Use of Pressure Measurements to Determine Effectiveness of Turbine Rim Seals

2014 ◽  
Vol 137 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Michael Owen ◽  
Kang Wu ◽  
James A. Scobie ◽  
Carl M. Sangan ◽  
GeonHwan Cho ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Pressure Difference ◽  
Radial Clearance ◽  
Pressure Measurements ◽  
Sweet Spot ◽  
Hot Gas ◽  
Mainstream Flow ◽  
Computational Fluid Dynamics Cfd ◽  
Concentration Measurements ◽  
Arbitrary Location ◽  
Good Agreement

The ingress of hot gas through the rim seal of a gas turbine depends on the pressure difference between the mainstream flow in the turbine annulus and that in the wheel-space radially inward of the rim seal. In this paper, a previously published orifice model is modified so that the sealing effectiveness εc determined from concentration measurements in a rig could be used to determine εp, the effectiveness determined from pressure measurements in an engine. It is assumed that there is a hypothetical “sweet spot” on the vane platform where the measured pressures would ensure that the calculated value of εp equals εc, the value determined from concentration measurements. Experimental measurements for a radial-clearance seal show that, as predicted, the hypothetical pressure difference at the sweet spot is linearly related to the pressure difference measured at an arbitrary location on the vane platform. There is good agreement between the values of εp determined using the theoretical model and values of εc determined from concentration measurements. Supporting computations, using a 3D steady computational fluid dynamics (CFD) code, show that the axial location of the sweet spot is very close to the upstream edge of the seal clearance. It is shown how parameters obtained from measurements of pressure and concentration in a rig could, in principle, be used to calculate the sealing effectiveness in an engine.

Use of Pressure Measurements to Determine Effectiveness of Turbine Rim Seals

2014 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Michael Owen ◽  
Kang Wu ◽  
James A. Scobie ◽  
Carl M. Sangan ◽  
GeonHwan Cho ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Pressure Difference ◽  
Radial Clearance ◽  
Experimental Measurements ◽  
Pressure Measurements ◽  
Sweet Spot ◽  
Hot Gas ◽  
Mainstream Flow ◽  
Concentration Measurements ◽  
Arbitrary Location ◽  
Good Agreement

The ingress of hot gas through the rim seal of a gas turbine depends on the pressure difference between the mainstream flow in the turbine annulus and that in the wheel-space radially inward of the rim seal. In this paper, a previously published orifice model is modified so that the sealing effectiveness εc determined from concentration measurements in a rig could be used to determine εp the effectiveness determined from pressure measurements in an engine. It is assumed that there is a hypothetical ‘sweet spot’ on the vane platform where the measured pressures would ensure that the calculated value of εp equals εc, the value determined from concentration measurements. Experimental measurements for a radial-clearance seal show that, as predicted, the hypothetical pressure difference at the sweet spot is linearly related to the pressure difference measured at an arbitrary location on the vane platform. There is good agreement between the values of εp determined using the theoretical model and values of εc determined from concentration measurements. Supporting computations, using a 3D steady CFD code, show that the axial location of the sweet spot is very close to the upstream edge of the seal clearance. It is shown how parameters obtained from measurements of pressure and concentration in a rig could, in principle, be used to calculate the sealing effectiveness in an engine.

scholarly journals Experiment and CFD simulation of exhaust tube in highvoltage circuit breaker

2018 ◽  
Vol 169 ◽  
pp. 01001
Author(s):  
Xiangyang Ye ◽  
Francesco Pisu ◽  
Stephan Grob ◽  
Mahesh Dhotre ◽  
Javier Mantilla
Keyword(s):  
Fluid Dynamics ◽  
High Performance ◽  
Cfd Simulation ◽  
Circuit Breaker ◽  
Design Parameters ◽  
Pressure Waves ◽  
Pressure Measurements ◽  
Hot Gas ◽  
High Voltage Circuit Breaker ◽  
Computational Fluid Dynamics Cfd

In a high-voltage circuit breaker, the exhaust tube connects the arc zone with the exhaust volume. During the arc interruption process, the exhaust tube transports the hot gas from the arc interruption zone to the exhaust volume through its distributed holes. The design of a high performance exhaust tube in the circuit breaker development aims for well controlled hot gas evacuation mass flow and pressure waves. In this paper, the exhaust tube behaviour is investigated using Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD). To verify the CFD simulation, a basic experimental study with pressure measurements at different positions of the exhaust tube is performed. Further, the design parameters influencing the exhaust tube behaviour and circuit breaker performance are investigated and discussed.

Experimental Measurements of Ingestion Through Turbine Rim Seals—Part II: Rotationally Induced Ingress

2012 ◽  
Vol 135 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Carl M. Sangan ◽  
Oliver J. Pountney ◽  
Kunyuan Zhou ◽  
J. Michael Owen ◽  
Mike Wilson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Experimental Results ◽  
Radial Clearance ◽  
Rotating Fluid ◽  
Flow Rates ◽  
Hot Gas ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
The Common ◽  
Axial Clearance ◽  
Better Than ◽  
Good Agreement

Part I of this two-part paper presented experimental results for externally-induced (EI) ingress, where the ingestion of hot gas through the rim seal into the wheel-space of a gas turbine is controlled by the circumferential variation of pressure in the external annulus. In Part II, experimental results are presented for rotationally-induced (RI) ingress, where the ingestion is controlled by the pressure generated by the rotating fluid in the wheel-space. Although EI ingress is the common form of ingestion through turbine rim seals, RI ingress or combined ingress (where EI and RI ingress are both significant) is particularly important for double seals, where the pressure asymmetries are attenuated in the annular space between the inner and outer seals. In this paper, the sealing effectiveness was determined from concentration measurements, and the variation of effectiveness with sealing flow rate was compared with theoretical curves for RI ingress obtained from an orifice model. Using a nondimensional sealing parameter Φ0 the data could be collapsed onto a single curve, and the theoretical variation of effectiveness with Φ0 was in very good agreement with the data for a wide range of flow rates and rotational speeds. It was shown that the sealing flow required to prevent RI ingress was much less than that needed for EI ingress, and it was also shown that the effectiveness of a radial-clearance seal is significantly better than that for an axial-clearance seal for both EI and RI ingress.

scholarly journals Interaction of Rim Seal and Annulus Flows in an Axial Flow Turbine

2003 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. Cao ◽  
J. W. Chew ◽  
P. R. Millington ◽  
S. I. Hogg
Keyword(s):  
Axial Flow ◽  
Fast Response ◽  
Pressure Measurements ◽  
Cfd Models ◽  
Annulus Flow ◽  
Flow Features ◽  
Computational Fluid Dynamics Cfd ◽  
Axial Clearance ◽  
Response Pressure ◽  
Good Agreement

A combined computational fluid dynamics (CFD) and experimental study of interaction of main gas path and rim sealing flow is reported. The experiments were conducted on a two stage axial turbine and included pressure measurements for the cavity formed between the stage 2 rotor disc and the upstream diaphragm for two values of the diaphragm-to-rotor axial clearance. The pressure measurements indicate that ingestion of the highly swirling annulus flow leads to increased vortex strength within the cavity. This effect is particularly strong for the larger axial clearance. Results from a number of steady and unsteady CFD models have been compared to the measured results. Good agreement between measurement and calculation for time-averaged pressures was obtained using unsteady CFD models, which predicted previously unknown unsteady flow features. This led to fast response pressure transducer measurements being made on the rig, and these confirmed the CFD prediction.

An Investigation of Ingress for an “Air-Cooled” Shrouded Rotating Disk System With Radial-Clearance Seals

1983 ◽  
Vol 105 (1) ◽  
pp. 178-182 ◽  
Author(s):  
U. P. Phadke ◽  
J. M. Owen
Keyword(s):  
Rotating Disk ◽  
Turbine Rotor ◽  
Radial Clearance ◽  
Pressure Measurements ◽  
Clearance Ratio ◽  
Disk System ◽  
Hot Gas ◽  
Isothermal Plane ◽  
Axial Clearance ◽  
Equivalent Conditions

In order to model the flow between an air-cooled gas turbine rotor and its stationary casing, a simple isothermal plane rotating disk and stator are used. In tests reported earlier, the cavity between the rotor and stator was sealed by a stationary cylindrical shroud, and the dimensionless minimum amount of “coolant,” Cw, min, necessary to prevent a radial inflow (or ingress) of “hot gas” through the axial clearance between the shroud and the rotor, was determined. In the current tests, a number of seals with a radial clearance between the cylindrical shroud and the rotor are tested. Unlike their axial-clearance counterparts, radial-clearance seals can exhibit a pressure-inversion effect, where the pressure inside the cavity increases, rather than decreases, with increasing rotational speed. Using pressure measurements and flow visualization, correlations showing the variation of Cw, min with clearance ratio and rotational Reynolds number are presented, and it is shown that — under equivalent conditions — a seal with a radial clearance can be much more effective than one with an axial clearance.

Experimental Measurements of Ingestion Through Turbine Rim Seals: Part 2—Rotationally-Induced Ingress

2011 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carl M. Sangan ◽  
Kunyuan Zhou ◽  
J. Michael Owen ◽  
Oliver J. Pountney ◽  
Mike Wilson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Experimental Results ◽  
Radial Clearance ◽  
Rotating Fluid ◽  
Flow Rates ◽  
Hot Gas ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
The Common ◽  
Axial Clearance ◽  
Better Than ◽  
Good Agreement

Part 1 of this two-part paper presented experimental results for externally-induced (EI) ingress, where the ingestion of hot gas through the rim seal into the wheel-space of a gas turbine is controlled by the circumferential variation of pressure in the external annulus. In Part 2, experimental results are presented for rotationally-induced (RI) ingress, where the ingestion is controlled by the pressure generated by the rotating fluid in the wheel-space. Although EI ingress is the common form of ingestion through turbine rim seals, RI ingress or combined ingress (where EI and RI ingress are both significant) is particularly important for double seals, where the pressure asymmetries are attenuated in the annular space between the inner and outer seals. In this paper, the sealing effectiveness was determined from concentration measurements, and the variation of effectiveness with sealing flow rate was compared with theoretical curves for RI ingress obtained from an orifice model. Using a nondimensional sealing parameter, Φ0, the data could be collapsed onto a single curve, and the theoretical variation of effectiveness with Φ0 was in very good agreement with the data for a wide range of flow rates and rotational speeds. It was shown that the sealing flow required to prevent RI ingress was much less than that needed for EI ingress, and it was also shown that the effectiveness of a radial-clearance seal is significantly better than that for an axial-clearance seal for both EI and RI ingress.

scholarly journals Interaction of Rim Seal and Annulus Flows in an Axial Flow Turbine

2004 ◽  
Vol 126 (4) ◽  
pp. 786-793 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. Cao ◽  
J. W. Chew ◽  
P. R. Millington ◽  
S. I. Hogg
Keyword(s):  
Axial Flow ◽  
Fast Response ◽  
Pressure Measurements ◽  
Cfd Models ◽  
Flow Features ◽  
Rotor Disk ◽  
Computational Fluid Dynamics Cfd ◽  
Axial Clearance ◽  
Response Pressure ◽  
Good Agreement

A combined computational fluid dynamics (CFD) and experimental study of interaction of main gas path and rim sealing flow is reported. The experiments were conducted on a two stage axial turbine and included pressure measurements for the cavity formed between the stage 2 rotor disk and the upstream diaphragm for two values of the diaphragm-to-rotor axial clearance. The pressure measurements indicate that ingestion of the highly swirling annulus flow leads to increased vortex strength within the cavity. This effect is particularly strong for the larger axial clearance. Results from a number of steady and unsteady CFD models have been compared to the measured results. Good agreement between measurement and calculation for time-averaged pressures was obtained using unsteady CFD models, which predicted previously unknown unsteady flow features. This led to fast response pressure transducer measurements being made on the rig, and these confirmed the CFD prediction.

scholarly journals Experimental and Numerical Investigation about Small Clearance Journal Bearings under Static Load Conditions

2020 ◽  
Vol 2020 ◽  
pp. 1-13
Author(s):  
Carlo Alberto Niccolini Marmont Du Haut Champ ◽  
Fabrizio Stefani ◽  
Paolo Silvestri
Keyword(s):  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Journal Bearings ◽  
Radial Clearance ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Test Rig ◽  
Small Clearance ◽  
Dimensional Simulation ◽  
Dynamic Loading Conditions ◽  
Static And Dynamic Loading ◽  
Good Agreement

The aim of the present research is to characterize both experimentally and numerically journal bearings with low radial clearances for rotors in small-scale applications (e.g., microgas turbines); their diameter is in the order of ten millimetres, leading to very small dimensional clearances when the typical relative ones (order of 1/1000) are employed; investigating this particular class of journal bearings under static and dynamic loading conditions represents something unexplored. To this goal, a suitable test rig was designed and the performance of its bearings was investigated under steady load. For the sake of comparison, numerical simulations of the lubrication were also performed by means of a simplified model. The original test rig adopted is a commercial rotor kit (RK), but substantial modifications were carried out in order to allow significant measurements. Indeed, the relative radial clearance of RK4 RK bearings is about 2/100, while it is around 1/1000 in industrial bearings. Therefore, the same original RK bearings are employed in this new test rig, but a new shaft was designed to reduce their original clearance. The new custom shaft allows to study bearing behaviour for different clearances, since it is equipped with interchangeable journals. Experimental data obtained by this test rig are then compared with further results of more sophisticated simulations. They were carried out by means of an in-house developed finite element (FEM) code, suitable for thermoelasto-hydrodynamic (TEHD) analysis of journal bearings both in static and dynamic conditions. In this paper, bearing static performances are studied to assess the reliability of the experimental journal location predictions by comparing them with the ones coming from already validated numerical codes. Such comparisons are presented both for large and small clearance bearings of original and modified RKs, respectively. Good agreement is found only for the modified RK equipped with small clearance bearings (relative radial clearance 8/1000), as expected. In comparison with two-dimensional lubrication analysis, three-dimensional simulation improves prediction of journal location and correlation with experimental results.

Ground Flutter Simulation Test Based on Reduced Order Modeling of Aerodynamics by CFD/CSD Coupling Method

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (01) ◽  
pp. 1950008
Author(s):  
Binwen Wang ◽  
Xueling Fan
Keyword(s):  
Aerodynamic Force ◽  
Test System ◽  
Simulation Test ◽  
Robust Controller ◽  
Test Technique ◽  
Reduced Order ◽  
Aerodynamic Model ◽  
Flutter Boundary ◽  
Computational Fluid Dynamics Cfd ◽  
Good Agreement

Flutter is an aeroelastic phenomenon that may cause severe damage to aircraft. Traditional flutter evaluation methods have many disadvantages (e.g., complex, costly and time-consuming) which could be overcome by ground flutter test technique. In this study, an unsteady aerodynamic model is obtained using computational fluid dynamics (CFD) code according to the procedure of frequency domain aerodynamic calculation. Then, the genetic algorithm (GA) method is adopted to optimize interpolation points for both excitation and response. Furthermore, the minimum-state method is utilized for rational fitting so as to establish an aerodynamic model in time domain. The aerodynamic force is simulated through exciters and the precision of simulation is guaranteed by multi-input and multi-output robust controller. Finally, ground flutter simulation test system is employed to acquire the flutter boundary through response under a range of air speeds. A good agreement is observed for both velocity and frequency of flutter between the test and modeling results.

Numerical Characterization of Hot Gas Ingestion Through Turbine Rim Seals

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Riccardo Da Soghe ◽  
Cosimo Bianchini ◽  
Carl M. Sangan ◽  
James A. Scobie ◽  
Gary D. Lock
Keyword(s):  
Flow Rate ◽  
Numerical Study ◽  
Axial Flow ◽  
Radial Clearance ◽  
Buffering Effect ◽  
Hot Gas ◽  
Numerical Predictions ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Thermal Buffering

This paper deals with a numerical study aimed at the characterization of hot gas ingestion through turbine rim seals. The numerical campaign focused on an experimental facility which models ingress through the rim seal into the upstream wheel-space of an axial-turbine stage. Single-clearance arrangements were considered in the form of axial- and radial-seal gap configurations. With the radial-seal clearance configuration, CFD steady-state solutions were able to predict the system sealing effectiveness over a wide range of coolant mass flow rates reasonably well. The greater insight of flow field provided by the computations illustrates the thermal buffering effect when ingress occurs: for a given sealing flow rate, the effectiveness on the rotor was significantly higher than that on the stator due to the axial flow of hot gases from stator to rotor caused by pumping effects. The predicted effectiveness on the rotor was compared with a theoretical model for the thermal buffering effect showing good agreement. When the axial-seal clearance arrangement is considered, the agreement between CFD and experiments worsens; the variation of sealing effectiveness with coolant flow rate calculated by means of the simulations display a distinct kink. It was found that the “kink phenomenon” can be ascribed to an over-estimation of the egress spoiling effects due to turbulence modelling limitations. Despite some weaknesses in the numerical predictions, the paper shows that CFD can be used to characterize the sealing performance of axial- and radial-clearance turbine rim seals.

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