A second-order method of characteristics for two-dimensional unsteady flow with application to turbomachinery cascades

A second-order method of characteristics numerical integration scheme is developed for solution of two-dimensional unsteady flows in gas dynamics. The method is applied to steady transonic flow analysis in turbine cascades with the steady state solution computed as the asympototic limit in time of a transient solution. Two cases of turbine cascade flows were solved. The first example involved subsonic flow throughout the cascade. The second example involved subsonic inlet and discharge flows, but with transonic flow over a portion of the cascade passage. In both cases, the computed results are compared with cascade experimental data. Generally good agreement between numerical solution data and experimental data is shown.