scholarly journals Numerical Investigation of Boundary Layers in Wet Steam Nozzles

Author(s):  
Jörg Starzmann ◽  
Fiona R. Hughes ◽  
Alexander J. White ◽  
Marius Grübel ◽  
Damian M. Vogt

Condensing nozzle flows have been used extensively to validate wet steam models. Many test cases are available in the literature, and in the past, a range of numerical studies have dealt with this challenging task. It is usually assumed that the nozzles provide a one- or two-dimensional flow with a fully turbulent boundary layer (BL). The present paper reviews these assumptions and investigates numerically the influence of boundary layers on dry and wet steam nozzle expansions. For the narrow nozzle of Moses and Stein, it is shown that the pressure distribution is significantly affected by the additional blockage due to the side wall boundary layer. Comparison of laminar and turbulent flow predictions for this nozzles suggests that laminar–turbulent transition only occurs after the throat. Other examples are the Binnie and Green nozzle and the Moore et al. nozzles for which it is known that sudden changes in wall curvature produce expansion and compression waves that interact with the boundary layers. The differences between two- and three-dimensional calculations for these cases and the influence of laminar and turbulent boundary layers are discussed. The present results reveal that boundary layer effects can have a considerable impact on the mean nozzle flow and thus on the validation process of condensation models. In order to verify the accuracy of turbulence modeling, a test case that is not widely known internationally is included within the present study. This experimental work is remarkable because it includes boundary layer data as well as the usual pressure measurements along the nozzle centerline. Predicted and measured boundary layer profiles are compared, and the effect of different turbulence models is discussed. Most of the numerical results are obtained with the in-house wet steam Reynolds-averaged Navier–Stokes (RANS) solver, Steamblock, but for the purpose of comparison, the commercial program ansys cfx is also used, providing a wider range of standard RANS-based turbulence models.

Author(s):  
Jörg Starzmann ◽  
Fiona R. Hughes ◽  
Alexander J. White ◽  
Marius Grübel ◽  
Damian M. Vogt

Condensing nozzle flows have been used extensively to validate wet steam models. Many test cases are available in the literature and in the past a range of numerical studies have dealt with this challenging task. It is usually assumed that the nozzles provide a one- or two-dimensional flow with a fully turbulent boundary layer. The present paper reviews these assumptions and investigates numerically the influence of boundary layers on dry and wet steam nozzle expansions. For the narrow nozzle of Moses and Stein it is shown that the pressure distribution is significantly affected by the additional blockage due to the side wall boundary layer. Comparison of laminar and turbulent flow predictions for this nozzles suggests that laminar-turbulent transition only occurs after the throat. Other examples are the Binnie nozzle and the Moore nozzles for which it is known that sudden changes in wall curvature produce expansion and compression waves that interact with the boundary layers. The differences between two- and three-dimensional calculations for these cases and the influence of laminar and turbulent boundary layers are discussed. The present results reveal that boundary layer effects can have a considerable impact on the mean nozzle flow and thus on the validation process of condensation models. In order to verify the accuracy of turbulence modelling a test case that is not widely known internationally is included within the present study. This experimental work is remarkable because it includes boundary layer data as well as the usual pressure measurements along the nozzle centreline. Predicted and measured boundary layer profiles are compared and the effect of different turbulence models is discussed. Most of the numerical results are obtained with the in-house wet steam RANS-solver, Steamblock, but for the purpose of comparison the commercial program ANSYS CFX is also used, providing a wider range of standard RANS-based turbulence models.


1983 ◽  
Vol 105 (4) ◽  
pp. 435-438 ◽  
Author(s):  
T. Motohashi ◽  
R. F. Blackwelder

To study boundary layers in the transitional Reynolds number regime, the useful spanwise and streamwise extent of wind tunnels is often limited by turbulent fluid emanating from the side walls. Some or all of the turbulent fluid can be removed by sucking fluid out at the corners, as suggested by Amini [1]. It is shown that by optimizing the suction slot width, the side wall contamination can be dramatically decreased without a concomitant three-dimensional distortion of the laminar boundary layer.


1998 ◽  
Vol 120 (2) ◽  
pp. 285-297 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Koiro ◽  
B. Lakshminarayana

An existing three-dimensional Navier–Stokes flow solver with an explicit Runge–Kutta algorithm and a low-Reynolds-number k–ε turbulence model has been modified in order to simulate turbomachinery flows in a more efficient manner. The solver has been made to converge more rapidly through use of the multigrid technique. Stability problems associated with the use of multigrid in conjunction with two-equation turbulence models are addressed and techniques to alleviate instability are investigated. Validation for the new code was performed with a transonic turbine cascade tested by Perdichizzi. In the fully three-dimensional turbulent cascade, real convergence (i.e., CPU time) was improved nearly two times the original code. Robustness was enhanced with the full multigrid initialization procedure. The same test case was then used to perform a series of simulations that investigated the effect of different exit Mach numbers on secondary flow features. This permitted an in-depth study into the mechanisms of secondary flow formation and secondary losses at high Mach numbers. In this cascade, it was found that secondary losses and secondary flow deviation, which are fairly constant in incompressible flows with similar geometries, underwent a large reduction in the compressible flow range. The structure of the trailing edge shock system and the reduced end wall boundary layer at supersonic exit conditions were shown to be very significant in reducing the amount of secondary flow and losses.


1968 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
pp. 243-255 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stellan Knöös

The shock-tube side-wall boundary layer in a 1 eV, high-density argon plasma was studied experimentally using anew, simple, quantitative schlieren technique. The angular refraction of light which enters the shock-tube test section parallel to a side wall and passes through typically 1 mm thick boundary layers was determined in two separate wavelengths. This was done by measuring the displacements of two shadows formed by two thin wires placed in the point source light, which is reflected non-centrally by a concave spherical mirror. The experiments were of exploratory nature only, but clearly demonstrated the feasibility of the new technique in analysing plasma-boundary-layer flows. Measured electron density profiles in the high-temperature region of the sidewall boundary layers agreed within experimental errors with those calculated from the equilibrium-boundary-layer theory.


Author(s):  
Michele Marconcini ◽  
Roberto Pacciani ◽  
Andrea Arnone ◽  
Vittorio Michelassi ◽  
Richard Pichler ◽  
...  

In low-pressure-turbines (LPT) at design point around 60–70% of losses are generated in the blade boundary layers far from end-walls, while the remaining 30%–40% is controlled by the interaction of the blade profile with the end-wall boundary layer. Increasing attention is devoted to these flow regions in industrial design processes. Experimental techniques have shed light on the mechanism that controls the growth of the secondary vortices, and scale-resolving CFD have provided a detailed insight into the vorticity generation. Along these lines, this paper discusses the end-wall flow characteristics of the T106 profile with parallel end-walls at realistic LPT conditions, as described in the experimental setup of Duden and Fottner (1997) “Influence of Taper, Reynolds Number and Mach Number on the Secondary Flow Field of a Highly Loaded Turbine Cascade”, P. I. Mech. Eng. A-J. Pow., 211 (4), pp.309–320. The simulations target first the same inlet conditions as documented in the experiments, and determines the impact of the incoming boundary layer thickness by running additional cases with modified incoming boundary layers. Calculations are carried out by both RANS, due to its continuing role as the design verification workhorse, and highly-resolved LES. Part II of the paper focuses on the loss generation associated with the secondary end-wall vortices. Entropy generation and the consequent stagnation pressure losses are analyzed following the aerodynamic investigation carried out in the companion paper. The ability of classical turbulence models generally used in RANS to discern the loss contributions of the different vortical structures is discussed in detail and the attainable degree of accuracy is scrutinized with the help of LES and the available test data. The purpose is to identify the flow features that require further modelling efforts in order to improve RANS/URANS approaches and make them able to support the design of the next generation of LPTs.


1968 ◽  
Vol 32 (4) ◽  
pp. 625-655 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael E. Mcintyre

The axisymmetric flow of liquid in a rigidly bounded annular container of heightH, rotating with angular velocity Ω and subjected to a temperature difference ΔTbetween its vertical cylindrical perfectly conducting side walls, whose distance apart isL, is analysed in the boundary-layer approximation for small Ekman numberv/2ΩL2, withgαΔTHv/4Ω2L2K∼ 1. The heat transfer across the annulus is then convection-dominated, as is characteristic of the experimentally observed ‘upper symmetric regime’. The Prandtl numberv/kis assumed large, andHis restricted to be less than about 2L. The side wall boundary-layer equations are the same as in (non-rotating) convection in a rectangular cavity. The horizontal boundary layers are Ekman layers and the four boundary layers, together with certain spatialaveragesin the interior, are determined independently of the interior flow details. The determination of the latter comprises a ‘secondary’ problem in which viscosity and heat conduction are important throughout the interior; the meridional streamlines are not necessarily parallel to the isotherms. The secondary problem is discussed qualitatively but not solved. The theory agrees fairly well with an available numerical experiment in the upper symmetric regime, forv/k[bumpe ] 7, after finite-Ekmannumber effects such as finite boundary-layer thickness are allowed for heuris-tically.


1981 ◽  
Vol 103 (1) ◽  
pp. 20-33 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. De Ruyck ◽  
C. Hirsch

A previously developed axial compressor end-wall boundary layer calculation method which requires the introduction of three-dimensional velocity profile models is summarized. In this method the classical three-dimensional velocity profile models were shown to present inherent limitations at stall limit, with regard to the range of transverse boundary layer thicknesses they are able to represent. A corrected profile model is presented which contains no more limitations without affecting the previous found overall results. Stall limit is predicted by limiting values of shape factor and/or diffusion factor. The new profile model containing also compressibility effects allows the calculation of boundary layers in machines with shrouded blades, by simulating the jump between rotating and non rotating parts of the walls. A corrected version of a force defect correlation is presented which is shown to give better agreement at high incidences. Some results on high and low speed machines are discussed. The model is applied to obtain an end-wall blockage correlation depending on geometry, flow coefficient, AVR, aspect ratio, solidity, diffusion factor, Reynolds number, axial blade spacing, tip clearance and inlet boundary layer thickness. A quantitative estimation of the losses associated with the end-wall boundary layers can be obtained using this analysis and therefore can be a useful tool in the design of an axial compressor stage.


1990 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ingolf Teipel ◽  
Alexander Wiedermann

The topic of this paper is the computation of transonic turbulent flow fields in high-loaded centrifugal compressor diffusers with a time-marching scheme. A thin-layer approximation is introduced into the time-dependent Navier-Stokes equations and the turbulent quantities are provided by a zero-equation eddy-viscosity model due to Baldwin and Lomax. For solving the governing equations an explicit-implicit MacCormack scheme is applied. The effect of the side wall boundary layer can be employed globally by variable stream sheet thickness. The present code has been verified by comparison of calculated and measured data. Pressure and velocity fields as well as global results like diffuser efficiency have been considered. The code is very efficient at a CRAY-XMP vector computer. Hence, two-dimensional and quasi-three-dimensional turbulent flow fields can be obtained with a reasonable effort. However, one has to be very careful concerning the modelling of the effect of the side-wall boundary layer by variable stream sheet thickness.


Author(s):  
Christian Eichler ◽  
Thomas Sattelmayer

Premixed combustion of hydrogen-rich mixtures involves the risk of flame flashback through wall boundary layers. For laminar flow conditions, the flashback mechanism is well understood and is usually correlated by a critical velocity gradient at the wall. Turbulent transport inside the boundary layer considerably increases the flashback propensity. Only tube burner setups have been investigated in the past and thus turbulent flashback limits were only derived for a fully-developed Blasius wall friction profile. For turbulent flows, details of the flame propagation in proximity to the wall remain unclear. This paper presents results from a new experimental combustion rig, apt for detailed optical investigations of flame flashbacks in a turbulent wall boundary layer developing on a flat plate and being subject to an adjustable pressure gradient. Turbulent flashback limits are derived from the observed flame position inside the measurement section. The fuels investigated cover mixtures of methane, hydrogen and air at various mixing ratios. The associated wall friction distributions are determined by RANS computations of the flow inside the measurement section with fully resolved boundary layers. Consequently, the interaction between flame back pressure and incoming flow is not taken into account explicitly, in accordance with the evaluation procedure used for tube burner experiments. The results are compared to literature values and the critical gradient concept is reviewed in light of the new data.


1986 ◽  
Vol 108 (1) ◽  
pp. 2-6 ◽  
Author(s):  
N. A. Cumpsty

There are few available measurements of the boundary layers in multistage compressors when the repeating-stage condition is reached. These tests were performed in a small four-stage compressor; the flow was essentially incompressible and the Reynolds number based on blade chord was about 5 • 104. Two series of tests were performed; in one series the full design number of blades were installed, in the other series half the blades were removed to reduce the solidity and double the staggered spacing. Initially it was wished to examine the hypothesis proposed by Smith [1] that staggered spacing is a particularly important scaling parameter for boundary layer thickness; the results of these tests and those of Hunter and Cumpsty [2] tend to suggest that it is tip clearance which is most potent in determining boundary-layer integral thicknesses. The integral thicknesses agree quite well with those published by Smith.


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