Comparison of Various CFD Codes for LES Simulations of Turbomachinery: From Inviscid Vortex Convection to Multi-Stage Compressor

Some possible future High Fidelity CFD codes for LES simulation of turbomachinery are compared on several test cases increasing in complexity, starting from a very simple inviscid Vortex Convection to a multistage axial experimental compressor. Simulations were performed between 2013 and 2016 by major Safran partners (Cenaero, Cerfacs, CORIA and Onera) and various numerical methods compared: Finite Volume, Discontinuous Galerkin, Spectral Differences. Comparison to analytical results, to experimental data or to RANS simulations are performed to check and measure accuracy. CPU efficiency versus accuracy are also presented. It clearly appears that the level of maturity could be different between codes and numerical approaches. In the end, advantages and disadvantages of every codes obtained during this project are presented.