Flow and Heat Transfer in Turbine Tip Gaps

1989 ◽  
Vol 111 (3) ◽  
pp. 301-309 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Moore ◽  
J. G. Moore ◽  
G. S. Henry ◽  
U. Chaudhry

The effects of Reynolds number on flow through a tip gap are investigated by performing laminar flow calculations for an idealized two-dimensional tip gap geometry. The results of the calculations aid in understanding and reconciliation of low Much number turbine tip gap measurements, which range in tip gap Reynolds number from 100 to 10,000. For the higher Reynolds numbers, both the calculations and the measurements show a large separation off the sharp edge of the blade tip corner. For a high Reynolds number, fully turbulent flow calculations were also made. These also show a large separation and the results are compared with heat transfer measurements. At high Mach numbers, there are complex shock structures in the tip gap. These are modeled experimentally using a water table.

2001 ◽  
Vol 7 (5) ◽  
pp. 351-364 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tom I.-P. Shih ◽  
Yu-Liang Lin ◽  
Mark A. Stephens

Computations were performed to study the three-dimensional flow and heat transfer in a U-shaped duct of square cross section with inclined ribs on two opposite walls under rotating and non-rotating conditions. Two extreme limits in the Reynolds number (25,000 and 350,000) were investigated. The rotation numbers investigated are 0, 0.24, and 0.039. Results show rotation and the bend to reinforce secondary flows that align with it and to retard those that do not. Rotation was found to affect significantly the flow and heat transfer in the bend even at a very high Reynolds number of 350,000 and a very low Rotation number of 0:039. When there is no rotation, the flow and heat transfer in the bend were dominated by rib-induced secondary flows at the high Reynolds number limit and by bend-induced pressure-gradients at the low Reynolds number limit. Long streaks of reduced surface heat transfer occur in the bend at locations where streamlines from two contiguous secondary flows merge and then flow away from the surface. The location and size of these streaks varied markedly with Reynolds and rotation numbers.This computational study is based on the ensemble-averaged conservation equations of mass, momentum (compressible Navier-Stokes), and energy. Turbulence is modelled by the low-Reynolds shear-stress transport (SST) model of Menter. Solutions were generated by using a cell-centered, finite-volume method, that is based on second-order accurate flux-difference splitting and a diagonalized alternating-direction implicit scheme with local time-stepping and V-cycle multigrid.


Author(s):  
Andrew M. Bluestein ◽  
Douglas Bohl

Abstract Turbulent particle-laden flows are of high interest due to their presence in many industrial applications. High Reynolds number flows containing solid particles, create complex flows and erosive environments. The effect that the particles have on the turbulence of the surrounding fluid is referred to in the literature as turbulence modulation. This is an area of research in which there is still much to learn to enable a deeper understanding of the physics behind these complex flows. Data that would be of particular usefulness are at higher Reynolds numbers (Re ≥ 100,000), and dense loadings (ΦV ≥ 1%). In this work, turbulent particle-laden flow through a simplified industrial geometry was studied at an upper Reynolds number of 115,000 and particle loadings up to 5% by weight/volume (specific gravity = 1) to address these needs. The flow within a tee junction with the 90-degree branch closed-off downstream was studied. This is analogous to a duct flow but with an exposed region of fluid at the location of the closed-off branch. Super absorbent particles were used as the solid phase, which became index-matched and neutrally buoyant upon saturation with water. Data were acquired using 2-D planar particle image velocimetry (PIV) along the center span of the tunnel. Mean and root-mean-square (rms) velocities were calculated for the fluid phase. Particle loadings studied were 0%, 1%, 3%, and 5 at flow Reynolds numbers of 11,500 and 115,000. Velocity contour plots are presented to provide a macro description of the flow. Three horizontal positions within the shear layer region were selected for profile comparison (x* = −0.45, 0, 0.45). Prior literature suggested that the particles would attenuate the turbulence, however, the result showed no single trend in the current data. The mean velocities were nominally unaffected by loading for a respective Reynolds number case. Turbulence modulation of the flow was found to be sensitive to the Reynolds number, as at x* = −0.45 weakening of the rms was observed in the low Reynolds number case and strengthening in the high Reynolds number case for the same particle loading in the same region of the geometry.


2003 ◽  
Vol 125 (3) ◽  
pp. 585-597 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yoji Okita ◽  
Hector Iacovides

This paper presents computations of flow and heat transfer through passages relevant to those used to internally cool gas-turbine blades, using high-Reynolds-number models of turbulence. Three types of internal flows are first examined, which between them contain all the main elements found in blade cooling passages; developing flow through a heated straight duct rotating orthogonally, repeating flow and heat transfer through a straight ribbed duct and flow and heat transfer through a round-ended U-bend of strong curvature square and of cross-section. Next, flows influenced by a combination of these elements are computed. The main objective is to establish how reliably, industry-standard high-Reynolds-number models can predict flow and wall-heat transfer in blade-cooling passages. Two high-Reynolds-number models have been used, the standard version of the high-Re k-ε (EVM) model and the basic high-Re model of stress transport (DSM). In all the cases the second-moment closure (DSM) consistently produced flow and thermal predictions that are closer to available measurements than those of the EVM model. Even the high-Re DSM predictions, however, are not in complete agreement with the experimental data. Comparisons with predictions of earlier studies that use low-Re models of turbulence show that at least some of the remaining differences between the current predictions and experimental data are due to the use of the wall-function approach.


1995 ◽  
Vol 117 (4) ◽  
pp. 522-532 ◽  
Author(s):  
W. C. Zierke ◽  
K. J. Farrell ◽  
W. A. Straka

A high-Reynolds-number pump (HIREP) facility has been used to acquire flow measurements in the rotor blade tip clearance region, with blade chord Reynolds numbers of 3,900,000 and 5,500,000. The initial experiment involved rotor blades with varying tip clearances, while a second experiment involved a more detailed investigation of a rotor blade row with a single tip clearance. The flow visualization on the blade surface and within the flow field indicate the existence of a trailing-edge separation vortex, a vortex that migrates radially upward along the trailing edge and then turns in the circumferential direction near the casing, moving in the opposite direction of blade rotation. Flow visualization also helps in establishing the trajectory of the tip leakage vortex core and shows the unsteadiness of the vortex. Detailed measurements show the effects of tip clearance size and downstream distance on the structure of the rotor tip leakage vortex. The character of the velocity profile along the vortex core changes from a jetlike profile to a wakelike profile as the tip clearance becomes smaller. Also, for small clearances, the presence and proximity of the casing endwall affects the roll-up, shape, dissipation, and unsteadiness of the tip leakage vortex. Measurements also show how much circulation is retained by the blade tip and how much is shed into the vortex, a vortex associated with high losses.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kyle Hassan ◽  
Robert F. Kunz ◽  
David Hanson ◽  
Michael Manahan

Abstract In this work, we study the heat transfer performance and particle dynamics of a highly mass loaded, compressible, particle-laden flow in a horizontally-oriented pipe using an Eulerian-Eulerian (two-fluid) computational model. An attendant experimental configuration [1] provides the basis for the study. Specifically, a 17 bar co-flow of nitrogen gas and copper powder are modeled with inlet Reynolds numbers of 3×104, 4.5×104, and 6×104 and mass loadings of 0, 0.5, and 1.0. Eight binned particle sizes were modeled to represent the known powder properties. Significant settling of all particle groups are observed leading to asymmetric temperature distributions. Wall and core flow temperature distributions are observed to agree well with measurements. In high Reynolds number cases, the predictions of the multiphase computational model were satisfactorily aligned with the experimental results. Low Reynolds number model predictions were not as consistent with the experimental measurements.


Author(s):  
Kathryn L. Kirsch ◽  
Jason K. Ostanek ◽  
Karen A. Thole ◽  
Eleanor Kaufman

Arrays of variably-spaced pin fins are used as a conventional means to conduct and convect heat from internal turbine surfaces. The most common pin shape for this purpose is a circular cylinder. Literature has shown that beyond the first few rows of pin fins, the heat transfer augmentation in the array levels off and slightly decreases. This paper provides experimental results from two studies seeking to understand the effects of gaps in pin spacing (row removals) and alternative pin geometries placed in these gaps. The alternative pin geometries included large cylindrical pins and oblong pins with different aspect ratios. Results from the row removal study at high Reynolds number showed that when rows four through eight were removed, the flow returned to a fully-developed channel flow in the gap between pin rows. When larger alternative geometries replaced the fourth row, heat transfer increased further downstream into the array.


Author(s):  
Taher Schobeiri ◽  
Eric McFarland ◽  
Frederick Yeh

In this report the results of aerodynamic and heat transfer experimental investigations performed in a high Reynolds number turbine cascade test facility are analyzed. The experimental facility simulates the high Reynolds number flow conditions similar to those encountered in the space shuttle main engine. In order to determine the influence of Reynolds number on aerodynamic and thermal behavior of the blades, heat transfer coefficients were measured at various Reynolds numbers using liquid crystal temperature measurement technique. Potential flow calculation methods were used to predict the cascade pressure distributions. Boundary layer and heat transfer calculation methods were used with these pressure distributions to verify the experimental results.


Author(s):  
Gongnan Xie ◽  
Bengt Sunde´n ◽  
Weihong Zhang

The blade tip region encounters high thermal loads because of the hot gas leakage flows, and it must therefore be cooled to ensure a long durability and safe operation. A common way to cool a blade tip is to design serpentine passages with 180° turn under the blade tip-cap inside the turbine blade. Improved internal convective cooling is therefore required to increase blade tip lifetime. Pins, dimples and protrusions are well recognized as effective devices to augment heat transfer in various applications. In this paper, enhanced heat transfer of an internal blade tip-wall has been predicted numerically. The computational models consist of a two-pass channel with 180° turn and arrays of circular pins or hemispherical dimples or protrusions internally mounted on the tip-wall. Inlet Reynolds numbers are ranging from 100,000 to 600,000. The overall performance of the two-pass channels is evaluated. Numerical results show that the heat transfer enhancement of the pinned tip is up to a factor of 3.0 higher than that of a smooth tip while the dimpled-tip and protruded-tip provide about 2.0 times higher heat transfer. These augmentations are achieved at the cost of an increase of pressure drop by less than 10%. By comparing the present cooling concepts with pins, dimples and protrusions, it is shown that the pinned-tip exhibit best performance to improve the blade tip cooling. However, when disregarding the added active area and considering the added mechanical stress, it is suggested that the usage of dimples is more suitable to enhance blade tip cooling, especially at low Reynolds numbers.


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