THE INFLUENCE OF PURGE FLOW PARAMETERS ON HEAT TRANSFER AND FILM COOLING IN TURBINE CENTER FRAMES

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-26
Author(s):  
Patrick René Jagerhofer ◽  
Marios Patinios ◽  
Tobias Glasenapp ◽  
Emil Goettlich ◽  
Federica Farisco
Keyword(s):  
Heat Transfer ◽  
High Pressure ◽  
Film Cooling ◽  
Density Ratio ◽  
Constant Heat Flux ◽  
Inlet Temperature ◽  
High Pressure Turbine ◽  
Turbofan Engines ◽  
Blowing Ratio ◽  
Purge Flow

Abstract The imperative improvement in the efficiency of turbofan engines is commonly facilitated by increasing the turbine inlet temperature. This development has reached a point where also components downstream of the high-pressure turbine have to be adequately cooled. Such a component is the turbine center frame (TCF), known for a complex aerodynamic flow highly influenced by purge-mainstream interactions. The purge air, being injected through the wheelspace cavities of the upstream high-pressure turbine, bears a significant cooling potential for the TCF. Despite this, fundamental knowledge of the influencing parameters on heat transfer and film cooling in the TCF is still missing. This paper examines the influence of purge-to-mainstream blowing ratio, density ratio and purge swirl angle on heat transfer and film cooling in the TCF. The experiments are conducted in a sector-cascade test rig specifically designed for such heat transfer studies using infrared thermography and tailor-made flexible heating foils with constant heat flux. Three purge-to-mainstream blowing ratios and an additional no purge case are investigated. The purge flow is injected without swirl and also with engine-similar swirl angles. The purge swirl and blowing ratio significantly impact the magnitude and the spread of film cooling in the TCF. Increasing blowing ratios lead to an intensification of heat transfer. By cooling the purge flow, a moderate variation in purge-to-mainstream density ratio is investigated, and the influence is found to be negligible.

The Influence of Purge Flow Parameters on Heat Transfer and Film Cooling in Turbine Center Frames

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Patrick R. Jagerhofer ◽  
Marios Patinios ◽  
Tobias Glasenapp ◽  
Emil Göttlich ◽  
Federica Farisco
Keyword(s):  
Heat Transfer ◽  
High Pressure ◽  
Film Cooling ◽  
Convective Heat Transfer Coefficient ◽  
Density Ratio ◽  
Constant Heat Flux ◽  
High Pressure Turbine ◽  
Film Cooling Effectiveness ◽  
Blowing Ratio ◽  
Purge Flow

Abstract Due to stringent environmental legislation and increasing fuel costs, the efficiencies of modern turbofan engines have to be further improved. Commonly, this is facilitated by increasing the turbine inlet temperatures in excess of the melting point of the turbine components. This trend has reached a point where not only the high-pressure turbine has to be adequately cooled, but also components further downstream in the engine. Such a component is the turbine center frame (TCF), having a complex aerodynamic flow field that is also highly influenced by purge-mainstream interactions. The purge air, being injected through the wheelspace cavities of the upstream high-pressure turbine, bears a significant cooling potential for the TCF. Despite this, fundamental knowledge of the influencing parameters on heat transfer and film cooling in the TCF is still missing. This paper examines the influence of purge-to-mainstream blowing ratio, purge-to-mainstream density ratio and purge flow swirl angle on the convective heat transfer coefficient and the film cooling effectiveness in the TCF. The experiments are conducted in a sector-cascade test rig specifically designed for such heat transfer studies using infrared thermography and tailor-made flexible heating foils with constant heat flux. The inlet flow is characterized by radially traversing a five-hole-probe. Three purge-to-mainstream blowing ratios and an additional no purge case are investigated. The purge flow is injected without swirl and also with engine-similar swirl angles. The purge swirl and blowing ratio significantly impact the magnitude and the spread of film cooling in the TCF. Increasing blowing ratios lead to an intensification of heat transfer. By cooling the purge flow, a moderate variation in purge-to-mainstream density ratio is investigated, and the influence is found to be negligible.

scholarly journals Computational Modeling and Thermal Paint Verification of Film-Cooling Designs for an Unshrouded High-Pressure Turbine Blade

1999 ◽  
Author(s):  
Steven G. Gegg ◽  
Nathan J. Heidegger ◽  
Ronald A. Mikkelson
Keyword(s):  
Heat Transfer ◽  
High Pressure ◽  
Turbine Blade ◽  
Film Cooling ◽  
Data Exchange ◽  
Turbine Blades ◽  
Inlet Temperature ◽  
High Pressure Turbine ◽  
Extreme High Temperature ◽  
Blade Tip

High pressure turbine blades are exposed to an extreme high temperature environment due to increasing turbine inlet temperature. High heat fluxes are likely on the blade pressure surface. Other regions, such as the trailing edge and blade tip may be difficult to cool uniformly. Unshrouded blades present an additional challenge due to the pressure driven transport of hot gas across the blade tip. The blade tip region is therefore prone to severe thermal stress, fatigue and oxidation. In order to develop effective cooling methods, designers require detailed flow and heat transfer information. This paper reports on computational aerodynamics and heat transfer studies for an unshrouded high pressure turbine blade. The emphasis is placed on the application of appropriate 3-D models for the prediction of airfoil surface temperatures. Details of the film cooling model, boundary conditions and data exchange with heat transfer models are described. The analysis approach has been refined for design use to provide timely and accurate results. Film cooling designs are to be tailored for the best coverage of the blade tip region. Designs include near-tip pressure side films and blade tip cooling holes. Hole placement and angle are investigated to achieve the best coolant coverage on the blade tip. Analytical results are compared to a thermal paint test on engine hardware. In addition to film cooling strategies, other aerodynamic/heat transfer design approaches are discussed to address the cooling requirements for an unshrouded blade.

Aerodynamics and Heat Transfer for a Cooled One and One-Half Stage High-Pressure Turbine—Part I: Vane Inlet Temperature Profile Generation and Migration

2011 ◽  
Vol 134 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
R. M. Mathison ◽  
C. W. Haldeman ◽  
M. G. Dunn
Keyword(s):  
Heat Transfer ◽  
High Pressure ◽  
Temperature Profile ◽  
Film Cooling ◽  
Leading Edge ◽  
Inlet Temperature ◽  
Temperature Profiles ◽  
Fluid Temperature ◽  
High Pressure Turbine ◽  
Wide Range

As controlled laboratory experiments using full-stage turbines are expanded to replicate more of the complicated flow features associated with real engines, it is important to understand the influence of the vane inlet temperature profile on the high-pressure vane and blade heat transfer as well as its interaction with film cooling. The temperature distribution of the incoming fluid governs not only the input conditions to the boundary layer but also the overall fluid migration. Both of these mechanisms have a strong influence on surface heat flux and therefore component life predictions. To better understand the role of the inlet temperature profile, an electrically heated combustor emulator capable of generating uniform, radial, or hot streak temperature profiles at the high-pressure turbine vane inlet has been designed, constructed, and operated over a wide range of conditions. The device is shown to introduce a negligible pressure distortion while generating the inlet temperature conditions for a stage-and-a-half turbine operating at design-corrected conditions. For the measurements described here, the vane is fully cooled and the rotor purge flow is active, but the blades are uncooled. Detailed temperature measurements are obtained at rake locations upstream and downstream of the turbine stage as well as at the leading edge and platform of the blade in order to characterize the inlet temperature profile and its migration. The use of miniature butt-welded thermocouples at the leading edge and on the platform (protruding into the flow) on a rotating blade is a novel method of mapping a temperature profile. These measurements show that the reduction in fluid temperature due to cooling is similar in magnitude for both uniform and radial vane inlet temperature profiles.

Aerodynamics and Heat Transfer for a Cooled One and One-Half Stage High-Pressure Turbine: Part I—Vane Inlet Temperature Profile Generation and Migration

2010 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. M. Mathison ◽  
C. W. Haldeman ◽  
M. G. Dunn
Keyword(s):  
Heat Transfer ◽  
High Pressure ◽  
Temperature Profile ◽  
Film Cooling ◽  
Leading Edge ◽  
Inlet Temperature ◽  
Fluid Temperature ◽  
High Pressure Turbine ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
And Migration

As controlled laboratory experiments using full-stage turbines are expanded to replicate more of the complicated flow features associated with real engines, it is important to understand the influence of the vane inlet temperature profile on the high-pressure vane and blade heat transfer as well as its interaction with film cooling. The temperature distribution of the incoming fluid governs not only the input conditions to the boundary layer but overall fluid migration. Both of these mechanisms have a strong influence on surface heat flux and therefore component life predictions. To better understand the role of the inlet temperature profile, an electrically heated combustor emulator capable of generating uniform, radial, or hot-streak temperature profiles at the high-pressure turbine vane inlet has been designed, constructed, and operated over a wide range of conditions. The device is shown to introduce a negligible pressure distortion while generating the inlet temperature conditions for a stage-and-a-half turbine operating at design-corrected conditions. For the measurements described here, the vane is fully cooled and the rotor purge flow is active but the blades are un-cooled. Detailed temperature measurements are obtained at rake locations upstream and downstream of the turbine stage as well as at the leading edge and platform of the blade in order to characterize the inlet temperature profile and its migration. The use of miniature butt-welded thermocouples at the leading edge and on the platform (protruding into the flow) on a rotating blade is a novel method of mapping temperature profile. These measurements show that the reduction in fluid temperature due to cooling is similar in magnitude for both a uniform and radial vane inlet temperature profile.

Influence of Coolant Density on Turbine Platform Film-Cooling With Stator–Rotor Purge Flow and Compound-Angle Holes

2014 ◽  
Vol 6 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Kevin Liu ◽  
Shang-Feng Yang ◽  
Je-Chin Han
Keyword(s):  
Film Cooling ◽  
Density Ratio ◽  
Cooling Effectiveness ◽  
Film Cooling Effectiveness ◽  
Fundamental Parameters ◽  
Blowing Ratio ◽  
Purge Flow ◽  
Cylindrical Holes ◽  
Exit Mach Number ◽  
Compound Angle

A detailed parametric study of film-cooling effectiveness was carried out on a turbine blade platform. The platform was cooled by purge flow from a simulated stator–rotor seal combined with discrete hole film-cooling. The cylindrical holes and laidback fan-shaped holes were accessed in terms of film-cooling effectiveness. This paper focuses on the effect of coolant-to-mainstream density ratio on platform film-cooling (DR = 1 to 2). Other fundamental parameters were also examined in this study—a fixed purge flow of 0.5%, three discrete-hole film-cooling blowing ratios between 1.0 and 2.0, and two freestream turbulence intensities of 4.2% and 10.5%. Experiments were done in a five-blade linear cascade with inlet and exit Mach number of 0.27 and 0.44, respectively. Reynolds number of the mainstream flow was 750,000 and was based on the exit velocity and chord length of the blade. The measurement technique adopted was the conduction-free pressure sensitive paint (PSP) technique. Results indicated that with the same density ratio, shaped holes present higher film-cooling effectiveness and wider film coverage than the cylindrical holes, particularly at higher blowing ratios. The optimum blowing ratio of 1.5 exists for the cylindrical holes, whereas the effectiveness for the shaped holes increases with an increase of blowing ratio. Results also indicate that the platform film-cooling effectiveness increases with density ratio but decreases with turbulence intensity.

Time-Averaged and Time-Accurate Aerodynamic Effects of Forward Rotor Cavity Purge Flow for a High-Pressure Turbine: Part I—Analytical and Experimental Comparisons

2012 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brian R. Green ◽  
Randall M. Mathison ◽  
Michael G. Dunn
Keyword(s):  
High Pressure ◽  
Flow Field ◽  
Film Cooling ◽  
Pressure Ratio ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Unsteady Aerodynamics ◽  
Flow Path ◽  
Field Analysis ◽  
High Pressure Turbine ◽  
Purge Flow

The effect of rotor purge flow on the unsteady aerodynamics of a high-pressure turbine stage operating at design corrected conditions has been investigated both experimentally and computationally. The experimental configuration consisted of a single-stage high-pressure turbine with a modern film-cooling configuration on the vane airfoil as well as the inner and outer end-wall surfaces. Purge flow was introduced into the cavity located between the high-pressure vane and the high-pressure disk. The high-pressure blades and the downstream low-pressure turbine nozzle row were not cooled. All hardware featured an aerodynamic design typical of a commercial high-pressure ratio turbine, and the flow path geometry was representative of the actual engine hardware. In addition to instrumentation in the main flow path, the stationary and rotating seals of the purge flow cavity were instrumented with high frequency response, flush-mounted pressure transducers and miniature thermocouples to measure flow field parameters above and below the angel wing. Predictions of the time-dependent flow field in the turbine flow path were obtained using FINE/Turbo, a three-dimensional, Reynolds-Averaged Navier-Stokes CFD code that had the capability to perform both steady and unsteady analysis. The steady and unsteady flow fields throughout the turbine were predicted using a three blade-row computational model that incorporated the purge flow cavity between the high-pressure vane and disk. The predictions were performed in an effort to mimic the design process with no adjustment of boundary conditions to better match the experimental data. The time-accurate predictions were generated using the harmonic method. Part I of this paper concentrates on the comparison of the time-averaged and time-accurate predictions with measurements in and around the purge flow cavity. The degree of agreement between the measured and predicted parameters is described in detail, providing confidence in the predictions for flow field analysis that will be provided in Part II.

Numerical Prediction of Cooling Performance Sensitivity of 1st Stage Nozzle Guide Vane Under Aerothermal Conditions

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Prasert Prapamonthon ◽  
Bo Yin ◽  
Guowei Yang ◽  
Mohan Zhang
Keyword(s):  
Heat Transfer ◽  
Surface Roughness ◽  
High Pressure ◽  
Guide Vane ◽  
Pressure Ratio ◽  
Inlet Temperature ◽  
High Pressure Turbine ◽  
Cooling Performance ◽  
Nozzle Guide Vane ◽  
Nozzle Guide

Abstract To obtain high power and thermal efficiency, the 1st stage nozzle guide vanes of a high-pressure turbine need to operate under serious circumstances from burned gas coming out of combustors. This leads to vane suffering from effects of high thermal load, high pressure and turbulence, including flow-separated transition. Therefore, it is necessary to improve vane cooling performance under complex flow and heat transfer phenomena caused by the integration of these effects. In fact, these effects on a high-pressure turbine vane are controlled by several factors such as turbine inlet temperature, pressure ratio, turbulence intensity and length scale, vane curvature and surface roughness. Furthermore, if the vane is cooled by film cooling, hole configuration and blowing ratio are important factors too. These factors can change the aerothermal conditions of the vane operation. The present work aims to numerically predict sensitivity of cooling performances of the 1st stage nozzle guide vane under aerodynamic and thermal variations caused by three parameters i.e. pressure ratio, coolant inlet temperature and height of vane surface roughness using Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) with Conjugate Heat Transfer (CHT) approach. Numerical results show that the coolant inlet temperature and the vane surface roughness parameters have significant effects on the vane temperature, thereby affecting the vane cooling performances significantly and sensitively.

Comparison of Steady and Unsteady Coupled Heat-Transfer Simulations of a High-Pressure Turbine Blade

2015 ◽  
Author(s):  
Markus Schmidt ◽  
Christoph Starke
Keyword(s):  
Heat Transfer ◽  
High Pressure ◽  
Steady State ◽  
Flow Field ◽  
Film Cooling ◽  
Strong Increase ◽  
Pressure Side ◽  
Turbine Stage ◽  
High Pressure Turbine ◽  
Time Resolved

This article presents results for the coupled simulation of a high-pressure turbine stage in consideration of unsteady hot gas flows. A semi-unsteady coupling process was developed to solve the conjugate heat transfer problem for turbine components of gas turbines. Time-resolved CFD simulations are coupled to a finite element solver for the steady state heat conduction inside of the blade material. A simplified turbine stage geometry is investigated in this paper to describe the influence of the unsteady flow field onto the time-averaged heat transfer. Comparisons of the time-resolved results to steady state results indicate the importance of a coupled simulation and the consideration of the time-dependent flow-field. Different film-cooling configurations for the turbine NGV are considered, resulting in different temperature and pressure deficits in the vane wake. Their contribution to non-linear effects causing the time-averaged heat load to differ from a steady result is discussed to further highlight the necessity of unsteady design methods for future turbine developments. A strong increase in the pressure side heat transfer coefficients for unsteady simulations is observed in all results. For higher film-cooling mass flows in the upstream row, the preferential migration of hot fluid towards the pressure side of a turbine blade is amplified as well, which leads to a strong increase in material temperature at the pressure side and also in the blade tip region.

Time-Averaged and Time-Accurate Aerodynamic Effects of Rotor Purge Flow for a Modern, One and One-Half Stage High-Pressure Turbine—Part II: Analytical Flow Field Analysis

2013 ◽  
Vol 136 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Brian R. Green ◽  
Randall M. Mathison ◽  
Michael G. Dunn
Keyword(s):  
High Pressure ◽  
Flow Field ◽  
Film Cooling ◽  
Gas Flow ◽  
Static Pressure ◽  
Pressure Ratio ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Field Analysis ◽  
High Pressure Turbine ◽  
Purge Flow

The detailed mechanisms of purge flow interaction with the hot-gas flow path were investigated using both unsteady computationally fluid dynamics (CFD) and measurements for a turbine operating at design corrected conditions. This turbine consisted of a single-stage high-pressure turbine and the downstream, low-pressure turbine nozzle row with an aerodynamic design equivalent to actual engine hardware and typical of a commercial, high-pressure ratio, transonic turbine. The high-pressure vane airfoils and inner and outer end walls incorporated state-of-the-art film cooling, and purge flow was introduced into the cavity located between the high-pressure vane and disk. The flow field above and below the blade angel wing was characterized by both temperature and pressure measurements. Predictions of the time-dependent flow field were obtained using a three-dimensional, Reynolds-averaged Navier–Stokes CFD code and a computational model incorporating the three blade rows and the purge flow cavity. The predictions were performed to evaluate the accuracy obtained by a design style application of the code, and no adjustment of boundary conditions was made to better match the experimental data. Part I of this paper compared the predictions to the measurements in and around the purge flow cavity and demonstrated good correlation. Part II of this paper concentrates on the analytical results, looking at the primary gas path ingestion mechanism into the cavity as well as the effects of the rotor purge on the upstream vane and downstream rotor aerodynamics and thermodynamics. Ingestion into the cavity is driven by high static pressure regions downstream of the vane, high-velocity flow coming off the pressure side of the vane, and the blade bow waves. The introduction of the purge flow is seen to have an effect on the static pressure of the vane trailing edge in the lower 5% of span. In addition, the purge flow is weak enough that upon exiting the cavity, it is swept into the mainstream flow and provides no additional cooling benefits on the platform of the rotating blade.

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