Turbine Efficiency Measurement System for the QinetiQ Turbine Test Facility

2009 ◽  
Vol 132 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul F. Beard ◽  
Thomas Povey ◽  
Kamaljit S. Chana
Keyword(s):  
Mass Flow Rate ◽  
Mass Flow ◽  
Flow Rate ◽  
Measurement System ◽  
Efficiency Measurement ◽  
Test Facility ◽  
Torque Measurement ◽  
Measurement Systems ◽  
Turbine Efficiency ◽  
Turbine Inlet

A turbine efficiency measurement system has been developed and installed on the turbine test facility (TTF) at QinetiQ Farnborough. The TTF is an engine-scale short-duration (0.5s run time) rotating transonic facility, which can operate as either single stage (HP vane and rotor) or 112 stage (HP stage with IP or LP vane). The current MT1 HP stage is highly loaded and unshrouded and is therefore relevant to current design trends. Implementation of the efficiency measurement system forms part of the EU Turbine Aero-Thermal External Flows (TATEF II) program. The following aspects of the efficiency measurement system are discussed in this paper: mass-flow rate measurement, power measurement by direct torque measurement, turbine inlet and exit area traverse measurement systems, computation of efficiency by mass weighting, and uncertainty analysis of the experimentally determined turbine efficiency. The calibration of the mass-flow rate and torque measurement systems are also discussed. Emphasis was placed on the need for a low efficiency precision uncertainty, so that changes in efficiency associated with turbine inlet temperature distortion and swirl can be resolved with good accuracy. Measurements with inlet flow distortion form part of the TATEF II program and will be the subject of forthcoming publications.

Effect of Active Modulation of Through-Casing Coolant Injection on Turbine Efficiency

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brian M. T. Tang ◽  
Marko Bacic ◽  
Peter T. Ireland
Keyword(s):  
Mass Flow Rate ◽  
Mass Flow ◽  
Flow Rate ◽  
Total Pressure ◽  
Leakage Flow ◽  
Tip Leakage Flow ◽  
Tip Leakage ◽  
Turbine Efficiency ◽  
Coolant Injection ◽  
Cooling Air

This paper presents a computational investigation into the impact of cooling air injected through the stationary over-tip turbine casing on overall turbine efficiency. The high work axial flow turbine is representative of the high pressure turbine of a civil aviation turbofan engine. The effect of active modulation of the cooling air is assessed, as well as that of the injection locations. The influence of the through-casing coolant injection on the turbine blade over-tip leakage flow and the associated secondary flow features are examined. Transient (unsteady) sliding mesh simulations of a one turbine stage rotor-stator domain are performed using periodic boundary conditions. Cooling air configurations with a constant total pressure air supply, constant mass flow rate and actively controlled total pressure supply are assessed for a single geometric arrangement of cooling holes. The effects of both the mass flow rate of cooling air and the location of its injection relative to the turbine rotor blade are examined. The results show that all of the assessed cooling configurations provided a benefit to turbine row efficiency of between 0.2 and 0.4 percentage points. The passive and constant mass flow rate configurations reduced the over-tip leakage flow, but did so in an inefficient manner, with decreasing efficiency observed with increasing injection mass flow rate beyond 0.6% of the mainstream flow, despite the over-tip leakage mass flow rate continuing to reduce. By contrast, the active total pressure controlled injection provided a more efficient manner of controlling this leakage flow, as it permitted a redistribution of cooling air, allowing it to be applied in the regions close to the suction side of the blade tip which more directly reduced over-tip leakage flow rates and hence improved efficiency. Cooling air injected close to the pressure side of the rotor blade was less effective at controlling the leakage flow, and was associated with increased aerodynamic loss in the passage vortex.

Receiver Outlet Temperature Control for Falling Particle Receiver Applications

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nathan Schroeder ◽  
Henk Laubscher ◽  
Brantley Mills ◽  
Clifford K. Ho
Keyword(s):  
Mass Flow Rate ◽  
Mass Flow ◽  
Flow Rate ◽  
Temperature Rise ◽  
Pid Controller ◽  
Input Parameter ◽  
Slide Gate ◽  
Process Variable ◽  
Test Facility ◽  
Outlet Temperature

Abstract Falling particle receivers (FPRs) are being studied in concentrating solar power applications to enable high temperatures for supercritical CO2 (sCO2) Brayton power cycles. The falling particles are introduced into the cavity receiver via a linear actuated slide gate and irradiated by concentrated sunlight. The thickness of the particle curtain associated with the slide-gate opening dimension dictates the mass flow rate of the particle curtain. A thicker, higher mass flow rate, particle curtain would typically be associated with a smaller temperature rise through the receiver, and a thinner, lower mass flow rate, particle curtain would result in a larger temperature rise. Using the receiver outlet temperature as the process variable and the linear actuated slide gate as the input parameter a proportional, integral, and derivative (PID) controller was implemented to control the temperature of the particles leaving the receiver. The PID parameters were tuned to respond in a quick and stable manner. The PID controlled slide gate was tested using the 1 MW receiver at the National Solar Thermal Test Facility (NSTTF). The receiver outlet temperature was ramped from ambient to 800°C then maintained at the setpoint temperature. After reaching a steady-state, perturbations of 15%–20% of the initial power were applied by removing heliostats to simulate passing clouds. The PID controller reacted to the change in the input power by adjusting the mass flow rate through the receiver to maintain a constant receiver outlet temperature. A goal of ±2σ ≤ 10°C in the outlet temperature for the 5 minutes following the perturbation was achieved.

Design and Testing of a Can Combustor for a Small Gas Turbine Application

2013 ◽  
Author(s):  
K. V. L. Narayana Rao ◽  
N. Ravi Kumar ◽  
G. Ramesha ◽  
M. Devathathan
Keyword(s):  
Mass Flow Rate ◽  
Mass Flow ◽  
Flow Rate ◽  
Gas Turbines ◽  
Pressure Loss ◽  
High Energy ◽  
Experimental Results ◽  
High Mass ◽  
Test Facility ◽  
Design Requirements

Can type combustors are robust, with ease of design, manufacturing and testing. They are extensively used in industrial gas turbines and aero engines. This paper is mainly based on the work carried out in designing and testing a can type combustion chamber which is operated using JET-A1 fuel. Based on the design requirements, the combustor is designed, fabricated and tested. The experimental results are analysed and compared with the design requirements. The basic dimensions of the combustor, like casing diameter, liner diameter, liner length and liner hole distribution are estimated through a proprietary developed code. An axial flow air swirler with 8 vanes and vane angle of 45 degree is designed to create a re-circulation zone for stabilizing the flame. The Monarch 4.0 GPH fuel nozzle with a cone angle of 80 degree is used. The igniter used is a high energy igniter with ignition energy of 2J and 60 sparks per minute. The combustor is modelled, meshed and analysed using the commercially available ansys-cfx code. The geometry of the combustor is modified iteratively based on the CFD results to meet the design requirements such as pressure loss and pattern factor. The combustor is fabricated using Ni-75 sheet of 1 mm thickness. A small combustor test facility is established. The combustor rig is tested for 50 Hours. The experimental results showed a blow-out phenomenon while the mass flow rate through the combustor is increased beyond a limit. Further through CFD analysis one of the cause for early blow out is identified to be a high mass flow rate through the swirler. The swirler area is partially blocked and many configurations are analysed. The optimum configuration is selected based on the flame position in the primary zone. The change in swirler area is implemented in the test model and further testing is carried out. The experimental results showed that the blow-out limit of the combustor is increased to a good extent. Hence the effect of swirler flow rate on recirculation zone length and flame blow out is also studied and presented. The experimental results showed that the pressure loss and pattern factor are in agreement with the design requirements.

Analytical Modeling and Experimental Validation of Heating at the Leaf Seal/Rotor Interface

2016 ◽  
Vol 139 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael J. Pekris ◽  
Gervas Franceschini ◽  
Andrew K. Owen ◽  
Terry V. Jones ◽  
David R. H. Gillespie
Keyword(s):  
Mass Flow Rate ◽  
Analytical Model ◽  
Mass Flow ◽  
Flow Rate ◽  
Temperature Rise ◽  
Thermal Characteristic ◽  
Frictional Heat ◽  
Test Facility ◽  
Engine Operation ◽  
Secondary Air

The secondary air system of a modern gas or steam turbine is configured to satisfy a number of requirements, such as to purge cavities and maintain a sufficient flow of cooling air to key engine components, for a minimum penalty on engine cycle efficiency and specific fuel consumption. Advanced sealing technologies, such as brush seals and leaf seals, are designed to maintain pressures in cavities adjacent to rotating shafts. They offer significant reductions in secondary air parasitic leakage flows over the legacy sealing technology, the labyrinth seal. The leaf seal comprises a series of stacked sheet elements which are inclined relative to the radial direction, offering increased axial rigidity, reduced radial stiffness, and good leakage performance. Investigations into leaf seal mechanical and flow performance have been conducted by previous researchers. However, limited understanding of the thermal behavior of contacting leaf seals under sustained shaft contact has led to the development of an analytical model in this study, which can be used to predict the power split between the leaf and rotor from predicted temperature rises during operation. This enables the effects of seal and rotor thermal growth and, therefore, implications on seal endurance and rotor mechanical integrity to be quantified. Consideration is given to the heat transfer coefficient in the leaf pack. A dimensional analysis of the leaf seal problem using the method of extended dimensions is presented, yielding the expected form of the relationship between seal frictional power generation, leakage mass flow rate, and rotor temperature rise. An analytical model is derived which is in agreement. Using the derived leaf temperature distribution formula, the theoretical leaf tip temperature rise and temperature distributions are computed over a range of mass flow rates and frictional heat values. Experimental data were collected in high-speed tests of a leaf seal prototype using the Engine Seal Test Facility at Oxford University. These data were used to populate the analytical model and collapsed well to confirm the expected linear relationship. In this form, the thermal characteristic can be used with predictions of mass flow rate and frictional power generated to estimate the leaf tip and rotor temperature rise in engine operation.

Evaluation of Axial Compressor Characteristics Under Overspray Condition

2013 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chihiro Myoren ◽  
Yasuo Takahashi ◽  
Manabu Yagi ◽  
Takanori Shibata ◽  
Tadaharu Kishibe
Keyword(s):  
Gas Turbine ◽  
Mass Flow Rate ◽  
Mass Flow ◽  
Flow Rate ◽  
Water Mass ◽  
Pressure Ratio ◽  
Axial Compressor ◽  
Test Facility ◽  
Compressor Performance ◽  
Water Mass Flow Rate

An axial compressor was developed for an industrial gas turbine equipped with a water atomization cooling (WAC) system, which is a kind of inlet fogging technique with overspray. The compressor performance was evaluated using a 40MW-class test facility for the advanced humid air turbine system. A prediction method to estimate the effect of WAC was developed for the design of the compressor. The method was based on a streamline curvature (SLC) method implementing a droplet evaporation model. Four test runs with WAC have been conducted since February 2012. The maximum water mass flow rate was 1.2% of the inlet mass flow rate at the 4th test run, while the design value was 2.0%. The results showed that the WAC decreased the inlet and outlet temperatures compared with the DRY (no fogging) case. These decreases changed the matching point of the gas turbine, and increased the mass flow rate and the pressure ratio by 1.8% and 1.1%, respectively. Since prediction results agreed with the results of the test run qualitatively, the compressor performance improvement by WAC was confirmed both experimentally and analytically. The test run with the design water mass flow rate is going to be conducted in the near future.

Conjugate Flow and Heat Transfer Investigation of a Turbo Charger: Part II — Experimental Results

2003 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dieter Bohn ◽  
Norbert Moritz ◽  
Michael Wolff
Keyword(s):  
Heat Transfer ◽  
Heat Flux ◽  
Mass Flow Rate ◽  
Mass Flow ◽  
Flow Rate ◽  
Inlet Temperature ◽  
Total Heat Flux ◽  
Turbine Inlet Temperature ◽  
Turbine Inlet ◽  
Turbo Charger

In this paper the results of experimental investigations are presented that were performed at the institute’s turbo charger test stand to determine the heat flux between the turbine and the compressor of a passenger car turbo charger. A parametric study has been performed varying the turbine inlet temperature and the mass flow rate. The aim of the analysis is to provide a relation of the Reynolds number at the compressor inlet and the heat flux from the turbine to the compressor with the turbine inlet temperature as the parameter. Thereto, the analysis of the local heat fluxes is necessary which is performed in a numerical conjugate heat transfer and flow analysis which is presented in part I of the paper. Beyond the measurements necessary to determine the operating point of compressor and turbine, the surface temperature of the casings were measured by resistance thermometers at different positions and by thermography. All measurement results were used as boundary conditions for the numerical simulation, i.e. the inlet and outlet flow conditions for compressor and turbine, the rotational speed, the oil temperatures and the temperature distribution on the outer casing surface of the turbo charger. The experimental results show that the total heat flux from turbine to compressor is mainly influenced by the turbine inlet temperature. The increase of the mass flow rate leads to a higher pressure ratio in the compressor so that the compressor casing temperature is increased. Due to the turbo charger’s geometry heat radiation has a small influence on the total heat flux.

Test of Innovative Nozzle Design for Film Cooling System to Maximize Turbine Efficiency

2002 ◽  
Author(s):  
Faure J. Malo-Molina ◽  
Kau-Fui V. Wong ◽  
Andreja Brankovic
Keyword(s):  
Mass Flow Rate ◽  
Hydraulic Resistance ◽  
Mass Flow ◽  
Flow Rate ◽  
Film Cooling ◽  
Cooling System ◽  
Nozzle Design ◽  
Blowing Ratio ◽  
Turbine Efficiency ◽  
The Ideal

The ideal design of a turbine blade external film cooling system should contain a minimal uniform cooling film while simultaneously maximizing turbine efficiency. The current research reports on the tests on the pressure drop, hydraulic resistance, and mass flow rate of nine different nozzles. The effectiveness of the resulting film of cold air depends upon the mass flow rate and the shape, size, distribution and directional angles of these tiny nozzles. Of the orifices tested, the orifice shaped with the biggest spherical counter-sink inlet, allows the air to exit with the highest momentum. This shape produces the lowest hydraulic resistance and the highest blowing ratio.

scholarly journals Combined building integrated photovoltaic-thermal collector with air source heat pump for cold climate

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Raghad Sabah Kamel
Keyword(s):  
Mass Flow Rate ◽  
Heat Pump ◽  
Mass Flow ◽  
Flow Rate ◽  
Electricity Consumption ◽  
Test Facility ◽  
Air Source Heat Pump ◽  
Building Integrated Photovoltaic ◽  
In Series ◽  
T System

A TRNSYS model was developed to conduct a comprehensive study of combining a building integrated photovoltaic thermal (BIPV/T) collector with an air source heat pump (ASHP) in an Archetype Sustainable House. The heat pump uses the warm air generated in the BIPV/T as the source for heat production. The coupling of BIPV/T and ASHP enables a highly efficient heating system in winter conditions. A numerical model was developed for an air-based PV/T collector. The model was used to predict the thermal and electrical performance of the collector and to conduct a comprehensive analysis for different configurations (number of PV/T panels in rows NR and in series NS) and different design parameters. TRNSYS simulation results showed that low air mass flow rate and low duct depth enhance the heat pump coefficient of performance (COP). The arrangement with a large number of PV/T systems connected in series has higher COP. The maximum obtained seasonal heating COP was 3.45, corresponding to duct depth of 1.5 in, NS=5 and low row mass flow rate of 0.03 kg/s. The heat pump cumulative electricity consumption for a typical heating season could be reduced by 20.2%. When the analysis was based only on sunny hours, the electricity consumption of the combined ASHP + PV/T system was reduced by 52% and the predicted seasonal COP of the heat pump was 5.98. A new full-scale test facility was presented to be implemented at Toronto and Region Conservation Authority to examine the performance of combining passive system and dynamic building envelope technologies (BIPV/T+ASHP+TES) under real weather conditions. It is important to match the maximum airflow for the BIPV/T system with the maximum airflow for the outdoor coil of the heat pump. The pressure drop inside the PV/T collector along with the connecting air duct from the BIPV/T to ASHP for a wide range of airflow rates and different duct depths was calculated. It was found that for air a flow rate around 2000 CFM, which is the maximum CFM for the custom-made ASHP for the test facility, the predicted fan energy was 195 kWh/year corresponding to 1.5 in. duct depth.

Analytical Modeling and Experimental Validation of Heating at the Leaf Seal/Rotor Interface

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael J. Pekris ◽  
Gervas Franceschini ◽  
Andrew K. Owen ◽  
Terry V. Jones ◽  
David R. H. Gillespie
Keyword(s):  
Mass Flow Rate ◽  
Analytical Model ◽  
Mass Flow ◽  
Flow Rate ◽  
Temperature Rise ◽  
Thermal Characteristic ◽  
Frictional Heat ◽  
Test Facility ◽  
Engine Operation ◽  
Secondary Air

The secondary air system of a modern gas or steam turbine is configured to satisfy a number of requirements, such as to purge cavities and maintain a sufficient flow of cooling air to key engine components, for a minimum penalty on engine cycle efficiency and specific fuel consumption. Advanced sealing technologies, such as brush seals and leaf seals, are designed to maintain pressures in cavities adjacent to rotating shafts. They offer significant reductions in secondary air parasitic leakage flows over the legacy sealing technology, the labyrinth seal. The leaf seal comprises a series of stacked sheet elements which are inclined relative to the radial direction, offering increased axial rigidity reduced radial stiffness, and good leakage performance. Investigations into leaf seal mechanical and flow performance have been conducted by previous researchers. However, limited understanding of the thermal behavior of contacting leaf seals under sustained shaft contact has led to the development of an analytical model in this study, which can be used to predict the power split between the leaf and rotor from predicted temperature rises during operation. This enables the effects of seal and rotor thermal growth and, therefore, implications on seal endurance and rotor mechanical integrity to be quantified. Consideration is given to the heat transfer coefficient in the leaf pack. A dimensional analysis of the leaf seal problem using the method of extended dimensions is presented, yielding the expected form of the relationship between seal frictional power generation, leakage mass flow rate and rotor temperature rise. An analytical model is derived which is in agreement. Using the derived leaf temperature distribution formula, the theoretical leaf tip temperature rise and temperature distributions are computed over a range of mass flow rates and frictional heat values. Experimental data were collected in high speed tests of a leaf seal prototype using the Engine Seal Test Facility at Oxford University. These data were used to populate the analytical model, and collapsed well to confirm the expected linear relationship. In this form, the thermal characteristic can be used with predictions of mass flow rate and frictional power generated to estimate leaf tip and rotor temperature rise in engine operation.

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