Assessment of the Loss Map of a Centrifugal Compressor's external Volute

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-63
Author(s):  
Thomas Ceyrowsky ◽  
Andre Hildebrandt ◽  
Martin Heinrich ◽  
Rüdiger Schwarze
Keyword(s):  
Experimental Data ◽  
Mach Number ◽  
Boundary Conditions ◽  
Flow Rate ◽  
Numerical Approach ◽  
Operating Conditions ◽  
Flow Angle ◽  
Highly Sensitive ◽  
Geometrical Features ◽  
Comparison With Experimental Data

Abstract A volute's loss coefficient is highly sensitive to Mach number, circumferential velocity and flow rate at volute inlet. In case of a backswept impeller, these parameters are coupled to each other. Therefore, in order to investigate the effects of flowrate and flow angle separately, one would have to vary the diffuser width together with the flowrate, keeping the flow angle constant. This corresponds to coupling the volute with aerodynamically similar impellers, designed for higher and lower flowrates. Since this is elaborate, there is no adequate study available in open literature, assessing a volute's global loss map. In this work, a new numerical approach for the prediction of a volute's representative loss map is presented: The volute is calculated by means of steady CFD as a standalone component. The inlet boundary conditions are carefully selected by means of 1D and applied together with different diffuser widths. This allows for separate investigation of the impacts of flow angle, flow rate and Mach number. Validation against full stage CFD confirms the applicability of the standalone model. The results exhibit that minimum losses do not necessarily occur at the theoretical matching point but either when the volute is smaller or bigger, depending on the inlet flow angle. Investigations of the loss mechanisms at different operating conditions provide useful guidelines for volute design. Finally, the validity of these study's findings for volutes with different geometrical features is examined by comparison with experimental data as well as with fullstage CFD.

Assessment of the Loss Map of a Centrifugal Compressor’s External Volute

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas Ceyrowsky ◽  
Andre Hildebrandt ◽  
Martin Heinrich ◽  
Rüdiger Schwarze
Keyword(s):  
Mach Number ◽  
Flow Rate ◽  
Numerical Approach ◽  
Operating Conditions ◽  
Circumferential Velocity ◽  
Flow Angle ◽  
Absolute Flow ◽  
Highly Sensitive ◽  
Geometrical Features ◽  
Comparison With Experimental Data

Abstract A volute’s loss coefficient is highly sensitive to Mach number, circumferential velocity and flow rate at volute inlet. In case of a backswept impeller, these parameters are coupled to each other. An increased flowrate leads to a steeper absolute flow angle at impeller exit and hence to a decrease of circumferential velocity. The absolute Mach number is also altered. Therefore, in order to investigate the effects of flowrate and flow angle separately, one would have to vary the diffuser width together with the flowrate, keeping the flow angle constant. This corresponds to coupling the volute with aerodynamically similar impellers, designed for higher and lower flowrates. Since this is elaborate, there is no adequate study available in open literature, assessing a volute’s global loss map. In this work, a new numerical approach for the prediction of a volute’s representative loss map is presented: The volute is calculated by means of steady CFD as a standalone component. The inlet boundary conditions are carefully selected by means of 1D and applied together with different diffuser widths. This allows for separate investigation of the impacts of flow angle, flow rate and Mach number. Validation against full stage CFD confirms the applicability of the standalone model. The results exhibit that minimum losses do not necessarily occur at the theoretical matching point but either when the volute is smaller or bigger, depending on the inlet flow angle. Investigations of the loss mechanisms at different operating conditions provide useful guidelines for volute design. Finally, the validity of these study’s findings for volutes with different geometrical features is examined by comparison with experimental data as well as with fullstage CFD.

scholarly journals INVESTIGATION OF JET ENGINE INTAKE DISTORTIONS CAUSED BY CROSSWIND CONDITIONS

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 ◽  
pp. 48-62
Author(s):  
Lennart Harjes ◽  
Christoph Bode ◽  
Jonas Grubert ◽  
Philip Frantzheld ◽  
Patrick Koch ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Experimental Data ◽  
Mach Number ◽  
Boundary Conditions ◽  
Operating Conditions ◽  
Test Facility ◽  
Hysteresis Phenomenon ◽  
Angle Distribution ◽  
Flow Angle ◽  
Jet Engine ◽  
Validation Experiment

The Propulsion Test Facility of the TU Braunschweig is capable of investigating future jet engine intakes and fan aerodynamics to a high level of detail. A goal of this facility is the examination of coupled fan-intake-interactions which is not possible in any existing test bench around the world. Before doing research on these interactions, it is important to undergo proper studies of isolated aspirated intakes and fans under varying operating conditions (design and off-design). Therefore comparable result of the well-known LARA nacelle to existing experimental and numerical data has been generated for a first validation purpose. Therefore, comparable studies have been conducted with the LARA nacelle, to that of experimental and numerical investigations performed in the early 1990s at the ONERA F1 wind tunnel (mention reference), in order to generate results for validation. The first results of the validation experiment show differences in peak Mach number between the ONERA F1 and PTF experimental data for identical boundary conditions based on Mach number and crosswind. To investigate this further, a comprehensive numerical study has been carried out. It was inferred that the discrepancy was mainly caused by the Reynolds number effect within the PTF environment and its sensitivity to the inlet flow angle distribution with regard to angle of attack for crosswind. Within the validation test campaign, the experimental investigations showed a separation and reattachment hysteresis, which was identified when crosswind as well as nacelle mass flow had been increased or decreased to set up the different operating points. This phenomenon has still no established theoretical basis for understanding the aerodynamic behaviour. Overall, the applicability of conventional RANS models is shown. Additionally, the sensitivity to the aforementioned boundary conditions and the numerical reproducibility of the hysteresis phenomenon are discussed and compared to new experimental data in detail.

scholarly journals Development of Hybrid Airlift-Jet Pump with Its Performance Analysis

2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (9) ◽  
pp. 1413 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dan Yao ◽  
Kwongi Lee ◽  
Minho Ha ◽  
Cheolung Cheong ◽  
Inhiug Lee
Keyword(s):  
Boundary Conditions ◽  
Mass Flow Rate ◽  
Mass Flow ◽  
Flow Rate ◽  
Stokes Equations ◽  
Flow Characteristics ◽  
Operating Conditions ◽  
Navier Stokes ◽  
Jet Pump ◽  
Two Phase

A new pump, called the hybrid airlift-jet pump, is developed by reinforcing the advantages and minimizing the demerits of airlift and jet pumps. First, a basic design of the hybrid airlift-jet pump is schematically presented. Subsequently, its performance characteristics are numerically investigated by varying the operating conditions of the airlift and jet parts in the hybrid pump. The compressible unsteady Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes equations, combined with the homogeneous mixture model for multiphase flow, are used as the governing equations for the two-phase flow in the hybrid pump. The pressure-based methods combined with the Pressure-Implicit with Splitting of Operators (PISO) algorithm are used as the computational fluid dynamics techniques. The validity of the present numerical methods is confirmed by comparing the predicted mass flow rate with the measured ones. In total, 18 simulation cases that are designed to represent the various operating conditions of the hybrid pump are investigated: eight of these cases belong to the operating conditions of only the jet part with different air and water inlet boundary conditions, and the remaining ten cases belong to the operating conditions of both the airlift and jet parts with different air and water inlet boundary conditions. The mass flow rate and the efficiency are compared for each case. For further investigation into the detailed flow characteristics, the pressure and velocity distributions of the mixture in a primary pipe are compared. Furthermore, a periodic fluctuation of the water flow in the mass flow rate is found and analyzed. Our results show that the performance of the jet or airlift pump can be enhanced by combining the operating principles of two pumps into the hybrid airlift-jet pump, newly proposed in the present study.

Numerical Analysis of the Flow Inside a Centrifugal Compressor’s Vaneless Diffuser and Volute

2001 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hooman Rezaei ◽  
Abraham Engeda ◽  
Paul Haley
Keyword(s):  
Experimental Data ◽  
Numerical Analysis ◽  
Mass Flow ◽  
Operating Conditions ◽  
Vaneless Diffuser ◽  
Flow Angle ◽  
Flow Rates ◽  
Mass Flow Rates ◽  
Minimum Medium ◽  
Good Agreement

Abstract The objective of this work was to perform numerical analysis of the flow inside a modified single stage CVHF 1280 Trane centrifugal compressor’s vaneless diffuser and volute. Gambit was utilized to read the casing geometry and generating the vaneless diffuser. An unstructured mesh was generated for the path from vaneless diffuser inlet to conic diffuser outlet. At the same time a meanline analysis was performed corresponding to speeds and mass flow rates of the experimental data in order to obtain the absolute velocity and flow angle leaving the impeller for those operating conditions. These values and experimental data were used as inlet and outlet boundary conditions for the simulations. Simulations were performed in Fluent 5.0 for three speeds of 2000, 3000 and 3497 RPM and mass flow rates of minimum, medium and maximum. Results are in good agreement with the experimental ones and present the flow structures inside the vaneless diffuser and volute.

Experimental Validation of a Numerical Model for the Simulation of Tramcar Vehicle Dynamics

2005 ◽  
Author(s):  
Federico Cheli ◽  
Roberto Corradi ◽  
Giorgio Diana ◽  
Alan Facchinetti
Keyword(s):  
Experimental Data ◽  
Numerical Model ◽  
Vehicle Dynamics ◽  
Experimental Validation ◽  
Dynamic Behaviour ◽  
Operating Conditions ◽  
Structural Configuration ◽  
Railway Vehicles ◽  
Design Solutions ◽  
Comparison With Experimental Data

Tramcar vehicles significantly differ from traditional railway vehicles both for the adopted structural configuration and design solutions and for the operating conditions. For this reason, a new numerical model specific for the analysis of tramcar dynamics has been developed by Politecnico di Milano. Before the numerical model can be adopted as a useful mean to analyse tramcar operational problems, the capability of the model to reproduce the actual tramcar dynamic behaviour has to be verified. The paper deals with the validation of the developed numerical model by means of comparison with experimental data.

Aerodynamic Characteristics of Steam Turbine Prismatic Blade Section

2016 ◽  
Vol 821 ◽  
pp. 48-56 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tomáš Jelínek ◽  
Petr Straka ◽  
Milan Kladrubský
Keyword(s):  
Steam Turbine ◽  
Free Stream ◽  
Numerical Approach ◽  
Operating Conditions ◽  
Bypass Transition ◽  
Inlet Flow ◽  
Flow Angle ◽  
Free Stream Turbulence ◽  
Blade Cascade ◽  
Blade Section

For the needs of high-performance steam turbines producer the data of a blade section measurement have been analyzed in detail using an experimental and numerical approach. The blade section is used on prismatic blades in high and medium pressure steam turbine parts. The linear blade cascade was tested at four pitch/chord ratios at two different stagger angles. The blade cascade was tested under two levels of Reynolds number in the range of output izentropic Mach numbers from 0.4 to 0.9.The inlet of the test section was measured pitch-wise by five-hole probe to determine the inlet flow angle. The free stream turbulence of inlet flow was determined at 2.5% what is very close to the operating conditions on first high pressure stages. Two-dimensional flow field at the center of the blades was traversed pitch-wise downstream the cascade by means of a five-hole needle pressure probe to find out the overall integral characteristics. The blade loading was measured throughout surface pressure taps at the blade center. An in-house code based on a system of Favre-averaged Navier-Stokes equation closed by non-linear two-equation EARSM k-ω turbulence model was adopted for the predictions. The code utilizes an algebraic model of bypass transition valid for both attached and separated flows taking into account the effect of free-stream turbulence and pressure gradient. Results are presented by integral characteristic in means of kinetic energy loss coefficient and velocity or pressure distribution in the blade wakes or on the blade surface. In this article, the effect of investigated criteria and comparison of experimental and numerical approach are presented and discussed.

A Numerical Model for Oil Film Flow in an Aero-Engine Bearing Chamber and Comparison With Experimental Data

2004 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mark Farrall ◽  
Kathy Simmons ◽  
Stephen Hibberd ◽  
Philippe Gorse
Keyword(s):  
Experimental Data ◽  
Boundary Conditions ◽  
Roller Bearing ◽  
Numerical Approach ◽  
Oil Droplets ◽  
Two Phase ◽  
Oil Film ◽  
Aero Engine ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Engine Bearing

The work presented forms part of an on-going investigation, focusing on modelling the motion of a wall oil film present in a bearing chamber and comparison with existing experimental data. The film is generated through the impingement of oil droplets shed from a roller bearing. Momentum resulting from the impact of oil droplets, interfacial shear from the airflow, and gravity cause the film to migrate around the chamber. Oil and air exit the chamber at scavenge and vent ports. A previously reported numerical approach to the simulation of steady-state two-phase flow in a bearing chamber, that includes in-house sub-models for droplet-film interaction and oil film motion, has been extended. This paper includes the addition of boundary conditions for the vent and scavenge together with a comparison to experimental results obtained from ITS, University of Karlsruhe. The solution is found to be sensitive to the choice of boundary conditions applied to the vent and scavenge.

Impact of Turbine Center Frame Wakes on Downstream Rows in Heavy-Duty Low-Pressure Turbine

2019 ◽  
Vol 142 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sara Biagiotti ◽  
Juri Bellucci ◽  
Michele Marconcini ◽  
Andrea Arnone ◽  
Gino Baldi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Experimental Data ◽  
Low Pressure ◽  
Numerical Approach ◽  
Forced Response ◽  
Operating Conditions ◽  
Response Analysis ◽  
Test Case ◽  
Low Pressure Turbine ◽  
Harmonic Content ◽  
The Impact

Abstract In this work, the effects of turbine center frame (TCF) wakes on the aeromechanical behavior of the downstream low-pressure turbine (LPT) blades are numerically investigated and compared with the experimental data. A small industrial gas turbine has been selected as a test case, composed of a TCF followed by the two low-pressure stages and a turbine rear frame (TRF) before the exhaust plenum. Full annulus unsteady computations of the whole low-pressure module have been performed. Two operating conditions, full (100%) and partial (50%) load, have been investigated with the aim of highlighting the impact of TCF wakes convection and diffusion through the downstream rows. Attention was paid to the harmonic content of rotors’ blades. The results show a slower decay of the wakes through the downstream rows in off-design conditions compared with the design point. The analysis of the rotors’ frequency spectrum reveals that moving from design to off-design conditions, the effect of the TCF does not change significantly. The harmonic contribution of all turbine components has been extracted, highlighting the effect of statoric parts on the last LPT blade. The TCF harmonic content remains the most relevant from an aeromechanic point of view as per experimental evidence, and it is considered for an forced response analysis (FRA) on the last LPT blade itself. Finally, aerodynamic and aeromechanic predictions have been compared with the experimental data to validate the numerical approach. Some general design solutions aimed at mitigating the TCF wakes impact are discussed.

An Actuator Disk Model of Incidence and Deviation for RANS-Based Throughflow Analysis

2013 ◽  
Vol 136 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Simone Rosa Taddei ◽  
Francesco Larocca
Keyword(s):  
Mass Flow Rate ◽  
Mass Flow ◽  
Flow Rate ◽  
Total Pressure ◽  
Operating Conditions ◽  
Finite Volume Scheme ◽  
Disk Model ◽  
Flow Angle ◽  
Actuator Disk ◽  
Shaft Power

Reynolds-averaged Navier–Stokes (RANS) equations with blade blockage and blade force source terms are solved in the meridional plane of complete axial flow turbomachinery using a finite-volume scheme. The equations of the compressible actuator disk (AD) are introduced to modify the evaluation of the convective fluxes at the leading and trailing edges (LEs and TEs). An AD behaves as a compact blade force which instantaneously turns the flow with no production of unphysical entropy. This avoids unphysical incidence loss across the LE discontinuity and allows for application of all of the desired deviation at the TE. Unlike previous treatments, the model needs no handmade modification of the throughflow (TF) surface and does not discriminate between inviscid and viscous meridional flows, which allows for coping with strong incidence gradients through the annulus wall boundary layers and with secondary deviation. This paper derives a generalized blade force term that includes the contribution of the LE and TE ADs in the divergence form of the TF equations and leads to generalized definitions of blade load, blade thrust, shaft torque, and shaft power. In analyzing a linear flat plate cascade with an incidence of 32 deg and a deviation of 21 deg, the proposed model provided a 105 reduction of unphysical total pressure loss compared to the numerical solution with no modeling. The computed mass flow rate, blade load, and blade thrust showed excellent agreement with the theoretical values. The complete RANS TF solver was used to analyze a four-stage turbine in design and off-design conditions with a spanwise-averaged incidence of up to 2 deg and 43 deg, respectively. Compared to a traditional streamline curvature solution, the RANS solution with incidence and deviation modeling provided a 0.1 to 0.7% accurate prediction of mass flow rate, shaft power, total pressure ratio, and adiabatic efficiency in both the operating conditions. It also stressed satisfactory agreement concerning the spanwise distributions of flow angle and Mach number at LEs and TEs. In particular, secondary deviation was effectively predicted. The RANS solution with no modeling showed acceptable performance prediction only in design conditions and could introduce no deviation.

Experimental and Numerical Analysis of the Secondary Flow Across the Interphase Balance Drum of a High Pressure Back-to-Back Centrifugal Compressor

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carmine Carmicino ◽  
Francesco Maiuolo ◽  
Emanuele Rizzo
Keyword(s):  
Experimental Data ◽  
High Pressure ◽  
Numerical Analysis ◽  
Pressure Distribution ◽  
Centrifugal Compressor ◽  
Operating Conditions ◽  
Local Pressure ◽  
Flow Angle ◽  
One Dimensional ◽  
Honeycomb Seal

With the major aim of gathering information on the machine lateral stability in high pressure-high density conditions, and of assessing the prediction capabilities of the in-house design tools and overall process, a back-to-back centrifugal compressor has been instrumented and tested in several operating conditions. The present paper focuses on the secondary flows across the interphase balance drum of the back-to-back compressor, where the sealing is accomplished with a honeycomb seal. The compressor interphase section has been instrumented with dedicated special probes for the clearance measurement associated to pressure and flow angle probes in order to characterize pressure distributions and swirl variations depending on the specific operating range. The experimental data acquired over the machine operation have been compared with a three-dimensional steady-state numerical analysis results obtained from the simulation, carried out with a Reynolds averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) approach, of the flowfield in the complex interphase secondary system composed by the impeller cavities and the honeycomb seal. This paper addresses the comparison between numerical results and experimental data, which allowed the matching of models with experiments in terms of pressure distribution and the complex flowfield. Finally, all the data have been used to validate an in-house one-dimensional flow network solver for pressure distribution and leakage flow calculations along cavities and seals. Results have shown a general good agreement between measured data and calculation output. In particular, computational fluid dynamic analysis provided detailed pressure and velocity distributions that allowed gaining insight in the physics of such a complex region. The one-dimensional model has been demonstrated to be a fast and reliable tool to well predict local pressure variations inside cavities and seals and, consequently, the residual axial thrust.

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