scholarly journals Large Eddy Simulations of Strongly Non-Ideal Compressible Flows through a Transonic Cascade

Energies ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (3) ◽  
pp. 772
Author(s):  
Jean-Christophe Hoarau ◽  
Paola Cinnella ◽  
Xavier Gloerfelt

Transonic flows of a molecularly complex organic fluid through a stator cascade were investigated by means of large eddy simulations (LESs). The selected configuration was considered as representative of the high-pressure stages of high-temperature Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC) axial turbines, which may exhibit significant non-ideal gas effects. A heavy fluorocarbon, perhydrophenanthrene (PP11), was selected as the working fluid to exacerbate deviations from the ideal flow behavior. The LESs were carried out at various operating conditions (pressure ratio and total conditions at inlet), and their influence on compressibility and viscous effects is discussed. The complex thermodynamic behavior of the fluid generates highly non-ideal shock systems at the blade trailing edge. These are shown to undergo complex interactions with the transitional viscous boundary layers and wakes, with an impact on the loss mechanisms and predicted loss coefficients compared to lower-fidelity models relying on the Reynolds-averaged Navier–Stokes (RANS) equations.

Author(s):  
L. Sciacovelli ◽  
P. Cinnella

Transonic flows through axial, multistage, transcritical organic rankine cycle (ORC) turbines are investigated by using a numerical solver including advanced multiparameter equations of state and a high-order discretization scheme. The working fluids in use are the refrigerants R134a and R245fa, classified as dense gases due to their complex molecules and relatively high molecular weight. Both inviscid and viscous numerical simulations are carried out to quantify the impact of dense gas effects and viscous effects on turbine performance. Both supercritical and subcritical inlet conditions are studied for the considered working fluids. In the former case, flow across the turbine is transcritical, since turbine output pressure is subcritical. Numerical results show that, due to dense gas effects characterizing the flow at supercritical inlet conditions, supercritical ORC turbines enable, for a given pressure ratio, a higher isentropic efficiency than subcritical turbines using the same working fluid. Moreover, for the selected operating conditions, R134a provides a better performance than R245fa.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (5) ◽  
pp. 1984
Author(s):  
Ramin Moradi ◽  
Emanuele Habib ◽  
Enrico Bocci ◽  
Luca Cioccolanti

Organic Rankine cycle (ORC) systems are some of the most suitable technologies to produce electricity from low-temperature waste heat. In this study, a non-regenerative, micro-scale ORC system was tested in off-design conditions using R134a as the working fluid. The experimental data were then used to tune the semi-empirical models of the main components of the system. Eventually, the models were used in a component-oriented system solver to map the system electric performance at varying operating conditions. The analysis highlighted the non-negligible impact of the plunger pump on the system performance Indeed, the experimental results showed that the low pump efficiency in the investigated operating range can lead to negative net electric power in some working conditions. For most data points, the expander and the pump isentropic efficiencies are found in the approximate ranges of 35% to 55% and 17% to 34%, respectively. Furthermore, the maximum net electric power was about 200 W with a net electric efficiency of about 1.2%, thus also stressing the importance of a proper selection of the pump for waste heat recovery applications.


Author(s):  
Fredrik Ahlgren ◽  
Maria E. Mondejar ◽  
Magnus Genrup ◽  
Marcus Thern

Maritime transportation is a significant contributor to SOx, NOx and particle matter emissions, even though it has a quite low CO2 impact. New regulations are being enforced in special areas that limit the amount of emissions from the ships. This fact, together with the high fuel prices, is driving the marine industry towards the improvement of the energy efficiency of current ship engines and the reduction of their energy demand. Although more sophisticated and complex engine designs can improve significantly the efficiency of the energy systems in ships, waste heat recovery arises as the most influent technique for the reduction of the energy consumption. In this sense, it is estimated that around 50% of the total energy from the fuel consumed in a ship is wasted and rejected in fluid and exhaust gas streams. The primary heat sources for waste heat recovery are the engine exhaust and the engine coolant. In this work, we present a study on the integration of an organic Rankine cycle (ORC) in an existing ship, for the recovery of the main and auxiliary engines exhaust heat. Experimental data from the operating conditions of the engines on the M/S Birka Stockholm cruise ship were logged during a port-to-port cruise from Stockholm to Mariehamn over a period of time close to one month. The ship has four main engines Wärtsilä 5850 kW for propulsion, and four auxiliary engines 2760 kW used for electrical consumers. A number of six load conditions were identified depending on the vessel speed. The speed range from 12–14 knots was considered as the design condition, as it was present during more than 34% of the time. In this study, the average values of the engines exhaust temperatures and mass flow rates, for each load case, were used as inputs for a model of an ORC. The main parameters of the ORC, including working fluid and turbine configuration, were optimized based on the criteria of maximum net power output and compactness of the installation components. Results from the study showed that an ORC with internal regeneration using benzene would yield the greatest average net power output over the operating time. For this situation, the power production of the ORC would represent about 22% of the total electricity consumption on board. These data confirmed the ORC as a feasible and promising technology for the reduction of fuel consumption and CO2 emissions of existing ships.


Author(s):  
Concepción Paz ◽  
Eduardo Suarez ◽  
Miguel Concheiro ◽  
Antonio Diaz

Waste heat dissipated in the exhaust system in a combustion engine represents a major source of energy to be recovered and converted into useful work. A waste heat recovery system (WHRS) based on an Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC) is a promising approach, and has gained interest in the last few years in an automotive industry interested in reducing fuel consumption and exhaust emissions. Understanding the thermodynamic response of the boiler employed in an ORC plays an important role in steam cycle performance prediction and control system design. The aim of this study is therefore to present a methodology to study these devices by means of pattern recognition with infrared thermography. In addition, the experimental test bench and its operating conditions are described. The methodology proposed identifies the wall coordinates, traces paths, and tracks wall temperature along them in a way that can be exported for subsequent post-processing and analysis. As for the results, through the wall temperature paths on both sides (exhaust gas and working fluid) it was possible to quantitatively estimate the temperature evolution along the boiler and, in particular, the beginning and end of evaporation.


Author(s):  
Alessio Pappa ◽  
Laurent Bricteux ◽  
Pierre Bénard ◽  
Ward De Paepe

Abstract Considering the growing interest in Power-to-Fuel, i.e. production of H2 using electrolysis to store excess renewable electricity, combustion-based technologies still have a role to play in the future of power generation. Especially in a decentralized production with small-scale cogeneration, micro Gas Turbines (mGTs) offer great advantages related to their high adaptability and flexibility, in terms of operation and fuel. Hydrogen (or hydrogen enriched methane) combustion is well-known to lead to flame and combustion instabilities. The high temperatures and reaction rates reached in the combustor can potentially lead to flashback. In the past, combustion air humidification (i.e. water addition) has proven effective to reduce temperatures and reaction rates, leading to significant NOx emission reductions. Therefore, combustion air humidification can open a path to stabilize hydrogen combustion in a classical mGT combustor. However accurate data assessing the impact of humidification on the combustion is still missing for real mGT combustor geometries and operating conditions. In this framework, this paper presents a comparison between pure methane and hydrogen enriched methane/air combustions, with and without combustion air humidification, in a typical mGT combustion chamber (Turbec T100) using Large Eddy Simulations (LES) analysis. In a first step, the necessary minimal water dilution, to reach stable and low emissions combustion with hydrogen, was assessed using a 1D approach. The one-dimensional unstretched laminar flame is computed for both pure methane (reference case) and hydrogen enriched methane/air combustion cases. The results of this comparison show that, for the hydrogen enriched combustion, the same level of flame speed as in the reference case can be reached by adding 10% (in mass fraction) of water. In a second step, the feasibility and flexibility of humidified hydrogen enriched methane/air combustion in an industrial mGT combustor have been demonstrated by performing high fidelity LES on a 3D geometry. Results show that steam dilution helped to lower the reactivity of hydrogen, and thus prevents flashback, enabling the use of hydrogen blends in the mGT at similar CO levels, compared to the reference case. These results will help to design future combustor towards more stability.


Author(s):  
Alessio Pappa ◽  
Laurent Bricteux ◽  
Pierre Bénard ◽  
Ward De Paepe

Abstract Considering the growing interest in Power-to-Fuel, i.e. production of H2 using electrolysis to store excess renewable electricity, combustion-based technologies still have a role to play in the future of power generation. Hydrogen combustion is well-known to lead to combustion instabilities. The high temperatures and reaction rates can potentially lead to flashback. In the past, combustion air humidification has proven effective to reduce temperatures and reaction rates. Therefore, humidification can open a path to stabilize hydrogen combustion. However, accurate data assessing the impact of humidification on the combustion is still missing for real mGT combustor geometries and operating conditions. This paper presents a comparison between pure methane and hydrogen enriched methane/air combustions, with and without air humidification, in a typical mGT combustion chamber (Turbec T100) using Large Eddy Simulations analysis. In a first step, the necessary minimal water dilution, to reach stable combustion with hydrogen, was assessed using a 1D approach. The one-dimensional unstretched laminar flame is computed for both pure methane (reference case) and hydrogen enriched cases. The results of this comparison show that the same level of flame speed as in the reference case can be reached by adding 10% (in mass fraction) of water. In a second step, high fidelity LES on the 3D geometry are performed to show that water dilution helped to lower the temperature and reaction rate of hydrogen at same levels as reference case, and thus prevents flashback, enabling the use of hydrogen blends in the mGT.


Author(s):  
Vamshi Krishna Avadhanula ◽  
Chuen-Sen Lin

The screw expander discussed in this work was part of a 50 kW organic Rankine cycle (ORC) system. The ORC was tested under different conditions in heat source and heat sink. In conjunction with collecting data for the ORC system, experimental data were also collected for the individual components of the ORC, viz. evaporator, preheater, screw expander, working fluid pump, and condenser. Experimental data for the screw expander were used to develop the two empirical models discussed in this paper for estimating screw expander performance. As the physical parameters of the screw expander discussed in this article are not known, a “black-box” approach was followed to estimate screw expander power output, based on expander inlet and outlet pressure and temperature data. Refrigerant R245fa was used as the working fluid in the ORC. The experimental data showed that the screw expander had ranges of pressure ratio (2.70 to 6.54), volume ratio (2.54 to 6.20), and power output (10 to 51.5 kW). Of the two empirical models, the first model is based on the polytropic expansion process, in which an expression for the polytropic exponent is found by applying regression curve-fitting analysis as a function of the expander pressure ratio and volume ratio. In the second model, an expression for screw expander work output is found by applying regression curve-fitting analysis as a function of the expander isentropic work output. The predicted screw expander power output using the polytropic exponent model was within ±10% of experimental values; the predicted screw expander power output using the isentropic work output model was within ±7.5% of experimental values.


Author(s):  
Mauro Reini

In recent years, a big effort has been made to improve microturbines thermal efficiency, in order to approach 40%. Two main options may be considered: i) a wide usage of advanced materials for hot ends components, like impeller and recuperator; ii) implementing more complicated thermodynamic cycle, like combined cycle. In the frame of the second option, the paper deals with the hypothesis of bottoming a low pressure ratio, recuperated gas cycle, typically realized in actual microturbines, with an Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC). The object is to evaluate the expected nominal performance parameters of the integrated-combined cycle cogeneration system, taking account of different options for working fluid, vapor pressure and component’s performance parameters. Both options of recuperated and not recuperated bottom cycles are discussed, in relation with ORC working fluid nature and possible stack temperature for microturbine exhaust gases. Finally, some preliminary consideration about the arrangement of the combined cycle unit, and the effects of possible future progress of gas cycle microturbines are presented.


Author(s):  
Soizic Esnault ◽  
Florent Duchaine ◽  
Laurent Gicquel

Abstract Synthetic jets are produced by devices that enable a suction phase followed by an ejection phase. The resulting mean mass budget is hence null and no addition of mass in the system is required. These particular jets have especially been considered for some years for flow control applications. They also display features that can become of interest to enhance heat exchanges, for example for wall cooling issues. Synthetic jets can be generated through different mechanisms, such as acoustics by making use of a Helmholtz resonator or through the motion of a piston as in an experience mounted at Institut Pprime in France. The objective of this specific experiment is to understand how synthetic jets can enhance heat transfer in a multi-perforated configuration. As a complement to this experimental set up, Large-Eddy Simulations are produced and analysed in the present document to investigate the flow behavior as well as the impact of the synthetic jets on wall heat transfer. The experimental system considered here consists in a perforated heated plate, each perforation being above a cavity where a piston is used to control the synthetic jets. Placed in a wind tunnel test section, the device can be studied with a grazing flow and multiple operating points are available. The one considered here implies a grazing flow velocity of 12.8 m.s−1, corresponding to a Mach number around 0.04, and a piston displacement of 22 mm peak-to-peak at a frequency of 12.8 Hz. These two latter parameters lead to a jet Reynolds number of about 830. A good agreement is found between numerical results and experimental data. The simulations are then used to provide a detailed understanding of the flow. Two main behaviours are found, depending on the considered mid-period. During the ejection phase, the flow transitions to turbulence and the formation of characteristic structures is observed; the plate is efficiently cooled. During the suction phase the main flow is stabilised; the heat enhancement is particularly efficient in the hole wakes but not between them, leading to a heterogeneous temperature field.


2016 ◽  
Vol 139 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
German Amador Diaz ◽  
Jorge Duarte Forero ◽  
Jesus Garcia ◽  
Adriana Rincon ◽  
Armando Fontalvo ◽  
...  

The application of equilibrium thermodynamics in the study of thermal plant performance under real operating conditions is a constant challenge. In this paper, an analysis of a reservoir pressure piston working between two linear flow resistances is performed by considering the friction of the piston cylinder system on the walls. The proposed model is developed to obtain the optimum power output and speed of the piston in terms of first law efficiency. If the friction on the piston–cylinder assembly is neglected, the expressions obtained are consistent with those presented in the literature under laminar regime. It was also demonstrated that for both laminar and turbulent regimes with overall size constraints, the power delivered can be maximized by balancing the upstream and downstream flow resistances of the piston. This paper also evaluated the influence of the overall size constraints and flow regime on the performance of the piston cylinder. This analysis is equivalent to evaluate the irreversibilities in an endo-irreversible Carnot heat engine with heat loss resistance between the engine and its heat reservoirs. The proposed model introduced some modifications to the results obtained from the recent literature and led to important conclusions. Finally, the proposed model was applied to calculate the lost available work in a turbine operating at steady flow conditions with an ideal gas as working fluid.


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