Effects of Scalloping on the Mixing Mechanisms of Forced Mixers With Highly Swirling Core Flow

2013 ◽  
Vol 135 (7) ◽  
Author(s):  
Alex Wright ◽  
Zhijun Lei ◽  
Ali Mahallati ◽  
Mark Cunningham ◽  
Julio Militzer
Keyword(s):  
Separation Bubble ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Navier Stokes ◽  
Suction Surface ◽  
Mixing Rate ◽  
Reduced Pressure ◽  
Core Flow ◽  
Flow Swirl ◽  
Swirl Angle ◽  
Mixing Rates

This paper presents a detailed experimental and computational investigation of the effects of scalloping on the mixing mechanisms of a scaled 12-lobe turbofan mixer. Scalloping was achieved by eliminating approximately 70% of the lobe sidewall area. Measurements were made downstream of the mixer in a co-annular wind tunnel, and the simulations were carried out using an unstructured Reynolds averaged Navier–Stokes (RANS) solver, Numeca FINE/Hexa, with k-ω SST model. In the core flow, the swirl angle was varied from 0 deg to 30 deg. At high swirl angles, a three-dimensional separation bubble was formed on the lobe's suction surface penetration region and resulted in the generation of a vortex at the lobe valley. The valley vortex quickly dissipated downstream. The mixer lobes removed most of the swirl, but scalloped lobes removed less swirl in the region of the scalloped notch. The residual swirl downstream of the scalloped mixer interacted with the vortices and improved mixing rates compared to the unscalloped mixer. Core flow swirl up to 10 deg provided improved mixing rates and reduced pressure and thrust losses for both mixers. As core flow swirl increased beyond 10 deg, the mixing rate continued to improve, but pressure and thrust losses declined compared to the zero swirl case. Lobe scalloping, in high swirl conditions, resulted in better mixing and improved pressure loss over the unscalloped mixer but at the expense of reduced thrust.

Effects of Scalloping on the Mixing Mechanisms of Forced Mixers With Highly Swirling Core Flow

2012 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alex Wright ◽  
Zhijun Lei ◽  
Ali Mahallati ◽  
Mark Cunningham ◽  
Julio Militzer
Keyword(s):  
Swirling Flow ◽  
Separation Bubble ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Suction Surface ◽  
Reduced Pressure ◽  
Core Flow ◽  
Pressure Losses ◽  
Swirl Angle ◽  
Inlet Swirl ◽  
Mixing Rates

This paper presents a detailed experimental and computational investigation of the effects of scalloping on the mixing mechanisms of a scaled 12-lobe turbofan mixer. Scalloping was achieved by eliminating approximately 70% of the lobe sidewall area. Measurements were made downstream of the mixer in a co-annular wind tunnel and the simulations were carried out using an unstructured RANS solver, Numeca FINE/Hexa, with k-ω SST model. In the core flow, the swirl angle was varied from 0° to 30°. At high swirl angles, a three-dimensional separation bubble was formed on the lobe’s suction surface penetration region and resulted in the generation of a vortex at the lobe valley. The valley vortex quickly dissipated downstream. Most of the swirl was removed by the lobes, but scalloping allowed residual swirl to persist downstream of the mixer. The interaction of the swirling flow and the vortices resulted in improved mixing rates for the scalloped mixer. Inlet swirl up to 10° provided improved mixing rates, reduced pressure loss and thrust loss for both mixers. High inlet swirl resulted in improved mixing but produced higher pressure and thrust losses as compared to the zero swirl case. At high swirl, the scalloped mixer resulted in better mixing and lower pressure losses than the unscalloped mixer, but at the expense of reduced thrust.

Numerical Simulation of Clocking Effect on Wake Transportation and Interaction in a 1.5-Stage Axial Turbine

2010 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wei Li ◽  
Hua Ouyang ◽  
Zhao-hui Du
Keyword(s):  
Stokes Equations ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Leading Edge ◽  
Navier Stokes ◽  
Maximum Efficiency ◽  
Suction Surface ◽  
Navier Stokes Equations ◽  
Pressure Surface ◽  
Turbine Efficiency ◽  
Small Influence

To give insight into the clocking effect and its influence on the wake transportation and its interaction, the unsteady three-dimensional flow through a 1.5-stage axial low pressure turbine is simulated numerically using a density-correction based, Reynolds-Averaged Navier-Stokes equations commercial CFD code. The 2nd stator clocking is applied over ten equal tangential positions. The results show that the harmonic blade number ratio is an important factor affecting the clocking effect. The clocking effect has a very small influence on the turbine efficiency in this investigation. The efficiency difference between the maximum and minimum configuration is nearly 0.1%. The maximum efficiency can be achieved when the 1st stator wake enters the 2nd stator passage near blade suction surface and its adjacent wake passes through the 2nd stator passage close to blade pressure surface. The minimum efficiency appears if the 1st stator wake impinges upon the leading edge of the 2nd stator and its adjacent wake of the 1st stator passed through the mid-channel in the 2nd stator.

Effects of Core Flow Swirl on the Flow Characteristics of a Scalloped Forced Mixer

2011 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhijun Lei ◽  
Ali Mahallati ◽  
Mark Cunningham ◽  
Patrick Germain
Keyword(s):  
Pressure Ratio ◽  
Velocity Ratio ◽  
Flow Characteristics ◽  
Pressure Probe ◽  
Streamwise Vortices ◽  
Core Flow ◽  
The Core ◽  
Flow Swirl ◽  
Swirl Angle ◽  
Oil Flow

This paper presents a detailed experimental investigation of the influence of core flow swirl on the mixing and performance of a scaled turbofan mixer with 12 scalloped lobes. Measurements were made downstream of the mixer in a co-annular wind tunnel. The core-to-bypass velocity ratio was set to 2:1, temperature ratio to 1.0, and pressure ratio to 1.03, giving a Reynolds number of 5.2 × 105, based on the core flow velocity and equivalent hydraulic diameter. In the core flow, the background turbulence intensity was raised to 5% and the swirl angle was varied using five vane geometries from 0° to 30°. Seven-hole pressure probe measurements and surface oil flow visualization were used to describe the flowfield and the mixer performance. At low swirl angles, additional streamwise vortices were generated by the deformation of normal vortices due to the scalloped lobes. With increased core swirl, greater than 10°, the additional streamwise vortices were generated mainly due to radial velocity deflection, rather than stretching and deformation of normal vortices. At high swirl angles, stronger streamwise vortices and rapid interaction between various vortices promoted downstream mixing. Mixing was enhanced with minimal or no total pressure and thrust losses for the inlet swirl angles less than 10°. However, the reversed flow downstream of the center-body was a dominant contributor to the loss of thrust at the maximum core flow swirl angle of 30°.

Hydrodynamic Design of Pump Diffuser Using Inverse Design Method and CFD

2002 ◽  
Vol 124 (2) ◽  
pp. 319-328 ◽  
Author(s):  
Akira Goto ◽  
Mehrdad Zangeneh
Keyword(s):  
Design Method ◽  
Flow Behavior ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Inverse Design ◽  
Navier Stokes ◽  
Outer Diameter ◽  
Large Area ◽  
Suction Surface ◽  
Pump Stage ◽  
Inverse Design Method

A new approach to optimizing a pump diffuser is presented, based on a three-dimensional inverse design method and a Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) technique. The blade shape of the diffuser was designed for a specified distribution of circulation and a given meridional geometry at a low specific speed of 0.109 (non-dimensional) or 280 (m3/min, m, rpm). To optimize the three-dimensional pressure fields and the secondary flow behavior inside the flow passage, the diffuser blade was more fore-loaded at the hub side as compared with the casing side. Numerical calculations, using a stage version of Dawes three-dimensional Navier-Stokes code, showed that such a loading distribution can suppress flow separation at the corner region between the hub and the blade suction surface, which was commonly observed with conventional designs having a compact bowl size (small outer diameter). The improvements in stage efficiency were confirmed experimentally over the corresponding conventional pump stage. The application of multi-color oil-film flow visualization confirmed that the large area of the corner separation was completely eliminated in the inverse design diffuser.

Reliable and Accurate Prediction of Three-Dimensional Separation in Asymmetric Diffusers Using Large-Eddy Simulation

2009 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hayder Schneider ◽  
Dominic von Terzi ◽  
Hans-Jo¨rg Bauer ◽  
Wolfgang Rodi
Keyword(s):  
Experimental Data ◽  
Reverse Flow ◽  
Separation Bubble ◽  
Pressure Coefficient ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Large Eddy Simulations ◽  
Navier Stokes ◽  
Eddy Simulation ◽  
Large Eddy ◽  
The Impact

Reynolds-Averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) calculations and Large-Eddy Simulations (LES) of the flow in two asymmetric three-dimensional diffusers were performed. The numerical setup was chosen to be in compliance with previous experiments. The aim of the present study is to find the least expensive method to compute reliably and accurately the impact of geometric sensitivity on the flow. RANS calculations fail to predict both the extent and location of the three-dimensional separation bubble. In contrast, LES is able to determine the amount of reverse flow and the pressure coefficient within the accuracy of experimental data.

A Simulation of the Unsteady Interaction of a Centrifugal Impeller With its Vaned Diffuser: Flows Analysis

1994 ◽  
Author(s):  
W. N. Dawes
Keyword(s):  
Flow Analysis ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Navier Stokes ◽  
Centrifugal Impeller ◽  
Vaned Diffuser ◽  
Time Resolved ◽  
High Loss ◽  
Swirl Angle ◽  
Unsteady Interaction ◽  
Unsteady Effects

The aim of this paper is to help advance our understanding of the complex, three-dimensional, unsteady flow associated with the interaction of a splattered centrifugal impeller and its vaned diffuser. A time-resolved simulation is presented of the Krain stage performed using a time-accurate, 3D, unstructured mesh, solution-adaptive Navier-Stokes solver. The predicted flowfield, compared with experiment where available, displays a complex, unsteady interaction especially in the neighbourhood of the diffuser entry zone which experiences large periodic flow unsteadiness. Downstream of the throat, although the magnitude of this unsteadiness diminishes rapidly, the flow has a highly distorted three-dimensional character. The loss levels in the diffuser are then investigated to try and determine how time-mean loss levels compare with the levels expected from “equivalent” steady flow analysis performed by using the circumferentially averaged exit flow from the impeller as inlet to the diffuser. It is concluded that little loss could be attributed directly to unsteady effects but rather that the principle cause of the rather high loss levels observed in the diffuser is the strong spanwise distortion in swirl angle at inlet which initiates a strong hub/comer stall.

On the Weis-Fogh mechanism of lift generation

1973 ◽  
Vol 60 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-17 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. J. Lighthill
Keyword(s):  
Stokes Equations ◽  
Separation Bubble ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Leading Edge ◽  
The Body ◽  
Navier Stokes ◽  
Encarsia Formosa ◽  
Concentrated Force ◽  
Stagnation Points ◽  
Wing Tips

Weis-Fogh (1973) proposed a new mechanism of lift generation of fundamental interest. Surprisingly, it could work even in inviscid two-dimensional motions starting from rest, when Kelvin's theorem states that the total circulation round a body must vanish, but does not exclude the possibility that if the body breaks into two pieces then there may be equal and opposite circulations round them, each suitable for generating the lift required in the pieces’ subsequent motions! The ‘fling’ of two insect wings of chord c (figure 1) turning with angular velocity Ω generates irrotational motions associated with the sucking of air into the opening gap which are calculated in § 2 as involving circulations −0·69Ωc2 and + 0.69Ωc2 around the wings when their trailing edges, which are stagnation points of those irrotational motions, break apart (position (f)). Viscous modifications to this irrotational flow pattern by shedding of vorticity at the boundary generate (§ 3) a leading-edge separation bubble, and tend to increase slightly the total bound vorticity. Its role in a three-dimensional picture of the Weis-Fogh mechanism of lift generation, involving formation of trailing vortices at the wing tips, and including the case of a hovering insect like Encarsia formosa moving those tips in circular paths, is investigated in § 4. The paper ends with the comment that the far flow field of such very small hovering insects should take the form of the exact solution (Landau 1944; Squire 1951) of the Navier-Stokes equations for the effect of a concentrated force (the weight mg of the animal) acting on a fluid of kinematic viscosity v and density p, whenever the ratio mg/pv2 is small enough for that jet-type induced motion to be stable.

CFD Evaluation of Steam Properties Within Thermo-Compressors With Two Different Numerical Approches

2013 ◽  
Author(s):  
Navid Sharifi ◽  
Majid Sharifi
Keyword(s):  
Pressure Loss ◽  
Computational Cost ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Numerical Procedure ◽  
Flow Properties ◽  
Suction Surface ◽  
Cfd Simulations ◽  
Flow Swirl ◽  
Thermal Desalination ◽  
Velocity Pressure

Thermo-compressors are among the most important facilities in thermal desalination systems. Such devices are compressing and recycling the useless vapors and hence effectively enhancing the efficiency of desalination units. Since the connection between the evaporator box and suction surface is not perfectly symmetric, it is necessary to consider the effect of this curved path on pressure loss at the inlet boundary. In this study, a numerical procedure is developed to achieve reliable results in thermo-compressors through using CFD simulations. Two approaches are examined: axisymmetric and full three-dimensional method. The results are compared and the deviations of velocity, pressure and temperature are evaluated in both methods. The flow pattern in the steam collector is investigated afterwards. The distributions of velocity and pressure through this canal are illustrated and the critical point where pressure loss originates is revealed. In the meantime, the effect of this non-symmetric path on the flow is compared with the axisymmetric results. Finally, it is shown that the influence of the curved-shape inlet on flow properties is insignificant such that it can be neglected, because the flow swirl at the inlet is very negligible. Therefore, the axisymmetric model is capable of producing reliable results for thermo-compressors in a more advantageous way with a simpler mesh generation and reduced computational cost.

Bowed Stators: An Example of CFD Applied to Improve Multistage Compressor Efficiency

1997 ◽  
Vol 119 (2) ◽  
pp. 161-168 ◽  
Author(s):  
H. D. Weingold ◽  
R. J. Neubert ◽  
R. F. Behlke ◽  
G. E. Potter
Keyword(s):  
Experimental Testing ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Pressure Rise ◽  
Substantial Improvement ◽  
Navier Stokes ◽  
Suction Surface ◽  
Stator Core ◽  
Corner Separation ◽  
Entire Flow ◽  
Multistage Compressor

Analysis of multistage compressor stator surface static pressure data reveals that the radial growth of suction surface corner separation prematurely separates core flow stator sections, limiting their pressure rise capability and generating endwall loss. Modeling of the stator flowfield, using a three-dimensional Euler analysis, has led to the development of “bowed” stator shapes, which generate radial forces that reduce diffusion rates in the suction surface corners, in order to delay the onset of corner separation. Experimental testing of the bowed stator concept in a three-stage research compressor has confirmed the elimination of suction surface corner separation, the resulting reduction of the endwall loss, and the increase in pressure rise capability of the stator core sections. This results in more robust pressure rise characteristics and substantially improved efficiency over the entire flow range of the compressor. The strong interaction effects of the bowed stator with the viscous endwall flowfield are shown to be predictable using a three-dimensional multistage Navier–Stokes analysis. This permits matching of the rotors to the altered stator exit profiles, in order to avoid potential stability limiting interactions. Application of bowed stators to a high bypass ratio engine eleven-stage high-pressure compressor has resulted in substantial improvement in efficiency, with no stability penalty.

Numerical Investigation of Three-Dimensional Separation in an Axial Flow Compressor: The Influence of Free-Stream Turbulence Intensity and Endwall Boundary Layer State

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ashley D. Scillitoe ◽  
Paul G. Tucker ◽  
Paolo Adami
Keyword(s):  
Boundary Layer ◽  
Turbulence Intensity ◽  
Free Stream ◽  
Separation Bubble ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Boundary Layer Transition ◽  
Surface Boundary ◽  
Suction Surface ◽  
Corner Separation ◽  
Free Stream Turbulence

Regions of three-dimensional separations are an inherent flow feature of the suction surface - endwall corner in axial compressors. These corner separations can cause a significant total pressure loss and reduce the compressor’s efficiency. This paper uses wall-resolved LES to investigate the loss sources in a corner separation, and examines the influence of the inflow turbulence on these sources. Different subgrid scale (SGS) models are tested and the choice of model is found to be important. The σ SGS model, which performed well, is then used to perform LES of a compressor endwall flow. The time-averaged data is in good agreement with measurements. The viscous and turbulent dissipation are used to highlight the sources of loss, with the latter being dominant. The key loss sources are seen to be the 2D laminar separation bubble and trailing edge wake, and the 3D flow region near the endwall. Increasing the free-stream turbulence intensity (FST) changes the suction surface boundary layer transition mode from separation induced to bypass. However, it doesn’t significantly alter the transition location and therefore the corner separation size. Additionally, the FST doesn’t noticeably interact with the corner separation itself, meaning that in this case the corner separation is relatively insensitive to the FST. The endwall boundary layer state is found to be significant. A laminar endwall boundary layer separates much earlier leading to a larger passage vortex. This significantly alters the endwall flow and loss. Hence, the need for accurate boundary measurements is clear.

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