Design and Performance Analysis of Mixed Flow Turbine Rotors With Extended Blade Chord

2020 ◽  
Vol 142 (12) ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas Leonard ◽  
Stephen Spence ◽  
Dietmar Filsinger ◽  
Andre Starke
Keyword(s):  
Transient Response ◽  
Mechanical Performance ◽  
Cone Angle ◽  
Chord Length ◽  
Optimized Design ◽  
Blade Angle ◽  
Peak Efficiency ◽  
Mixed Flow ◽  
Blade Thickness ◽  
Turbine Rotors

Abstract Mixed flow turbines offer additional design freedom compared with conventional radial turbines. This is useful in the automotive turbocharger application to reduce rotor inertia, which can be very beneficial for the transient response of a highly boosted downsized passenger car powertrain. A previously published study from the authors analyzed a series of nine mixed flow turbine rotors with varying blade cone angle and inlet blade angle. This paper reports an extension of that study with two further mixed flow turbine rotors where the chord length of the rotor blade was extended. The aim of this work was to understand both the aerodynamic and mechanical impacts of varying the chord length, particularly for the turbocharger application where off-design performance and transient response are very important. The baseline mixed flow rotor for this study had a blade cone angle of 30 deg and an inlet blade angle of 30 deg. Two further variations were produced; one with the trailing edge (TE) extended in the downstream direction across the entire blade span. In the second variation, the chord was extended at the hub corner only, while the shroud corner of the TE remained unchanged, with the aim of achieving some aerodynamic improvement while meeting mechanical requirements. When the blade was extended at both the hub and shroud, the inertia and stress levels increased significantly and the blade eigenfrequencies reduced. There was a significant improvement in peak efficiency, but the mechanical performance was unfavourable. The improvement in peak efficiency was mainly due to better exhaust diffuser performance and, therefore, would not be realized in most turbocharger installations. The blade that was extended at only the hub corner incurred very little additional inertia, and the centrifugal stresses and blade eigenfrequencies were improved. Consequently, it was possible to reduce the blade thickness at the TE in order to achieve a more aerodynamically optimized design. In this case, the mechanical performance was acceptable and there were efficiency improvements of up to 1.1% points at off-design conditions, with no reduction in peak efficiency or maximum mass flowrate. Therefore, the blade that was extended only at the hub produced some improvement within acceptable mechanical limits. The flow field features were considered for the three rotor geometries to explain the changes in loss and efficiency across the operating range.

Design and Performance Analysis of Mixed Flow Turbine Rotors With Extended Blade Chord

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas Leonard ◽  
Stephen Spence ◽  
Dietmar Filsinger ◽  
Andre Starke
Keyword(s):  
Transient Response ◽  
Mechanical Performance ◽  
Cone Angle ◽  
Chord Length ◽  
Blade Angle ◽  
Peak Efficiency ◽  
Mixed Flow ◽  
Blade Thickness ◽  
Turbine Rotors ◽  
And Performance

Abstract Mixed flow turbines offer additional design freedom compared with conventional radial turbines. This is useful in the automotive turbocharger application to reduce rotor inertia, which can be very beneficial for the transient response of a highly-boosted downsized passenger car powertrain. A previously published study from the authors analysed a series of nine mixed flow turbine rotors with varying blade cone angle and inlet blade angle. This paper reports an extension of that study with two further mixed flow turbine rotors where the chord length of the rotor blade was extended. The aim of this work was to understand both the aerodynamic and mechanical impacts of varying the chord length, particularly for the turbocharger application where off-design performance and transient response are very important. The baseline mixed flow rotor for this study had a blade cone angle of 30° and an inlet blade angle of 30°. Two further variations were produced; one with the TE extended in the downstream direction across the entire blade span. In the second variation the chord was extended at the hub corner only, while the shroud corner of the TE remained unchanged, with the aim of achieving some aerodynamic improvement while meeting mechanical requirements. When the blade was extended at both the hub and shroud, the inertia and stress levels increased significantly and the blade eigenfrequencies reduced. There was significant improvement in peak efficiency, but the mechanical performance was unfavourable. The improvement in peak efficiency was mainly due to better exhaust diffuser performance and therefore would not be realised in most turbocharger installations. The blade that was extended at only the hub corner incurred very little additional inertia, and the centrifugal stresses and blade eigenfrequencies were improved. Consequently, it was possible to reduce the blade thickness at the TE in order to achieve a more aerodynamically optimised design. In this case, the mechanical performance was acceptable and there were efficiency improvements of up to 1.1% pts at off-design conditions, with no reduction in peak efficiency or maximum mass flow rate. Therefore, the blade that was extended only at the hub produced some improvement within acceptable mechanical limits. The flow field features were considered for the three rotor geometries to explain the changes in loss and efficiency across the operating range.

A Numerical Study of Inlet Geometry for a Low Inertia Mixed Flow Turbocharger Turbine

2014 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas M. Leonard ◽  
Stephen Spence ◽  
Juliana Early ◽  
Dietmar Filsinger
Keyword(s):  
High Speed ◽  
Numerical Study ◽  
Velocity Ratio ◽  
Cone Angle ◽  
Operating Conditions ◽  
Inlet Temperature ◽  
Transient Performance ◽  
Blade Angle ◽  
Low Velocity ◽  
Mixed Flow

Mixed flow turbines can offer improvements over typical radial turbines used in automotive turbochargers, with regards to transient performance and low velocity ratio efficiency. Turbine rotor mass dominates the rotating inertia of the turbocharger, and any reductions of mass in the outer radii of the wheel, including the rotor back-disk, can significantly reduce this inertia and improve the acceleration of the assembly. Off-design, low velocity ratio conditions are typified by highly tangential flow at the rotor inlet and a non-zero inlet blade angle is preferred for such operating conditions. This is achievable in a Mixed Flow Turbine without increasing bending stresses within the rotor blade, which is beneficial in high speed and high inlet temperature turbine design. A range of mixed flow turbine rotors was designed with varying cone angle and inlet blade angle and each was assessed at a number of operating points. These rotors were based on an existing radial flow turbine, and both the hub and shroud contours and exducer geometry were maintained. The inertia of each rotor was also considered. The results indicated that there was a trade-off between efficiency and inertia for the rotors and certain designs may be beneficial for the transient performance of downsized, turbocharged engines.

Aeromechanical Optimization of Scalloping in Mixed Flow Turbines

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matthew Elliott ◽  
Stephen Spence ◽  
Martin Seiler ◽  
Marco Geron
Keyword(s):  
Internal Combustion Engines ◽  
Design Guidelines ◽  
Operating Conditions ◽  
Flow Structures ◽  
Optimized Design ◽  
Mixed Flow ◽  
Turbine Wheel ◽  
Engine Load ◽  
Baseline Design ◽  
Turbine Rotors

Abstract Scalloping of radial and mixed flow turbocharger turbine rotors has been commonplace for many years as a means of inertia reduction and stress relief. The interest in turbine rotor inertia reduction is driven by transient loading requirements of turbocharged internal combustion engines, as this is a key factor in the time taken to meet transient engine torque requirements. Due to the high density materials used in turbine rotors, any material removal from the turbine wheel has a significant impact on turbocharger inertia, and thus the transient response of the engine. It is well known that scalloping not only reduces inertia, but also efficiency. This study aimed to identify if it was possible to produce a new scallop design which reduced the scalloping efficiency penalty without increasing inertia, or compromising mechanical constraints. This was carried out with the aim of developing design recommendations for scalloping where a complete minimization of inertia is not the design goal. A multipoint, multi-physics numerical optimization, with constraints on inertia and back disc stress, was carried out to determine what efficiency benefit could be realized by aerodynamically designing mixed flow turbine scalloping. An efficiency benefit was identified across the entire turbocharger operating line, with increased benefit at low engine load, whilst not exceeding the design constraints. Scalloping losses for the baseline design were found to be greatest at low engine load, where the turbine experienced low expansion ratio, mass flow and speed. This explains why an aerodynamic redesign yields the greatest benefit under those operating conditions. These performance predictions were experimentally validated on the cold flow test rig at Queen’s University Belfast, with good agreement between simulated and measured data. To conclude the study, a detailed loss audit was carried out to identify key loss generating flow structures, and to understand how changes in geometry affected the formation and development of these flow structures throughout the passage. A large vortex which entered the passage from the scalloped region and interacted with the tip leakage vortex along the suction surface of the blade was identified as the main source of loss due to scalloping. The optimized design was found to better control the location of entry of this vortex into the blade passage, thus reducing the associated loss, and facilitating a performance improvement. Geometric design guidelines were then proposed based on these findings.

Design of a Highly Loaded Mixed Flow Turbine

1992 ◽  
Vol 206 (2) ◽  
pp. 95-107 ◽  
Author(s):  
M Abidat ◽  
N C Baines ◽  
M R Firth
Keyword(s):  
Expansion Ratio ◽  
Expansion Velocity ◽  
Blade Angle ◽  
Peak Efficiency ◽  
Suction Surface ◽  
Mixed Flow ◽  
Static Efficiency ◽  
Radial Turbine ◽  
C Value ◽  
Turbine Design

The high boost pressures and fuel–air ratios required for the next generation of turbocharged diesel engines imply an increased turbine expansion ratio without an increase in the speed of rotation. This leads to a requirement for high peak efficiency at lower values of blade speed/isentropic expansion velocity U/C than are normal today. The objective of this project was to achieve this with a mixed flow rotor with a positive inlet blade angle. Two rotors were manufactured and tested: one a ‘constant blade angle’ design and the other a ‘constant incidence’ design. In practice both achieved a peak efficiency at a low U/C value, but the constant blade angle design, at 0.84 total to static efficiency, was significantly more efficient than the constant incidence design at 0.77. These efficiencies are highly competitive, compared to current radial turbine design. It is suggested that the reasons for this difference are a lack of understanding of the incidence and its effects on a mixed flow rotor, and a region of diffusion in the shroud-trailing edge corner of the suction surface, apparently worse for the constant incidence design.

scholarly journals A Numerical and Experimental Investigation of the Impact of Mixed Flow Turbine Inlet Cone Angle and Inlet Blade Angle

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas Leonard ◽  
Stephen Spence ◽  
Dietmar Filsinger ◽  
Andre Starke
Keyword(s):  
Numerical Study ◽  
Velocity Ratio ◽  
Cone Angle ◽  
Blade Angle ◽  
Mixed Flow ◽  
Automotive Engine ◽  
Transient Behaviour ◽  
Design Changes ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
The Impact

Mixed flow turbines offer potential benefits for turbocharged engines when considering off-design performance and engine transient behaviour. Although the performance and use of mixed flow turbines is described in the literature, little is published on the combined impact of the cone angle and the inlet blade angle, which are the defining features of such turbines. Numerical simulations were completed using a CFD model that was validated against experimental measurements for a baseline geometry. The mechanical impact of the design changes was also analysed. Based on the results of the numerical study, two rotors of different blade angle and cone angle were selected and manufactured. These rotors were tested using the QUB low temperature turbine test rig, which allowed for accurate and wide range mapping of the turbine performance to low values of velocity ratio. The performance results from these additional rotors were used to further validate the numerical findings. The numerical model was used to understand the underlying physical reasons for the measured performance differences through detailed consideration of the flow field at rotor inlet, and to document how the loss mechanisms and secondary flow structures developed with varying rotor inlet geometry. It was observed that large inlet blade cone angles resulted in strong separation and flow blockage near the hub at off-design conditions, which greatly reduced efficiency. However, the significant rotor inertia benefits achieved with the large blade cone angles were shown to compensate for the efficiency penalties and could be expected to deliver improved transient performance in downsized automotive engine applications.

Numerical and Experimental Investigation of the Impact of Mixed Flow Turbine Inlet Cone Angle and Inlet Blade Angle

2019 ◽  
Vol 141 (8) ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas Leonard ◽  
Stephen Spence ◽  
Andre Starke ◽  
Dietmar Filsinger
Keyword(s):  
Numerical Study ◽  
Velocity Ratio ◽  
Cone Angle ◽  
Transient Behavior ◽  
Blade Angle ◽  
Mixed Flow ◽  
Automotive Engine ◽  
Design Changes ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
The Impact

Mixed flow turbines (MFTs) offer potential benefits for turbocharged engines when considering off-design performance and engine transient behavior. Although the performance and use of MFTs are described in the literature, little is published on the combined impact of the cone angle and the inlet blade angle, which are the defining features of such turbines. Numerical simulations were completed using a computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model that was validated against experimental measurements for a baseline geometry. The mechanical impact of the design changes was also analyzed. Based on the results of the numerical study, two rotors of different blade angle and cone angle were selected and manufactured. These rotors were tested using the Queen's University Belfast (QUB) low-temperature turbine test rig, which allowed for accurate and wide-range mapping of the turbine performance to low values of the velocity ratio. The performance results from these additional rotors were used to further validate the numerical findings. The numerical model was used to understand the underlying physical reasons for the measured performance differences through detailed consideration of the flow field at the rotor inlet and to document how the loss mechanisms and secondary flow structures developed with varying rotor inlet geometry. It was observed that large inlet blade cone angles resulted in strong separation and flow blockage near the hub at off-design conditions, which greatly reduced efficiency. However, the significant rotor inertia benefits achieved with the large blade cone angles were shown to compensate for the efficiency penalties and could be expected to deliver improved transient performance in downsized automotive engine applications.

Effect of Blade Thickness on Rotating Stall of Mixed-Flow Pump Using Entropy Generation Analysis

Energy ◽  
2021 ◽  
pp. 121381
Author(s):  
Leilei Ji ◽  
Wei Li ◽  
Weidong Shi ◽  
Fei Tian ◽  
Ramesh Agarwal
Keyword(s):  
Entropy Generation ◽  
Rotating Stall ◽  
Mixed Flow ◽  
Blade Thickness ◽  
Flow Pump

STRUCTURAL DESIGN AND NUMERICAL SIMULATION OF THE DIFFUSER FOR MAGLEV AXIAL BLOOD PUMP

2014 ◽  
Vol 14 (03) ◽  
pp. 1450045
Author(s):  
HUACHUN WU ◽  
GAO GONG ◽  
ZHIQIANG WANG ◽  
YEFA HU ◽  
CHUNSHENG SONG
Keyword(s):  
Optimization Design ◽  
Design Method ◽  
Leading Edge ◽  
Pressure Head ◽  
Hydraulic Performance ◽  
Blood Pump ◽  
Blade Angle ◽  
Blade Number ◽  
Blade Thickness ◽  
Blood Pumps

Hydraulic performance is an especially important factor for maglev axial blood pumps that have been used in patients with heart disease. Most maglev axial blood pumps basically consist of a straightener, an impeller and a diffuser. The diffuser plays a key role in the performance of the maglev axial blood pump to provide an adequate pressure head and increase the hydraulic efficiency. Maglev axial blood pumps with various structural diffusers exhibit different hydraulic performance. In this study, computational fluid dynamics (CFD) analysis was performed to quantify hydrodynamic in a maglev axial blood pump with a flow rate of 6 L/min against a pressure head of 100 mmHg to optimize the diffuser structure. First, we design the prototype of diffuser structure based on traditional design method, establish blood flow channel models using commercial software ANSYS FLUENT. Specifically, compare the performance of pump with the diffusers of different parameters, such as the leading edge blade angle, blade-thickness and blade-number. The results show that the diffuser structures with the thickening blade by arc airfoil law, blade-number of 6, leading edge blade angle of 24°, and trailing edge blade angle of 90° exhibited the best hydraulic performance which could be utilized in the optimization design of maglev axial blood pumps.

Analysis of internal flow and cavitation characteristics for a mixed-flow pump with various blade thickness effects

2019 ◽  
Vol 33 (7) ◽  
pp. 3333-3344 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yong-In Kim ◽  
Sung Kim ◽  
Hyeon-Mo Yang ◽  
Kyoung-Yong Lee ◽  
Young-Seok Choi
Keyword(s):  
Internal Flow ◽  
Mixed Flow ◽  
Blade Thickness ◽  
Flow Pump
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