Tip-Leakage Flow

A low-order 3D Hybrid Panel Method predicts the flow around low-pressure compressor rotors and feeds dedicated tip-leakage models — in under a minute per case. Benchmarked against RANS on the LMFA NACA65 rotor, it reproduces rotor aerodynamics well and tip-leakage trends accurately for small tip gaps, supporting fast early-stage design.

My PhD thesis. A multi-fidelity framework (panel + vortex-lattice methods with a dedicated tip-leakage model) that predicts the 3D flow around compressor and fan rotors in seconds, validated against RANS and experiments. Defended on 11 June 2025 at École Centrale de Lyon, in partnership with Safran Aircraft Engines.

A large-eddy simulation of the open ECL5/CATANA transonic fan stage uncovers a low-frequency “wandering” motion of the tip-leakage vortex. A dedicated kinetic vortex-tracking algorithm is developed to follow the vortex trajectory and characterise this unsteady behaviour.

🏆 IJTPP Editors’ Choice. This paper introduces a low-order, three-dimensional method for predicting inviscid flow around shrouded fans, aimed at early-stage design. By combining the vortex lattice and panel methods with a mixed boundary condition, it allows efficient exploration of design options. The method also models tip-leakage flow through an iterative algorithm. A periodicity condition is validated, reducing computational demand, with calculations completed in under a minute. The method agrees well with RANS for mean flow and tip-leakage characteristics, though some discrepancies arise at lower mass flow rates.

In this paper, a low-fidelity 3D method for predicting the flow around shrouded rotors is presented, aiming at early design investigation with minimal cost. Using the vortex lattice method and considering compressibility effects, the approach simulates different tip gap sizes and provides efficient real-time calculations. Applied to a shrouded fan, the effects of the tip gap size are evaluated.