Trailing Edge Thickness Impact on the Profile Losses of Highly Loaded Low Pressure Turbines Blades

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jorge Parra ◽  
David Cadrecha ◽  
Ezequiel González ◽  
Benigno Lázaro
Keyword(s):  
Boundary Layer ◽  
Diffusion Rate ◽  
Lift Coefficient ◽  
Suction Side ◽  
Low Pressure ◽  
Full Potential ◽  
Hot Wire ◽  
Trailing Edge ◽  
Diffusion Factor ◽  
Highly Loaded

The losses breakdown of modern highly loaded low pressure turbines profiles shows that the trailing edge thickness can account for up to 20% of the overall profile loss depending on the thickness to pitch ratio highly affecting to the LPT overall performance. Additionally, this feature is of significant practical interest as the aerofoil mechanical behaviour and manufacturing costs are largely determined by the size of the trailing edge. Current trailing edge loss models are based on correlations derived from measurements on aerofoils very different with respect to the current state-of-the-art, they do not consider any effect of Reynolds number or lift coefficient, so it is questionable whether they are accurate enough for current applications and therefore an experimental validation campaign is required. The aim of the present experimental investigation is to examine the influence of that geometrical parameter on the unsteady Reynolds lapse characterization by means of four different low speed linear cascades varying the thickness from 50% to 200% of a nominal case. Cascades A, B and C (with small, nominal and large thickness) meet the same lift coefficient reducing the back surface diffusion factor due to the different velocity at the trailing edge because of the blockage generated by the trailing edge thickness. Cascade B2, with nominal thickness, is modified to meet the same diffusion factor as Cascade A to decouple the effect of the diffusion factor from the effect of the trailing edge thickness. Total pressure probes, Laser-Doppler and hot wire anemometry are used to characterize the suction side boundary layer just upstream from the trailing edge as well as the near wake developing close to the trailing edge. Additional characterisations are conducted at half chord downstream from the cascade trailing edge to evaluate its loss coefficient. Upstream located moving bars are used to simulate the incoming wakes shed by one upstream blade row. The hot wire measurements performed slightly upstream from the profile trailing edge are post-processed locked to the passage of the moving bars. The resulting data are analysed to characterise the temporal modulation of the suction side boundary layer momentum thickness by the incoming wakes. The measurements indicate that both the time-mean value and the phase-averaged distribution of the boundary layer integral parameters are largely determined by the diffusion rate of the profile. On the other hand, a negligible effect of the trailing edge thickness is observed for the same diffusion rate. The measurements conducted downstream from the profile, both close to its trailing edge and half chord downstream, illustrate the role of the trailing edge thickness on the initial wake development. The data is recorded for 60s with a sampling rate of 25kHz obtaining between 150 and 650 phase-locked datasets depending on the Reynolds No. Finally, the characterisation of the profile mix-out losses at the downstream plane is presented. The experimental results show that a significant reduction of losses can be achieved with thinner trailing edge, but, an increase in the number of aerofoils need to be allowed in order to get the full potential benefit of this strategy.

The Effect of Pulsed Blowing on the Boundary Layer of a Highly Loaded Low Pressure Turbine Blade

2013 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marion Mack ◽  
Roland Brachmanski ◽  
Reinhard Niehuis
Keyword(s):  
Boundary Layer ◽  
Reynolds Number ◽  
Mach Number ◽  
Suction Side ◽  
Reynolds Numbers ◽  
Low Pressure ◽  
Trailing Edge ◽  
Low Pressure Turbine ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Highly Loaded

The performance of the low pressure turbine (LPT) can vary appreciably, because this component operates under a wide range of Reynolds numbers. At higher Reynolds numbers, mid and aft loaded profiles have the advantage that transition of suction side boundary layer happens further downstream than at front loaded profiles, resulting in lower profile loss. At lower Reynolds numbers, aft loading of the blade can mean that if a suction side separation exists, it may remain open up to the trailing edge. This is especially the case when blade lift is increased via increased pitch to chord ratio. There is a trend in research towards exploring the effect of coupling boundary layer control with highly loaded turbine blades, in order to maximize performance over the full relevant Reynolds number range. In an earlier work, pulsed blowing with fluidic oscillators was shown to be effective in reducing the extent of the separated flow region and to significantly decrease the profile losses caused by separation over a wide range of Reynolds numbers. These experiments were carried out in the High-Speed Cascade Wind Tunnel of the German Federal Armed Forces University Munich, Germany, which allows to capture the effects of pulsed blowing at engine relevant conditions. The assumed control mechanism was the triggering of boundary layer transition by excitation of the Tollmien-Schlichting waves. The current work aims to gain further insight into the effects of pulsed blowing. It investigates the effect of a highly efficient configuration of pulsed blowing at a frequency of 9.5 kHz on the boundary layer at a Reynolds number of 70000 and exit Mach number of 0.6. The boundary layer profiles were measured at five positions between peak Mach number and the trailing edge with hot wire anemometry and pneumatic probes. Experiments were conducted with and without actuation under steady as well as periodically unsteady inflow conditions. The results show the development of the boundary layer and its interaction with incoming wakes. It is shown that pulsed blowing accelerates transition over the separation bubble and drastically reduces the boundary layer thickness.

A Test Case for the Numerical Investigation of Wake Passing Effects on a Highly Loaded LP Turbine Cascade Blade

2001 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter Stadtmüller ◽  
Leonhard Fottner
Keyword(s):  
Boundary Layer ◽  
Reynolds Number ◽  
Suction Side ◽  
Test Case ◽  
Turbine Cascade ◽  
Hot Wire ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Lp Turbine ◽  
Wake Passing ◽  
Highly Loaded

The paper presents a compilation of experimental data on the effects of wake-induced transition on a highly loaded LP turbine cascade intended to be used for further numerical work. Although the underlying physics is not yet completely understood, the benefits of wake passing are already known and employed in the design process of modern gas turbines. For further optimizations, the next step seems to be now to enable numerical simulations detailed enough to capture the major effects while being as uncomplicated as possible at the same time to be cost-effective. The experimental results constituted in this systematic investigation are available for download and should serve as a basic data set for future calculations with different turbulence and transition models, thereby shedding some light on the complexity and modeling required for a suitable numerical treatment of the wake-induced transition process. The data introduced in this test case was acquired using a turbine cascade called T106D-EIZ with increased blade pitch compared to design point conditions in order to achieve a higher loading. A large separation bubble forms on the suction side and allows to study boundary layer development in great detail. The upstream blade row was simulated by a moving bar type wake generator. The measurements comprise hot wire data of the bar wake characteristics in the cascade inlet plane (velocity deficit and turbulence level), boundary layer surveys with surface-mounted hot films sensors and a hot wire probe at various locations and measurements of the total pressure loss coefficient. Unsteady pressure transducers are embedded into the suction side of a cascade blade and in a wake rake to resolve the local pressure distributions over time. They yield quantitative values easily comparable to the output of numerical simulations. The objective of this paper is to enable and to invite interested researchers to validate their code on the data set. From the extensive test program, a very limited number of operating points have been selected to focus the work. The standardized data files include a “reference” case with an exit Reynolds number of 200.000 and an exit Mach number of 0.4 as well as two points with higher Mach or lower Reynolds number for constant wake passing frequencies and background turbulence levels.

Airfoil Trailing Edge Noise Reduction Using a Boundary-Layer Bump

2019 ◽  
Vol 105 (5) ◽  
pp. 814-826 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yuejun Shi ◽  
Seongkyu Lee
Keyword(s):  
Boundary Layer ◽  
Noise Reduction ◽  
Suction Side ◽  
Reynolds Numbers ◽  
Numerical Approach ◽  
Trailing Edge ◽  
Velocity Deficit ◽  
Trailing Edge Noise ◽  
Field Noise ◽  
High Reynolds

This paper presents a new idea of reducing airfoil trailing edge noise using a small bump in the turbulent boundary layer. First, we develop and validate a new computational approach to predict airfoil trailing edge noise using steady RANS CFD, an empirical wall pressure spectrum model, and Howe's diff raction theory. This numerical approach enables fast and accurate predictions of trailing edge noise, which is used to study the noise reduction from the bump for various airfoil geometries and flow conditions at high Reynolds numbers. Three types of bumps, the suction-side bump, pressure-side bump, and both-side bumps, are studied. The results show that all types of bumps are able to reduce far-field noise up to 10 dB compared to clean airfoils, but their impacts are diff erent in terms of the eff ective frequency range. Also, bumps with four diff erent heights are compared with each other to investigate the eff ect of the height of bumps on noise reduction. It is demonstrated that a bump causes velocity deficit within the boundary layer near the wall. This velocity deficit results in reduced turbulence kinetic energy near the wall, which is responsible for trailing edge noise reduction. Overall, this paper demonstrates the potential of a boundary-layer bump in trailing edge noise reduction and sheds light on the physical mechanism of noise reduction with boundary-layer bumps.

The Effect of Airfoil Shape on Trailing Edge Noise

2019 ◽  
Vol 27 (02) ◽  
pp. 1850020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Seongkyu Lee
Keyword(s):  
Boundary Layer ◽  
Noise Source ◽  
Source Region ◽  
Low Frequency ◽  
Suction Side ◽  
Frequency Noise ◽  
Pressure Side ◽  
Trailing Edge ◽  
Trailing Edge Noise ◽  
Naca0012 Airfoil

This paper investigates the effect of airfoil shape on trailing edge noise. The boundary layer profiles are obtained by XFOIL and the trailing edge noise is predicted by a TNO semi-empirical model. In order to investigate the noise source characteristics, the wall pressure spectrum is decomposed into three components. This decomposition helps in finding the dominant source region and the peak noise frequency for each airfoil. The method is validated for a NACA0012 airfoil, and then five additional wind turbine airfoils are examined: NACA0018, DU96-w-180, S809, S822 and S831. It is found that the dominant source region is around 40% of the boundary layer thickness for both the suction and pressure sides for a NACA0012 airfoil. As airfoil thickness and camber increase, the maximum source region moves slightly upward on the suction side. However, the effect of the airfoil shape on the maximum source region on the pressure side is negligible, except for the S831 airfoil, which exhibits an extension of the noise source region near the wall at high frequencies. As airfoil thickness and camber increase, low frequency noise is increased. However, a higher camber reduces low frequency noise on the pressure side. The maximum camber position is also found to be important and its rear position increases noise levels on the suction side.

Boundary Layer and Loss Analysis in a Film Cooled Vane

2001 ◽  
Author(s):  
Giovanna Barigozzi ◽  
Giuseppe Benzoni ◽  
Antonio Perdichizzi
Keyword(s):  
Boundary Layer ◽  
Flow Analysis ◽  
Suction Side ◽  
Wake Flow ◽  
Generation Process ◽  
Pressure Side ◽  
Wake Region ◽  
Trailing Edge ◽  
Loss Analysis ◽  
Coolant Injection

The paper reports on boundary layer and wake flow analysis in a fully covered, film cooled vane without trailing edge ejection. The investigation, carried out in a low speed wind tunnel for linear cascades, has been mainly focused on the loss generation process due to coolant injection. The investigated region includes the rear part of pressure and suction side boundary layers and the wake region, up to a chord length downstream of the trailing edge. All measurements have been performed at mid-span, air being used as coolant flow. The same measurements have been also performed on a solid blade cascade, i.e. without cooling holes. Boundary layer profiles, integral parameters together with mean and turbulent quantities are presented. It results that the showerhead promotes transition on the suction side, giving rise to a thicker boundary layer all over the surface. On the pressure side, the boundary layer remains laminar up to the trailing edge, as high acceleration prevents transition. The wake region seems not to be strongly altered by the coolant injection. Boundary layer profiles and downstream 5-hole probe traverses have been used to compute loss coefficient distributions all over the blade surface and in the downstream region. Coolant injection strongly increases the profile losses along the suction side, while a much smaller contribution from the pressure side has been found. These increases are mainly due to coolant injection in the vane front part.

Recognition of Structures Leading to Transition in a Low Pressure Turbine Cascade: Effect of Reduced Frequency

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. Lengani ◽  
D. Simoni ◽  
M. Ubaldi ◽  
P. Zunino ◽  
F. Bertini
Keyword(s):  
Boundary Layer ◽  
Suction Side ◽  
Low Pressure ◽  
Turbine Cascade ◽  
Turbulent Structures ◽  
Time Resolved ◽  
Low Pressure Turbine ◽  
Reduced Frequency ◽  
Displacement Thickness ◽  
Wake Passing

Abstract The boundary layer developing over the suction side of a low pressure turbine cascade operating under unsteady inflow conditions has been experimentally investigated. Time-resolved Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV) measurements have been performed in two orthogonal planes, the blade to blade and a wall parallel plane embedded within the boundary layer, for two different wake reduced frequencies. Proper Orthogonal Decomposition (POD) has been used to analyze the data and to provide an interpretation of the most significant flow structures for each phase of the wake passing cycle. To this purpose, a POD based procedure that sorts the data synchronizing the measurements of the two planes has been developed. Phase averaged data are then obtained for both cases. Moreover, once properly sorted, POD has been applied to sub-ensembles of data at the same relative phase within the wake passing cycle. Detailed information on the most energetic turbulent structures at a particular phase are obtained with this procedure (called phased POD), overcoming the limit of classical phase average that just provides a statistical representation of the turbulence field. Furthermore, the synchronization of the measurements in the two planes allows the computation of the characteristic dimension of boundary layer structures that are responsible for transition. These structures are often identified as vortical filaments parallel to the wall, typically referred to as boundary layer streaks. The largest and most energetic structures are observed when the wake centerline passes over the rear part of the suction side, and they appear practically the same for both reduced frequencies. The passing wake forces transition leading to the breakdown of the boundary layer streaks. Otherwise, the largest differences between the low and high reduced frequency are observed in the calmed region. The post-processing of these two planes further allowed us to compute the spacing of the streaks and make it non-dimensional by the boundary layer displacement thickness observed for each phase. The non-dimensional value of the streaks spacing is about constant, irrespective of the reduced frequency.

A Low Reynolds Number Experimental Evaluation of Tubercles on a Low-Pressure Turbine Cascade

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephen A. Pym ◽  
Asad Asghar ◽  
William D. E. Allan ◽  
John P. Clark
Keyword(s):  
Boundary Layer ◽  
Turbine Blade ◽  
Reynolds Numbers ◽  
Low Pressure ◽  
Blade Profile ◽  
Suction Surface ◽  
Low Reynolds Numbers ◽  
Low Pressure Turbine ◽  
Low Reynolds ◽  
Highly Loaded

Abstract Aircraft are operating at increasingly high-altitudes, where decreased air density and engine power settings have led to increasingly low Reynolds numbers in the low-pressure turbine portion of modern-day aeroengines. These operating conditions, in parallel with highly-loaded blade profiles, result in non-reattaching laminar boundary layer separation along the blade suction surface, increasing loss and decreasing engine performance. This work presents an experimental investigation into the potential for integrated leading-edge tubercles to improve blade performance in this operating regime. A turn-table cascade test-section was constructed and commissioned to test a purpose-designed, forward-loaded, low-pressure turbine blade profile at various incidences and Reynolds numbers. Baseline and tubercled blades were tested at axial chord Reynolds numbers at and between 15 000 and 60 000, and angles of incidence ranging from −5° to +10°. Experimental data collection included blade surface pressure measurements, total pressure loss in the blade wakes, hot-wire anemometry, surface hot-film measurements, and surface flow visualization using tufts. Test results showed that the implementation of tubercles did not lead to a performance enhancement. However, useful conclusions were drawn regarding the ability of tubercles to generate stream-wise vortices at ultra-low Reynolds numbers. Additional observations helped to characterize the suction surface boundary layer over the highly-loaded, low-pressure turbine blade profile when at off-design conditions. Recommendations were made for future work.

Investigation of Bypass Transition in the Presence of a Separation Bubble With Tomographic PIV

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christoph Lyko ◽  
Dirk Michaelis ◽  
Dieter Peitsch ◽  
Mirko Dittmar
Keyword(s):  
Boundary Layer ◽  
Separation Bubble ◽  
Reynolds Numbers ◽  
Low Pressure ◽  
Bypass Transition ◽  
Hot Wire ◽  
Integral Boundary ◽  
Low Reynolds Numbers ◽  
Tomographic Piv ◽  
Low Reynolds

Low pressure turbines of small and medium sized engines may operate at very low Reynolds numbers. In consequence transition is delayed to an extend where laminar separation, detached transition and reattachment occur. The wakes from upstream blade rows lead to overall high turbulence levels which play a key role in the transition process. Freestream eddies buffeting the laminar boundary layer induce streamwise vortices known as Klebanoff Modes. To investigate this type of flow a flat plate was exposed to a pressure distribution. It is based on the PAK-B suction side and was created by a contoured wall facing the plate. The PAK-B is a Pratt & Whitney design and a Mach number scaled version of a highly aft loaded low pressure turbine airfoil. Due to the latter it suffers from a large separation bubble at low Reynolds numbers. The flow has been intensively investigated by hot-wire anemometry with a very high spatial resolution. This allows obtaining very precise information about the location of characteristic flow areas; for instance the separation and reattachment positions. Based on this information, Tomographic PIV was employed to expose detailed features in specific areas of the flow field. This technique provides the velocity vector information inside a flow volume. It complements hot-wire results, which give a time resolved information but only planar velocity magnitudes. Combining these techniques and comparing their results is therefore an excellent way to raise the physical understanding of the flow behaviour. This has been done using velocity profiles, skin friction coefficients and integral boundary layer parameters. As the 3D-PIV information allows calculation of derived quantities, like the vector field rotation, a picture of the coherent structures can be drawn.

Prediction of the Unsteady Transition Behavior in Low Pressure Turbine Flows Using Time and Frequency Domain Methods

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jan Ph. Heners ◽  
Christoph Müller-Schindewolffs ◽  
Frederik Blum ◽  
Damian M. Vogt
Keyword(s):  
Boundary Layer ◽  
Frequency Domain ◽  
Harmonic Balance ◽  
Measurement Data ◽  
Suction Side ◽  
Low Pressure ◽  
Numerical Results ◽  
Low Pressure Turbine ◽  
Transition Behavior ◽  
Stator Vane

Abstract The transient transition behavior of a two-stage low pressure turbine rig facility is investigated in terms of numerical studies. The surface of a second stage stator vane is equipped with a thin film sensor array along its suction side providing time-resolved measurement data of the underlying boundary layer. The measurement data indicate a laminar behavior over the accelerated region of the stator vane. At the decelerated region close to the vane’s trailing edge, alternating transition mechanisms of both bypass and separation induced transition combined with subsequent reattachment can be observed. The measurement data in combination with numerical results from a time-marching full-wheel simulation are used to assess the results from an unsteady flow simulation based on the harmonic balance approach in the frequency domain. For both time and frequency domain simulations, the turbulence behavior is considered by application of Wilcox’ k–ω two equation model in combination with Menter and Langtrys γ-Reθ transition model. The numerical results regarding transient distributions of intermittency and associated shape factor of the boundary layer are compared with proper measurement quantities in order to evaluate the capability of the applied harmonic balance solver to predict the unsteady transition behavior over the investigated vane’s suction side.

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