Effects of Inlet Temperature Gradients on Turbomachinery Performance

1975 ◽  
Vol 97 (1) ◽  
pp. 64-71 ◽  
Author(s):  
B. Lakshminarayana
Keyword(s):  
Combustion Chamber ◽  
Secondary Flow ◽  
Gas Turbines ◽  
Secondary Flows ◽  
Temperature Gradients ◽  
Large Temperature ◽  
Inlet Temperature ◽  
Temperature Profiles ◽  
Blade Row

An analysis is carried out to predict the nature and magnitude of secondary flows induced by temperature gradients in turbomachinery stator and rotor. The effect of this thermal driven secondary flow is severe in gas turbines, due to large temperature gradients that exist at the outlet of the combustion chamber. Secondary flows change the temperature profiles at the exit of the blade row and generate thermal wakes. A method of incorporating these effects into the calculation of gas, blade and casing temperatures in a turbine is demonstrated through an example.

Aero-Thermal Performance of Purge Flow in Turbine Cascade Endwall Cooling

2012 ◽  
Vol 229-231 ◽  
pp. 737-741 ◽  
Author(s):  
W. Ghopa Wan Aizon ◽  
Kenichi Funazaki
Keyword(s):  
Heat Transfer ◽  
Flow Field ◽  
Secondary Flow ◽  
Film Cooling ◽  
Gas Turbines ◽  
Thermal Stresses ◽  
Secondary Flows ◽  
Inlet Temperature ◽  
Turbine Cascade ◽  
Film Cooling Effectiveness

The endwall and blade film cooling systems are the typical solution adopted within gas turbines to allow further increase of turbine inlet temperature, avoiding critical material thermal stresses. Due to complex secondary flow field in the blade passage, endwallis more difficult to cool than blade surfaces. In the matter of fact, in endwall film cooling studies, it is necessary to investigate the interaction between coolant air and the secondary flow. In present study, the flow field of high-pressure turbine cascade has been investigated by 5-holes pitot tube to reveal the secondary flows behavior under the influenced of purge flows while the heat transfer measurement was conducted bythermochromic liquid crystal (TLC). Experimental has significantly captured theaerodynamics effect of purge flowat blade downstream close to the endwall region. Furthermore, TLC measurement illustrated that the film cooling effectiveness and heat transfer coefficient contours were strongly influenced by the secondary flow on the endwall.

Design Analysis of a Micro Gas Turbine Combustion Chamber Burning Natural Gas

2012 ◽  
Author(s):  
André Perpignan V. de Campos ◽  
Fernando L. Sacomano Filho ◽  
Guenther C. Krieger Filho
Keyword(s):  
Experimental Data ◽  
Natural Gas ◽  
Combustion Chamber ◽  
Gas Turbines ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Mixture Fraction ◽  
Combustion Model ◽  
Inlet Temperature ◽  
Gas Combustion ◽  
Micro Turbine

Gas turbines are reliable energy conversion systems since they are able to operate with variable fuels and independently from seasonal natural changes. Within that reality, micro gas turbines have been increasing the importance of its usage on the onsite generation. Comparatively, less research has been done, leaving more room for improvements in this class of gas turbines. Focusing on the study of a flexible micro turbine set, this work is part of the development of a low cost electric generation micro turbine, which is capable of burning natural gas, LPG and ethanol. It is composed of an originally automotive turbocompressor, a combustion chamber specifically designed for this application, as well as a single stage axial power turbine. The combustion chamber is a reversed flow type and has a swirl stabilized combustor. This paper is dedicated to the diagnosis of the natural gas combustion in this chamber using computational fluid dynamics techniques compared to measured experimental data of temperature inside the combustion chamber. The study emphasizes the near inner wall temperature, turbine inlet temperature and dilution holes effectiveness. The calculation was conducted with the Reynolds Stress turbulence model coupled with the conventional β-PDF equilibrium along with mixture fraction transport combustion model. Thermal radiation was also considered. Reasonable agreement between experimental data and computational simulations was achieved, providing confidence on the phenomena observed on the simulations, which enabled the design improvement suggestions and analysis included in this work.

Volumetric Velocimetry Measurements of Purge–Mainstream Interaction in a One-Stage Turbine

2021 ◽  
Vol 143 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
A. J. Carvalho Figueiredo ◽  
B. D. J. Schreiner ◽  
A. W. Mesny ◽  
O. J. Pountney ◽  
J. A. Scobie ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Flow Field ◽  
Secondary Flow ◽  
Gas Turbines ◽  
Suction Side ◽  
Secondary Flows ◽  
Blade Passage ◽  
One Stage ◽  
Passage Vortex ◽  
Purge Flow ◽  
Secondary Flow Field

Abstract Air-cooled gas turbines employ bleed air from the compressor to cool vulnerable components in the turbine. The cooling flow, commonly known as purge air, is introduced at low radius, before exiting through the rim-seal at the periphery of the turbine discs. The purge flow interacts with the mainstream gas path, creating an unsteady and complex flowfield. Of particular interest to the designer is the effect of purge on the secondary-flow structures within the blade passage, the extent of which directly affects the aerodynamic loss in the stage. This paper presents a combined experimental and computational fluid dynamics (CFD) investigation into the effect of purge flow on the secondary flows in the blade passage of an optically accessible one-stage turbine rig. The experimental campaign was conducted using volumetric velocimetry (VV) measurements to assess the three-dimensional inter-blade velocity field; the complementary CFD campaign was carried out using unsteady Reynolds-averaged Navier–Stokes (URANS) computations. The implementation of VV within a rotating environment is a world first and offers an unparalleled level of experimental detail. The baseline flow-field, in the absence of purge flow, demonstrated a classical secondary flow-field: the rollup of a horseshoe vortex, with subsequent downstream convection of a pressure-side and suction-side leg, the former transitioning in to the passage vortex. The introduction of purge, at 1.7% of the mainstream flowrate, was shown to modify the secondary flow-field by enhancing the passage vortex, in both strength and span-wise migration. The computational predictions were in agreement with the enhancement revealed by the experiments.

Excess Streamwise Vorticity and Its Role in Secondary Flow

1987 ◽  
Vol 201 (6) ◽  
pp. 413-420 ◽  
Author(s):  
P W James
Keyword(s):  
Secondary Flow ◽  
Gas Turbines ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Streamwise Vorticity ◽  
Three Dimensional Flow ◽  
Approximate Methods ◽  
Blade Row ◽  
Flow Through ◽  
Loss Term

The purpose of this paper is, firstly, to show how the concept of excess secondary vorticity arises naturally from attempts to recover three-dimensional flow details lost in passage-averaging the equations governing the flow through gas turbines. An equation for the growth of excess streamwise vorticity is then derived. This equation, which allows for streamwise entropy gradients through a prescribed loss term, could be integrated numerically through a blade-row to provide the excess vorticity at the exit to a blade-row. The second part of the paper concentrates on the approximate methods of Smith (1) and Came and Marsh (2) for estimating this quantity and demonstrates their relationship to each other and to the concept of excess streamwise vorticity. Finally the relevance of the results to the design of blading for gas turbines, from the point of view of secondary flow, is discussed.

scholarly journals A Unique Small Gas Turbine Test Facility for Low-Cost Investigations of Ceramic Rotor Materials and Thermal Barrier Coatings

1998 ◽  
Author(s):  
Björn Schenk ◽  
Torsten Eggert ◽  
Helmut Pucher
Keyword(s):  
Combustion Chamber ◽  
Gas Turbine ◽  
Gas Turbines ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Temperature Gradients ◽  
Test Facility ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Transient Temperature ◽  
Turbine Inlet ◽  
Turbine Rotors

The paper describes a test facility for small-scale gas turbines, which basically has been designed and assembled at the Institute of Combustion Engines of the Technical University Berlin. The facility exposes ceramic rotor components to the most significant loads that occur during real gas turbine operation in a clearly predefined manner (high circumferential velocities and highest turbine inlet temperatures). The test facility allows the investigation of bladed radial inflow turbine rotors, as well as — in a preceding step — geometrically simplified ceramic or coated metallic rotors. A newly designed, ceramically lined, variable geometry combustion chamber allows turbine inlet temperatures up to 1450°C (2640 F). A fast thermal shock unit (switching time of about 1s), which is integrated into the test facility between the combustion chamber and the turbine scroll, can be used to create, for example, severe transient temperature gradients within the rotor components to simulate gas turbine trip conditions. In order to generate steady state temperature gradients, especially during disk testing, the rotor components can be subjected to an impingement cooling of the rotor back face (uncoated in case of TBC-testing). The test facility is additionally equipped with a non-contact transient temperature measurement system (turbine radiation pyrometry) to determine the test rotor surface temperature distribution during operation. Apart from the possibilities of basic rotor material investigations, the test facility can also be used to automatically generate compressor and turbine performance characteristics maps. The latter might be used to assess the aerodynamic performance of bladed ceramic radial inflow or mixed flow turbine rotors with respect to manufacturing tolerances due to near-net-shape forming processes (e.g., gelcasting or injection molding).

Thermal structure of the Amery Ice Shelf from borehole observations and simulations

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yu Wang ◽  
Chen Zhao ◽  
Rupert Gladstone ◽  
Ben Galton-Fenzi
Keyword(s):  
Boundary Conditions ◽  
Mass Balance ◽  
Thermal Structure ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Temperature Gradients ◽  
Temperature Fields ◽  
Large Temperature ◽  
Temperature Profiles ◽  
Ice Shelf ◽  
Amery Ice Shelf

<p>The Amery Ice Shelf (AIS), East Antarctica, has a layered structure, due to the presence of both meteoric and marine ice. In this study, the thermal structures of the AIS are evaluated from vertical temperature profiles, and its formation mechanism are demonstrated by numerical simulations. The temperature profiles, derived from borehole thermistor data at four different locations, indicate distinct temperature regimes in the areas with and without basal marine ice. The former shows a near-isothermal layer over 100 m at the bottom and stable internal temperature gradients, while the latter reveals a cold core ice resulting from upstream cold ice advection and large temperature gradients within 90 m at the bottom. The three-dimensional steady-state temperature fields are simulated by Elmer/Ice, a full-stokes ice sheet model, using three different basal mass balance datasets. We found the simulated temperature fields are highly sensitive to the choice of dynamic boundary conditions on both upper and lower surfaces. To better illustrate the formation of the vertical thermal regimes, we construct a one-dimensional temperature column model to simulate the process of ice columns moving on the flowlines with varying boundary conditions. The comparison of simulated and observed temperature profiles suggests that the basal mass balance and meteoric ice advection are both crucial factors determining the thermal structure of the ice shelf. The different basal mass balance datasets are indirectly evaluated as well. The improved understanding of the thermal structure of the AIS will assist with further studies on its thermodynamics and rheology.</p>

scholarly journals Experimental Study of a 3D Wake Decay and Secondary Flows Behind a Rotor Blade Row of a Low Speed Compressor Stage

1996 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. S. Witkowski ◽  
T. J. Chmielniak ◽  
M. D. Strozik
Keyword(s):  
Flow Field ◽  
Unsteady Flow ◽  
Secondary Flow ◽  
Rotor Blade ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Secondary Flows ◽  
Operating Conditions ◽  
Tip Clearance ◽  
Compressor Stage ◽  
Blade Row

Detailed measurements have been performed in a low pressure axial flow compressor stage to investigate the structure of the secondary flow field and the three-dimensional wake decay at different axial locations before and behind the rotor. The three dimensional flow field upstream and downstream of the rotor and on the centerline of the stator blade passage have been sampled periodically using a straight and a 90 degree triple-split fiber probe. Radial measurements at 39 radial stations were carried out at chosen axial positions in order to get the span-wise characteristics of the unsteady flow. Taking the experimental values of the unsteady flow velocities and turbulence properties, the effects of the rotor blade wake decay and secondary flow on the blade row spacing and stator passage flow at different operating conditions are discussed. For the normal operating point, the component of radial turbulent intensities in the leakage-flow mixing region is found to be much higher than the corresponding axial and tangential components. But for a higher value of the flow coefficient the relations are different.The results of the experiments show that triple-split fiber probes, straight and 90 degree measurements, combined with the ensemble average technique are a very useful method for the analysis of rotor flow in turbomachinery. Tip clearance vortex, secondary flow near the hub and radial flow in the wake, turbulent intensity and Reynolds stresses and also the decay of the rotor wakes can be obtained by this method.

Volumetric Velocimetry Measurements of Purge-Mainstream Interaction in a 1-Stage Turbine

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. J. Carvalho Figueiredo ◽  
B. D. J. Schreiner ◽  
A. W. Mesny ◽  
O. J. Pountney ◽  
J. A. Scobie ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Flow Field ◽  
Secondary Flow ◽  
Gas Turbines ◽  
Suction Side ◽  
Secondary Flows ◽  
Complex Flow ◽  
Blade Passage ◽  
Passage Vortex ◽  
Purge Flow ◽  
Secondary Flow Field

Abstract Air-cooled gas turbines employ bleed air from the compressor to cool vulnerable components in the turbine. The cooling flow, commonly known as purge air, is introduced at low radius, before exiting through the rim-seal at the periphery of the turbine discs. The purge flow interacts with the mainstream gas path, creating an unsteady and complex flow-field. Of particular interest to the designer is the effect of purge on the secondary flow structures within the blade passage, the extent of which directly affects the aerodynamic loss in the stage. This paper presents a combined experimental and Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) investigation into the effect of purge flow on the secondary flows in the blade passage of an optically-accessible 1-stage turbine rig. The experimental campaign was conducted using Volumetric Velocimetry (VV) measurements to assess the three-dimensional inter-blade velocity field; the complementary CFD campaign was carried out using URANS computations. The implementation of VV within a rotating environment is a world first and offers an unparalleled level of experimental detail. The baseline flow-field, in the absence of purge flow, demonstrated a classical secondary flow-field: the roll-up of a horseshoe-vortex, with subsequent downstream convection of a pressure-side and suction-side leg, the former transitioning in to the passage vortex. The introduction of purge, at 1.7% of the mainstream flow-rate, was shown to modify the secondary flow field by enhancing the passage vortex, both in strength and span-wise migration. The computational predictions were in agreement with the enhancement revealed by the experiments.

Computational Analysis of Pitch-Width Effects on the Secondary Flows of Turbine Blades

2002 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. Xu ◽  
R. S. Amano ◽  
B. Marini
Keyword(s):  
Secondary Flow ◽  
Turbine Blade ◽  
Compressible Flows ◽  
Turbine Blades ◽  
Time Derivative ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Secondary Flows ◽  
Width Ratio ◽  
Blade Row ◽  
Flow Effects

A three-dimensional computational code was developed for solving time-averaged flows within a turbine blade row using a novel time-marching method. A concept of incorporating dissipation terms into the time derivative terms was proposed to allow the code to have the capability of handling both incompressible and compressible flows. The code was validated by comparing the computational results with experiments in a turbine stator blade passage. The code was further used to investigate the influence of secondary flow in a turbine blade row due to different pitch-width ratios. Detailed secondary flows as well as loss profiles in different sizes of root pitch-width ratio are presented and discussed. The results of this study provide useful information for evaluation of the secondary flow effects due to the pitch-width ratio influence for the future new turbine blade designs.

Development of an automated non-axisymmetric endwall contour design system for the rotor of a 1-stage research turbine – part 1: System design

2019 ◽  
Vol 234 (5) ◽  
pp. 565-581
Author(s):  
Jonathan Bergh ◽  
Glen Snedden ◽  
Daya Reddy
Keyword(s):  
Fluid Dynamics ◽  
Computational Fluid Dynamics ◽  
Global Optimization ◽  
Secondary Flow ◽  
Optimization Procedure ◽  
Secondary Flows ◽  
Design System ◽  
Efficient Global Optimization ◽  
Optimization Approach ◽  
Blade Row

Secondary flows are a well-known source of loss in turbomachinery flows, contributing up to 30% of the total aerodynamic blade row loss. With the increase in pressure on aero-engine manufacturers to produce lighter, more powerful and increasingly more efficient engines, the mitigation of the losses associated with secondary flow has become significantly more important than in the past. This is because the production of secondary flow is closely related to the amount of loading and hence the work output of a blade row, which then allows part counts and overall engine weight to be reduced. Similarly, higher efficiency engines demand larger engine pressure ratios which in turn lead to reduced blade passage heights in which secondary flows then dominate. This article discusses the design and application of an automated turbine non-axisymmetric endwall contour optimization procedure for the rotor of a low speed, 1-stage research turbine, which was used as part of a research program to determine the most effective objective functions for reducing turbine secondary flows. In order to produce as effective as possible designs, the optimization procedure was coupled to a computational fluid dynamics routine with as high a degree of fidelity as possible and an efficient global optimization scheme based on the so-called efficient global optimization algorithm. In order to compliment the requirements of the efficient global optimization approach, as well as offset some of the computational requirements of the computational fluid dynamics, the DACE metamodel was used as an underlying surrogate model.

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