Particle Dynamics of Inlet Flowfields with Swirling Vanes

The particle trajectories are investigated for the inlet flowfield of a helicopter engine with swirling vanes and particle separator. The flowfield resulting from the swirling vanes is first computed on a hub-shroud midchannel stream surface. The trajectories of the solid particles are then determined in this flowfield, including particle impacts with the hub, tip, and vane surfaces. The particle rebounding velocity and direction after each impact is determined using empirical correlations derived from experiments conducted in a special tunnel. Different particle sizes are considered, and the resulting trajectories and separator effectiveness are presented.