Investigation of Turbine Shroud Distortions on the Aerodynamics of a One and One-Half Stage High-Pressure Turbine

2010 ◽  
Vol 133 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Eric A. Crosh ◽  
Charles W. Haldeman ◽  
Michael G. Dunn ◽  
D. Graham Holmes ◽  
Brian E. Mitchell
Keyword(s):  
High Pressure ◽  
Surface Pressure ◽  
Turbo Code ◽  
Single Frequency ◽  
Pressure Measurements ◽  
Pressure Loading ◽  
High Pressure Turbine ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Unsteady Pressure ◽  
Blade Row

As part of a proactive effort to investigate the ability of computational fluid dynamics tools to predict time-accurate surface-pressure histories, a combined experimental/computational investigation was performed, examining the effect of rotor shroud (casing) out-of-roundness on the unsteady pressure loading for the blade row of a full-stage turbine. The casing out-of-roundness was idealized by designing a casing ring with a sinusoidal variation. This casing ring was used to replace a flat casing for an existing turbine, and direct comparisons were made between the time-accurate pressure measurements and predictions obtained using the flat and “wavy” casings. For both casing configurations, predictions of the unsteady pressure loading for many locations on the blade and vane were obtained using Numeca’s FINE/TURBO code and General Electric’s turbine and compressor analysis (TACOMA) code. This paper will concentrate on the results obtained for the wavy casing, but the results for the flat casing are presented as a baseline case. The time-accurate surface-pressure measurements were acquired for the vane and blade of a modern, 3D, 1 and 1/2 stage high-pressure turbine operating at the design corrected speed and stage pressure ratio. The research program utilized an uncooled turbine stage for which all three airfoil rows are heavily instrumented at multiple spans to develop a full data set. The vane-blade-vane count for this machine is 38-72-38. The number of waves in the distorted shroud “wavy wall” is approximately 1.5 times the number of vanes. The resulting changes in the aerodynamic surface-pressure measurements were measurable at all blade spanwise locations. Variations in the time-averaged surface pressure of up to 5% of the flat casing values were observed. In addition, the frequency content of the time-resolved blade data for the wavy casing changed substantially from that measured using the flat casing, with changes in both amplitudes and frequencies. Imposing the casing irregularity changed the fundamental physics of the problem from a single frequency and its harmonics to a multifrequency problem with mixed harmonics. The unsteady effects of this type of problem can be addressed using the harmonic method within Numeca’s FINE/TURBO code, which is designed to handle multiple blade passing frequencies and harmonics for one blade row. A more traditional approach is included in this paper by employing the TACOMA code in a linearized mode that produces results for a single frequency. These results show that casing irregularity can have a significant influence on the blade surface-pressure characteristics. Further, it is demonstrated that the FINE/TURBO code experienced difficulty in predicting the unsteady pressure signal attributed to the wavy casing configuration, while at the same time, in capturing the unsteady signal attributed to the vane passing due to limitations in the current methodology.

Investigation of Turbine Shroud Distortions on the Aerodynamics of a One and One-Half Stage High-Pressure Turbine

2009 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eric A. Crosh ◽  
Charles W. Haldeman ◽  
Michael G. Dunn ◽  
D. Graham Holmes ◽  
Brian E. Mitchell
Keyword(s):  
High Pressure ◽  
Surface Pressure ◽  
Turbo Code ◽  
Traditional Approach ◽  
Single Frequency ◽  
Pressure Measurements ◽  
Pressure Loading ◽  
High Pressure Turbine ◽  
Unsteady Pressure ◽  
Blade Row

As part of a proactive effort to investigate the ability of computational fluid dynamic (CFD) tools to predict time-accurate surface-pressure histories, a combined experimental/computational investigation was performed examining the effect of rotor shroud (casing) out-of-roundness on the unsteady pressure loading for the blade row of a full-stage turbine. The casing out-of-roundness was idealized by designing a casing ring with a sinusoidal variation. This casing ring was used to replace a flat casing for an existing turbine and direct comparisons were made between the time-accurate pressure measurements and predictions obtained using the flat and “wavy” casings. For both casing configurations, predictions of the unsteady pressure loading for many locations on the blade and vane were obtained using Numeca’s FINE/Turbo code and the General Electric TACOMA code. This paper will concentrate on the results obtained for the “wavy” casing, but the results for the flat casing are presented as a baseline case. The time-accurate surface-pressure measurements were acquired for the vane and blade of a modern, 3-D, stage and 1/2 high-pressure turbine operating at the design corrected speed and stage pressure ratio. The research program utilized an un-cooled turbine stage for which all three airfoil rows are heavily instrumented at multiple spans to develop a full dataset. The vane-blade-vane count for this machine is 38-72-38. The number of waves in the distorted shroud “wavy wall” is approximately 1.5-times the number of vanes. The resulting changes in aerodynamic surface-pressure measurements were measurable at all blade span wise locations. Variations in time-average surface pressure of up to 5% of the flat casing values were observed. In addition, the frequency content of the time-resolved blade data for the “wavy” casing changed substantially from that measured using the flat casing, with changes in both amplitudes and frequencies. Imposing the casing irregularity changed the fundamental physics of the problem from a single frequency and its harmonics to a multi-frequency problem with mixed harmonics. The unsteady effects of this type of problem can be addressed using the harmonic method within Numeca’s FINE/Turbo code, which is designed to handle multiple blade passing frequencies and harmonics for one blade row. A more traditional approach is included in the paper by employing the TACOMA code in a linearized mode that produces results for a single frequency. These results show that casing irregularity can have a significant influence on the blade surface-pressure characteristics. Further, it is demonstrated that the FINE/Turbo code experienced difficulty predicting the unsteady pressure signal attributed to the “wavy” casing configuration, while at the same time capturing the unsteady signal attributed to the vane passing due to limitations in the current methodology.

Experimental and Numerical Investigation of the Unsteady Surface Pressure in a Three-Stage Model of an Axial High Pressure Turbine

2004 ◽  
Vol 128 (2) ◽  
pp. 261-272 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carmen E. Kachel ◽  
John D. Denton
Keyword(s):  
High Pressure ◽  
Velocity Field ◽  
Surface Pressure ◽  
Pressure Field ◽  
Pressure Fluctuations ◽  
Pressure Waves ◽  
Stage Model ◽  
Unsteady Pressure ◽  
Unsteady Surface Pressure ◽  
Blade Row

This paper presents the results of a numerical and experimental investigation of the unsteady pressure field in a three-stage model of a high pressure steam turbine. Unsteady surface pressure measurements were taken on a first and second stage stator blade, respectively. The measurements in the blade passage were supplemented by time resolved measurements between the blade rows. The explanation of the origin of the unsteady pressure fluctuations was supported by unsteady three-dimensional computational fluid dynamic calculations of which the most extensive calculation was performed over two stages. The mechanisms affecting the unsteady pressure field were: the potential field frozen to the upstream blade row, the pressure waves originating from changes in the potential pressure field, the convected unsteady velocity field, and the passage vortex of the upstream blade row. One-dimensional pressure waves and the unsteady variation of the pitchwise pressure gradient due to the changing velocity field were the dominant mechanisms influencing the magnitude of the surface pressure fluctuations. The magnitude of these effects had not been previously anticipated to be more important than other recognized effects.

Influence of Clocking and Vane/Blade Spacing on the Unsteady Surface Pressure Loading for a Modern Stage and One-Half Transonic Turbine

2003 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. W. Haldeman ◽  
M. L. Krumanaker ◽  
M. G. Dunn
Keyword(s):  
Fundamental Frequency ◽  
Surface Pressure ◽  
Pressure Measurements ◽  
Pressure Loading ◽  
Unsteady Pressure ◽  
Spacing Effects ◽  
Unsteady Surface Pressure ◽  
Transonic Turbine ◽  
Vane Clocking ◽  
Experimental Effort

This paper describes pressure measurements obtained for a modern one and one-half stage turbine. As part of the experimental effort, the position of the HPT vane was clocked relative to the downstream LPT vane to determine the influence of vane clocking on both the steady and unsteady pressure loadings on the LPT vane and the HPT blade. In addition, the axial location of the HPT vane relative to the HPT blade was changed to investigate the combined influence of vane/blade spacing and clocking on the unsteady pressure loading. Time-averaged and time-accurate surface-pressure results are presented for several spanwise locations on the vanes and blade. Results were obtained at four different HPT vane-clocking positions and at two different vane/blade axial spacings for three (of the four) clocking positions. For time-averaged results, the effect of clocking is small on the HPT blade and vane. The influence of clocking on the transition ducts and the LPT vane is slightly greater (on the order of ±1%). Reduced HPT vane/blade spacing has a larger effect than clocking on the HPT vanes and blades (±3%) depending upon the particular surface. Examining the data at blade passing and the first fundamental frequency, the effect of spacing does not produce a dramatic influence on the relative changes that occur between clocking positions. The results demonstrate that clocking and spacing effects on the surface pressure loading are very complex and may introduce problems if the results of measurements or analysis made at one span or location in the machine are extrapolated to other sections.

scholarly journals Unsteady Interaction Between a Transonic Turbine Stage and Downstream Components

2004 ◽  
Vol 10 (6) ◽  
pp. 495-506 ◽  
Author(s):  
Roger L. Davis ◽  
Jixian Yao ◽  
John P. Clark ◽  
Gary Stetson ◽  
Juan J. Alonso ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Experimental Data ◽  
High Pressure ◽  
Surface Pressure ◽  
Low Pressure ◽  
Turbine Stage ◽  
High Pressure Turbine ◽  
Unsteady Pressure ◽  
Low Pressure Turbine ◽  
Unsteady Surface Pressure ◽  
Turbine Vane

Results from a numerical simulation of the unsteady flow through one quarter of the circumference of a transonic high-pressure turbine stage, transition duct, and low-pressure turbine first vane are presented and compared with experimental data. Analysis of the unsteady pressure field resulting from the simulation shows the effects of not only the rotor/stator interaction of the high-pressure turbine stage but also new details of the interaction between the blade and the downstream transition duct and low-pressure turbine vane. Blade trailing edge shocks propagate downstream, strike, and reflect off of the transition duct hub and/or downstream vane leading to high unsteady pressure on these downstreamcomponents. The reflection of these shocks from the downstream components back into the blade itself has also been found to increase the level of unsteady pressure fluctuations on the uncovered portion of the blade suction surface. In addition, the blade tip vortex has been found to have a moderately strong interaction with the downstream vane even with the considerable axial spacing between the two blade-rows. Fourier decomposition of the unsteady surface pressure of the blade and downstream low-pressure turbine vane shows the magnitude of the various frequencies contributing to the unsteady loads. Detailed comparisons between the computed unsteady surface pressure spectrum and the experimental data are shown along with a discussion of the various interaction mechanisms between the blade, transition duct, and downstream vane. These comparisons show-overall good agreement between the simulation and experimental data and identify areas where further improvements in modeling are needed.

Experimental and Numerical Investigation of the Unsteady Surface Pressure in a Three-Stage Model of an Axial High Pressure Turbine

2004 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carmen E. Kachel ◽  
John D. Denton
Keyword(s):  
High Pressure ◽  
Velocity Field ◽  
Surface Pressure ◽  
Pressure Field ◽  
Pressure Fluctuations ◽  
Pressure Waves ◽  
Stage Model ◽  
Unsteady Pressure ◽  
Unsteady Surface Pressure ◽  
Blade Row

This paper presents the results of a numerical and experimental investigation of the unsteady pressure field in a three-stage model of a high pressure steam turbine. Unsteady surface pressure measurements were taken on a first and second stage stator blade respectively. The measurements in the blade passage were supplemented by time resolved measurements between the blade rows. The explanation of the origin of the unsteady pressure fluctuations was supported by unsteady three-dimensional computational fluid dynamic calculations of which the most extensive calculation was performed over two stage. The mechanisms affecting the unsteady pressure field were: the potential field frozen to the upstream blade row, the pressure waves originating from changes in the potential pressure field, the convected unsteady velocity field and the passage vortex of the upstream blade row. One-dimensional pressure waves and the unsteady variation of the pitchwise pressure gradient due to the changing velocity field were the dominant mechanisms influencing the magnitude of the surface pressure fluctuations. The magnitude of these effects had not been previously anticipated to be more important than other recognized effects.

Influence of Clocking and Vane/Blade Spacing on the Unsteady Surface Pressure Loading for a Modern Stage and One-Half Transonic Turbine

2003 ◽  
Vol 125 (4) ◽  
pp. 743-753 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. W. Haldeman ◽  
M. L. Krumanaker ◽  
M. G. Dunn
Keyword(s):  
Surface Pressure ◽  
Pressure Loading ◽  
High Pressure Turbine ◽  
Unsteady Pressure ◽  
Low Pressure Turbine ◽  
Spacing Effects ◽  
Unsteady Surface Pressure ◽  
Transonic Turbine ◽  
Vane Clocking ◽  
Experimental Effort

This paper describes pressure measurements obtained for a modern one and one-half stage turbine. As part of the experimental effort, the position of the high-pressure turbine (HPT) vane was clocked relative to the downstream low-pressure turbine (LPT) vane to determine the influence of vane clocking on both the steady and unsteady pressure loadings on the LPT vane and the HPT blade. In addition, the axial location of the HPT vane relative to the HPT blade was changed to investigate the combined influence of vane/blade spacing and clocking on the unsteady pressure loading. Time-averaged and time-accurate surface-pressure results are presented for several spanwise locations on the vanes and blade. Results were obtained at four different HPT vane-clocking positions and at two different vane/blade axial spacings for three (of the four) clocking positions. For time-averaged results, the effect of clocking is small on the HPT blade and vane. The influence of clocking on the transition ducts and the LPT vane is slightly greater (on the order of ±1%). Reduced HPT vane/blade spacing has a larger effect than clocking on the HPT vanes and blades ±3% depending upon the particular surface. Examining the data at blade passing and the first fundamental frequency, the effect of spacing does not produce a dramatic influence on the relative changes that occur between clocking positions. The results demonstrate that clocking and spacing effects on the surface pressure loading are very complex and may introduce problems if the results of measurements or analysis made at one span or location in the machine are extrapolated to other sections.

scholarly journals Unsteady Interaction Between a Transonic Turbine Stage and Downstream Components

2002 ◽  
Author(s):  
Roger L. Davis ◽  
Jixian Yao ◽  
John P. Clark ◽  
Gary Stetson ◽  
Juan J. Alonso ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Experimental Data ◽  
High Pressure ◽  
Surface Pressure ◽  
Low Pressure ◽  
Turbine Stage ◽  
High Pressure Turbine ◽  
Unsteady Pressure ◽  
Low Pressure Turbine ◽  
Unsteady Surface Pressure ◽  
Turbine Vane

Results from a numerical simulation of the unsteady flow through one quarter of the circumference of a transonic high-pressure turbine stage, transition duct, and low-pressure turbine first vane are presented and compared with experimental data. Analysis of the unsteady pressure field resulting from the simulation shows the effects of not only the rotor/stator interaction of the high-pressure turbine stage but also new details of the interaction between the blade and the downstream transition duct and low-pressure turbine vane. Blade trailing edge shocks propagate downstream, strike, and reflect off of the transition duct hub and/or downstream vane leading to high unsteady pressure on these downstream components. The reflection of these shocks from the downstream components back into the blade itself has also been found to increase the level of unsteady pressure fluctuations on the uncovered portion of the blade suction surface. In addition, the blade tip vortex has been found to have a moderately strong interaction with the downstream vane even with the considerable axial spacing between the two blade-rows. Fourier decomposition of the unsteady surface pressure of the blade and downstream low-pressure turbine vane shows the magnitude of the various frequencies contributing to the unsteady loads. Detailed comparisons between the computed unsteady surface pressure spectrum and the experimental data are shown along with a discussion of the various interaction mechanisms between the blade, transition duct, and downstream vane. These comparisons show overall good agreement between the simulation and experimental data and identify areas where further improvements in modeling are needed.

Unsteady Aerodynamics and Interactions Between a High Pressure Turbine Vane and Rotor

2004 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ryan M. Urbassik ◽  
J. Mitch Wolff ◽  
Marc D. Polanka
Keyword(s):  
Experimental Data ◽  
High Pressure ◽  
Potential Field ◽  
Rotor Blade ◽  
Second Harmonic ◽  
Unsteady Aerodynamics ◽  
Pressure Measurements ◽  
High Pressure Turbine ◽  
Turbine Vane ◽  
Unsteady Pressure Measurements

A set of experimental data is presented investigating the unsteady aerodynamics associated with a high pressure turbine vane (HPV) and rotor blade (HPB). The data was acquired at the Turbine Research Facility (TRF) of the Air Force Research Laboratory. The TRF is a transient, blowdown facility generating several seconds of experimental data on full scale engine hardware at scaled turbine operating conditions simulating an actual engine environment. The pressure ratio and freestream Reynolds number were varied for this investigation. Surface unsteady pressure measurements on the HPV, total pressure traverse measurements downstream of the vane, and surface unsteady pressure measurements for the rotor blade were obtained. The unsteady content of the HPV surface was generated by the rotor potential field. The first harmonic decayed more rapidly than the second harmonic with a movement upstream causing the second harmonic to be most influential at the vane throat. The blade unsteadiness appears to be caused by a combination of shock, potential field, and vane wake interactions between the vane and rotor blade. The revolution averaged data resulted in higher unsteadiness than a passing ensemble average for both vane and rotor indicating a need to understand each passage for high cycle fatigue (HCF) effects.

Experimental Investigation of Vane Clocking in a One and 1/2 Stage High Pressure Turbine

2004 ◽  
Author(s):  
Charles W. Haldeman ◽  
Michael G. Dunn ◽  
John W. Barter ◽  
Brian R. Green ◽  
Robert F. Bergholz
Keyword(s):  
High Pressure ◽  
Low Pressure ◽  
Test Facility ◽  
Maximum Efficiency ◽  
High Pressure Turbine ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Time Resolved ◽  
Low Pressure Turbine ◽  
Turbine Vane ◽  
Vane Clocking

Aerodynamic measurements were acquired on a modern single-stage, transonic, high-pressure turbine with the adjacent low-pressure turbine vane row (a typical civilian one and one-half stage turbine rig) to observe the effects of low-pressure turbine vane clocking on overall turbine performance. The turbine rig (loosely referred to in this paper as the stage) was operated at design corrected conditions using the Ohio State University Gas Turbine Laboratory Turbine Test Facility (TTF). The research program utilized uncooled hardware in which all three airfoils were heavily instrumented at multiple spans to develop a full clocking dataset. The low-pressure turbine vane row (LPTV) was clocked relative to the high-pressure turbine vane row (HPTV). Various methods were used to evaluate the influence of clocking on the aeroperformance (efficiency) and the aerodynamics (pressure loading) of the LPTV, including time-resolved and time-averaged measurements. A change in overall efficiency of approximately 2–3% due to clocking effects is demonstrated and could be observed using a variety of independent methods. Maximum efficiency is obtained when the time-average surface pressures are highest on the LPTV and the time-resolved surface pressure (both in the time domain and frequency domain) show the least amount of variation. The overall effect is obtained by integrating over the entire airfoil, as the three-dimensional effects on the LPTV surface are significant. This experimental data set validates several computational research efforts that suggested wake migration is the primary reason for the perceived effectiveness of vane clocking. The suggestion that wake migration is the dominate mechanism in generating the clocking effect is also consistent with anecdotal evidence that fully cooled engine rigs do not see a great deal of clocking effect. This is consistent since the additional disturbances induced by the cooling flows and/or the combustor make it extremely difficult to find an alignment for the LPTV given the strong 3D nature of modern high-pressure turbine flows.

Blade-Row Interaction in a High-Pressure Turbine

2001 ◽  
Vol 17 (4) ◽  
pp. 892-901 ◽  
Author(s):  
V. S. P. Chaluvadi ◽  
A. I. Kalfas ◽  
M. R. Banieghbal ◽  
H. P. Hodson ◽  
J. D. Denton
Keyword(s):  
High Pressure ◽  
High Pressure Turbine ◽  
Blade Row ◽  
Blade Row Interaction
Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document