An Investigation on Aerodynamics Loss Mechanism of Squealer Tips of a High Pressure Turbine Blade Using URANS

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jin-sol Jung ◽  
Okey Kwon ◽  
Changmin Son
Keyword(s):  
High Pressure ◽  
Turbine Blade ◽  
Wall Thickness ◽  
Suction Side ◽  
Leakage Flow ◽  
Pressure Side ◽  
Tip Leakage Flow ◽  
High Pressure Turbine ◽  
Loss Mechanism ◽  
Tip Leakage

The flow leaking over the tip of a high pressure turbine blade generates significant aerodynamic losses as it mixes with the mainstream flow. This study investigates the effect of blade tip geometries on turbine performance with both steady RANS and unsteady URANS analyses. Five different squealer geometries for a high pressure turbine blade have been examined: squealer on pressure side, squealer on suction side, cavity squealer, cavity squealer with pressure side cutback, and cavity squealer with suction side cutback. With the case of the cavity squealer, three different squealer wall thickness are investigated for the wall thickness (w) of 1x, 2x and 4x of the tip gap (G). The unsteady flow analyses using CFX have been conducted to investigate unsteady characteristics of the tip leakage flow and its influence on turbine performances. Through the comparison between URANS analyses, detailed vortex and wake structures are identified and studied at different fidelities. It is found that the over tip leakage flow loss is affected by the tip suction side geometry rather than that of the pressure side geometry. The unsteady results have contributed to resolve the fundamentals of vortex structures and aerodynamic loss mechanisms in a high pressure turbine stage.

Aerodynamic Optimization of Winglet-Cavity Tip in an Axial High Pressure Turbine Stage

2020 ◽  
Vol 37 (4) ◽  
pp. 399-411
Author(s):  
Zhihua Zhou ◽  
Shaowen Chen ◽  
Songtao Wang
Keyword(s):  
High Pressure ◽  
Suction Side ◽  
Leakage Flow ◽  
Pressure Side ◽  
Turbine Stage ◽  
Tip Leakage Flow ◽  
Aerodynamic Optimization ◽  
High Pressure Turbine ◽  
Tip Leakage ◽  
Stage Efficiency

AbstractA new geometry parametric method of winglet-cavity tip has been introduced in the optimization procedure based on three-dimensional steady CFD numerical calculation and analysis. Firstly, the reliability of numerical method and grid independency are studied. Then an aerodynamic optimization is performed in an unshrouded axial high pressure turbine with winglet-cavity tip. The optimum winglet-cavity tip has higher turbine stage efficiency and smaller tip leakage mass flow rate than the cavity tip and flat tip. Compared with the results of cavity tip, the effects of the optimum winglet-cavity tip indicate that the stage efficiency is improved effectively by 0.41% with less reduction of tip leakage mass flow rate. The variation of turbine stage efficiency with tip gap states that the optimum winglet-cavity tip obtains the smallest efficiency change rate ∆η/(∆τ/H). For the optimum winglet-cavity tip, the endwall flow and blade tip leakage flow pattern are used to analysis the physical mechanical of losses. In addition, the effects of pressure-side winglet and suction-side winglet are analyzed respectively by the deformation of the optimum winglet-cavity tip. The numerical results show that the pressure-side winglet reduces the tip leakage flow effectively, and the suction-side winglet shows a great improvement on the turbine stage efficiency.

Unsteady Aerodynamics of a Flat Tip and a Winglet Tip in a High-Pressure Turbine

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kai Zhou ◽  
Chao Zhou
Keyword(s):  
High Pressure ◽  
Unsteady Aerodynamics ◽  
Suction Side ◽  
Leakage Flow ◽  
Turbine Stage ◽  
Tip Leakage Flow ◽  
High Pressure Turbine ◽  
Tip Leakage Vortex ◽  
Tip Leakage ◽  
Passage Vortex

In an unshrouded high-pressure turbine, tip leakage flow results in a loss of efficiency. In this paper, the aerodynamic performance of the tip leakage flow is investigated in a turbine stage by numerical methods. A flat tip and a closed squealer tip combined with a suction side winglet are used for the rotor tips, and the two turbines are named as ‘Flat Configuration’ and ‘Winglet Configuration’. The ability of the CFD methods in predicting the unsteady flow and the tip leakage flow is validated. The steady calculations using a mixing plane between the stator and the rotor are presented first. Then, the unsteady flows of the turbine stage with a flat rotor tip and a winglet rotor tip are simulated by solving Unsteady Reynolds-Averaged Navier-Stokes (URANS) equations. Compared with the ‘Flat Configuration’, the ‘Winglet Configuration’ reduces the size of the passage vortex and the tip leakage vortex. A surprising observation is that although the ‘Winglet Configuration’ reduces the size of the tip leakage vortex, its maximum swirl strength of the tip leakage vortex is about 40% higher than that for the ‘Flat Configuration’. The steady calculation shows that the entropy generation for the turbine stage is 12.1% lower with the ‘Winglet Configuration’ than that with the ‘Flat Configuration’. The mixed-out entropy predicted in the unsteady calculation is higher than that of the steady calculation for both tips. The stator casing passage vortex has a periodic effect on the vortex near the tip gap of the rotor. The unsteady interaction of the vortices seems to be beneficial in terms of the loss. As a result, the ‘Winglet Configuration’ produces 9.4% less entropy than the ‘Flat Configuration’, which is lower than that in the case of the steady calculation.

Tip Leakage Flows Near Partial Squealer Rims in an Axial Flow Turbine Stage

2003 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cengiz Camci ◽  
Debashis Dey ◽  
Levent Kavurmacioglu
Keyword(s):  
Total Pressure ◽  
Axial Flow ◽  
Suction Side ◽  
Leakage Flow ◽  
Pressure Side ◽  
Turbine Stage ◽  
Tip Leakage Flow ◽  
Edge Zone ◽  
Tip Leakage ◽  
Partial Length

This paper deals with an experimental investigation of aerodynamic characteristics of full and partial-length squealer rims in a turbine stage. Full and partial-length squealer rims are investigated separately on the pressure side and on the suction side in the “Axial Flow Turbine Research Facility” (AFTRF) of the Pennsylvania State University. The streamwise length of these “partial squealer tips” and their chordwise position are varied to find an optimal aerodynamic tip configuration. The optimal configuration in this cold turbine study is defined as the one that is minimizing the stage exit total pressure defect in the tip vortex dominated zone. A new “channel arrangement” diverting some of the leakage flow into the trailing edge zone is also studied. Current results indicate that the use of “partial squealer rims” in axial flow turbines can positively affect the local aerodynamic field by weakening the tip leakage vortex. Results also show that the suction side partial squealers are aerodynamically superior to the pressure side squealers and the channel arrangement. The suction side partial squealers are capable of reducing the stage exit total pressure defect associated with the tip leakage flow to a significant degree.

Numerical Investigation of the Effect of Tip Leakage Flow on an Aggressive S-Shaped Intermediate Turbine Duct

2009 ◽  
Author(s):  
W. Sanz ◽  
M. Kelterer ◽  
R. Pecnik ◽  
A. Marn ◽  
E. Go¨ttlich
Keyword(s):  
High Pressure ◽  
Low Pressure ◽  
Leakage Flow ◽  
Tip Leakage Flow ◽  
High Pressure Turbine ◽  
Tip Leakage ◽  
Intermediate Turbine Duct ◽  
Low Pressure Turbine ◽  
High Diffusion ◽  
Gap Height

The demand of a further increased bypass ratio of aero engines will lead to low pressure turbines with larger diameters which rotate at lower speed. Therefore, it is necessary to guide the flow leaving the high pressure turbine to the low pressure turbine at a larger diameter without any loss generating separation or flow disturbances. Due to costs and weight this intermediate turbine duct has to be as short as possible. This leads to an aggressive (high diffusion) S-shaped duct geometry. In order to investigate the influence of the blade tip gap height of a preceding rotor on such a high-diffusion duct flow a detailed measurement campaign in the Transonic Test Turbine Facility at Graz University of Technology has been performed. A high diffusion intermediate duct is arranged downstream a high-pressure turbine stage providing an exit Mach number of about 0.6 and a swirl angle of −15 degrees (counter swirl). A low-pressure vane row is located at the end of the duct and represents the counter rotating low pressure turbine at larger diameter. At the ASME 2007, results of these investigations were presented for two different tip gap heights of 1.5% span (0.8 mm) and 2.4% span (1.3 mm). In order to better understand the flow phenomena observed in the intermediate duct a detailed numerical study is conducted. The unsteady flow through the whole configuration is simulated for both gap heights as well as for a rotor with zero gap height. The unsteady data are compared at the stage exit and inside the duct to study the flow physics. The calculation of the zero gap height configuration allows to determine the influence of the tip leakage flow of the preceding rotor on the intermediate turbine duct. It turns out that for this aggressive duct the tip leakage flow has a very positive effect on the pressure recovery.

Aerodynamic Investigation of the Tip Leakage Flow for Blades With Different Tip Squealer Geometries at Transonic Conditions

2009 ◽  
Author(s):  
Toma´sˇ Hofer ◽  
Tony Arts
Keyword(s):  
Heat Transfer ◽  
Mass Flow ◽  
Suction Side ◽  
Loss Coefficient ◽  
Leakage Flow ◽  
Pressure Side ◽  
Tip Leakage Flow ◽  
Tip Leakage ◽  
Gap Flow ◽  
Tip Gap Flow

Modern high pressure turbines operate at high velocity and high temperature conditions. The gap existing above a turbine rotor blade is responsible for an undesirable tip leakage flow. It is a source of high aerodynamic losses and high heat transfer rates. A better understanding of the tip flow behaviour is needed to provide a more efficient cooling design in this region. The objective of this paper is to investigate the tip leakage flow for a blade with two different squealer tips and film-cooling applied on the pressure side and through tip dust holes in a non-rotating, linear cascade arrangement. The experiments were performed in the VKI Light Piston Compression Tube facility, CT-2. The tip gap flow was investigated by oil flow visualisations and by wall static and total pressure measurements. Two geometries were tested — a full squealer and a partial suction side squealer. The measurements were performed in the blade tip region, including the squealer rim and on the corresponding end-wall for engine representative values of outlet Reynolds and Mach numbers. The main flow structures in the cavity were put in evidence. Positive influence of the coolant on the tip gap flow and on the aerodynamic losses was found for the full squealer tip case: increasing the coolant mass-flow increased the tip gap flow resistance. The flow through the clearance therefore slows down, the tip gap mass-flow and the heat transfer respectively decreases. No such effect of cooling was found in the case of the partial suction side squealer geometry. The absence of a pressure side squealer rim resulted in a totally different tip gap flow topology, indifferent to cooling. The influence of cooling on the overall mass-weighted thermodynamic loss coefficient, which takes into account the different energies of the mainstream and coolant flows was found marginal for both geometries. Finally the overall loss coefficient was found to be higher for the partial suction side squealer tip than for the full squealer tip.

Numerical Investigation on Loss Mechanism and Performance Improvement for a Zero Inlet Swirl Turbine Rotor

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wei Zhao ◽  
Qingjun Zhao ◽  
Xiuming Sui ◽  
Weiwei Luo ◽  
Jianzhong Xu
Keyword(s):  
Suction Side ◽  
Turbine Rotor ◽  
Axial Position ◽  
Leakage Flow ◽  
Blade Profile ◽  
Tip Leakage Flow ◽  
Loss Mechanism ◽  
Tip Leakage ◽  
Stagnation Points ◽  
Inlet Swirl

A zero inlet swirl turbine rotor (ZISTR) is originally presented as the first stage in a multistage vaneless counter-rotating turbine (MVCT), which only consists of 4 rotors without any vanes. The vanes upstream of a ZISTR are removed to reduce the turbine weight and length, as well as the viscous losses and coolants associated with vanes. However, due to the lack of inlet swirl the stagger angles for ZISTR blade profiles are high and the blade deflections are very small, resulting in almost straight cambers and very thin airfoils. The motivation of this paper is to reveal the overall performance and key loss sources of a ZISTR associated with its special blade profile, and provide corresponding optimization approaches for its practical usages. The 3D viscous numerical results show that the wake, the suction side trailing edge shock and the tip leakage flow have substantial influence on the rotor performance. To optimize the performance of a ZISTR, reducing blade solidity is proposed to decrease the viscous and shock losses by increasing the portion of the inviscid mainstream. Leaned blade is also presented to restrict the tip leakage flow by adjusting the axial position of stagnation points on the blade profile, obtaining an increase in efficiency of 0.9%. The off-design performance of the optimized rotor is also presented to show the effect of the blade lean on efficiency at various rotating speeds and back pressures.

A Novel Suction-Side Winglet Design Philosophy for High-Pressure Turbine Rotor Tips

2017 ◽  
Vol 139 (11) ◽  
Author(s):  
Chao Zhou ◽  
Fangpan Zhong
Keyword(s):  
Suction Side ◽  
Leakage Flow ◽  
The Novel ◽  
Front Part ◽  
Turbine Stage ◽  
Tip Leakage Flow ◽  
High Pressure Turbine ◽  
Tip Leakage ◽  
Design Philosophy ◽  
Passage Vortex

Winglet tips are promising candidates for future high-pressure turbine rotors. Many studies found that the design of the suction-side winglet is the key to the aerodynamic performance of a winglet tip, but there is no general agreement on the exact design philosophy. In this paper, a novel suction-side winglet design philosophy in a turbine cascade is introduced. The winglets are obtained based on the near-tip flow field of the datum tip geometry. The suction-side winglet aims to reduce the tip leakage flow particularly in the front part of the blade passage. It is found that on the casing endwall, the pressure increases in the area where the winglet is used. This reduces the tip leakage flow in the front part of the blade passage and the pitchwise pressure gradient on the endwall. As a result, the size of the tip leakage vortex reduces. A surprising observation is that the novel optimized winglet tip design eliminates the passage vortex and results in a further increasing of the efficiency. The tip leakage loss of the novel winglet tip is 18.1% lower than the datum cavity tip, with an increase of tip surface area by only 19.3%. The spanwise deflection of the winglet due to the centrifugal force is small. The tip heat load of the winglet tip is 17.5% higher than that of the cavity tip. Numerical simulation shows that in a turbine stage, this winglet tip increases the turbine stage efficiency by 0.9% mainly by eliminating the loss caused by the passage vortex at a tip gap size of 1.4% chord compared with a cavity tip.

A Novel Suction Side Winglet Design Method for High Pressure Turbine Rotor Tips

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chao Zhou ◽  
Fangpan Zhong
Keyword(s):  
Design Method ◽  
Suction Side ◽  
Leakage Flow ◽  
The Novel ◽  
Front Part ◽  
Turbine Stage ◽  
Tip Leakage Flow ◽  
High Pressure Turbine ◽  
Blade Passage ◽  
Tip Leakage

Winglet tips are promising candidates for future high pressure turbine rotors. Many studies found that the design of the suction side winglet is the key to the aerodynamic performance of a winglet tip, but there is no general agreement on the exact design method. In this paper, a novel suction side winglet design method will be introduced. The winglets are obtained based on the near tip flow field of the datum tip geometry. The suction side winglet aims to reduce the tip leakage flow particularly in the front part of the blade passage. It is found that on the casing endwall, the pressure increases in the area where the winglet is used. This reduces the tip leakage flow in the front part of the blade passage and the pitchwise pressure gradient on the endwall. As a result, the size of the tip leakage vortex reduces. A surprising observation is that the novel winglet tip design eliminates the scraping vortex and results in a further increasing of the efficiency. The tip leakage loss of the novel winglet tip is 23% lower than the datum cavity tip, with an increase of tip surface area by only 20%. The spanwise deflection of the winglet due to the centrifugal force is small. Numerical simulation shows that in a turbine stage, this winglet tip increases the turbine stage efficiency by 0.9% at a tip gap size of 1% span compared with a cavity tip.

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