Influence of Wake Structure on Unsteady Flow in a Low Pressure Turbine Blade Passage

2009 ◽  
Vol 131 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
S. Sarkar

The effect of wake structures on the evolution of the boundary layer over the suction side of a high-lift low-pressure turbine blade is studied using large-eddy simulation (LES) for a Reynolds number Re=7.8×104 (based on the axial chord and the inlet velocity). The wake data of different characteristics (defined by the wake deficit and the small-scale motion) are extracted from a precursor LES of flow past a cylinder. This replaces a moving bar that generates wakes in front of a cascade. LES results illustrate that apart from the wake kinematics, the large pressure oscillations and rollup of the separated shear layer along the rear half of the suction surface depend on the length scale of the convective wake. The transition of this rolled-up shear layer is influenced by the wake turbulence and the small-scale motion.

Author(s):  
S. Sarkar

The effect of wake structures on the evolution of the boundary layer over the suction side of a high-lift low-pressure turbine is studied using large-eddy simulation (LES) for a Reynolds number Re = 7.8×104 (based on the axial chord and inlet velocity). The wake data of different characteristics (defined by the wake deficit and the small-scale motion) are extracted from a precursor LES of flow past a cylinder. This replaces a moving bar that generates wakes in front of a cascade. LES results illustrate that apart from the wake kinematics, the large pressure oscillations and rollup of the separated shear layer along the rear half of the suction surface depend on the length scale of the convective wake. The transition of this rolled-up shear layer is influenced by the wake turbulence and the small-scale motion.


1999 ◽  
Vol 122 (2) ◽  
pp. 431-433 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. G. Murawski ◽  
K. Vafai

An experimental study was conducted in a two-dimensional linear cascade, focusing on the suction surface of a low pressure turbine blade. Flow Reynolds numbers, based on exit velocity and suction length, have been varied from 50,000 to 300,000. The freestream turbulence intensity was varied from 1.1 to 8.1 percent. Separation was observed at all test Reynolds numbers. Increasing the flow Reynolds number, without changing freestream turbulence, resulted in a rearward movement of the onset of separation and shrinkage of the separation zone. Increasing the freestream turbulence intensity, without changing Reynolds number, resulted in shrinkage of the separation region on the suction surface. The influences on the blade’s wake from altering freestream turbulence and Reynolds number are also documented. It is shown that width of the wake and velocity defect rise with a decrease in either turbulence level or chord Reynolds number. [S0098-2202(00)00202-9]


2015 ◽  
Vol 138 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jiahuan Cui ◽  
V. Nagabhushana Rao ◽  
Paul Tucker

Using a range of high-fidelity large eddy simulations (LES), the contrasting flow physics on the suction surface, pressure surface, and endwalls of a low-pressure turbine (LPT) blade (T106A) was studied. The current paper attempts to provide an improved understanding of the flow physics over these three zones under the influence of different inflow boundary conditions. These include: (a) the effect of wakes at low and high turbulence intensity on the flow at midspan and (b) the impact of the state of the incoming boundary layer on endwall flow features. On the suction surface, the pressure fluctuations on the aft portion significantly reduced at high freestream turbulence (FST). The instantaneous flow features revealed that this reduction at high FST (HF) is due to the dominance of “streak-based” transition over the “Kelvin–Helmholtz” (KH) based transition. Also, the transition mechanisms observed over the turbine blade were largely similar to those on a flat plate subjected to pressure gradients. On pressure surface, elongated vortices were observed at low FST (LF). The possibility of the coexistence of both the Görtler instability and the severe straining of the wakes in the formation of these elongated vortices was suggested. While this was true for the cases under low turbulence levels, the elongated vortices vanished at higher levels of background turbulence. At endwalls, the effect of the state of the incoming boundary layer on flow features has been demonstrated. The loss cores corresponding to the passage vortex and trailing shed vortex were moved farther from the endwall with a turbulent boundary layer (TBL) when compared to an incoming laminar boundary layer (LBL). Multiple horse-shoe vortices, which constantly moved toward the leading edge due to a low-frequency unstable mechanism, were captured.


2017 ◽  
Vol 140 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Site Hu ◽  
Chao Zhou ◽  
Zhenhua Xia ◽  
Shiyi Chen

This study investigates the aerodynamic performance of a low-pressure turbine, namely the T106C, by large eddy simulation (LES) and coarse grid direct numerical simulation (CDNS) at a Reynolds number of 100,000. Existing experimental data were used to validate the computational fluid dynamics (CFD) tool. The effects of subgrid scale (SGS) models, mesh densities, computational domains and boundary conditions on the CFD predictions are studied. On the blade suction surface, a separation zone starts at a location of about 55% along the suction surface. The prediction of flow separation on the turbine blade is always found to be difficult and is one of the focuses of this work. The ability of Smagorinsky and wall-adapting local eddy viscosity (WALE) model in predicting the flow separation is compared. WALE model produces better predictions than the Smagorinsky model. CDNS produces very similar predictions to WALE model. With a finer mesh, the difference due to SGS models becomes smaller. The size of the computational domain is also important. At blade midspan, three-dimensional (3D) features of the separated flow have an effect on the downstream flows, especially for the area near the reattachment. By further considering the effects of endwall secondary flows, a better prediction of the flow separation near the blade midspan can be achieved. The effect of the endwall secondary flow on the blade suction surface separation at the midspan is explained with the analytical method based on the Biot–Savart Law.


Author(s):  
B. O¨ztu¨rk ◽  
M. T. Schobeiri ◽  
David E. Ashpis

The paper experimentally and theoretically studies the effects of periodic unsteady wake flow and aerodynamic characteristics on boundary layer development, separation and re-attachment along the suction surface of a low pressure turbine blade. The experiments were carried out at Reynolds number of 110,000 (based on suction surface length and exit velocity). For one steady and two different unsteady inlet flow conditions with the corresponding passing frequencies, intermittency behavior were experimentally and theoretically investigated. The current investigation attempts to extend the intermittency unsteady boundary layer transition model developed in previously to the LPT cases, where separation occurs on the suction surface at a low Reynolds number. The results of the unsteady boundary layer measurements and the intermittency analysis were presented in the ensemble-averaged, and contour plot forms. The analysis of the boundary layer experimental data with the flow separation, confirms the universal character of the relative intermittency function which is described by a Gausssian function.


Author(s):  
Stephen A. Pym ◽  
Asad Asghar ◽  
William D. E. Allan ◽  
John P. Clark

Abstract Aircraft are operating at increasingly high-altitudes, where decreased air density and engine power settings have led to increasingly low Reynolds numbers in the low-pressure turbine portion of modern-day aeroengines. These operating conditions, in parallel with highly-loaded blade profiles, result in non-reattaching laminar boundary layer separation along the blade suction surface, increasing loss and decreasing engine performance. This work presents an experimental investigation into the potential for integrated leading-edge tubercles to improve blade performance in this operating regime. A turn-table cascade test-section was constructed and commissioned to test a purpose-designed, forward-loaded, low-pressure turbine blade profile at various incidences and Reynolds numbers. Baseline and tubercled blades were tested at axial chord Reynolds numbers at and between 15 000 and 60 000, and angles of incidence ranging from −5° to +10°. Experimental data collection included blade surface pressure measurements, total pressure loss in the blade wakes, hot-wire anemometry, surface hot-film measurements, and surface flow visualization using tufts. Test results showed that the implementation of tubercles did not lead to a performance enhancement. However, useful conclusions were drawn regarding the ability of tubercles to generate stream-wise vortices at ultra-low Reynolds numbers. Additional observations helped to characterize the suction surface boundary layer over the highly-loaded, low-pressure turbine blade profile when at off-design conditions. Recommendations were made for future work.


2013 ◽  
Vol 135 (5) ◽  
Author(s):  
Christian T. Wakelam ◽  
Martin Hoeger ◽  
Reinhard Niehuis

As part of the current research, three low pressure turbine (LPT) geometries—which were designed with a common pitch, axial chord, inlet angle, and exit Mach number and to create the same nominal level of turning—are compared. Each of the LPT cascades was investigated under a range of Reynolds numbers, exit Mach numbers, and under the influence of a moving bar wake generator. Profile static pressure distributions, wake traverses at 5% and 40% axial chord downstream of the trailing edge, and suction side boundary layer traverses were used to compare the performance of the three designs. The total pressure losses are strongly dependent on both the maximum velocity location as well as the diffusion on the suction surface. The importance of the behavior of the pressure surface boundary layer turned out to be negligible in comparison. Cases with equivalent operating Reynolds number and suction side diffusion level are compared in terms of the total pressure losses that are generated. It is shown that a relationship between loss and suction side maximum velocity location exists. An optimum suction side maximum velocity location depends on the Reynolds number, diffusion factor, and wake passing frequency.


2012 ◽  
Vol 134 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Shriram Jagannathan ◽  
Markus Schwänen ◽  
Andrew Duggleby

The separation and reattachment of suction surface boundary layer in a low pressure turbine is characterized using large-eddy simulation at Ress = 69000 based on inlet velocity and suction surface length. Favorable comparisons are drawn with experiments using a high pass filtered Smagorinsky model for sub-grid scales. The onset of time mean separation is at s/so = 0.61 and reattachment at s/so = 0.81, extending over 20% of the suction surface. The boundary layer is convectively unstable with a maximum reverse flow velocity of about 13% of freestream. The breakdown to turbulence occurs over a very short distance of suction surface and is followed by reattachment. Turbulence near the bubble is further characterized using anisotropy invariant mapping and time orthogonal decomposition diagnostics. Particularly the vortex shedding and shear layer flapping phenomena are addressed. On the suction side, dominant hairpin structures near the transitional and turbulent flow regime are observed. The hairpin vortices are carried by the freestream even downstream of the trailing edge of the blade with a possibility of reaching the next stage. Longitudinal streaks that evolve from the breakdown of hairpin vortices formed near the leading edge are observed on the pressure surface.


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