Adiabatic Effectiveness on High-Pressure Turbine Nozzle Guide Vanes Under Realistic Swirling Conditions

2018 ◽  
Vol 141 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Tommaso Bacci ◽  
Riccardo Becchi ◽  
Alessio Picchi ◽  
Bruno Facchini
Keyword(s):  
High Pressure ◽  
Film Cooling ◽  
Swirling Flow ◽  
Cooling System ◽  
Density Ratio ◽  
Leading Edge ◽  
Suction Side ◽  
Flame Stabilization ◽  
Lean Burn ◽  
Relevant Effect

In modern lean-burn aero-engine combustors, highly swirling flow structures are adopted to control the fuel-air mixing and to provide the correct flame stabilization mechanisms. Aggressive swirl fields and high turbulence intensities are hence expected in the combustor-turbine interface. Moreover, to maximize the engine cycle efficiency, an accurate design of the high-pressure nozzle cooling system must be pursued: in a film-cooled nozzle, the air taken from last compressor stages is ejected through discrete holes drilled on vane surfaces to provide a cold layer between hot gases and turbine components. In this context, the interactions between the swirling combustor outflow and the vane film cooling flows play a major role in the definition of a well-performing cooling scheme, demanding for experimental campaigns at representative flow conditions. An annular three-sector combustor simulator with fully cooled high-pressure vanes has been designed and installed at THT Lab of University of Florence. The test rig is equipped with three axial swirlers, effusion-cooled liners, and six film-cooled high-pressure vanes passages, for a vortex-to-vane count ratio of 1:2. The relative clocking position between swirlers and vanes has been chosen in order to have the leading edge of the central airfoil aligned with the central swirler. In this experimental work, adiabatic film effectiveness measurements have been carried out in the central sector vanes, in order to characterize the film-cooling performance under swirling inflow conditions. The pressure-sensitive paint (PSP) technique, based on heat and mass transfer analogy, has been exploited to catch highly detailed 2D distributions. Carbon dioxide has been used as coolant in order to reach a coolant-to-mainstream density ratio of 1.5. Turbulence and five-hole probe measurements at inlet/outlet of the cascade have been carried out as well, in order to highlight the characteristics of the flow field passing through the cascade and to provide precise boundary conditions. Results have shown a relevant effect of the swirling mainflow on the film cooling behavior. Differences have been found between the central airfoil and the adjacent ones, both in terms of leading edge stagnation point position and of pressure and suction side film coverage characteristics.

Adiabatic Effectiveness on High Pressure Turbine Nozzle Guide Vanes Under Realistic Swirling Conditions

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
T. Bacci ◽  
R. Becchi ◽  
A. Picchi ◽  
B. Facchini
Keyword(s):  
High Pressure ◽  
Film Cooling ◽  
Swirling Flow ◽  
Cooling System ◽  
Density Ratio ◽  
Leading Edge ◽  
Suction Side ◽  
Flame Stabilization ◽  
Lean Burn ◽  
Relevant Effect

In modern lean burn aero-engine combustors, highly swirling flow structures are adopted to control the fuel-air mixing and to provide the correct flame stabilization mechanisms. Aggressive swirl fields and high turbulence intensities are hence expected in the combustor-turbine interface. Moreover, to maximize the engine cycle efficiency, an accurate design of the high pressure nozzle cooling system must be pursued: in a film cooled nozzle the air taken from last compressor stages is ejected through discrete holes drilled on vane surfaces to provide a cold layer between hot gases and turbine components. In this context, the interactions between the swirling combustor outflow and the vane film cooling flows play a major role in the definition of a well performing cooling scheme, demanding for experimental campaigns at representative flow conditions. An annular three-sector combustor simulator with fully cooled high pressure vanes has been designed and installed at THT Lab of University of Florence. The test rig is equipped with three axial swirlers, effusion cooled liners and six film cooled high pressure vanes passages, for a vortex-to-vane count ratio of 1:2. The relative clocking position between swirlers and vanes has been chosen in order to have the leading edge of the central airfoil aligned with the central swirler. In this experimental work, adiabatic film effectiveness measurements have been carried out in the central sector vanes, in order to characterize the film-cooling performance under swirling inflow conditions. The Pressure Sensitive Paint technique, based on heat and mass transfer analogy, has been exploited to catch highly detailed 2D distributions. Carbon dioxide has been used as coolant in order to reach a coolant-to-mainstream density ratio of 1.5. Turbulence and five hole probe measurements at inlet/outlet of the cascade have been carried out as well, in order to highlight the characteristics of the flow field passing through the cascade and to provide precise boundary conditions. Results have shown a relevant effect of the swirling mainflow on the film cooling behaviour. Differences have been found between the central airfoil and the adjacent ones, both in terms of leading edge stagnation point position and of pressure and suction side film coverage characteristics.

Numerical simulation of swirling flow effect on the first stage vane film cooling distribution

2016 ◽  
Vol 07 (03) ◽  
pp. 1650031
Author(s):  
Hong Yin
Keyword(s):  
Flow Field ◽  
Film Cooling ◽  
Swirling Flow ◽  
Cooling System ◽  
Leading Edge ◽  
Suction Side ◽  
Local Area ◽  
Swirl Flow ◽  
Flow Effect ◽  
Recirculation Flow

In advanced gas turbine technology, lean premixed combustion is an effective strategy to reduce peak temperature and thus, NO[Formula: see text] emissions. The swirler is adopted to establish recirculation flow zone, enhancing mixing and stabilizing the flame. Therefore, the swirling flow is dominant in the combustor flow field and has impact on the vane. This paper mainly investigates the swirling flow effect on the turbine first stage vane cooling system by conducting a group of numerical simulations. Firstly, the numerical methods of turbulence modeling using RANS and LES are compared. The computational model of one single swirl flow field is considered. Both the RANS and LES results give reasonable recirculation zone shape. When comparing the velocity distribution, the RANS results generally match the experimental data but fail to at some local area. The LES modeling gives better results and more detailed unsteady flow field. In the second step, the RANS modeling is incorporated to investigate the vane film cooling performance under the swirling inflow boundary condition. According to the numerical results, the leading edge film cooling is largely altered by the swirling flow, especially for the swirl core-leading edge aligned case. Compared to the pressure side, the suction side film cooling is more sensitive to the swirling flow. Locally, the film cooling jet is lifted and turned by the strong swirling flow.

Clocking Effects of Inlet Non-Uniformities in a Fully Cooled High-Pressure Vane: A Conjugate Heat Transfer Analysis

2015 ◽  
Author(s):  
Duccio Griffini ◽  
Massimiliano Insinna ◽  
Simone Salvadori ◽  
Francesco Martelli
Keyword(s):  
Heat Transfer ◽  
High Pressure ◽  
Film Cooling ◽  
Conjugate Heat Transfer ◽  
Cooling System ◽  
Hot Spot ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Leading Edge ◽  
Suction Side ◽  
Heat Transfer Analysis

A high-pressure vane equipped with a realistic film-cooling configuration has been studied. The vane is characterized by the presence of multiple rows of fan-shaped holes along pressure and suction side while the leading edge is protected by a showerhead system of cylindrical holes. Steady three-dimensional Reynolds-Averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) simulations have been performed. A preliminary grid sensitivity analysis with uniform inlet flow has been used to quantify the effect of spatial discretization. Turbulence model has been assessed in comparison with available experimental data. The effects of the relative alignment between combustion chamber and high-pressure vanes are then investigated considering realistic inflow conditions in terms of hot spot and swirl. The inlet profiles used are derived from the EU-funded project TATEF2. Two different clocking positions are considered: the first one where hot spot and swirl core are aligned with passage and the second one where they are aligned with the leading edge. Comparisons between metal temperature distributions obtained from conjugate heat transfer simulations are performed evidencing the role of swirl in determining both the hot streak trajectory within the passage and the coolant redistribution. The leading edge aligned configuration is resulted to be the most problematic in terms of thermal load, leading to increased average and local vane temperature peaks on both suction side and pressure side with respect to the passage aligned case. A strong sensitivity of both injected coolant mass flow and heat removed by heat sink effect has also been highlighted for the showerhead cooling system.

Clocking Effects of Inlet Nonuniformities in a Fully Cooled High-Pressure Vane: A Conjugate Heat Transfer Analysis

2015 ◽  
Vol 138 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Duccio Griffini ◽  
Massimiliano Insinna ◽  
Simone Salvadori ◽  
Francesco Martelli
Keyword(s):  
Heat Transfer ◽  
High Pressure ◽  
Film Cooling ◽  
Conjugate Heat Transfer ◽  
Cooling System ◽  
Hot Spot ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Leading Edge ◽  
Suction Side ◽  
Heat Transfer Analysis

A high-pressure vane (HPV) equipped with a realistic film-cooling configuration has been studied. The vane is characterized by the presence of multiple rows of fan-shaped holes along pressure and suction side, while the leading edge (LE) is protected by a showerhead system of cylindrical holes. Steady three-dimensional Reynolds-averaged Navier–Stokes simulations have been performed. A preliminary grid sensitivity analysis with uniform inlet flow has been used to quantify the effect of spatial discretization. Turbulence model has been assessed in comparison with available experimental data. The effects of the relative alignment between combustion chamber and HPVs are then investigated, considering realistic inflow conditions in terms of hot spot and swirl. The inlet profiles used are derived from the EU-funded project TATEF2. Two different clocking positions are considered: the first in which hot spot and swirl core are aligned with passage; and the second in which they are aligned with the LE. Comparisons between metal temperature distributions obtained from conjugate heat transfer (CHT) simulations are performed, evidencing the role of swirl in determining both the hot streak trajectory within the passage and the coolant redistribution. The LE aligned configuration is determined to be the most problematic in terms of thermal load, leading to increased average and local vane temperature peaks on both suction side and pressure side with respect to the passage-aligned case. A strong sensitivity to both injected coolant mass flow and heat removed by heat sink effect has also been highlighted for the showerhead cooling system.

Flow Field and Hot Streak Migration Through a High Pressure Cooled Vanes With Representative Lean Burn Combustor Outflow

2018 ◽  
Vol 141 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Tommaso Bacci ◽  
Tommaso Lenzi ◽  
Alessio Picchi ◽  
Lorenzo Mazzei ◽  
Bruno Facchini
Keyword(s):  
Experimental Data ◽  
High Pressure ◽  
Flow Field ◽  
Fuel Injection ◽  
Leading Edge ◽  
Flame Stabilization ◽  
Lean Burn ◽  
Aero Engine ◽  
University Of Florence ◽  
Hot Streak

Modern lean burn aero-engine combustors make use of relevant swirl degrees for flame stabilization. Moreover, important temperature distortions are generated, in tangential and radial directions, due to discrete fuel injection and liner cooling flows respectively. At the same time, more efficient devices are employed for liner cooling and a less intense mixing with the mainstream occurs. As a result, aggressive swirl fields, high turbulence intensities, and strong hot streaks are achieved at the turbine inlet. In order to understand combustor-turbine flow field interactions, it is mandatory to collect reliable experimental data at representative flow conditions. While the separated effects of temperature, swirl, and turbulence on the first turbine stage have been widely investigated, reduced experimental data is available when it comes to consider all these factors together.In this perspective, an annular three-sector combustor simulator with fully cooled high pressure vanes has been designed and installed at the THT Lab of University of Florence. The test rig is equipped with three axial swirlers, effusion cooled liners, and six film cooled high pressure vanes passages, for a vortex-to-vane count ratio of 1:2. The relative clocking position between swirlers and vanes has been chosen in order to have the leading edge of the central NGV aligned with the central swirler. In order to generate representative conditions, a heated mainstream passes though the axial swirlers of the combustor simulator, while the effusion cooled liners are fed by air at ambient temperature. The resulting flow field exiting from the combustor simulator and approaching the cooled vane can be considered representative of a modern Lean Burn aero engine combustor with swirl angles above ±50 deg, turbulence intensities up to about 28% and maximum-to-minimum temperature ratio of about 1.25. With the final aim of investigating the hot streaks evolution through the cooled high pressure vane, the mean aerothermal field (temperature, pressure, and velocity fields) has been evaluated by means of a five-hole probe equipped with a thermocouple and traversed upstream and downstream of the NGV cascade.

A Parametric Investigation of Vane Showerhead Film Cooling by PSP Technique

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
H. Abdeh ◽  
G. Barigozzi ◽  
S. Ravelli ◽  
S. Rouina
Keyword(s):  
Turbulence Intensity ◽  
Film Cooling ◽  
Cooling System ◽  
Density Ratio ◽  
Leading Edge ◽  
Intensity Level ◽  
Cooling Performance ◽  
Blowing Ratio ◽  
Cylindrical Holes ◽  
Exit Mach Number

Abstract In this study a parametric analysis of the thermal performance of a nozzle vane cascade with a showerhead cooling system made of four rows of cylindrical holes was carried out by using the Pressure Sensitive Paint (PSP) technique. Coolant-to-mainstream blowing ratio (BR), density ratio (DR), main flow isentropic exit Mach number (Ma2is) and turbulence intensity level (Tu1) were the considered parameters. The cascade was tested in an atmospheric wind tunnel at Ma2is values ranging from 0.2 to 0.6, with an inlet turbulence intensity level of 1.6% and 9%, at variable injection conditions of BR = 2.0, 3.0, 4.0. Moreover, the influence of DR on the leading edge film cooling performance was investigated: testing was carried out at DR = 1.0, using nitrogen as foreign gas, and DR = 1.5, with carbon dioxide serving as coolant. In the near-hole region, higher BR and Ma2is resulted in higher effectiveness, while higher mainstream turbulence intensity reduced the thermal coverage in between the rows of holes, whatever the BR. Further downstream along the vane pressure side, the effectiveness was negatively affected by rising BR, but positively influenced by lowering the mainstream turbulence intensity. Moreover, a decrease in DR caused a reduction in the film cooling performance, whose extent depends on the injection condition.

Effects of Inlet Swirl on Pressure Side Film Cooling of Neighboring Vane Surface

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (6) ◽  
Author(s):  
Yang Zhang ◽  
Yifei Li ◽  
Xiutao Bian ◽  
Xin Yuan
Keyword(s):  
Film Cooling ◽  
Swirling Flow ◽  
Density Ratio ◽  
Suction Side ◽  
Scale Model ◽  
Cooling Effectiveness ◽  
Film Cooling Effectiveness ◽  
Lean Combustion ◽  
Inlet Swirl ◽  
Nozzle Guide

The lean combustion chamber of low NOx emission engines has a short distance between combustion outlet and nozzle guide vanes (NGVs), with strong swirlers located upstream of the turbine inlet to from steady circulation in the combustion region. Although the lean combustion design benefits emission control, it complicates the turbine’s aerodynamics and heat transfer. The strong swirling flow will influence the near-wall flow field where film cooling acts. This research investigates the influence of inlet swirl on the film cooling of cascades. The test cascades are a 1.95 scale model based on the GE-E3 profile, with an inlet Mach number of 0.1 and Reynolds number of 1.48 × 105. Film cooling effectiveness is measured with pressure-sensitive paint (PSP) technology, with nitrogen simulating coolant at a density ratio of near to 1.0. Two neighboring passages are investigated simultaneously, so that pressure and suction side the film cooling effectiveness can be compared. The inlet swirl is produced by a swirler placed upstream, near the inlet, with five positions along the pitchwise direction. These are as follows: blade 1 aligned, passage 1–2 aligned, blade 2 aligned, passage 2–3 aligned and blade 3 aligned. According to the experimental results, the near-hub region is strongly influenced by inlet swirl, where the averaged film cooling effectiveness can differ by up to 12% between the neighboring blades. At the spanwise location Z/Span = 0.7, when the inlet swirl is moved from blade 1 aligned (position 5) to blade 2 aligned (position 3), the film cooling effectiveness in a small area near the endwall can change by up to 100%.

Unsteady Wake and Coolant Density Effects on Turbine Blade Film Cooling Using PSP Technique

2010 ◽  
Author(s):  
Akhilesh P. Rallabandi ◽  
Shiou-Jiuan Li ◽  
Je-Chin Han
Keyword(s):  
Film Cooling ◽  
Density Ratio ◽  
Leading Edge ◽  
Suction Side ◽  
Suction Surface ◽  
Cooling Effectiveness ◽  
Film Cooling Effectiveness ◽  
Unsteady Wake ◽  
Lift Off ◽  
Film Cooling Holes

The effect of an unsteady stator wake (simulated by wake rods mounted on a spoke wheel wake generator) on the modeled rotor blade is studied using the Pressure Sensitive Paint (PSP) mass transfer analogy method. Emphasis of the current study is on the mid-span region of the blade. The flow is in the low Mach number (incompressible) regime. The suction (convex) side has simple angled cylindrical film-cooling holes; the pressure (concave) side has compound angled cylindrical film cooling holes. The blade also has radial shower-head leading edge film cooling holes. Strouhal numbers studied range from 0 to 0.36; the exit Reynolds Number based on the axial chord is 530,000. Blowing ratios range from 0.5 to 2.0 on the suction side; 0.5 to 4.0 on the pressure side. Density ratios studied range from 1.0 to 2.5, to simulate actual engine conditions. The convex suction surface experiences film-cooling jet lift-off at higher blowing ratios, resulting in low effectiveness values. The film coolant is found to reattach downstream on the concave pressure surface, increasing effectiveness at higher blowing ratios. Results show deterioration in film cooling effectiveness due to increased local turbulence caused by the unsteady wake, especially on the suction side. Results also show a monotonic increase in film-cooling effectiveness on increasing the coolant to mainstream density ratio.

Scaling of Performance for Varying Density Ratio Coolants on an Airfoil With Strong Curvature and Pressure Gradient Effects

2000 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marcia I. Ethridge ◽  
J. Michael Cutbirth ◽  
David G. Bogard
Keyword(s):  
Pressure Gradient ◽  
Film Cooling ◽  
Density Ratio ◽  
Flux Ratio ◽  
Leading Edge ◽  
Suction Side ◽  
Cooling Performance ◽  
Injection Angle ◽  
Adiabatic Effectiveness ◽  
Strong Curvature

An experimental study was conducted to investigate the film cooling performance on the suction side of a first stage turbine vane. Tests were conducted on a nine times scale vane model at density ratios of DR = 1.1 and 1.6 over a range of blowing conditions, 0.2 ≤ M ≤ 1.5 and 0.05 ≤ I ≤ 1.2. Two different mainstream turbulence intensity levels, Tu∞ = 0.5% and 20%, were also investigated. The row of coolant holes studied was located in a position of both strong curvature and strong favorable pressure gradient. In addition, its performance was isolated by blocking the leading edge showerhead coolant holes. Adiabatic effectiveness measurements were made using an infrared camera to map the surface temperature distribution. The results indicate that film cooling performance was greatly enhanced over holes with a similar 50° injection angle on a flat plate. Overall, adiabatic effectiveness scaled with mass flux ratio for low blowing conditions and with momentum flux ratio for high blowing conditions. However, for M < 0.5 there was a higher rate of decay for the low density ratio data. High mainstream turbulence had little effect at low blowing ratios, but degraded performance at higher blowing ratios.

A Parametric Investigation of Vane Showerhead Film Cooling by Pressure-Sensitive Paint Technique

2020 ◽  
Vol 142 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
H. Abdeh ◽  
G. Barigozzi ◽  
S. Ravelli ◽  
S. Rouina
Keyword(s):  
Turbulence Intensity ◽  
Film Cooling ◽  
Cooling System ◽  
Density Ratio ◽  
Leading Edge ◽  
Intensity Level ◽  
Pressure Sensitive Paint ◽  
Cooling Performance ◽  
Pressure Sensitive ◽  
Exit Mach Number

Abstract In this study, a parametric analysis of the thermal performance of a nozzle vane cascade with a showerhead cooling system made of four rows of cylindrical holes was carried out by using the pressure-sensitive paint (PSP) technique. Coolant-to-mainstream blowing ratio (BR), density ratio (DR), main flow isentropic exit Mach number (Ma2is), and turbulence intensity level (Tu1) were the considered parameters. The cascade was tested in an atmospheric wind tunnel at Ma2is values ranging from 0.2 to 0.6, with an inlet turbulence intensity level of 1.6% and 9%, at variable injection conditions of BR = 2.0, 3.0, 4.0. Moreover, the influence of the DR on the leading-edge film-cooling performance was investigated: the testing was carried out at DR = 1.0, using nitrogen as foreign gas, and DR = 1.5, with carbon dioxide serving as a coolant. In the near-hole region, higher BR and Ma2is resulted in higher effectiveness, while higher mainstream turbulence intensity reduced the thermal coverage in between the rows of holes, whatever the BR is. Further downstream along the vane pressure side, the effectiveness was negatively affected by rising the BR but positively influenced by lowering the mainstream turbulence intensity. Moreover, a decrease in the DR caused a reduction in the film-cooling performance, whose extent depends on the injection condition.

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