ICAS-GT: A European Collaborative Research Programme on Internal Cooling Air Systems for Gas Turbines

2002 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter D. Smout ◽  
John W. Chew ◽  
Peter R. N. Childs
Keyword(s):  
Heat Transfer ◽  
Gas Turbines ◽  
Research Programme ◽  
Cavity Flow ◽  
Internal Cooling ◽  
Manufacturing Companies ◽  
Flow And Heat Transfer ◽  
Rotating Cavity ◽  
Internal Fluid Flow ◽  
Cooling Air

The Internal Cooling Air Systems for Gas Turbines (ICAS-GT) research programme, sponsored by the European Commission, ran from January 1998 to December 2000, and was undertaken by a consortium of ten gas turbine manufacturing companies and four universities. Research was concentrated in five discrete but related areas of the air system including turbine rim seals, rotating cavity flow and heat transfer, and turbine pre-swirl system effectiveness. In each case, experiments were conducted to extend the database of pressure, temperature, flow and heat transfer measurements to engine representative non-dimensional conditions. The data was used to develop correlations, and to validate CFD and FE calculation methods, for internal fluid flow and heat transfer. This paper summarises the outcome of the project by presenting a sample of experimental results from each technical work package. Examples of the associated CFD calculations are included to illustrate the progress made in developing validated tools for predicting rotating cavity flow and heat transfer over an engine representative range of flow conditions.

Turbine Stator Well CFD Studies: Effects of Cavity Cooling Air Flow

2008 ◽  
Author(s):  
Antonio Andreini ◽  
Riccardo Da Soghe ◽  
Bruno Facchini ◽  
Stefano Zecchi
Keyword(s):  
Heat Transfer ◽  
Gas Turbines ◽  
Numerical Models ◽  
Engine Performance ◽  
Research Programme ◽  
Experimental Tests ◽  
Air Cooling ◽  
Manufacturing Companies ◽  
Secondary Air ◽  
Cooling Air

The improvement of the aerodynamic efficiency of gas turbine components is becoming more and more difficult to achieve. Nevertheless there are still some devices that could be improved to enhance engine performance. Further investigations on the internal air cooling systems, for instance, may lead to a reduction of cavities cooling air with a direct beneficial effect on engine performance. At the same time, further investigations on heat transfer mechanisms within turbine cavities may help to optimize cooling air flows saving engine life duration. This paper presents some CFD preliminary studies conducted on an two-stage axial turbine rig developed in a research programme on internal air systems funded by EU, named the Main Annulus Gas Path Interactions (MAGPI). Each turbine stage consists of 39 vanes and 78 rotating blades and the modelled domain includes both the main gas path of the two turbine stages and the second stator well. Pre experimental tests CFD computations were planned in order to point out the reliability of numerical models in the description of the flow patterns in the main annulus and in the cavities. Several computational meshes were considered with steady and unsteady approaches in order to assess the sensitivity to computational approach regarding the evaluation of the interactions between main annulus and disk cavities flows. Results were obtained for several cavities cooling air mass-flow rates and data were further analyzed to investigate the influence of the sealing flow inside the main annulus. MAGPI project is a 4 years Specific-Targeted-Research-Project (2007–2011) and its consortium includes six universities and nine gas turbines manufacturing companies. The project is focused on the analysis of interactions between primary and secondary air systems achieving a novel approach as these systems have, up to now, only been considered separately. In particular one of the tasks of the project will focus on heat transfer phenomena and delivering experimental data which will be used to validate the advanced design tools used by industries (CFD codes and correlative formulations).

Internal Air Systems Experimental Rig Best Practice

2006 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter Childs ◽  
Klaus Dullenkopf ◽  
Dieter Bohn
Keyword(s):  
Gas Turbines ◽  
High Speed ◽  
Best Practice ◽  
Research Programme ◽  
Internal Cooling ◽  
Manufacturing Companies ◽  
Compressor Rotor ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Cooling Air ◽  
Experimental Rig

This paper reports best practice principles for experimental rig design and operation arising from a European Commision funded programme of research on internal air systems. The Internal Cooling Air Systems for Gas Turbines 2 (ICAS-GT2) research programme, ran from April 2001 to June 2005, and was undertaken by a consortium of ten gas turbine manufacturing companies and four universities. The programme of research involved both design and operation of a series of high pressure, high speed rotating rigs in order to deliver data at or near engine representative conditions. The rigs concerned cover the pre-swirl system, turbine rim seals, turbine stator wells, compressor rotor-rotor disc cavities, bolt windage and real engine parts experiments. Operation of these rigs has presented a wide range of challenges, particularly with respect to optical access in rotor-rotor and rotor-stator disc cavities and measurement of disc heat transfer. This paper explores the best practice principles developed for internal air system experimental rig design, operation and associated instrumentation.

Flow and Heat Transfer in a Rotating Cavity With a Stationary Stepped Casing

2000 ◽  
Author(s):  
Abdul A. Jaafar ◽  
Fariborz Motallebi ◽  
Michael Wilson ◽  
J. Michael Owen
Keyword(s):  
Heat Transfer ◽  
Cooling System ◽  
Laser Doppler Anemometry ◽  
Tangential Component ◽  
Rotating Disc ◽  
Turbine Engine ◽  
Flow And Heat Transfer ◽  
Rotating Cavity ◽  
Rotating Discs ◽  
Cooling Air

In this paper, new experimental results are presented for the flow in a co-rotating disc system with a rotating inner cylinder and a stationary stepped outer casing. The configuration is based on a turbine disc-cooling system used in a gas turbine engine. One of the rotating discs can be heated, and cooling air is introduced through discrete holes angled inward at the periphery of this disc. The cooling air leaves the system through axial clearances between the discs and the outer casing. Some features of computed flows, and both measured and computed heat transfer, were reported previously for this system. New velocity measurements, obtained using Laser Doppler Anemometry, are compared with results from axisymmetric, steady, turbulent flow computations obtained using a low-Reynolds-number k-ε turbulence model. The measurements and computations show that the tangential component of velocity is invariant with axial location in much of the cavity, and the data suggest that Rankine (combined free and forced) vortex flow occurs. The computations fail to reproduce this behaviour, and there are differences between measured and computed details of secondary flow recirculations. Possible reasons for these discrepancies, and their importance for the prediction of associated heat transfer, are discussed.

Numerical Analysis of Heat Transfer and Flow Stability in an Open Rotating Cavity Using the Maximum Entropy Production Principle

2010 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. Bohn ◽  
R. Krewinkel ◽  
A. Wolff
Keyword(s):  
Heat Transfer ◽  
Entropy Production ◽  
Maximum Entropy ◽  
Gas Turbines ◽  
Cooling System ◽  
Numerical Study ◽  
Internal Cooling ◽  
Maximum Entropy Production ◽  
Nusselt Numbers ◽  
Rotating Cavity

The flow field and heat transfer in the internal cooling system of gas turbines can be modelled using rotating-disc systems with axial throughflow. Because of the complexity of these flows, in which buoyancy-induced phenomena are of the utmost importance, numerical studies are notoriously difficult to perform and need extensive experimental validation. J.M. Owen proposed using the Maximum Entropy Production (MEP) Principle as a possible means of simplifying numerical computations for these complex flows. This theory is based on the heat flux out of the cavity. In this numerical study, the Nusselt numbers on the disc walls inside an open rotating cavity with a Rayleigh number of approximately 4.97×108 are evaluated with regard to the computed Nusselt numbers on the disc walls. These can be considered to be representative of the flow inside the cavity. It is shown that, as predicted by Owen, the flow is stable when the heat transfer out of the cavity is maximised, or, conversely, the system is unstable when the heat transfer is minimised. Furthermore, it is proven that the level of the Nusselt number plays an important role for the change between the number of vortex pairs in the flow as well.

Heat Transfer in Turbine Hub Cavities Adjacent to the Main Gas Path

2010 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeffrey A. Dixon ◽  
Antonio Guijarro ◽  
Andreas Bauknecht ◽  
Daniel Coren ◽  
Nick Atkins
Keyword(s):  
Heat Transfer ◽  
Gas Turbines ◽  
Research Programme ◽  
Fe Modelling ◽  
Turbine Stator ◽  
Turbine Efficiency ◽  
Fuel Burn ◽  
Air Supply ◽  
Modelling Techniques ◽  
Cooling Air

Reliable means of predicting heat transfer in cavities adjacent to the main gas path are increasingly being sought by engineers involved in the design of gas turbines. In this paper an interim summary of the results of a four-year research programme sponsored by the EU and several leading gas turbine manufactures and universities will be presented. Extensive use is made of CFD and FE modelling techniques to understand the thermo-mechanical behaviour of a turbine stator well cavity, including the interaction of cooling air supply with the main annulus gas (see Figure 1). The objective of the study has been to provide a means of optimising the design of such cavities for maintaining a safe environment for critical parts, such as disc rims and blade fixings, whilst maximising the turbine efficiency, and minimising the fuel burn and emissions penalties associated with the secondary airflow system. The modelling methods employed have been validated against data gathered from a dedicated two-stage turbine rig, running at engine representative conditions. Extensive measurements are available for a range of flow conditions and alternative cooling arrangements. The analysis method has been used to inform a design change which is also to be tested. Comparisons are provided between the predictions and measurements of the turbine stator well component temperature.

Investigation of Internal Cooling Air Flow of Gas Turbines With Attention to Heat Transfer

2003 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. Brillert ◽  
F.-K. Benra ◽  
H. J. Dohmen ◽  
O. Schneider
Keyword(s):  
Heat Transfer ◽  
Gas Turbines ◽  
Turbine Blades ◽  
Internal Cooling ◽  
Flow Physics ◽  
Cooling Flow ◽  
Air System ◽  
Secondary Air ◽  
Cooling Air ◽  
Material Temperature

The cooling air in the secondary air system of gas turbines is routed through the inside of the rotor shaft. The air enters the rotor through an internal extraction in the compressor section and flows through different components to the turbine blades. Constant improvements of the secondary air system is a basic element to increase efficiency and power of heavy duty gas turbines. It is becoming more and more important to have a precise calculation of the heat transfer and air temperature in the internal cooling air system. This influences the cooling behavior, the material temperature and consequently the cooling efficiency. The material temperature influences the stresses and the creep behavior which is important for the life time prediction and the reliability of the components of the engine. Furthermore, the material temperature influences the clearances and again the cooling flow, e.g. the amount of mass flow rate, hot gas ingestion etc. This paper deals with an investigation of the influence of heat transfer on the internal cooling air system and on the material temperature. It shows a comparison between numerical calculations with and without heat transfer. Firstly, the Navier-Stokes CFD calculation shows the cooling flow physics of different parts of the secondary air system passages with solid heat transfer. In the second approach, the study is expanded to consider the cooling flow physics under conditions without heat transfer. On the basis of these investigations, the paper shows a comparison between the flow with and without heat transfer. The results of the simulation with heat transfer show a negligible influence on the cooling flow temperature and a stronger influence on the material temperature. The results of the calculations are compared with measured data. The influence on the material temperature is verified with measured material temperatures from a Siemens Model V84.3A gas turbine prototype.

Application of Conjugate CFD to the Internal Cooling Air Flow System of Gas Turbines

2003 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. Brillert ◽  
H. J. Dohmen ◽  
F.-K. Benra ◽  
O. Schneider ◽  
A. V. Mirzamoghadam
Keyword(s):  
Heat Transfer ◽  
Thermal Effects ◽  
Gas Turbines ◽  
Air Flow ◽  
Jet Flow ◽  
Calculation Procedure ◽  
Internal Cooling ◽  
Cooling Air Flow ◽  
Cooling Air ◽  
Material Temperature

Continuous improvements of the secondary air system are basic elements to increase efficiency and power of heavy duty gas turbines. It is becoming more important to perform a precise calculation of the heat transfer characteristics and to produce accurate predictions of the air/metal temperature in the internal cooling air system. Thermal effects influences the cooling behavior and consequently the cooling efficiency and the material temperature. The material temperature influences the stresses and the creep behavior that is important for life prediction and the reliability of the engine. Furthermore, the material temperature influences the clearances and therefore, the cooling mass-flow. This paper deals with a complex internal blade feed system comprising a forced radially-inward jet-flow into a large rotating cavity and the numerical coupling of different cooling air flow passages with component heat transfer, i.e. conjugate CFD. A calculation procedure was adopted to reproduce the measured rotating main shaft temperatures from the Siemens Model V84.3A gas turbine prototype. Based on this procedure, flow and heat transfer throughout the sub-cavities were discussed and the shaft temperature distribution was obtained. Results indicate a strong interaction between the thermal effects of the cooler radial jet-flow and the hotter seal gap regions. Moreover, the deficiencies in the adopted calculation procedure were identified.

Computation of Laminar Flow and Heat Transfer Over an Enclosed Rotating Disk With and Without Jet Impingement

1992 ◽  
Vol 114 (4) ◽  
pp. 881-890 ◽  
Author(s):  
Y. Nakata ◽  
J. Y. Murthy ◽  
D. E. Metzger
Keyword(s):  
Heat Transfer ◽  
Laminar Flow ◽  
Convection Heat Transfer ◽  
Impinging Jet ◽  
Rotating Disk ◽  
Cavity Flow ◽  
Computational Method ◽  
Convection Heat ◽  
Flow And Heat Transfer ◽  
Cooling Air

Convection heat transfer phenomena on rotating disks are of general interest in relation to turbomachineray design. In gas turbine engines, for example, knowledge of the temperature distribution on turbine disks that are bounded by a fluid cavity is required to predict stresses and durability. Cooling air is generally provided by the compressor section and routed to the turbine disk cavities where it is utilized for cooling both the rotating and stationary components. Since the production and pumping of the compressed cooling air imposes performance penalties on the engine cycle, a goal of the designer is always to minimize cooling air consumption. This requirement produces a need for accurate and detailed knowledge of the convection heat transfer and flow characteristics associated with disk cavity flows for a large variety of possible cooling configurations. In the past, most reliable information on disk cavity flow and heat transfer has been derived from empirical studies, but the large range of possible geometries and flow conditions precludes a complete coverage by experiment alone. In the future, it should be possible to supplement disk cavity flow experiments with numerical computations both to aid in interpretation of and to extend empirical results. The present numerical study of laminar flow cases is intended to complement previous experimental information for disk convection with jet impingment. The computational method is described and applied first to a baseline case of a rotating disk in an enclosure where results are found to compare favorably with the experiments of Daily and Nece. The two-dimensional approach used to model the inclusion of an impinging jet is described, and the computational method is applied to predict both flow and heat transfer characteristics in the vicinity of the interaction between impinging jet and rotating disk. The computed results partition into impingment-dominated and rotational-dominated regimes similar to the findings of prior experimental studies.

Numerical Analysis of Heat Transfer and Flow Stability in an Open Rotating Cavity Using the Maximum Entropy Production Principle

2013 ◽  
Vol 135 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
D. Bohn ◽  
R. Krewinkel ◽  
A. Wolff
Keyword(s):  
Heat Transfer ◽  
Flow Field ◽  
Entropy Production ◽  
Maximum Entropy ◽  
Gas Turbines ◽  
Cooling System ◽  
Numerical Study ◽  
Internal Cooling ◽  
Maximum Entropy Production ◽  
Rotating Cavity

The flow field and heat transfer in the internal cooling system of gas turbines can be modeled using rotating-disk systems with axial throughflow. Because of the complexity of these flows, in which buoyancy-induced phenomena are of the utmost importance, numerical studies are notoriously difficult to perform and need extensive experimental validation. J.M. Owen proposed using the maximum entropy production (MEP) principle as a possible means of simplifying numerical computations for these complex flows since this would enable us to use stationary numerical calculations to predict the flow field. Simply said, this theory is based on the heat flux out of the cavity. In this numerical study, the computed Nusselt numbers on the disk walls inside an open rotating cavity with a Rayleigh number of approximately 4.97 × 108. This is representative of the lower values encountered in the flow inside rotating cavities. It is shown that, as predicted by Owen, the flow is stable when the heat transfer out of the cavity is maximized, or, conversely, the system is unstable when the heat transfer is minimized. Furthermore, it is proven that the level of the Nusselt number plays an important role for the change between the number of vortex pairs in the flow as well.

Impact of Turbine Blade Internal Cooling on Aerodynamic Loss

2015 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vladimir Vassiliev ◽  
Andrey Granovskiy ◽  
Nikolai Lomakin
Keyword(s):  
Heat Transfer ◽  
Gas Turbines ◽  
Negative Impact ◽  
Positive Impact ◽  
Experimental Investigations ◽  
Internal Cooling ◽  
Trailing Edge ◽  
Adiabatic Wall ◽  
Cooling Air ◽  
The Impact

Modern gas turbines operate at high temperature, which exceed the endurance limit of material, and therefore the turbines components have to be cooled by the air taken from the compressor. The cooling providing positive impact on lifetime of GT has negative impact on its performance. Firstly because the cooling air bypasses combustor and its capacity is not fully utilized. This effect is usually accounted in thermodynamic calculations of gas turbine. Secondly the injection of cooling air in the turbine disturbs the main flow, and may lead to increased losses. In addition cooling requirements lead to limitation on the blade shape (e.g. limiting the minimal size of trailing edge) and thereby negatively affect the losses. These effects were already discussed in the literature, but further investigations for better understanding of flow physics and design improvement are still useful. There is also additional impact of cooling - impact of heat transfer on near wall boundary layer and coolant properties. This effect was not sufficiently discussed in the open literature, where quite often the walls are considered as adiabatic. The paper consists of two main parts. In the first part the results of experimental investigations of several linear cascades with and without trailing edge injection are presented and discussed. In the second part the results of detailed numerical investigations of one of these cascades are presented. One set of calculations were done at the test rig conditions for comparison with measured data. These calculations were used for validation of CFD model. The next sets of calculations were done for engine typical conditions, including the simulation of blade material temperature. The calculations were performed for adiabatic wall and for surface with heat transfer, including the impact of heat transfer on coolant injection. This analysis provides split of losses caused by different factors, and offers the opportunities for efficiency and lifetime improvements of real engine designs/upgrades.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document