scholarly journals Unsteady flow mechanisms in the last stage of a transonic low pressure steam turbine—multistage effects and tip leakage flows

2017 ◽  
Vol 1 ◽  
pp. F4IW8S
Author(s):  
Ilias Papagiannis ◽  
Asad Raheem ◽  
Altug Basol ◽  
Anestis Kalfas ◽  
Reza Abhari ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Shock Wave ◽  
Steam Turbine ◽  
Leading Edge ◽  
Bow Shock ◽  
Leakage Flow ◽  
Tip Leakage Flow ◽  
Tip Leakage ◽  
Bow Shock Wave ◽  
Last Stage ◽  
Two Stages

Abstract In this paper, an unsteady investigation of the last two stages of a low-pressure steam turbine with supersonic airfoils near the tip of the last stage’s rotor blade is presented. Goal is the investigation of multistage effects and tip leakage flow in the last stage of the turbine and to provide insight on the stator-rotor flow interaction in the presence of a bow-shock wave. This study is unique in a sense of combining experimental data for code validation and comparison with a numerical simulation of the last two stages of a real steam turbine, including tip-cavity paths and seals, steam modelling and experimental data used as inlet and outlet boundary conditions. Analysis of results shows high unsteadiness close to the tip of the last stage, due to the presence of a bow-shock wave upstream of the rotor blade leading edge and its interaction with the upstream stator blades, but no boundary layer separation on stator is detected at any instant in time. The intensity of the shock wave is weakest, when the axial distance of the rotor leading edge from the upstream stator trailing edge is largest, since it has more space available to weaken. However, a phase shift between the maximum values of static pressure along the suction side of the stator blade is identified, due to the shock wave moving with the rotor blades. Additionally, the bow-shock wave interacts with the blade shroud and the tip leakage flow. Despite the interaction with the incoming flow, the total tip leakage mass flow ingested in the tip-cavity shows a steady behaviour with extremely low fluctuations in time. Finally, traces of upstream stage’s leakage flow have been identified in the last stage, contributing to entropy generation in inlet and outlet of last stage’s stator blade, highlighting the importance of performing multistage simulations.

Investigation of Tip Clearance Flow Effects on an Open 3D Steam Turbine Flutter Test Case

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tianrui Sun ◽  
Paul Petrie-Repar ◽  
Di Qi
Keyword(s):  
Steam Turbine ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Numerical Models ◽  
Leading Edge ◽  
Tip Clearance ◽  
Leakage Flow ◽  
Steam Turbines ◽  
Tip Leakage Flow ◽  
Tip Leakage ◽  
Last Stage

Blade failure caused by flutter is a major problem in the last stage of modern steam turbines. It is because rotor at this stage always has a large scale in spanwise, which provides low structural frequency as well as supersonic tip speeds. Since most of the unsteady aerodynamic work is done in the tip region, transonic tip-leakage flow that influences the tip region flow could have a remarkable effect on the aerodynamic stability of rotor blades. However, few research had been done on the tip-leakage flow influence on flutter characteristic based on full-scale steam turbine numerical models. In this paper, an open 3D steam turbine stage model designed by Durham University was applied, which was widely analyzed and representative for the last stage of modern industrial steam turbines. The average Mach number at the rotor outlet is 1.1. URANS simulation carried by both numerical software CFX and LUFT code is applied, and the two solvers show an agreement on steady and unsteady results. The numerical results indicate that the influence of tip leakage flow on blade stability is based on two types of flow mechanisms. Both mechanisms act on the suction side of near tip region. The first type of mechanism is produced by the reduction of passage shock near the leading edge, and the other type of mechanism at the rear of blade is caused by the interaction between tip leakage vortex and trailing edge shock of the neighbor blade. In conclusion, tip leakage flow has a significant influence on steam turbine flutter boundary prediction and requires further analysis in the future.

scholarly journals Effects of Tip Leakage Flow on the Aerodynamic Performance and Stability of an Axial-Flow Transonic Compressor Stage

Energies ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (14) ◽  
pp. 4168
Author(s):  
Botao Zhang ◽  
Xiaochen Mao ◽  
Xiaoxiong Wu ◽  
Bo Liu
Keyword(s):  
Boundary Layer ◽  
Shock Wave ◽  
Axial Flow ◽  
Leading Edge ◽  
Rotating Stall ◽  
Tip Clearance ◽  
Leakage Flow ◽  
Tip Leakage Flow ◽  
Tip Leakage ◽  
Transonic Compressor

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.

Analysis on the unsteady flow structures in the tip region of axial compressor

2021 ◽  
pp. 095765092199511
Author(s):  
Mo-Ru Song ◽  
Bo Yang
Keyword(s):  
Shock Wave ◽  
Axial Compressor ◽  
Leading Edge ◽  
Main Flow ◽  
The Self ◽  
Leakage Flow ◽  
Tip Leakage Flow ◽  
Low Velocity ◽  
Tip Leakage ◽  
Unsteady Characteristics

The unsteady characteristic in the tip region of an axial compressor has been numerically studied with the help of the dynamic mode decomposition analysis. The characteristics of frequency and dynamic modes are compared and discussed under different operating points and different parameters, such as tip clearance and rotating speeds. For the flowfield structures in the tip region, such as tip leakage flow, separation flow and shock wave, their relationships with the unsteadiness are studied in detail. Except for the unsteadiness caused by the interaction between rotating rotor and the stationary boundaries, it is found that the unsteadiness is attributed to the moving of the low-velocity cell. Based on the generation and the development of the low-velocity cell, the unsteady characteristics in tip region are divided into 4 types: BPF-dominated, shedding-dominated, self-induced and separation-dominated. When the tip leakage flow is weak, the unsteadiness in the tip region is only triggered by the blade sweeping. As the tip leakage flow gets stronger to a certain extent, the low-velocity cell is shed into the flow passage and mixed with the main-flow. When the main-flow is weaker under the low flowrate condition, the interaction between the low-velocity cell and the pressure side occurs and generates a new low-velocity cell near the leading-edge of the neighboring blade. The frequency of the new cell generation is actually the self-induced frequency. In the zero and small clearance model, the low-velocity is shed by the separation in the leading-edge and the casing-suction corner. By understanding these unsteady characteristics, the change tendency of the leading frequency in the rotor tip is easily explained and forecasted. Furthermore, under the transonic operation condition, the low-velocity cell is decelerated and eliminated by the shock wave in the unsteadiness of the self-induced type and the separation-dominated type, respectively. Thus, the leading frequency in the tip flow field is moderated.

Tip Leakage Flow Instability in a Centrifugal Compressor

2021 ◽  
Vol 143 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Teng Cao ◽  
Tadashi Kanzaka ◽  
Liping Xu ◽  
Tobias Brandvik
Keyword(s):  
Shear Layer ◽  
Centrifugal Compressor ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Flow Instability ◽  
Leading Edge ◽  
Main Stream ◽  
Leakage Flow ◽  
Tip Leakage Flow ◽  
Unstable Flow ◽  
Tip Leakage

Abstract In this paper, an unsteady tip leakage flow phenomenon is identified and investigated in a centrifugal compressor with a vaneless diffuser at near-stall conditions. This phenomenon is associated with the inception of a rotating instability in the compressor. The study is based on numerical simulations that are supported by experimental measurements. The study confirms that the unstable flow is governed by a Kelvin–Helmholtz type instability of the shear layer formed between the main-stream flow and the tip leakage flow. The shear layer instability induces large-scale vortex roll-up and forms vortex tubes, which propagate circumferentially, resulting in measured pressure fluctuations with short wavelength and high amplitude which rotate at about half of the blade speed. The 3D vortex tube is also found to interact with the main blade leading edge, causing the reduction of the blade loading identified in the experiment. The paper also reveals that the downstream volute imposes a once-per-rev circumferential nonuniform back pressure at the impeller exit, inducing circumferential loading variation at the impeller inducer, and causing circumferential variation in the unsteady tip leakage flow.

Influence of different blade numbers on the performance of “saddle zone” in a mixed flow pump

2021 ◽  
pp. 095765092110460
Author(s):  
Leilei Ji ◽  
Wei Li ◽  
Weidong Shi ◽  
Fei Tian ◽  
Shuo Li ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Flow Field ◽  
Leading Edge ◽  
Leakage Flow ◽  
Tip Leakage Flow ◽  
Mixed Flow ◽  
Impeller Blade ◽  
Flow Angle ◽  
Tip Leakage ◽  
Vorticity Transport ◽  
Flow Pump

In order to study the effect of different numbers of impeller blades on the performance of mixed-flow pump “saddle zone”, the external characteristic test and numerical simulation of mixed-flow pumps with three different impeller blade numbers were carried out. Based on high-precision numerical prediction, the internal flow field and tip leakage flow field of mixed flow pump under design conditions and stall conditions are investigated. By studying the vorticity transport in the stall flow field, the specific location of the high loss area inside the mixed flow pump impeller with different numbers of blades is located. The research results show that the increase in the number of impeller blades improve the pump head and efficiency under design conditions. Compared to the 4-blade impeller, the head and efficiency of the 5-blade impeller are increased by 5.4% and 21.9% respectively. However, the increase in the number of blades also leads to the widening of the “saddle area” of the mixed-flow pump, which leads to the early occurrence of stall and increases the instability of the mixed-flow pump. As the mixed-flow pump enters the stall condition, the inlet of the mixed-flow pump has a spiral swirl structure near the end wall for different blade numbers, but the depth and range of the swirling flow are different due to the change in the number of blades. At the same time, the change in the number of blades also makes the flow angle at 75% span change significantly, but the flow angle at 95% span is not much different because the tip leakage flow recirculates at the leading edge. Through the analysis of the vorticity transport results in the impeller with different numbers of blades, it is found that the reasons for the increase in the values of the vorticity transport in the stall condition are mainly impacted by the swirl flow at the impeller inlet, the tip leakage flow at the leading edge and the increased unsteady flow structures.

Effect of Airfoil Vortex Generator on the Performance and Stability of a Transonic Axial Compressor

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Subbaramu Shivaramaiah ◽  
Mahesh K. Varpe
Keyword(s):  
Pressure Ratio ◽  
Research Work ◽  
Vortex Generator ◽  
Leading Edge ◽  
Leakage Flow ◽  
Compressor Stage ◽  
Tip Leakage Flow ◽  
Stall Margin ◽  
Tip Leakage ◽  
Transonic Compressor

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.

Contributions of Tip Leakage and Inlet Diffusion on Inducer Backflow

2019 ◽  
Vol 141 (12) ◽  
Author(s):  
D. Tate Fanning ◽  
Steven E. Gorrell ◽  
Daniel Maynes ◽  
Kerry Oliphant
Keyword(s):  
Leading Edge ◽  
Tip Clearance ◽  
Tip Vortex ◽  
Low Flow ◽  
Leakage Flow ◽  
Tip Leakage Flow ◽  
Tip Leakage ◽  
Flow Recirculation ◽  
Computational Fluid Dynamics Simulations ◽  
Dynamics Simulations

Inducers are used as a first stage in pumps to minimize cavitation and allow the pump to operate at lower inlet head conditions. Inlet flow recirculation or backflow in the inducer occurs at low flow conditions and can lead to instabilities and cavitation-induced head breakdown. Backflow of an inducer with a tip clearance (TC) of τ = 0.32% and with no tip clearance (NTC) is examined with a series of computational fluid dynamics simulations. Removing the TC eliminates tip leakage flow; however, backflow is still observed. In fact, the NTC case showed a 37% increase in the length of the upstream backflow penetration. Tip leakage flow does instigate a smaller secondary leading edge tip vortex that is separate from the much larger backflow structure. A comprehensive analysis of these simulations suggests that blade inlet diffusion, not tip leakage flow, is the fundamental mechanism leading to the formation of backflow.

Study on Leakage Loss Control Method of Circumferential Bending Clearance

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shuai Jiang ◽  
Fu Chen ◽  
Jianyang Yu ◽  
Shaowen Chen ◽  
Yanping Song
Keyword(s):  
Control Method ◽  
Incidence Angle ◽  
Leading Edge ◽  
Blocking Effect ◽  
Field Analysis ◽  
Leakage Flow ◽  
Turbine Cascade ◽  
Tip Leakage Flow ◽  
Control Effect ◽  
Tip Leakage

Abstract The concept of circumferential bending clearance based on Gauss Bimodal Function is proposed to suppress tip leakage flow (TLF) in a highly-loaded turbine cascade. In this method, a new vortex (BV) can be induced to mix with TLV in the middle of tip region and block the development of tip leakage vortex (TLV). Since the blocking effect divides the TLV into two parts, the tip leakage rate and loss of TLF can be reduced significantly. In order to reveal the mechanisms of blocking effect on leakage flow and its influencing factors, the research numerically investigates the effects of environmental conditions on the TLF development in a turbine cascade. The flow field analysis of the optimal bending clearance is in the first place, and then the effects of clearance heights (δ) and incidence angles (α) on the TLF characteristic and loss are investigated respectively. Results indicate that the blocking effect has a close relationship with the TLF characteristic, which can be divided into the BV migration, TLV-2 location and blocking loss. The nearer distance to the leading edge (LE) and farther distance to the suction side (SS) of BV means a less loss of TLF in bending clearance cases. The further distance away from blade tip and SS of TLV-2 means a larger-scale vortex with more loss. The additional loss in blocking region expands constantly with the increase of clearance height and incidence angle. The bending clearance has limited control effect on TLF with the variation of clearance height, especially the loss increases in Case 2%H. However, it has a strong adaptability with the change of incidence angle, the relative total pressure loss drops up to 16% in Case −5°.

Stall Inception and Development Process Due to Tip Leakage Flow in Axial Compressor Rotor Blades Row

2014 ◽  
Vol 30 (3) ◽  
pp. 307-313 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. Taghavi-Zenou ◽  
S. Abbasi ◽  
S. Eslami
Keyword(s):  
Mass Flow Rate ◽  
Mass Flow ◽  
Flow Rate ◽  
Axial Compressor ◽  
Leading Edge ◽  
Rotor Blades ◽  
Leakage Flow ◽  
Tip Leakage Flow ◽  
Tip Leakage ◽  
Compressor Rotor

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.

Squealer Tip Leakage Flow Characteristics in Transonic Condition

2013 ◽  
Vol 136 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Wei Li ◽  
Hongmei Jiang ◽  
Qiang Zhang ◽  
Sang Woo Lee
Keyword(s):  
Flow Characteristics ◽  
Leading Edge ◽  
Flow Region ◽  
Suction Side ◽  
Leakage Flow ◽  
Tip Leakage Flow ◽  
Cavity Depth ◽  
Tip Leakage ◽  
Flow Flux ◽  
Subsonic Region

The over-tip-leakage (OTL) flow characteristics for a typical squealer tip of a high-pressure turbine blade, which consists of subsonic and transonic flow, have been numerically investigated in the present study, in comparison with the corresponding flat tip results. For the squealer tip employed, flow choking behavior still exists above the tip surface, even though the Mach number is lower and the transonic region is smaller than that for the flat tip. Detailed flow structure analysis shows that most of the fluid entering the squealer cavity is from the frontal leading edge region. The fluid migrates along the cavity and is ejected at various locations near the suction side rim. These fluids form a large subsonic flow zone under the supersonic flow passing over the tip gap which reduces the OTL flow flux. The squealer design works even in the presence of choked OTL flow. Comparisons between results from three different cavity depths with and without relative casing motion suggest that the over-tip-leakage flow flux has much dependence upon the cavity depth for the subsonic region, but is less sensitive to the depth for the transonic tip flow region. Such behavior has been confirmed with and without the existence of relative casing motion.

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