Theoretical Model to Determine Effect of Ingress on Turbine Disks

Author(s):  
L. Isobel Mear ◽  
J. Michael Owen ◽  
Gary D. Lock

Sealing air is used in gas turbines to reduce the amount of hot gas that is ingested through the rim seals into the wheel-space between the turbine disk and its adjacent stationary casing. The sealing air attaches itself to the rotor, creating a buffering effect that reduces the amount of ingested fluid that can reach the surface of the rotor. In this paper, a theoretical model is developed, and this shows that the maximum buffering effect occurs at a critical flow rate of sealing air, the value of which depends on the seal geometry. The model, which requires two empirical constants, is validated using experimental data, obtained from infrared (IR) temperature measurements, which are presented in a separate paper. There is good agreement between the adiabatic effectiveness of the rotor estimated from the model and that obtained from the IR measurements. Of particular interest to designers is that significant ingress can enter the wheel-space before its effect is sensed by the rotor.

Author(s):  
L. Isobel Mear ◽  
J. Michael Owen ◽  
Gary D. Lock

Sealing air is used in gas turbines to reduce the amount of hot gas that is ingested through the rim seals into the wheel-space between the turbine disc and its adjacent stationary casing. The sealing air attaches itself to the rotor, creating a buffering effect that reduces the amount of ingested fluid that can reach the surface of the rotor. In this paper, a theoretical model is developed, and this shows that the maximum buffering effect occurs at a critical flow rate of sealing air, the value of which depends on the seal geometry. The model, which requires two empirical constants, is validated using experimental data, obtained from infra-red (IR) temperature measurements, which are presented in a separate paper. There is good agreement between the adiabatic effectiveness of the rotor estimated from the model and that obtained from the IR measurements. Of particular interest to designers is that significant ingress can enter the wheel-space before its effect is sensed by the rotor.


2010 ◽  
Vol 133 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Michael Owen

Ingress of hot gas through the rim seals of gas turbines can be modeled theoretically using the so-called orifice equations. In Part I of this two-part paper, the orifice equations were derived for compressible and incompressible swirling flows, and the incompressible equations were solved for axisymmetric rotationally induced (RI) ingress. In Part II, the incompressible equations are solved for nonaxisymmetric externally induced (EI) ingress and for combined EI and RI ingress. The solutions show how the nondimensional ingress and egress flow rates vary with Θ0, the ratio of the flow rate of sealing air to the flow rate necessary to prevent ingress. For EI ingress, a “saw-tooth model” is used for the circumferential variation of pressure in the external annulus, and it is shown that ε, the sealing effectiveness, depends principally on Θ0; the theoretical variation of ε with Θ0 is similar to that found in Part I for RI ingress. For combined ingress, the solution of the orifice equations shows the transition from RI to EI ingress as the amplitude of the circumferential variation of pressure increases. The predicted values of ε for EI ingress are in good agreement with the available experimental data, but there are insufficient published data to validate the theory for combined ingress.


Author(s):  
J. Michael Owen

Ingress of hot gas through the rim seals of gas turbines can be modelled theoretically using the so-called orifice equations. In Part 1 (ASME GT 2009-59121) of this two-part paper, the orifice equations were derived for compressible and incompressible swirling flow, and the incompressible equations were solved for axisymmetric rotationally-induced (RI) ingress. In Part 2, the incompressible equations are solved for non-axisymmetric externally-induced (EI) ingress and for combined EI and RI ingress. The solutions show how the nondimensional ingress and egress flow rates vary with Θ0, the ratio of the flow rate of sealing air to the flow rate necessary to prevent ingress. For EI ingress, a ‘saw-tooth model’ is used for the circumferential variation of pressure in the external annulus, and it is shown that ε, the sealing effectiveness, depends principally on Θ0; the theoretical variation of ε with Θ0 is similar to that found in Part 1 for RI ingress. For combined ingress, the solution of the orifice equations shows the transition from RI to EI ingress as the amplitude of the circumferential variation of pressure increases. The predicted values of ε for EI ingress are in good agreement with available experimental data, but there are insufficient published data to validate the theory for combined ingress.


2020 ◽  
Vol 142 (5) ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas Hoffmann ◽  
Lars Panning-von Scheidt ◽  
Jörg Wallaschek

Abstract The dynamics of turbine blades with underplatform dampers (UPDs) is often experimentally explored by using small test rigs like two-blade models for cost and complexity reasons. In this paper, the dynamics of a large-scale academic turbine disk is measured on a special rotation test rig. Such measurements have rarely been published so far. The test rig supports speeds up to 3600 rpm and turbine disks up to a diameter of 1.2 m. The turbine disk is tested linearly as well as with asymmetric and cylindrical UPDs. The excitation forces and the excitation order are varied. The results prove the damper effectiveness by lowering resonance amplitudes. Additionally, the mistuning influence on the result depiction is discussed. The measurements are compared to simulations of the nonlinear frequency response functions (FRFs), showing good agreement.


2013 ◽  
Vol 135 (5) ◽  
Author(s):  
Oliver J. Pountney ◽  
Carl M. Sangan ◽  
Gary D. Lock ◽  
J. Michael Owen

This paper describes experimental results from a research facility which experimentally models hot-gas ingress into the wheel-space of an axial turbine stage with an axial-clearance rim seal. Thermochromic liquid crystal (TLC) was used to determine the effect of ingestion on heat transfer to the rotating disk; as far as the authors are aware, this is the first time that the measured effects of ingestion on adiabatic temperature have been published. An adiabatic effectiveness for the rotor was defined, and this definition was used to determine when the effect of ingress was first experienced by the rotor. Concentration measurements on the stator were used to determine the sealing effectiveness of the rim seal, and transient heat transfer tests with heated sealing air were used to determine the adiabatic effectiveness of the rotor. The thermal buffer ratio, which is defined as the ratio of the sealing flow rate when ingress first occurs to that when it is first experienced by the rotor, was shown to depend on the turbulent flow parameter. The local Nusselt numbers, Nu, which were measured on the rotor, were significantly smaller than those for a free disk; they decreased as the sealing flow rate decreased and as the ingress correspondingly increased. The values of Nu and adiabatic effectiveness obtained in these experiments provide data for the validation of CFD codes but caution is needed if they (particularly the values of Nu) are to be extrapolated to engine conditions.


Author(s):  
Marios Patinios ◽  
James A. Scobie ◽  
Carl M. Sangan ◽  
J. Michael Owen ◽  
Gary D. Lock

In gas turbines, hot mainstream flow can be ingested into the wheel-space formed between stator and rotor disks as a result of the circumferential pressure asymmetry in the annulus; this ingress can significantly affect the operating life, performance, and integrity of highly stressed, vulnerable engine components. Rim seals, fitted at the periphery of the disks, are used to minimize ingress and therefore reduce the amount of purge flow required to seal the wheel-space and cool the disks. This paper presents experimental results from a new 1.5-stage test facility designed to investigate ingress into the wheel-spaces upstream and downstream of a rotor disk. The fluid-dynamically scaled rig operates at incompressible flow conditions, far removed from the harsh environment of the engine which is not conducive to experimental measurements. The test facility features interchangeable rim-seal components, offering significant flexibility and expediency in terms of data collection over a wide range of sealing flow rates. The rig was specifically designed to enable an efficient method of ranking and quantifying the performance of generic and engine-specific seal geometries. The radial variation of CO2 gas concentration, pressure, and swirl is measured to explore, for the first time, the flow structure in both the upstream and downstream wheel-spaces. The measurements show that the concentration in the core is equal to that on the stator walls and that both distributions are virtually invariant with radius. These measurements confirm that mixing between ingress and egress is essentially complete immediately after the ingested fluid enters the wheel-space and that the fluid from the boundary layer on the stator is the source of that in the core. The swirl in the core is shown to determine the radial distribution of pressure in the wheel-space. The performance of a double radial-clearance seal is evaluated in terms of the variation of effectiveness with sealing flow rate for both the upstream and the downstream wheel-spaces and is found to be independent of rotational Reynolds number. A simple theoretical orifice model was fitted to the experimental data showing good agreement between theory and experiment for all cases. This observation is of great significance as it demonstrates that the theoretical model can accurately predict ingress even when it is driven by the complex unsteady pressure field in the annulus upstream and downstream of the rotor. The combination of the theoretical model and the new test rig with its flexibility and capability for detailed measurements provides a powerful tool for the engine rim-seal designer.


Author(s):  
Riccardo Da Soghe ◽  
Cosimo Bianchini ◽  
Carl M. Sangan ◽  
James A. Scobie ◽  
Gary D. Lock

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.


1969 ◽  
Vol 59 (1) ◽  
pp. 399-407
Author(s):  
Robert B. Herrmann

Abstract The propagation of Rayleigh waves with periods of 0.4 to 2.0 seconds across the Cincinnati arch is investigated. The region of investigation includes southern Indiana and Ohio and northern Kentucky. The experimental data for all paths are fitted by a three-layer model of varying layer thickness but of fixed velocity in each layer. The resulting inferred structural picture is in good agreement with the known basement trends of the region. The velocities of the best fitting theoretical model agree well with velocity-depth data from a well in southern Indiana.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter H. Wilkins ◽  
Stephen P. Lynch ◽  
Karen A. Thole ◽  
San Quach ◽  
Tyler Vincent ◽  
...  

Abstract Ceramic matrix composite (CMC) parts create the opportunity for increased turbine entry temperatures within gas turbines. To achieve the highest temperatures possible, film cooling will play an important role in allowing turbine entry temperatures to exceed acceptable surface temperatures for CMC components, just as it does for the current generation of gas turbine components. Film cooling over a CMC surface introduces new challenges including roughness features downstream of the cooling holes and changes to the hole exit due to uneven surface topography. To better understand these impacts, this study presents flowfield and adiabatic effectiveness CFD for a 7-7-7 shaped film cooling hole at two CMC weave orientations. The CMC surface selected is a 5 Harness Satin weave pattern that is examined at two different orientations. To understand the ability of steady RANS to predict flow and convective heat transfer over a CMC surface, the weave surface is initially simulated without film and compared to previous experimental results. The simulation of the weave orientation of 0°, with fewer features projecting into the flow, matches fairly well to the experiment, and demonstrates a minimal impact on film cooling leading to only slightly lower adiabatic effectiveness compared to a smooth surface. However, the simulation of the 90° orientation with a large number of protruding features does not match the experimentally observed surface heat transfer. The additional protruding surface produces degraded film cooling performance at low blowing ratios but is less sensitive to blowing ratio, leading to improved relative performance at higher blowing ratios, particularly in regions far downstream of the hole.


Author(s):  
Zhigang Li ◽  
Jun Li ◽  
Liming Song ◽  
Qing Gao ◽  
Xin Yan ◽  
...  

The modern gas turbine is widely applied in the aviation propulsion and power generation. The rim seal is usually designed at the periphery of the wheel-space and prevented the hot gas ingestion in modern gas turbines. The high sealing effectiveness of rim seal can improve the aerodynamic performance of gas turbines and avoid of the disc overheating. Effect of outer fin axial gap of radial rim seal on the sealing effectiveness and fluid dynamics was numerically investigated in this work. The sealing effectiveness and fluid dynamics of radial rim seal with three different outer fin axial gaps was conducted at different coolant flow rates using three-dimensional Reynolds-Averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) and SST turbulent model solutions. The accuracy of the presented numerical approach for the prediction of the sealing performance of the turbine rim seal was demonstrated. The obtained results show that the sealing effectiveness of radial rim seal increases with increase of coolant flow rate at the fixed axial outer fin gap. The sealing effectiveness increases with decrease of the axial outer fin gap at the fixed coolant flow rate. Furthermore, at the fixed coolant flow rate, the hot gas ingestion increases with the increase of the axial outer fin gap. This flow behavior intensifies the interaction between the hot gas and coolant flow at the clearance of radial rim seal. The preswirl coefficient in the wheel-space cavity is also illustrated to analyze the flow dynamics of radial rim seal at different axial outer fin gaps.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document