Computation of flow and heat transfer through channels with periodic dimple/protrusion walls using low-Reynolds number turbulence models

2019 ◽  
Vol 29 (3) ◽  
pp. 1178-1207 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mohammad Fazli ◽  
Mehrdad Raisee

PurposeThis paper aims to predict turbulent flow and heat transfer through different channels with periodic dimple/protrusion walls. More specifically, the performance of various low-Rek-ε turbulence models in prediction of local heat transfer coefficient is evaluated.Design/methodology/approachThree low-Re numberk-εturbulence models (the zonalk-ε, the lineark-εand the nonlineark-ε) are used. Computations are performed for three geometries, namely, a channel with a single dimpled wall, a channel with double dimpled walls and a channel with a single dimple/protrusion wall. The predictions are obtained using an in house finite volume code.FindingsThe numerical predictions indicate that the nonlineark-εmodel predicts a larger recirculation bubble inside the dimple with stronger impingement and upwash flow than the zonal and lineark-εmodels. The heat transfer results show that the zonalk-εmodel returns weak thermal predictions in all test cases in comparison to other turbulence models. Use of the lineark-εmodel leads to improvement in heat transfer predictions inside the dimples and their back rim. However, the most accurate thermal predictions are obtained via the nonlineark-εmodel. As expected, the replacement of the algebraic length-scale correction term with the differential version improves the heat transfer predictions of both linear and nonlineark-εmodels.Originality/valueThe most reliable turbulence model of the current study (i.e. nonlineark-εmodel) may be used for design and optimization of various thermal systems using dimples for heat transfer enhancement (e.g. heat exchangers and internal cooling system of gas turbine blades).

Author(s):  
Domenico Borello ◽  
Franco Rispoli ◽  
Ermanno Properzi ◽  
Alessandro Salvagni

A comprehensive model for the prediction of flows in rotating internal cooling channel application is here presented and assessed. The flow field was modelled by using a rotation-sensitized version of the well known k-ε-ζ-f elliptic relaxation model. Flow field features in selected planes are discussed to show the changes in velocity field due to the rotation. The discussion is focused on the increase of turbulence close to the ribbed (trailing) surface when rotation is present. In this case the increase of the wall normal pressure gradient leads to an early reattachment of the large recirculation bubble downstream from the rib and to an anticipated development of the boundary layer. Furthermore, Coriolis force enhances the secondary motion. Both phenomena increase mixing and are expected to also increase heat transfer efficiency of the heated surface. This is confirmed by the results of the temperature field. Comparisons with the available experimental results confirm the quality of the prediction.


Author(s):  
E. E. Donahoo ◽  
C. Camci ◽  
A. K. Kulkarni ◽  
A. D. Belegundu

There are many heat transfer augmentation methods that are employed in turbine blade design, such as impingement cooling, film cooling, serpentine passages, trip strips, vortex chambers, and pin fins. The use of crosspins in the trailing edge section of turbine blades is commonly a viable option due to their ability to promote turbulence as well as supply structural integrity and stiffness to the blade itself. Numerous crosspin shapes and arrangements are possible, but only certain configurations offer high heat transfer capability while maintaining taw total pressure loss. This study preseots results from 3-D numerical simulations of airflow through a turbine blade internal cooling passage. The simulations model viscous flow and heat transfer over full crosspins of circular cross-section with fixed height-to-diameter ratio of 0.5, fixed transverse-to-diameter spacing ratio of 1.5, and varying streamwise spacing. Preliminary analysis indicates that endwall effects dominate the flow and heat transfer at lower Reynolds numbers. The flow dynamics involved with the relative dose proximity of the endwalls for such short crosspins have a definite influeoce on crosspin efficiency for downstream rows.


Author(s):  
Bernhard Bonhoff ◽  
Uwe Tomm ◽  
Bruce V. Johnson

A computational study was performed for the flow and heat transfer in coolant passages with two legs connected with a U-bend and with dimensionless flow conditions typical of those in the internal cooling passages of turbine blades. The first model had smooth surfaces on all walls. The second model had opposing ribs staggered and angled at 45° to the main flow direction on two walls of the legs, corresponding to the coolant passage surfaces adjacent to the pressure and suction surfaces of a turbine airfoil. For the ribbed model, the ratio of rib height to duct hydraulic diameter equaled 0.1, and the ratio of rib spacing to rib height equaled 10. Comparisons of calculations with previous measurements are made for a Reynolds number of 25,000. With these conditions, the predicted heat transfer is known to be strongly influenced by the turbulence and wall models. The k-e model, the low Reynolds number RNG k-e and the differential Reynolds-stress model (RSM) were used for the smooth wall model calculation. Based on the results with the smooth walls, the calculations for the ribbed walls were performed using the RSM and k-e turbulence models. The high secondary flow induced by the ribs leads to an increased heat transfer in both legs. However, the heat transfer was nearly unchanged between the smooth wall model and the ribbed model within the bend region. The agreement between the predicted segment-averaged and previously-measured Nusselt numbers was good for both cases.


2013 ◽  
Vol 135 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sunil Patil ◽  
Danesh Tafti

Large eddy simulations of flow and heat transfer in a square ribbed duct with rib height to hydraulic diameter of 0.1 and 0.05 and rib pitch to rib height ratio of 10 and 20 are carried out with the near wall region being modeled with a zonal two layer model. A novel formulation is used for solving the turbulent boundary layer equation for the effective tangential velocity in a generalized co-ordinate system in the near wall zonal treatment. A methodology to model the heat transfer in the zonal near wall layer in the large eddy simulations (LES) framework is presented. This general approach is explained for both Dirichlet and Neumann wall boundary conditions. Reynolds numbers of 20,000 and 60,000 are investigated. Predictions with wall modeled LES are compared with the hydrodynamic and heat transfer experimental data of (Rau et al. 1998, “The Effect of Periodic Ribs on the Local Aerodynamic and Heat Transfer Performance of a Straight Cooling Channel,”ASME J. Turbomach., 120, pp. 368–375). and (Han et al. 1986, “Measurement of Heat Transfer and Pressure Drop in Rectangular Channels With Turbulence Promoters,” NASA Report No. 4015), and wall resolved LES data of Tafti (Tafti, 2004, “Evaluating the Role of Subgrid Stress Modeling in a Ribbed Duct for the Internal Cooling of Turbine Blades,” Int. J. Heat Fluid Flow 26, pp. 92–104). Friction factor, heat transfer coefficient, mean flow as well as turbulent statistics match available data closely with very good accuracy. Wall modeled LES at high Reynolds numbers as presented in this paper reduces the overall computational complexity by factors of 60–140 compared to resolved LES, without any significant loss in accuracy.


Author(s):  
Emiliano Di Carmine ◽  
Bruno Facchini ◽  
Luca Mangani

Trailing edge is a critical region for turbine airfoils since this part of the blade has to match aerodynamic, cooling and structural requirements at the same time. In fact aerodynamic losses are strictly related to trailing edge thickness which, on the contrary, tends to be increased to implement an internal cooling system, in order to face high thermal loads. At the moment the most employed devices consist of pin fins of various shapes, which contribute to both heat transfer enhancement and structural resistance improvement. Enlarged pedestals decrease pressure losses in comparison with multirow pin fins, even if the heat transfer increase is limited. This work deals with the investigation of the usage of enlarged pedestals, inserted in a wedge shaped duct, in conjunction with square or semicircular rib turbulators. The aim of the analysis is the evaluation of the convective Heat Transfer Coefficient (HTC) distribution over the endwall surface and the pressure drop of the converging duct. Numerical analysis used 3D RANS calculations. An in-house modified object-oriented CFD code and a commercial one were used. Several turbulence models and mesh types were tested. Numerical calculations were compared with experimental results obtained on the same geometries using a transient Thermochromic Liquid Crystals (TLC) based technique. Goals of this comparison are both the evaluation of the accuracy of CFD packages with standard two equation turbulence models in heat transfer problems with complex geometries and the analysis of flow details to complete and support experimental activity.


Author(s):  
Yaping Ju ◽  
Yi Feng ◽  
Chuhua Zhang

Abstract Reynolds averaged Navier-Stokes model-based conjugate heat transfer method is popularly used in simulations and designs of internally cooled gas turbine blades. One of the important factors influencing its prediction accuracy is the choice of turbulence models for different fluid regions because the blade passage flow and internal cooling have considerably different flow features. However, most studies adopted the same turbulence models in passage flow and internal cooling. Another important issue is the comprehensive evaluation of the losses caused by flow and heat transfer for both fluid and solid regions. In this study, a RANS-based CHT solver for subsonic/transonic flows was developed based on OpenFOAM and validated and used to explore suitable RANS turbulence model combinations for internally cooled gas turbine blades. Entropy generation, able to weigh the losses caused by flow friction and heat transfer, was used in the analyses of two internally cooled vanes to reveal the loss mechanisms. Findings indicate that the combination of the k-? SST-?-Re? transition model for passage flow and the standard k-e model for internal cooling agreed best with measurement data. The relative error of vane dimensionless temperature was less than 3%. The variations of entropy generation with different internal cooling inlet velocities and temperatures indicate that reducing entropy generation was contradictory with enhancing heat transfer performance. This study, providing a reliable computing tool and a comprehensive performance parameter, has an important application value for the design of internally cooled gas turbine blades.


Author(s):  
Shian Li ◽  
Gongnan Xie ◽  
Bengt Sunden

Purpose – The employment of continuous ribs in a passage involves a noticeable pressure drop penalty, while other studies have shown that truncated ribs may provide a potential to reduce the pressure drop while keeping a significant heat transfer enhancement. The purpose of this paper is to perform computer-aided simulations of turbulent flow and heat transfer of a rectangular cooling passage with continuous or truncated 45-deg V-shaped ribs on opposite walls. Design/methodology/approach – Computational fluid dynamics technique is used to study the fluid flow and heat transfer characteristics in a three-dimensional rectangular passage with continuous and truncated V-shaped ribs. Findings – The inlet Reynolds number, based on the hydraulic diameter, is ranged from 12,000 to 60,000 and a low-Re k-e model is selected for the turbulent computations. The local flow structure and heat transfer in the internal cooling passages are presented and the thermal performances of the ribbed passages are compared. It is found that the passage with truncated V-shaped ribs on opposite walls provides nearly equivalent heat transfer enhancement with a lower (about 17 percent at high Reynolds number of 60,000) pressure loss compared to a passage with continuous V-shaped ribs or continuous transversal ribs. Research limitations/implications – The fluid is incompressible with constant thermophysical properties and the flow is steady. The passage is stationary. Practical implications – New and additional data will be helpful in the design of ribbed passages to achieve a good thermal performance. Originality/value – The results imply that truncated V-shaped ribs are very effective in improving the thermal performance and thus are suggested to be applied in gas turbine blade internal cooling, especially at high velocity or Reynolds number.


Author(s):  
Priyanka Dhopade ◽  
Luigi Capone ◽  
Matthew McGilvray ◽  
David Gillespie ◽  
Peter Ireland

Numerical modelling of internal cooling passages in gas turbine blades is a challenging task due to their physical characteristics, such as rounded duct corners, the presence of rib turbulators and their staggered locations between surfaces. This results in complex fluid dynamic phenomenon such as counter-rotating vortices and other secondary flow structures that can drive the heat transfer. Heat transfer mechanisms in such passages are inherently coupled with momentum transport and diffusion. Current industry practices for numerical modelling of such passages use unstructured mesh generation tools, steady Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) equations and two-equation turbulence models such as k-ε and k-ω SST. This paper investigates two generic, engine-representative rib geometries using current numerical practices to determine their limitations. Three mesh generation tools and two turbulence models are compared across two rib geometries. The results are qualitatively and quantitatively compared to detailed experimental Nusselt numbers on the passage walls. It was found that as long as the rib geometry results in a secondary flow that directly impinges onto the wall, the meshing tools and turbulence models agree reasonably well with experiments. When the passage includes wall-wrapped ribs resulting in more complex secondary flows, this decreases the validity of the numerical tools, suggesting that more sophisticated modelling techniques are required as rib geometries continue to evolve.


2016 ◽  
Vol 26 (3/4) ◽  
pp. 1121-1144 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bantwal R. (Rabi) Baliga ◽  
Iurii Yuri Lokhmanets

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to present outcomes of efforts made over the last 20 years to extend the applicability of the Richardson extrapolation procedure to numerical predictions of multidimensional, steady and unsteady, fluid flow and heat transfer phenomena in regular and irregular calculation domains. Design/methodology/approach – Pattern-preserving grid-refinement strategies are proposed for mathematically rigorous generalizations of the Richardson extrapolation procedure for numerical predictions of steady fluid flow and heat transfer, using finite volume methods and structured multidimensional Cartesian grids; and control-volume finite element methods and unstructured two-dimensional planar grids, consisting of three-node triangular elements. Mathematically sound extrapolation procedures are also proposed for numerical solutions of unsteady and boundary-layer-type problems. The applicability of such procedures to numerical solutions of problems with curved boundaries and internal interfaces, and also those based on unstructured grids of general quadrilateral, tetrahedral, or hexahedral elements, is discussed. Findings – Applications to three demonstration problems, with discretizations in the asymptotic regime, showed the following: the apparent orders of accuracy were the same as those of the numerical methods used; and the extrapolated results, measures of error, and a grid convergence index, could be obtained in a smooth and non-oscillatory manner. Originality/value – Strict or approximate pattern-preserving grid-refinement strategies are used to propose generalized Richardson extrapolation procedures for estimating grid-independent numerical solutions. Such extrapolation procedures play an indispensable role in the verification and validation techniques that are employed to assess the accuracy of numerical predictions which are used for designing, optimizing, virtual prototyping, and certification of thermofluid systems.


Author(s):  
Rongguang Jia ◽  
Bengt Sunde´n

Introduction of roughness by ribs in flow passages is a popular method of enhancing heat transfer in the cooling passages, e.g., of turbine blades and combustors. It is essential to accurately predict the enhancement of heat transfer generated by the ribs to ensure good design decisions. In most of the studies square ribs have been considered, but in practice such ribs may appear rounded due to improper manufacturing or wear during operation. This study is focused on the effect of the rib deformations, based on computational fluid dynamics (CFD). One of the main difficulties in CFD is the reliable modeling of the underlying physics of the turbulence. This paper describes some recent efforts to validate and apply RANS-based models for predictions of turbulent flow and heat transfer in ribbed ducts, relevant to gas turbine cooling. The evaluated turbulence models include a basic low-Re k-ε model (AKN), and two promising higher order models: namely, the explicit algebraic stress model (EASM), and the V2F model. All these models are validated with available 2D experimental heat transfer and fluid flow data. Some conclusions are reached on their suitable application situations. The effect of the roundedness on heat transfer and fluid flow is presented in detail. Some possible improvements, i.e., of the deformed ribs, are proposed to suppress the hot spots, and/or to enhance the overall thermal and hydraulic performance.


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