Casing Treatment and Blade-Tip Configuration Effects on Controlled Gas Turbine Blade Tip/Shroud Rubs at Engine Conditions

2010 ◽  
Vol 133 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Corso Padova ◽  
Michael G. Dunn ◽  
Jeffery Barton ◽  
Kevin Turner ◽  
Alan Turner ◽  
...  

Experimental results obtained for an Inconel® compressor blade rubbing bare-steel and treated casings at engine speed are described. Since 2002 a number of experiments were conducted to generate a broad database for tip rubs, the Rotor-Blade Rub database obtained using the unique experimental facility at the The Ohio State University Gas Turbine Laboratory. As of 2007, there are seven completed groups of measurements in the database. Among them a number of blade-tip geometries and casing surface treatments have been investigated. The purpose of this paper is to provide a detailed interpretation of this database. Load cell, strain, temperature, and accelerometer measurements are discussed and then applied to analyze the interactions resulting from progressive and sudden incursions of varying severity, defined by incursion depths ranging from 13 μm to 762 μm (from 0.0005 in. to 0.030 in.). The influence of blade-tip speed on these measurements is described. The results presented describe the dynamics of rotor and casing vibro-impact response at representative operational speeds similar to those experienced in flight. Force components at the blade tip in the axial and circumferential directions are presented for rub incursions ranging in depth from very light (13 μm) to severe (406 μm). Trends of variation are observed during metal-to-metal and metal-to-abradable contacts for two airfoil tip shapes and tip speeds 390 m/s (1280 ft/s) and 180 m/s (590 ft/s). The nonlinear nature of the rub phenomena reported in earlier work is confirmed. In progressing from light rubs to higher incursion, the maximum incurred circumferential load increases significantly while the maximum incurred axial load increases much less. The manner in which casing surface treatment affects the loads is presented. Concurrently, the stress magnification on the rubbing blade at root midchord, at tip leading edge, and at tip trailing edge is discussed. Computational models to analyze the nonlinear dynamic response of a rotating beam with periodic pulse loading at the free-end are currently under development and are noted.

Author(s):  
Corso Padova ◽  
Michael G. Dunn ◽  
Jeffery Barton ◽  
Kevin Turner ◽  
Alan Turner ◽  
...  

Experimental results obtained for an Inconel compressor blade rubbing bare-steel and treated casings at engine speed are described. Since 2002 a number of experiments were conducted to generate a broad database for tip rubs, the Rotor-Blade Rub Database (RBR database) obtained using the unique experimental facility at the OSU Gas Turbine Laboratory. As of 2007, there are seven completed groups of measurements in the database. Among them a number of blade-tip geometries and casing surface treatments have been investigated. The purpose of this paper is to provide a detailed interpretation of this database. Load cell, strain, temperature and accelerometer measurements are discussed and then applied to analyze the interactions resulting from progressive and sudden incursions of varying severity, defined by incursion depths ranging from 13 μm to 762 μm (0.0005 in to 0.030 in). The influence of blade-tip speed on these measurements is described. The results presented describe the dynamics of rotor and casing vibro-impact response at representative operational speeds similar to those experienced in flight. Force components at the blade tip in the axial and circumferential directions are presented for rub incursions ranging in depth from very light (13 μm) to severe (406 μm). Trends of variation are observed during metal-to-metal and metal-to-abradable contacts for two airfoil tip shapes and tip speed 390 m/s (1280 ft/s) and 180 m/s (590 ft/s). The non-linear nature of the rub phenomena reported in earlier work is confirmed. In progressing from light rubs to higher incursion, the maximum incurred circumferential load increases significantly while the maximum incurred axial load increases much less. The manner in which casing surface treatment affects the loads is presented. Concurrently, the stress magnification on the rubbing blade at root mid-chord, at tip leading edge, and at tip trailing edge is discussed. Computational models to analyze the non-linear dynamic response of a rotating beam with periodic pulse loading at the free-end are currently under development and are noted. A companion paper on a method to determine blade tip forces is presented separately in this Turbo Expo conference.


Author(s):  
Corso Padova ◽  
Jeffery Barton ◽  
Michael G. Dunn ◽  
Steve Manwaring

Experimental results obtained for an Inconel compressor blade rubbing a steel casing at engine speed are described. Load cell, strain gauge and accelerometer measurements are discussed and then applied to analyze the metal-on-metal interaction resulting from sudden incursions of varying severity, defined by incursion depths ranging from 13 μm to 762 μm (0.0005-in to 0.030-in). The results presented describe the transient dynamics of rotor and casing vibro-impact response at engine operational speed similar to those experienced in flight. Force components at the blade tip in axial and circumferential directions for a rub of moderate incursion depth (140 μm) are compared to those for a severe rub (406 μm). Similar general trends of variation during the metal-to-metal contact are observed. However, in the nearly three-fold higher incursion the maximum incurred circumferential load increases significantly, while the maximum incurred axial load increases much less, demonstrating the non-linear nature of the rub phenomena. Concurrently, the stress magnification on the rubbing blade at root mid-chord, at tip leading edge, and at tip trailing edge is discussed. The results point to the possibility of failure occurring first at the airfoil trailing edge. Such a failure was in fact observed in the most severe rub obtained to date in the laboratory, consistent with field observations. Computational models to analyze the non-linear dynamic response of a rotating beam with periodic pulse loading at the free-end are currently under development and are noted.


2006 ◽  
Vol 129 (4) ◽  
pp. 713-723 ◽  
Author(s):  
Corso Padova ◽  
Jeffery Barton ◽  
Michael G. Dunn ◽  
Steve Manwaring

Experimental results obtained for an Inconel® compressor blade rubbing a steel casing at engine speed are described. Load cell, strain gauge, and accelerometer measurements are discussed and then applied to analyze the metal-on-metal interaction resulting from sudden incursions of varying severity, defined by incursion depths ranging from 13μm to 762μm (0.0005in. to 0.030in.). The results presented describe the transient dynamics of rotor and casing vibro-impact response at engine operational speed similar to those experienced in flight. Force components at the blade tip in axial and circumferential directions for a rub of moderate incursion depth (140μm) are compared to those for a severe rub (406μm). Similar general trends of variation during the metal-to-metal contact are observed. However, in the nearly threefold higher incursion the maximum incurred circumferential load increases significantly, while the maximum incurred axial load increases much less, demonstrating the non-linear nature of the rub phenomena. Concurrently, the stress magnification on the rubbing blade at root mid-chord, at tip leading edge, and at tip trailing edge is discussed. The results point to the possibility of failure occurring first at the airfoil trailing edge. Such a failure was in fact observed in the most severe rub obtained to date in the laboratory, consistent with field observations. Computational models to analyze the non-linear dynamic response of a rotating beam with periodic pulse loading at the free-end are currently under development and are noted.


2009 ◽  
Vol 132 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Wanan Sheng ◽  
Roderick A. McD. Galbraith ◽  
Frank N. Coton

National Renewable Energy Laboratory, USA (NREL) airfoils have been specially developed for wind turbine applications, and projected to yield more annual energy without increasing the maximum power level. These airfoils are designed to have a limited maximum lift and relatively low sensitivity to leading-edge roughness. As a result, these airfoils have quite different leading-edge profiles from airfoils applied to helicopter blades, and thus, quite different dynamic-stall characteristics. Unfortunately for wind turbine aerodynamics, the dynamic-stall models in use are still those specially developed and refined for helicopter applications. A good example is the Leishman–Beddoes dynamic-stall model, which is one of the most popular models in wind turbine applications. The consequence is that the application of such dynamic-stall model to low-speed cases can be problematic. Recently, some specific dynamic-stall models have been proposed or tuned for the cases of low Mach numbers, but their universality needs further validation. This paper considers the application of the modified dynamic low-speed stall model of Sheng et al. (“A Modified Dynamic Stall Model for Low Mach Numbers,” 2008, ASME J. Sol. Energy Eng., 130(3), pp. 031013) to the NREL airfoils. The predictions are compared with the data of the NREL airfoils tested at the Ohio State University. The current research has two objectives: to justify the suitability of the low-speed dynamic-stall model, and to provide the relevant parameters for the NREL airfoils.


2011 ◽  
Vol 134 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Kevin E. Turner ◽  
Michael Dunn ◽  
Corso Padova

The turbomachinery industry continually struggles with the adverse effects of contact rubs between airfoils and casings. The key parameter controlling the severity of a given rub event is the contact load produced when the airfoil tips incur into the casing. These highly nonlinear and transient forces are difficult to calculate and their effects on the static and rotating components are not well understood. To help provide this insight, experimental and analytical capabilities have been established and exercised through an alliance between GE Aviation and The Ohio State University Gas Turbine Laboratory. One of the early findings of the program is the influence of blade flexibility on the physics of rub events. The focus of this paper is to quantify the influence of airfoil flexibility through a novel modeling approach that is based on the relationship between the applied force duration and maximum tip deflection. Results from the model are compared with experimental results, providing sound verification.


Author(s):  
Kirill A. Vinogradov ◽  
Gennady V. Kretinin ◽  
Kseniya V. Otryahina ◽  
Roman A. Didenko ◽  
Dmitry V. Karelin ◽  
...  

Constant rise of hot gas temperature is crucial for the creation of modern gas-turbines engines requiring considerable improvement of cooling configurations. A high pressure turbine blade is one of the most crucial and loaded details in gas-turbine engines. A HPT blade is affected by different operational deviations: stochastic fluctuations of inlet parameters and difference in operational parameters for manufactured engines. Combination of these factors makes the task of uncertainty quantification and robust optimization of the HPT blade relevant in modern science. The authors make an attempt to implement robust optimization to the HPT blade of the gas-turbine engine. The two most important areas of the cooling blade (the leading edge (LE) and the blade tip) were taken into account. The operational and the aleatoric uncertainties were analyzed. These uncertainties represent the fluctuations in the operational parameters and the random-unknown conditions such as the boundary values and or geometrical variations. Industrial HPT blade with a serpentary cooling system and film cooling at the LE was considered. Results of many engine tests were applied to construct probability density function distributions for operational uncertainties. More than 100 real gas-turbines were examined. The following operational uncertainties were reviewed: inlet hot gas pressure and temperature together with cooling air pressure. The tip gap was used as geometrical variation. Conjugate Heat Transfer computations were carried out for the temperature distribution obtained. Geometrical variations of the LE film cooling rows and the tip gap are variables in the robust optimization process. The authors developed a special technology for full parameterization of the LE film-cooling rows only by two parameters. A surrogate model technique (the response surface and the Monte-Carlo method) was applied for the uncertainty quantification and the robust optimization processes. The IOSO technology was employed as one of the robust optimization tools. This technology is also based on the widespread application of the response surface technique. Robust optimal solution (the Pareto set) between cooling effectiveness of the leading edge and the blade tip and aerodynamic efficiency was obtained as the result. At chosen point from the Pareto set (angle point) we calculated necessary levels of robust criteria characterized LE and blade tip cooling effectiveness and kinetic energy losses.


Author(s):  
Hao G Zhang ◽  
Fei Y Dong ◽  
Wei Wang ◽  
Wu L Chu ◽  
Song Yan

This investigation aims to understand the mechanisms of affecting the axial flow compressor performance and internal flow field with the application of self-recirculation casing treatment. Besides, the potentiality of further enhancing the compressor performance and stability by optimizing the geometric structure of self-recirculation casing treatment is discussed in detail. The results show that self-recirculation casing treatment generates about 7.06, 7.89% stall margin improvements in the experiment and full-annulus unsteady calculation, respectively. Moreover, the compressor total pressure and isentropic efficiency are improved among most of operating points, and the experimental and calculated compressor peak efficiencies are increased by 0.7% and 0.6%, respectively. The comparisons between baseline shroud and self-recirculation casing treatment show that the flow conditions of the compressor rotor inlet upstream are improved well with self-recirculation casing treatment, and the degree of the pressure enhancement in the blade top passage for self-recirculation casing treatment is higher than that for baseline. Further, self-recirculation casing treatment can restrain the leading edge-spilled flows made by the blade tip clearance leakage flows and weaken the blade tip passage blockage. Hence, the flow loss near the rotor top passage is reduced after the application of self-recirculation casing treatment. The rotor performance and stability for self-recirculation casing treatment are greater than those for baseline. The flow-field analyses also indicate that the adverse effects caused by the clearance leakage flows of the blades tip rear are greater than those made by the clearance leakage flows of the blades leading edge. When one injecting part of self-recirculation casing treatment is aligned with the inlet of one blade tip passage, the flow-field quality in the passage is not the best among all the passages between two adjacent injecting parts of self-recirculation casing treatment. Further, the flow-field analyses also indicate that the effect of the relative position between the blade and self-recirculation casing treatment on the flows in the self-recirculation casing treatment may be ignored during the optimization of the recirculating loop configuration.


Author(s):  
HaoGuang Zhang ◽  
Feng Tan ◽  
YanHui Wu ◽  
WuLi Chu ◽  
Wei Wang ◽  
...  

For compressor blade tip stall, one effective way of extending stable operating range is with the application of circumferential grooved casing treatment and its validity was proved by a lot of experimental and numerical investigations. The emphases of most circumferential grooved investigations are focused on the influence of groove depth and groove number on compressor stability, and there is few investigations dealt with the center offset degree of circumferential grooves casing treatment. Hence, an axial compressor rotor with casing treatment (CT) was investigated with experimental and numerical methods to explore the effect of center offset degree on compressor stability and performance. In the work reported here, The center offset degree is defined as the ratio of the central difference between rotor tip axial chord and CT to the axial chord length of rotor tip. When the center of CT is located within the upstream direction of the center of rotor tip axial chord, the value of center offset degree is positive. The experimental and numerical results show that stall margin improvement gained with CT is reduced as the value of center offset degree varies from 0 to 0.33 or −0.33, and the CT with −0.33 center offset degree achieves the lowest value of stall margin improvement at 53% and 73% design rotational speed. The detailed analysis of the flow-field in compressor tip indicates that there is not positive effect made by grooves on leading edge of rotor blade tip when the value of center offset degree is −0.33. As the mass flow of compressor reduces further, tip clearance leakage flow results in the outlet blockage due to the absence of the positive action of grooves near blade tip tail when the value of center offset degree is 0.33. Blockage does not appear in rotor tip passage owing to utilizing the function of all grooves with CT of 0 center offset degree.


2017 ◽  
Vol 140 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel Möller ◽  
Maximilian Jüngst ◽  
Heinz-Peter Schiffer ◽  
Thomas Giersch ◽  
Frank Heinichen

Rotor blade vibrations observed in the Darmstadt transonic compressor rig are investigated in this paper. The vibrations are nonsynchronous and occur in the near stall (NS) operating region. Rotor tip flow fluctuations traveling near the leading edge (LE) against the direction of rotation (in the rotor relative frame of reference) with about 50% blade tip speed are found to be the reason for the occurrence of the vibrations. The investigations show that the blockage at the rotor tip is an important factor for the aeroelastic stability of the compressor in the NS region. It is found that by application of a recirculating tip injection (TI) casing treatment, the aeroelastic stability increases as a result of reduced blockage in the rotor tip region.


2013 ◽  
Vol 136 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael Dunn ◽  
Randall Mathison

Short-duration facilities have been used for the past 35 years to obtain measurements of heat transfer, aerodynamic loading, vibratory response, film-cooling influence, purge flow migration, and aeroperformance for full-stage, high-pressure turbines operating at design-corrected conditions of flow function, corrected speed, and stage pressure ratio. This paper traces the development of experimental techniques now in use at The Ohio State University (OSU) Gas Turbine Laboratory (GTL) from initial work in this area at the Cornell Aeronautical Laboratory (CAL, later to become Calspan) from 1975 through to the present. It is intended to summarize the wide range of research that can be performed with a short-duration facility and highlight the types of measurements that are possible. Beginning with heat flux measurements for the vane and blade of a Garrett TFE 731-2 HP turbine stage with vane pressure-surface slot cooling, the challenge of each experimental program has been to provide data to aid turbine designers in understanding the relevant flow physics and help drive the advancement of predictive techniques. Through many different programs, this has involved collaborators at a variety of companies and experiments performed with turbine stages from Garrett, Allison, Teledyne, Pratt and Whitney (P/W), General Electric Aviation (GEA), Rocketdyne, Westinghouse, and Honeywell. The vane/blade interaction measurement and computational fluid dynamics (CFD) program, which ran from the early 1980s until 2000, provided a particularly good example of what can be achieved when experimentalists and computational specialists collaborate closely. Before conclusion of this program in 2000, the heat flux and pressure measurements made for this transonic turbine operated with and without vane trailing edge cooling flow were analyzed and compared to predictive codes in conjunction with engineers at Allison, United Technologies Research Center (UTRC), P/W, and GEA in jointly published papers. When the group moved to OSU in 1995 along with the facility used at Calspan, refined techniques were needed to meet new research challenges, such as investigating blade-damping and forced response, measuring aeroperformance for different configurations, and preparing for advanced cooling experiments that introduced complicating features of an actual engine to further challenge computational predictions. This required conversion of the test-gas heating method from a shock-tunnel approach to a blowdown approach using a combustor emulator to also create inlet temperature profiles, the development of instrumentation techniques to work with a thin-walled airfoil with backside cooling, and the adoption of experimental techniques that could be used to successfully operate fully cooled turbine stages (vane row-cooled, blade row-cooled, and proper cavity purge flow provided). Further, it was necessary to develop techniques for measuring the aeroperformance of these fully cooled machines.


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