Leading-edge flow sensing for detection of vortex shedding from airfoils in unsteady flows

2021 ◽  
Vol 33 (8) ◽  
pp. 087105
Author(s):  
Aditya Saini ◽  
Shreyas Narsipur ◽  
Ashok Gopalarathnam
AIAA Journal ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 56 (12) ◽  
pp. 4706-4718 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aditya Saini ◽  
Ashok Gopalarathnam

Author(s):  
Nicolas Gourdain ◽  
Laurent Y. M. Gicquel ◽  
Remy Fransen ◽  
Elena Collado ◽  
Tony Arts

This paper investigates the capability of numerical simulations to estimate unsteady flows and wall heat fluxes in turbine components with both structured and unstructured flow solvers. Different numerical approaches are assessed, from steady-state methods based on the Reynolds Averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) equations to more sophisticated methods such as the Large Eddy Simulation (LES) technique. Three test cases are investigated: the vortex shedding induced by a turbine guide vane, the wall heat transfer in another turbine guide vane and a separated flow phenomenon in an internal turbine cooling channel. Steady flow simulations usually fail to predict the mean effects of unsteady flows (such as vortex shedding) and wall heat transfer, mainly because laminar-to turbulent transition and the inlet turbulent intensity are not correctly taken into account. Actually, only the LES (partially) succeeds to accurately estimate unsteady flows and wall heat fluxes in complex configurations. The results presented in this paper indicate that this method considerably improves the level of physical description (including boundary layer transition). However, the LES still requires developments and validations for such complex flows. This study also points out the dependency of results to parameters such as the freestream turbulence intensity. When feasible solutions obtained with both structured and unstructured flow solvers are compared to experimental data.


2017 ◽  
Vol 813 ◽  
pp. 23-52 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rafael Pérez-Torró ◽  
Jae Wook Kim

A numerical investigation on the stalled flow characteristics of a NACA0021 aerofoil with a sinusoidal wavy leading edge (WLE) at chord-based Reynolds number $Re_{\infty }=1.2\times 10^{5}$ and angle of attack $\unicode[STIX]{x1D6FC}=20^{\circ }$ is presented in this paper. It is observed that laminar separation bubbles (LSBs) form at the trough areas of the WLE in a collocated fashion rather than uniformly/periodically distributed over the span. It is found that the distribution of LSBs and their influence on the aerodynamic forces is strongly dependent on the spanwise domain size of the simulation, i.e. the wavenumber of the WLE used. The creation of a pair of counter-rotating streamwise vortices from the WLE and their evolution as an interface/buffer between the LSBs and the adjacent fully separated shear layers are discussed in detail. The current simulation results confirm that an increased lift and a decreased drag are achieved by using the WLEs compared to the straight leading edge (SLE) case, as observed in previous experiments. Additionally, the WLE cases exhibit a significantly reduced level of unsteady fluctuations in aerodynamic forces at the frequency of periodic vortex shedding. The beneficial aerodynamic characteristics of the WLE cases are attributed to the following three major events observed in the current simulations: (i) the appearance of a large low-pressure zone near the leading edge created by the LSBs; (ii) the reattachment of flow behind the LSBs resulting in a decreased volume of the rear wake; and, (iii) the deterioration of von-Kármán (periodic) vortex shedding due to the breakdown of spanwise coherent structures.


Author(s):  
Ting Wang ◽  
Matthew C. Rice

The surface roughness over a serviced turbine airfoil is usually multi-scaled with varying features that are difficult to be universally characterized. However, it was previously discovered in low freestream turbulence conditions that the height of larger roughness produces separation and vortex shedding, which trigger early transition and exert a dominant effect on flow pattern and heat transfer. The geometry of the roughness and smaller roughness scales played secondary roles. This paper extends the previous study to elevated turbulence conditions with free-stream turbulence intensity ranging from 0.2–6.0 percent. A simplified test condition on a flat plate is conducted with two discrete regions having different surface roughness. The leading edge roughness is comprised of a sandpaper strip or a single cylinder. The downstream surface is either smooth or covered with sandpaper of grit sizes ranging from 100 ∼ 40 (Ra = 37 ∼ 119 μm). Hot wire measurements are conducted in the boundary layer to study the flow structure. The results of this study verify that the height of the largest-scale roughness triggers an earlier transition even under elevated turbulence conditions and exerts a more dominant effect on flow and heat transfer than does the geometry of the roughness. Heat transfer enhancements of about 30 ∼ 40 percent over the entire test surface are observed. The vortical motion, generated by the backward facing step at the joint of two roughness regions, is believed to significantly increase momentum transport across the boundary layer and bring the elevated turbulence from the freestream towards the wall. No such long-lasting heat transfer phenomenon is observed in low FSTI cases even though vortex shedding also exists in the low turbulence cases. The heat transfer enhancement decreases, instead of increases, as the downstream roughness height increases.


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