Effect of Nonuniform Inlet Conditions on Endwall Secondary Flows

2002 ◽  
Vol 124 (4) ◽  
pp. 623-631 ◽  
Author(s):  
K. S. Hermanson ◽  
K. A. Thole
Keyword(s):  
Secondary Flow ◽  
Total Pressure ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Secondary Flows ◽  
Turbine Engine ◽  
Thermal Fields ◽  
Pressure Profiles ◽  
Stator Vane ◽  
Inlet Conditions ◽  
Computational Predictions

Exit combustor flow and thermal fields entering downstream stator vane passages in a gas turbine engine are highly nonuniform. These flow and thermal fields can significantly affect the development of the secondary flows in the turbine passages contributing to high platform heat transfer and large aerodynamic losses. The flow and thermal fields combine to give nonuniform total pressure profiles entering the turbine passage which, along with the airfoil geometry, dictate the secondary flow field. This paper presents an analysis of the effects of varying total pressure profiles in both the radial and combined radial and circumferential directions on the secondary flowfields in a first-stage stator vane. These inlet conditions used for the first vane simulations are based on the exit conditions predicted for a combustor. Prior to using the predictions, these CFD simulations were benchmarked against flowfield data measured in a large-scale, linear, turbine vane cascade. Good agreement occurred between the computational predictions and experimentally measured secondary flows. Analyses of the results for several different cases indicate variations in the secondary flow pattern from pitch to pitch, which attributes to the rationale as to why some airfoils quickly degrade while others remain intact over time.

Effect of Non-Uniform Inlet Conditions on Endwall Secondary Flows

2002 ◽  
Author(s):  
K. S. Hermanson ◽  
K. A. Thole
Keyword(s):  
Flow Field ◽  
Secondary Flow ◽  
Total Pressure ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Secondary Flows ◽  
Turbine Engine ◽  
Thermal Fields ◽  
Pressure Profiles ◽  
Stator Vane ◽  
Inlet Conditions

Exit combustor flow and thermal fields entering downstream stator vane passages in a gas turbine engine are highly non-uniform. These flow and thermal fields can significantly affect the development of the secondary flows in the turbine passages contributing to high platform heat transfer and large aerodynamic losses. The flow and thermal fields combine to give non-uniform total pressure profiles entering the turbine passage which, along with the airfoil geometry, dictate the secondary flow field. This paper presents an analysis of the effects of varying total pressure profiles in both the radial and combined radial and circumferential directions on the secondary flow fields in a first stage stator vane. These inlet conditions used for the first vane simulations are based on the exit conditions predicted for a combustor. Prior to using the predictions, these CFD simulations were benchmarked against flow field data measured in a large-scale, linear, turbine vane cascade. Good agreement occurred between the computational predictions and experimentally measured secondary flows. Analyses of the results for several different cases indicate variations in the secondary flow pattern from pitch to pitch, which attributes to the rationale as to why some airfoils quickly degrade while others remain intact over time.

scholarly journals The Design of an Improved Endwall Film-Cooling Configuration

1998 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. Friedrichs ◽  
H. P. Hodson ◽  
W. N. Dawes
Keyword(s):  
Secondary Flow ◽  
Film Cooling ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Secondary Flows ◽  
Aerodynamic Loss ◽  
Cooling Flow ◽  
High Static Pressure ◽  
Endwall Film Cooling ◽  
Aerodynamic Losses

The endwall film-cooling cooling configuration investigated by Friedrichs et al. (1996, 1997) had in principle sufficient cooling flow for the endwall, but in practice, the redistribution of this coolant by secondary flows left large endwall areas uncooled. This paper describes the attempt to improve upon this datum cooling configuration by redistributing the available coolant to provide a better coolant coverage on the endwall surface, whilst keeping the associated aerodynamic losses small. The design of the new, improved cooling configuration was based on the understanding of endwall film-cooling described by Friedrichs et al. (1996, 1997). Computational fluid dynamics were used to predict the basic flow and pressure field without coolant ejection. Using this as a basis, the above described understanding was used to place cooling holes so that they would provide the necessary cooling coverage at minimal aerodynamic penalty. The simple analytical modelling developed in Friedrichs et al. (1997) was then used to check that the coolant consumption and the increase in aerodynamic loss lay within the limits of the design goal. The improved cooling configuration was tested experimentally in a large scale, low speed linear cascade. An analysis of the results shows that the redesign of the cooling configuration has been successful in achieving an improved coolant coverage with lower aerodynamic losses, whilst using the same amount of coolant as in the datum cooling configuration. The improved cooling configuration has reconfirmed conclusions from Friedrichs et al. (1996, 1997); firstly, coolant ejection downstream of the three-dimensional separation lines on the endwall does not change the secondary flow structures; secondly, placement of holes in regions of high static pressure helps reduce the aerodynamic penalties of platform coolant ejection; finally, taking account of secondary flow can improve the design of endwall film-cooling configurations.

Second Vane Total Pressure Loss Due to Endwall Iceform Contouring

2008 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ronald S. LaFleur
Keyword(s):  
Heat Transfer ◽  
Secondary Flow ◽  
Pressure Loss ◽  
Total Pressure ◽  
Aerodynamic Drag ◽  
Pressure Coefficient ◽  
Secondary Flows ◽  
Total Pressure Loss ◽  
Surface Shape ◽  
Exit Plane

The iceformation design method generates an endwall contour, altering the secondary flows that produce elevated endwall heat transfer load and total pressure losses. Iceformation is an analog to regions of metal melting where a hot fluid alters the isothermal surface shape of a part as it is maintained by a cooling fluid. The passage flow, heat transfer and geometry evolve together under the constraints of flow and thermal boundary conditions. The iceformation concept is not media dependent and can be used in analogous flows and materials to evolve novel boundary shapes. In the past, this method has been shown to reduce aerodynamic drag and total pressure loss in flows such as diffusers and cylinder/endwall junctures. A prior paper [1] showed that the Reynolds number matched iceform geometry had a 24% lower average endwall heat transfer than the rotationally symmetric endwall geometry of the Energy Efficiency Engine (E3). Comparisons were made between three endwall geometries: the ‘iceform’, the ‘E3’ and the ‘flat’ as a limiting case of the endwall design space. This paper adds to the iceformation design record by reporting the endwall aerodynamic performances. Second vane exit flow velocities and pressures were measured using an automated 2-D traverse of a 1.2 mm diameter five-hole probe. Exit plane maps for the three endwall geometries are presented showing the details of the total pressure coefficient contours and the velocity vectors. The formation of secondary flow vortices is shown in the exit plane and this results in an impact on exit plane total pressure loss distribution, off-design over- and under-turning of the exit flow. The exit plane contours are integrated to form overall measures of the total pressure loss. Relative to the E3 endwall, the iceform endwall has a slightly higher total pressure loss attributed to higher dissipation of the secondary flow within the passage. The iceform endwall has a closer-to-design exit flow pattern than the E3 endwall.

Production and Development of Secondary Flows and Losses in Two Types of Straight Turbine Cascades: Part 1—A Stator Case

1987 ◽  
Vol 109 (2) ◽  
pp. 186-193 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Yamamoto
Keyword(s):  
Secondary Flow ◽  
Total Pressure ◽  
Experimental Information ◽  
Secondary Flows ◽  
Accumulation Process ◽  
Flow Angle ◽  
Turning Angle ◽  
Pressure Losses ◽  
Flow Vectors ◽  
Turbine Cascades

The present study intends to give some experimental information on secondary flows and on the associated total pressure losses occurring within turbine cascades. Part 1 of the paper describes the mechanism of production and development of the loss caused by secondary flows in a straight stator cascade with a turning angle of about 65 deg. A full representation of superimposed secondary flow vectors and loss contours is given at fourteen serial traverse planes located throughout the cascade. The presentation shows the mechanism clearly. Distributions of static pressures and of the loss on various planes close to blade surfaces and close to an endwall surface are given to show the loss accumulation process over the surfaces of the cascade passage. Variation of mass-averaged flow angle, velocity and loss through the cascade, and evolution of overall loss from upstream to downstream of the cascade are also given. Part 2 of the paper describes the mechanism in a straight rotor cascade with a turning angle of about 102 deg.

Experimental Evaluation of an Inlet Profile Generator for High-Pressure Turbine Tests

2006 ◽  
Vol 129 (2) ◽  
pp. 382-393 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. D. Barringer ◽  
K. A. Thole ◽  
M. D. Polanka
Keyword(s):  
Heat Transfer ◽  
Air Force ◽  
Flow Distribution ◽  
Turbine Engine ◽  
Turbine Inlet ◽  
Pressure Profiles ◽  
Flow Interactions ◽  
Temperature And Pressure ◽  
Inlet Conditions ◽  
Air Force Research Laboratory

Improving the performance and durability of gas turbine aircraft engines depends highly on achieving a better understanding of the flow interactions between the combustor and turbine sections. The flow exiting the combustor is very complex and it is characterized primarily by elevated turbulence and large variations in temperature and pressure. The heat transfer and aerodynamic losses that occur in the turbine passages are driven primarily by these spatial variations. To better understand these effects, the goal of this work is to benchmark an adjustable turbine inlet profile generator for the Turbine Research Facility (TRF) at the Air Force Research Laboratory. The research objective was to experimentally evaluate the performance of the nonreacting simulator that was designed to provide representative combustor exit profiles to the inlet of the TRF turbine test section. This paper discusses the verification testing that was completed to benchmark the performance of the generator. Results are presented in the form of temperature and pressure profiles as well as turbulence intensity and length scale. This study shows how a single combustor geometry can produce significantly different flow and thermal field conditions entering the turbine. Engine designers should place emphasis on obtaining accurate knowledge of the flow distribution within the combustion chamber. Turbine inlet conditions with significantly different profile shapes can result in altered flow physics that can change local aerodynamics and heat transfer.

Combustor Turbine Interface Studies: Part 1 — Endwall Effectiveness Measurements

2002 ◽  
Author(s):  
W. F. Colban ◽  
K. A. Thole ◽  
G. Zess
Keyword(s):  
Film Cooling ◽  
Total Pressure ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Guide Vane ◽  
Leading Edge ◽  
Suction Side ◽  
Pressure Profile ◽  
Secondary Flows ◽  
Adiabatic Wall ◽  
Combustor Liner

Improved durability of gas turbine engines is an objective for both military and commercial aeroengines as well as for power generation engines. One region susceptible to degradation in an engine is the junction between the combustor and first vane given that the main gas path temperatures at this location are the highest. The platform at this junction is quite complex in that secondary flow effects, such as the leading edge vortex, are dominant. Past computational studies have shown that the total pressure profile exiting the combustor dictates the development of the secondary flows that are formed. This study examines the effect of varying the combustor liner film-cooling and junction slot flows on the adiabatic wall temperatures measured on the platform of the first vane. The experiments were performed using large-scale models of a combustor and nozzle guide vane in a wind tunnel facility. The results show that varying the coolant injection from the upstream combustor liner leads to differing total pressure profiles entering the turbine vane passage. Endwall adiabatic effectiveness measurements indicate that the coolant does not exit the upstream combustor slot uniformly but instead accumulates along the suction side of the vane and endwall. Increasing the liner cooling continued to reduce endwall temperatures, which was not found to be true with increasing the film-cooling from the liner.

Effects of Slot Bleed Injection Over a Contoured Endwall on Nozzle Guide Vane Cooling Performance: Part I — Flow Field Measurements

2000 ◽  
Author(s):  
Steven W. Burd ◽  
Terrence W. Simon
Keyword(s):  
Flow Field ◽  
Secondary Flow ◽  
Mass Flow Rate ◽  
Mass Flow ◽  
Flow Rate ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Secondary Flows ◽  
Cooling Flow ◽  
Nozzle Guide ◽  
Aerodynamic Losses

Film cooling and secondary flows are major contributors to aerodynamic losses in turbine passages. This is particularly true in low aspect ratio nozzle guide vanes where secondary flows can occupy a large portion of the passage flow field. To reduce losses, advanced cooling concepts and secondary flow control techniques must be considered. To this end, combustor bleed cooling flows introduced through an inclined slot upstream of the airfoils in a nozzle passage were experimentally investigated. Testing was performed in a large-scale, high-pressure turbine nozzle cascade comprised of three airfoils between one contoured and one flat endwall. Flow was delivered to this cascade with high-level (∼9%), large-scale turbulence at a Reynolds number based on inlet velocity and true chord length of 350,000. Combustor bleed cooling flow was injected through the contoured endwall upstream of the contouring at bleed-to-core mass flow rate ratios ranging from 0 to 6%. Measurements with triple-sensor, hot-film anemometry characterize the flow field distributions within the cascade. Total and static pressure measurements document aerodynamic losses. The influences of bleed mass flow rate on flow field mean streamwise and cross-stream velocities, turbulence distributions, and aerodynamic losses are discussed. Secondary flow features are also described through these measurements. Notably, this study shows that combustor bleed cooling flow imposes no aerodynamic penalty. This is atypical of schemes where coolant is introduced within the passage for the purpose of endwall cooling. Also, instead of being adversely affected by secondary flows, this type of cooling is able to reduce secondary flow effects.

Production and Development of Secondary Flows and Losses Within Two Types of Straight Turbine Cascades: Part 1 — A Stator Case

1986 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Yamamoto
Keyword(s):  
Secondary Flow ◽  
Total Pressure ◽  
Experimental Information ◽  
Secondary Flows ◽  
Accumulation Process ◽  
Flow Angle ◽  
Turning Angle ◽  
Pressure Losses ◽  
Flow Vectors ◽  
Turbine Cascades

The present study intends to give some experimental information on secondary flows and on the associated total pressure losses occurring within turbine cascades. Part 1 of the paper describes the mechanism of production and development of the loss caused by secondary flows in a straight stator cascade with a turning angle of about 65°. A full representation of superimposed secondary flow vectors and loss contours is given at serial fourteen traverse planes located throughout the cascade, which shows the mechanism clearly. Distributions of static pressures and of the loss on various planes close to blade surfaces and close to an endwall surface are given to show the loss accumulation process over the surfaces of the cascade passage. Variation of mass-averaged flow angle, velocity and loss through the cascade, and evolution of overall loss from upstream to downstream of the cascade are also given. Part 2 of the paper describes the mechanism in a straight rotor cascade with a turning angle of about 102°.

Flow Measurements in a Fishtail Diffuser With Strong Curvature

1999 ◽  
Vol 121 (2) ◽  
pp. 410-417 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. I. Yaras
Keyword(s):  
Boundary Layer ◽  
Pressure Loss ◽  
Total Pressure ◽  
Static Pressure ◽  
Secondary Flows ◽  
Total Pressure Loss ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Inlet Flow ◽  
Inlet Conditions ◽  
Strong Curvature

The paper presents detailed measurements of the incompressible flow development in a large-scale 90 deg curved diffuser with strong curvature and significant streamwise variation in cross-sectional aspect ratio. The flow path approximates the so-called fishtail diffuser utilized on small gas turbine engines for the transition between the centrifugal impeller and the combustion chamber. Two variations of the inlet flow, differing in boundary layer thickness and turbulence intensity, are considered. Measurements consist of three components of velocity, static pressure and total pressure distributions at several cross-sectional planes throughout the diffusing bend. The development and mutual interaction of multiple pairs of streamwise vortices, redistribution of the streamwise flow under the influence of these vortices, the resultant streamwise variations in mass-averaged total-pressure and static pressure, and the effect of inlet conditions on these aspects of the flow are examined. The strengths of the vortical structures are found to be sensitive to the inlet flow conditions, with the inlet flow comprising a thinner boundary layer and lower turbulence intensity yielding stronger secondary flows. For both inlet conditions a pair of streamwise vortices develop rapidly within the bend, reaching their peak strength at about 30 deg into the bend. The development of a second pair of vortices commences downstream of this location and continues for the remainder of the bend. Little evidence of the first vortex pair remains at the exit of the diffusing bend. The mass-averaged total pressure loss is found to be insensitive to the range of inlet-flow variations considered herein. However, the rate of generation of this loss along the length of the diffusing bend differs between the two test cases. For the case with the thinner inlet boundary layer, stronger secondary flows result in larger distortion of the streamwise velocity field. Consequently, the static pressure recovery is somewhat lower for this test case. The difference between the streamwise distributions of measured and ideal static pressure is found to be primarily due to total pressure loss in the case of the thick inlet boundary layer. For the thin inlet boundary layer case, however, total pressure loss and flow distortion are observed to influence the pressure recovery by comparable amounts.

Non-Axisymmetric End Wall Profiling in Transonic Compressors—Part II: Design Study of a Transonic Compressor Rotor Using Non-Axisymmetric End Walls—Optimization Strategies and Performance

2009 ◽  
Author(s):  
Steffen Reising ◽  
Heinz-Peter Schiffer
Keyword(s):  
Secondary Flow ◽  
Total Pressure ◽  
Cfd Simulation ◽  
Pressure Ratio ◽  
Cross Flow ◽  
Secondary Flows ◽  
Transonic Compressor ◽  
End Wall ◽  
Total Pressure Ratio ◽  
Isentropic Efficiency

Secondary flows involving cross flow at high stage loading in modern axial compressors contribute significantly to efficiency limits. This paper summarizes an approach to control end wall flow using non-axisymmetric end walls. The challenge is to find the optimal non-axisymmetric end wall shape that results in the largest gain in performance. An automated multi-objective optimizer connected to a 3-D RANS flow solver was used to design the end wall contour. The process chain was applied to the rotor hub end wall of Configuration I of the Darmstadt Transonic Compressor. Several optimization strategies involving different objective functions to be minimized and the corresponding performances were compared. The parameters considered within the optimization process were isentropic stage efficiency, pressure loss in the rotor, throat area and secondary kinetic energy (SKE). A parameter variation was undertaken, leading to the following observations: Strong penalties on SKE at the rotor outlet and moderate penalties on isentropic efficiency, throat area and pressure ratio led to the best design. Isentropic efficiency could be raised by 0.12%, SKE at the rotor exit was reduced while the total pressure ratio of the stage remained constant. Strong penalties on efficiency and pressure ratio, a moderate one on throat area and a small one on SKE at the rotor outlet all led to a smaller increase in efficiency: 0.06%. On the other hand, a slight raise in the total pressure ratio could be achieved. A third optimization, eliminating the restriction on the throat area, was carried out to see which benefit in performance could be achieved without this geometrical restriction. Since the throat areas of all optimized geometries differ slightly from the datum value, an estimation was derived to see the extent to which the end wall profiling and cross section enlargement contribute to the improvements. Finally, a method to display secondary flows in turbomachinery is introduced. A second CFD simulation is used to calculate the primary flow where the hub end wall is defined as an Euler wall to avoid the end wall boundary layer and so eliminate the cause for some of the secondary flow mechanisms. This method clearly shows how the characteristics of secondary flow can be positively influenced by using non-axisymmetric end walls.

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