle.

2. Open Topology Set > Splitter Blade 1 and click the Advanced Parameters tab.

Note that ANSYS TurboGrid has selected an H-Grid topology for both ends of the splitter blade.

7.6. Reviewing the Mesh Data Settings

1. Set Method to Topology Block Edge Split .

2. Set # of Elements to 2.

7.7. Reviewing the Mesh Quality on the Hub and Shroud Layers
The Layers > Hub object is shown in red text in the object selector.

7.7.1. Modifying the Hub Layer

1. Right-click a blank area in the viewer, and click Transformation > Blade-to-Blade (Theta-M') from the
shortcut menu.

This causes the viewer to use blade-to-blade coordinates, making it easy to see the mesh topology.
This coordinate system is angle-preserving and minimizes the effect of changing radius on viewing
and manipulation.

2. Click Hide all geometry objects .

3. Turn off the visibility of Layers > Shroud.

4. Open Layers > Hub.

5. Double-click Maximum Face Angle.

The face angles need improvement near the upstream end.

6. Move the master control point as indicated by the displacement vector in Figure 7.1: Master Control
Point Adjusted Near Hub Leading Edge (p. 57).

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 Analyzing the Mesh

Figure 7.1: Master Control Point Adjusted Near Hub Leading Edge

7.8. Generating the Mesh

Now that the topology has been defined and the mesh quality is acceptable on all layers, generate the
mesh:

• Click Insert > Mesh.

7.9. Analyzing the Mesh

Check the 3D mesh statistics:

• Open Mesh Analysis.

The mesh statistics shown here may differ slightly from what you see, mainly due to the freehand
movement of the control points:

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Splitter Blades

The mesh statistics are in reasonable shape for a coarse mesh.

You can double-click one of the items in red to see the locations in the mesh where the statistics fail
to meet the criteria set in Mesh Analysis > Mesh Limits. Further improvements to the mesh are
possible, but are beyond the scope of this tutorial.

7.10. Saving the Mesh

Save the mesh:

1. Click File > Save Mesh As.

2. Ensure that File type is set to ANSYS CFX.

3. Set Export Units to cm.

4. Set File name to compressor_splitter.gtm.

5. Ensure that your working directory is set correctly.

6. Click Save.

7.11. Saving the State (Optional)

If you want to revisit this mesh at a later date, save the state:

1. Select File > Save State As.

2. Enter an appropriate state file name.

3. Click Save.

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