Investigation of Separation Control in Low Pressure Turbine Using Pulsed Vortex Generator Jets

2006 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nathan Woods ◽  
Isaac Boxx ◽  
Rolf Sondergaard ◽  
M. McQuilling ◽  
Mitch Wolff
Keyword(s):  
Vortex Generator ◽  
Low Pressure ◽  
Separation Control ◽  
Low Pressure Turbine ◽  
Vortex Generator Jets

Experimental and Computational Investigations of Low-Pressure Turbine Separation Control Using Vortex Generator Jets

2009 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ralph J. Volino ◽  
Olga Kartuzova ◽  
Mounir B. Ibrahim
Keyword(s):  
Boundary Layer ◽  
Flow Control ◽  
Total Pressure ◽  
Vortex Generator ◽  
Reynolds Numbers ◽  
Low Pressure ◽  
Separation Control ◽  
Airfoil Surface ◽  
Low Pressure Turbine ◽  
Vortex Generator Jets

Boundary layer separation control has been studied using vortex generator jets (VGJs) on a very high lift, low-pressure turbine airfoil. Experiments were done under low freestream turbulence conditions on a linear cascade in a low speed wind tunnel. Pressure surveys on the airfoil surface and downstream total pressure loss surveys were documented. Cases were considered at Reynolds numbers (based on the suction surface length and the nominal exit velocity from the cascade) of 25,000, 50,000 and 100,000. Jet pulsing frequency, duty cycle, and blowing ratio were all varied. In all cases without flow control, the boundary layer separated and did not reattach. With the VGJs, separation control was possible even at the lowest Reynolds number. Pulsed VGJs were more effective than steady jets. At sufficiently high pulsing frequencies, separation control was possible even with low jet velocities and low duty cycles. At lower frequencies, higher jet velocity was required, particularly at low Reynolds numbers. Effective separation control resulted in an increase in lift of up to 20% and a reduction in total pressure losses of up to 70%. Simulations of the flow using an unsteady RANS code with the four equation Transition-sst model produced good agreement with experiments in cases without flow control, correctly predicting separation, transition and reattachment. In cases with VGJs, however, the CFD did not predict the reattachment observed in the experiments.

Numerical Investigations of Flow Separation Control for a Low Pressure Turbine Blade Using Steady and Pulsed Vortex Generator Jets

2010 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiaomin Liu ◽  
Haiyang Zhou
Keyword(s):  
Turbine Blade ◽  
Flow Separation ◽  
Vortex Generator ◽  
Suction Side ◽  
Low Pressure ◽  
Pulse Frequency ◽  
Separation Control ◽  
Flow Separation Control ◽  
Low Pressure Turbine ◽  
Vortex Generator Jets

This paper investigated numerically the application of Vortex Generator Jets (VGJs) to control flow separation on the suction side of a low pressure turbine blade. Firstly, numerical simulations of flow separation for a LPT blade, which based on Menter’s SST k-ω turbulence model coupled with Langtry-Menter transition model, were performed for different Reynolds numbers Re∼100,000, 75,000, 50,000 and 25,000, for three freestream turbulence intensity (FSTI) of 0.08%, 2.35% and 6.0%. The pressure distributions around the turbine blade and streamline plots showing the flow separation were presented in this paper. Good agreement of the numerical and experimental results also showed the validity of the numerical scheme for simulating the flow separation occurring on a low pressure turbine blade. And then, steady Vortex Generator Jets (steady VGJs) having pitch angle of 30°, skew angle of 90°, blowing ratio of 2.0 were used to control the flow separation in the suction side of the low pressure turbine blade. Although steady VGJs have been illustrated to be extremely robust at suppressing low Reynolds number separation, the practical application of VGJs in the low pressure turbine engine is in the pulsed mode. The injection mass flow requirements of pulsed Vortex Generator Jets (pulsed VGJs) can be reduced drastically when similar flow control effect is obtained using steady VGJs. For pulsed VGJs, the pulse frequency has been found to be an important control parameter for the flow separation control. In this paper, cases with the duty cycle of 0.5 were studied for the pulse frequency ranging from 2.5Hz to 10Hz at Re = 25,000 and freestream turbulence level of 0.08%. The numerical results showed that pulsed VGJs can effectively reduce and even eliminate the flow separation on the blade suction surface while there is an optimal pulse frequency. The flow control mechanism of VGJs on LPT blade was also revealed.

Separation Control on Low-Pressure Turbine Airfoils Using Synthetic Vortex Generator Jets

2003 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ralph J. Volino
Keyword(s):  
Boundary Layer ◽  
Vortex Generator ◽  
Low Pressure ◽  
Turbulent Shear ◽  
Suction Surface ◽  
Local Skin ◽  
Free Stream Turbulence ◽  
Low Pressure Turbine ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Vortex Generator Jets

Oscillating vortex generator jets have been used to control boundary layer separation from the suction side of a low-pressure turbine airfoil. A low Reynolds number (Re = 25,000) case with low free-stream turbulence has been investigated with detailed measurements including profiles of mean and fluctuating velocity and turbulent shear stress. Ensemble averaged profiles are computed for times within the jet pulsing cycle, and integral parameters and local skin friction coefficients are computed from these profiles. The jets are injected into the mainflow at a compound angle through a spanwise row of holes in the suction surface. Preliminary tests showed that the jets were effective over a wide range of frequencies and amplitudes. Detailed tests were conducted with a maximum blowing ratio of 4.7 and a dimensionless oscillation frequency of 0.65. The outward pulse from the jets in each oscillation cycle causes a disturbance to move down the airfoil surface. The leading and trailing edge celerities for the disturbance match those expected for a turbulent spot. The disturbance is followed by a calmed region. Following the calmed region, the boundary layer does separate, but the separation bubble remains very thin. Results are compared to an uncontrolled baseline case in which the boundary layer separated and did not reattach, and a case controlled passively with a rectangular bar on the suction surface. The comparison indicates that losses will be substantially lower with the jets than in the baseline or passively controlled cases.

Control of Low-Pressure Turbine Separation Using Vortex-Generator Jets

2002 ◽  
Vol 18 (4) ◽  
pp. 889-895 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rolf Sondergaard ◽  
Richard B. Rivir ◽  
Jeffrey P. Bons
Keyword(s):  
Vortex Generator ◽  
Low Pressure ◽  
Low Pressure Turbine ◽  
Vortex Generator Jets

Separation Control on a Very High Lift Low Pressure Turbine Airfoil Using Pulsed Vortex Generator Jets

2011 ◽  
Vol 133 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ralph J. Volino ◽  
Olga Kartuzova ◽  
Mounir B. Ibrahim
Keyword(s):  
Boundary Layer ◽  
Total Pressure ◽  
Vortex Generator ◽  
Reynolds Numbers ◽  
Low Pressure ◽  
Separation Control ◽  
Suction Surface ◽  
High Lift ◽  
Low Pressure Turbine ◽  
Very High

Boundary layer separation control has been studied using vortex generator jets (VGJs) on a very high lift, low-pressure turbine airfoil. Experiments were done under high (4%) freestream turbulence conditions on a linear cascade in a low speed wind tunnel. Pressure surveys on the airfoil surface and downstream total pressure loss surveys were documented. Instantaneous velocity profile measurements were acquired in the suction surface boundary layer. Cases were considered at Reynolds numbers (based on the suction surface length and the nominal exit velocity from the cascade) of 25,000 and 50,000. Jet pulsing frequency, duty cycle, and blowing ratio were all varied. Computational results from a large eddy simulation of one case showed reattachment in agreement with the experiment. In cases without flow control, the boundary layer separated and did not reattach. With the VGJs, separation control was possible even at the lowest Reynolds number. Pulsed VGJs were more effective than steady jets. At sufficiently high pulsing frequencies, separation control was possible even with low jet velocities and low duty cycles. At lower frequencies, higher jet velocity was required, particularly at low Reynolds numbers. Effective separation control resulted in an increase in lift and a reduction in total pressure losses. Phase averaged velocity profiles and wavelet spectra of the velocity show the VGJ disturbance causes the boundary layer to reattach, but that it can reseparate between disturbances. When the disturbances occur at high enough frequency, the time available for separation is reduced, and the separation bubble remains closed at all times.

The Application of Flow Control to an Aft-Loaded Low Pressure Turbine Cascade With Unsteady Wakes

2011 ◽  
Vol 134 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeffrey P. Bons ◽  
Jon Pluim ◽  
Kyle Gompertz ◽  
Matthew Bloxham ◽  
John P. Clark
Keyword(s):  
Flow Control ◽  
Shear Layer ◽  
Pressure Loss ◽  
Total Pressure ◽  
Separation Zone ◽  
Vortex Generator ◽  
Low Pressure ◽  
Separation Control ◽  
Low Pressure Turbine ◽  
Separated Shear Layer

The synchronous application of flow control in the presence of unsteady wakes was studied on a highly loaded low pressure turbine blade. At low Reynolds numbers, the blade exhibits a nonreattaching separation bubble under steady flow conditions without upstream wakes. Unsteady wakes from an upstream vane row are simulated with a moving row of bars. The separation zone is modified substantially by the presence of unsteady wakes, producing a smaller separation zone and reducing the area-averaged wake total pressure loss by more than 50%. The wake disturbance accelerates transition in the separated shear layer but stops short of reattaching the flow. Rather, a new time-averaged equilibrium location is established for the separated shear layer. The focus of this study was the application of pulsed flow control using two spanwise rows of discrete vortex generator jets. The jets were located at 59% Cx, approximately the peak cp location, and at 72% Cx. The most effective separation control was achieved at the upstream location. The wake total pressure loss decreased 60% from the wake-only level and the cp distribution fully recovered its high Reynolds number shape. The jet disturbance dominates the dynamics of the separated shear layer, with the wake disturbance assuming a secondary role only. When the pulsed jet actuation was initiated at the downstream location, synchronizing the jet to actuate between wake events was key to producing the most effective separation control. Evidence suggests that flow control using vortex generator jets (VGJs) will be effective in the highly unsteady low pressure turbine environment of an operating gas turbine, provided the VGJ location and amplitude are adapted for the specific blade profile.

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