Application of Casing Circumferential Grooves to Counteract the Influence of Tip Clearance

Author(s):  
Victor Mileshin ◽  
Igor Brailko ◽  
Andrew Startsev

Widening of surge margin of a transonic compressor stage is the main objective of the paper. This stage is a typical middle stage of a modern high pressure compressor (HPC) with decreased number of stages. Hot tip clearance of the stage being integrated into a six-stage HPC providing total pressure ratio π* HPC ≥ 12 and mass flow-rate < 16 kg/sec is estimated at 2.5 – 3% of blade height and is classified as a large tip clearance. In this paper experimental and 3D viscous numerical performances of the stage are obtained for two values of rotor tip clearance — equal to 0.76% (small size) and 2.66% (large size) of blade height. In doing so, tip clearance enlargement from 0.76% to 2.66% has been made by increase of casing (shroud) radius. This increase is manufactured as a circumferential trench (recess) with axial width 30% larger than rotor axial chord. Below this tip clearance is called “recessed” tip clearance. A distinguishing feature of leakage flow in case of large tip clearance is a formation of reversed flow near rotor casing. This backflow being intensified by throttling causes increase of incidence at the rotor leading edge and development of rotor stall. Casing treatments are intended to inhibit and delay the process. Among them circumferential grooves is the simplest casing treatment. Investigated in this paper casing circumferential grooves cover 82% of rotor axial chord. Numerical visualization of the near-casing streamlines demonstrates that tip leakage flow drains into the casing grooves giving rise to extended domains of positive axial velocity. Calculated mass flow-rate through groove’s cross-section demonstrates maximum over the rotor blade tip (flow into the groove) and minimum at mid-pitch (flow out of the groove). Amplitude of this variation depends on the groove location and stage throttling.

2014 ◽  
Vol 30 (3) ◽  
pp. 307-313 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. Taghavi-Zenou ◽  
S. Abbasi ◽  
S. Eslami

ABSTRACTThis paper deals with tip leakage flow structure in subsonic axial compressor rotor blades row under different operating conditions. Analyses are based on flow simulation utilizing computational fluid dynamic technique. Three different circumstances at near stall condition are considered in this respect. Tip leakage flow frequency spectrum was studied through surveying instantaneous static pressure signals imposed on blades surfaces. Results at the highest flow rate, close to the stall condition, showed that the tip vortex flow fluctuates with a frequency close to the blade passing frequency. In addition, pressure signals remained unchanged with time. Moreover, equal pressure fluctuations at different passages guaranteed no peripheral disturbances. Tip leakage flow frequency decreased with reduction of the mass flow rate and its structure was changing with time. Spillage of the tip leakage flow from the blade leading edge occurred without any backflow in the trailing edge region. Consequently, various flow structures were observed within every passage between two adjacent blades. Further decrease in the mass flow rate provided conditions where the spilled flow ahead of the blade leading edge together with trailing edge backflow caused spike stall to occur. This latter phenomenon was accompanied by lower frequencies and higher amplitudes of the pressure signals. Further revolution of the rotor blade row caused the spike stall to eventuate to larger stall cells, which may be led to fully developed rotating stall.


Energies ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (14) ◽  
pp. 4168
Author(s):  
Botao Zhang ◽  
Xiaochen Mao ◽  
Xiaoxiong Wu ◽  
Bo Liu

To explain the effect of tip leakage flow on the performance of an axial-flow transonic compressor, the compressors with different rotor tip clearances were studied numerically. The results show that as the rotor tip clearance increases, the leakage flow intensity is increased, the shock wave position is moved backward, and the interaction between the tip leakage vortex and shock wave is intensified, while that between the boundary layer and shock wave is weakened. Most of all, the stall mechanisms of the compressors with varying rotor tip clearances are different. The clearance leakage flow is the main cause of the rotating stall under large rotor tip clearance. However, the stall form for the compressor with half of the designed tip clearance is caused by the joint action of the rotor tip stall caused by the leakage flow spillage at the blade leading edge and the whole blade span stall caused by the separation of the boundary layer of the rotor and the stator passage. Within the investigated varied range, when the rotor tip clearance size is half of the design, the compressor performance is improved best, and the peak efficiency and stall margin are increased by 0.2% and 3.5%, respectively.


Author(s):  
Brian M. T. Tang ◽  
Marko Bacic ◽  
Peter T. Ireland

This paper presents a computational investigation into the impact of cooling air injected through the stationary over-tip turbine casing on overall turbine efficiency. The high work axial flow turbine is representative of the high pressure turbine of a civil aviation turbofan engine. The effect of active modulation of the cooling air is assessed, as well as that of the injection locations. The influence of the through-casing coolant injection on the turbine blade over-tip leakage flow and the associated secondary flow features are examined. Transient (unsteady) sliding mesh simulations of a one turbine stage rotor-stator domain are performed using periodic boundary conditions. Cooling air configurations with a constant total pressure air supply, constant mass flow rate and actively controlled total pressure supply are assessed for a single geometric arrangement of cooling holes. The effects of both the mass flow rate of cooling air and the location of its injection relative to the turbine rotor blade are examined. The results show that all of the assessed cooling configurations provided a benefit to turbine row efficiency of between 0.2 and 0.4 percentage points. The passive and constant mass flow rate configurations reduced the over-tip leakage flow, but did so in an inefficient manner, with decreasing efficiency observed with increasing injection mass flow rate beyond 0.6% of the mainstream flow, despite the over-tip leakage mass flow rate continuing to reduce. By contrast, the active total pressure controlled injection provided a more efficient manner of controlling this leakage flow, as it permitted a redistribution of cooling air, allowing it to be applied in the regions close to the suction side of the blade tip which more directly reduced over-tip leakage flow rates and hence improved efficiency. Cooling air injected close to the pressure side of the rotor blade was less effective at controlling the leakage flow, and was associated with increased aerodynamic loss in the passage vortex.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Subbaramu Shivaramaiah ◽  
Mahesh K. Varpe

Abstract In the present research work, effect of airfoil vortex generator on performance and stability of transonic compressor stage is investigated through CFD simulations. In turbomachines vortex generators are used to energize boundary and generated vortex is made to interact with tip leakage flow and secondary flow vortices formed in rotor and stator blade passage. In the present numerical investigation symmetrical airfoil vortex generator is placed on rotor casing surface close to leading edge, anticipating that vortex generated will be able to disturb tip leakage flow and its interaction with rotor passage core flow. Six different vortex generator configuration are investigated by varying distance between vortex generator trailing edge and rotor leading edge. Particular vortex generator configuration shows maximum improvement of stall margin and operating range by 5.5% and 76.75% respectively. Presence of vortex generator alters flow blockage by modifying flow field in rotor tip region and hence contributes to enhancement of stall margin. As a negative effect, interaction of vortex generator vortices and casing causes surface friction and high entropy generation. As a result compressor stage pressure ratio and efficiency decreases.


2012 ◽  
Vol 224 ◽  
pp. 352-357
Author(s):  
Islem Benhegouga ◽  
Ce Yang

In this work, steady air injection upstream of the blade leading edge was used in a transonic axial flow compressor, NASA rotor 37. The injectors were placed at 27 % upstream of the axial chord length at blade tip, the injection mass flow rate is 3% of the chock mass flow rate, and 3 yaw angles were used, respectively -20°, -30°, and -40°. Negative yaw angles were measured relative to the compressor face in opposite direction of rotational speeds. To reveal the mechanism, steady numerical simulations were performed using FINE/TURBO software package. The results show that the stall mass flow can be decreased about 2.5 %, and an increase in the total pressure ratio up to 0.5%.


2003 ◽  
Vol 125 (2) ◽  
pp. 328-335 ◽  
Author(s):  
Steven E. Gorrell ◽  
Theodore H. Okiishi ◽  
William W. Copenhaver

Usually less axial spacing between the blade rows of an axial flow compressor is associated with improved efficiency. However, mass flow rate, pressure ratio, and efficiency all decreased as the axial spacing between the stator and rotor was reduced in a transonic compressor rig. Reductions as great as 3.3% in pressure ratio, and 1.3 points of efficiency were observed as axial spacing between the blade rows was decreased from far apart to close together. The number of blades in the stator blade-row also affected stage performance. Higher stator blade-row solidity led to larger changes in pressure ratio efficiency, and mass flow rate with axial spacing variation. Analysis of the experimental data suggests that the drop in performance is a result of increased loss production due to blade-row interactions. Losses in addition to mixing loss are present when the blade-rows are spaced closer together. The extra losses are associated with the upstream stator wakes and are most significant in the midspan region of the flow.


Author(s):  
Patrick H. Wagner ◽  
Jan Van herle ◽  
Jürg Schiffmann

Abstract A micro steam turbine with a tip diameter of 15 mm was designed and experimentally characterized. At the nominal mass flow rate and total-to-total pressure ratio of 2.3 kg h−1 and 2, respectively, the turbine yields a power of 34 W and a total-to-static isentropic efficiency of 37%. The steam turbine is conceived as a radial-inflow, low-reaction (15%), and partial admission (21%) machine. Since the steam mass flow rate is limited by the heat provided of the system (solid oxide fuel cell), a low-reaction and high-power-density design is preferred. The partial-admission design allows for reduced losses: The turbine rotor and stator blades are prismatic, have a radial chord length of 1 mm and a height of 0.59 mm. Since the relative rotor blade tip clearance (0.24) is high, the blade tip leakage losses are significant. Considering a fixed steam supply, this design allows to increase the blade height, and thus reducing the losses. The steam turbine drives a fan, which operates at low Mach numbers. The rotor is supported on dynamic steam-lubricated bearings; the nominal rotational speed is 175 krpm. A numerical simulation of the steam turbine is in good agreement with the experimental results. Furthermore, a novel test rig setup, featuring extremely-thin thermocouples (ϕ0.15 mm) is investigated for an operation with ambient and hot air at 220 °C. Conventional zero and one-dimensional pre-design models correlate well to the experimental results, despite the small size of the turbine blades.


Author(s):  
Jian Guan ◽  
Ji-ang Han ◽  
Jingjun Zhong ◽  
Chenguang Yuan

In order to diminish the flow loss in the ram-rotor and improve its aerodynamic performance, the effect of forward and backward swept leading edge on flow field and shock pattern in the ram-rotor was investigated using 3-dimensional steady CFD. Ram-rotors with sweeping angles of −60°, −30°, −15°, 0°, 15°, 30°, 60° were modeled, and ram-rotor performance, shock pattern and leakage flow in different swept schemes were the main focuses of attention. The effect of sweeping angle was also discussed in this paper. It has been found that forward sweep makes performance curves move to high mass flow rate zone in the performance map. Meanwhile, strake tip loading decreases, and maximum adiabatic efficiency increases by 0.31% compared to baseline ram-rotor. Contrary to the forward swept scheme, performance curves of backward sweep schemes shift to small mass flow rate zone, and the tip leakage near front part of strake is enhanced. Backward sweep plays a positive role in improving pressure ratio with a maximum increment of 0.46% at peak efficiency point, but causes a high flow loss. As sweeping angle changes, there is an optimum angle value to get a high performance.


Author(s):  
Shota Moriguchi ◽  
Hironori Miyazawa ◽  
Takashi Furusawa ◽  
Satoru Yamamoto

In this study, we simulated moist-air flows through a 3-D transonic compressor rotor, NASA Rotor 37, to investigate the thermophysical effects of evaporation of water droplets on 3-D compressor aerodynamics. The obtained results indicated that the total pressure ratio increased in the moist-air cases when compared with dry-air case as a result of the cooling due to evaporation. While the choking mass-flow rate is almost identical for the dry-air case and the moist-air cases, the operating curve was shifted to nearly choked state in the moist-air cases. Besides this, unsteady flows were obtained at higher mass-flow rate in the moist-air cases when compared with the dry-air case. As a result, a significant deterioration in the operation was observed in the moist-air cases. This is due to the rapid and significant evaporation of water droplets after the passage shock. A secondary flow streaming radially outside toward the tip through the separated region intensified and contributed to a formation of large blockage around the tip region.


Author(s):  
Steven E. Gorrell ◽  
Theodore H. Okiishi ◽  
William W. Copenhaver

Usually less axial spacing between the blade rows of an axial flow compressor is associated with improved efficiency. However, mass flow rate, pressure ratio, and efficiency all decreased as the axial spacing between the stator and rotor was reduced in a transonic compressor rig. Reductions as great as 3.3% in pressure ratio and 1.3 points of efficiency were observed as axial spacing between the blade-rows was decreased from far apart to close together. The number of blades in the stator blade-row also affected stage performance. Higher stator blade-row solidity led to larger changes in pressure ratio, efficiency, and mass flow rate with axial spacing variation. Analysis of the experimental data suggests that the drop in performance is a result of increased loss production due to blade-row interactions. Losses in addition to mixing loss are present when the blade-rows are spaced closer together. The extra losses are associated with the upstream stator wakes and are most significant in the mid-span region of the flow.


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