Analysis of some sources of numerical uncertainty applied to a transonic compressor stage

In recent years, a constantly growing interest in CFD accuracy assessment has been noticed in the open literature. In particular, this interest has grown considerably in the field of technical and industrial applications, since CFD is nowadays routinely used by many engineers, especially in research and development. In this paper, a contribution to this topic is presented. The most common issues about CFD uncertainty are reviewed and commented. Then, some findings originating from the application of three-dimensional numerical calculations to a model of the NASA Stage 37 axial compressor are reported. Particular attention is devoted to multistage turbomachinery modelling uncertainty in terms of rotor/stator interface models and rotor and stator gridding issues. Copyright © 2012 by ASME.