Design and Optimization of the Internal Cooling Channels of a High Pressure Turbine Blade—Part I: Methodology

2010 ◽  
Vol 132 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sergio Amaral ◽  
Tom Verstraete ◽  
René Van den Braembussche ◽  
Tony Arts
Keyword(s):  
Heat Transfer ◽  
High Pressure ◽  
Thermal Stress ◽  
Turbine Blade ◽  
Inlet Temperature ◽  
Analysis Tool ◽  
Internal Cooling ◽  
High Pressure Turbine ◽  
Cooling Channels ◽  
The Impact

This first paper describes the conjugate heat transfer (CHT) method and its application to the performance and lifetime prediction of a high pressure turbine blade operating at a very high inlet temperature. It is the analysis tool for the aerothermal optimization described in a second paper. The CHT method uses three separate solvers: a Navier–Stokes solver to predict the nonadiabatic external flow and heat flux, a finite element analysis (FEA) to compute the heat conduction and stress within the solid, and a 1D aerothermal model based on friction and heat transfer correlations for smooth and rib-roughened cooling channels. Special attention is given to the boundary conditions linking these solvers and to the stability of the complete CHT calculation procedure. The Larson–Miller parameter model is used to determine the creep-to-rupture failure lifetime of the blade. This model requires both the temperature and thermal stress inside the blade, calculated by the CHT and FEA. The CHT method is validated on two test cases: a gas turbine rotor blade without cooling and one with five cooling channels evenly distributed along the camber line. The metal temperature and thermal stress distribution in both blades are presented and the impact of the cooling channel geometry on lifetime is discussed.

Design and Optimization of the Internal Cooling Channels of a HP Turbine Blade: Part I—Methodology

2008 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sergio Amaral ◽  
Tom Verstraete ◽  
Rene´ Van den Braembussche ◽  
Tony Arts
Keyword(s):  
Heat Transfer ◽  
Thermal Stress ◽  
Turbine Blade ◽  
Turbine Rotor ◽  
Inlet Temperature ◽  
Analysis Tool ◽  
Internal Cooling ◽  
Element Analysis ◽  
Cooling Channels ◽  
The Impact

This first paper describes the Conjugate Heat Transfer (CHT) method and its application to the performance and lifetime prediction of a high pressure turbine blade operating at a very high inlet temperature. It is the analysis tool for the aerothermal optimization described in a second paper. The CHT method uses three separate solvers: a Navier-Stokes (NS) solver to predict the non-adiabatic external flow and heat flux, a Finite Element Analysis (FEA) to compute the heat conduction and stress within the solid, and a 1D aero-thermal model based on friction and heat transfer correlations for smooth and rib-roughened cooling channels. Special attention is given to the boundary conditions linking these solvers and to the stability of the complete CHT calculation procedure. The Larson-Miller parameter model is used to determine the creep-to-rupture failure lifetime of the blade. This model requires both the temperature and thermal stress inside the blade, calculated by the CHT and FEA. The CHT method is validated on two test cases: a gas turbine rotor blade without cooling and one with 5 cooling channels evenly distributed along the camber line. The metal temperature and thermal stress distribution in both blades are presented and the impact of the cooling channel geometry on lifetime is discussed.

scholarly journals Computational Modeling and Thermal Paint Verification of Film-Cooling Designs for an Unshrouded High-Pressure Turbine Blade

1999 ◽  
Author(s):  
Steven G. Gegg ◽  
Nathan J. Heidegger ◽  
Ronald A. Mikkelson
Keyword(s):  
Heat Transfer ◽  
High Pressure ◽  
Turbine Blade ◽  
Film Cooling ◽  
Data Exchange ◽  
Turbine Blades ◽  
Inlet Temperature ◽  
High Pressure Turbine ◽  
Extreme High Temperature ◽  
Blade Tip

High pressure turbine blades are exposed to an extreme high temperature environment due to increasing turbine inlet temperature. High heat fluxes are likely on the blade pressure surface. Other regions, such as the trailing edge and blade tip may be difficult to cool uniformly. Unshrouded blades present an additional challenge due to the pressure driven transport of hot gas across the blade tip. The blade tip region is therefore prone to severe thermal stress, fatigue and oxidation. In order to develop effective cooling methods, designers require detailed flow and heat transfer information. This paper reports on computational aerodynamics and heat transfer studies for an unshrouded high pressure turbine blade. The emphasis is placed on the application of appropriate 3-D models for the prediction of airfoil surface temperatures. Details of the film cooling model, boundary conditions and data exchange with heat transfer models are described. The analysis approach has been refined for design use to provide timely and accurate results. Film cooling designs are to be tailored for the best coverage of the blade tip region. Designs include near-tip pressure side films and blade tip cooling holes. Hole placement and angle are investigated to achieve the best coolant coverage on the blade tip. Analytical results are compared to a thermal paint test on engine hardware. In addition to film cooling strategies, other aerodynamic/heat transfer design approaches are discussed to address the cooling requirements for an unshrouded blade.

Heat Transfer Implications of Acoustic Resonances in HP Turbine Blade Internal Cooling Channels

2015 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. Selcan ◽  
B. Cukurel ◽  
J. Shashank
Keyword(s):  
Heat Transfer ◽  
Turbine Blade ◽  
Cooling System ◽  
Resonance Condition ◽  
Order Approximation ◽  
Acoustic Resonance ◽  
Mode Shapes ◽  
Internal Cooling ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Standing Sound

In an attempt to investigate the acoustic resonance effect of serpentine passages on internal convection heat transfer, the present work examines a typical high pressure turbine blade internal cooling system, based on the geometry of the NASA E3 engine. In order to identify the associated dominant acoustic characteristics, a numerical FEM simulation (two-step frequency domain analysis) is conducted to solve the Helmholtz equation with and without source terms. Mode shapes of the relevant identified eigenfrequencies (in the 0–20kHz range) are studied with respect to induced standing sound wave patterns and the local node/antinode distributions. It is observed that despite the complexity of engine geometries, as a first order approximation, the predominant resonance behavior can be modeled by a same-ended straight duct. Therefore, capturing the physics observed in a generic geometry, the heat transfer ramifications are experimentally investigated in a scaled wind tunnel facility at a representative resonance condition. Focusing on the straight cooling channel’s longitudinal eigenmode in the presence of an isolated rib element, the impact of standing sound waves on convective heat transfer and aerodynamic losses are demonstrated by liquid crystal thermometry, local static pressure and sound level measurements. The findings indicate a pronounced heat transfer influence in the rib wake separation region, without a higher pressure drop penalty. This highlights the potential of modulating the aero-thermal performance of the system via acoustic resonance mode excitations.

A Numerical Study on Conjugate Heat Transfer for Supercritical CO2 Turbine Blade With Cooling Channels

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Akshay Khadse ◽  
Andres Curbelo ◽  
Ladislav Vesely ◽  
Jayanta S. Kapat
Keyword(s):  
Heat Transfer ◽  
Turbine Blade ◽  
Gas Turbines ◽  
Supercritical Co2 ◽  
Conjugate Heat Transfer ◽  
Maximum Temperature ◽  
Inlet Temperature ◽  
Cooling Channels ◽  
Blade Cooling ◽  
Turbine Inlet

Abstract The first stage of turbine in a Brayton cycle faces the maximum temperature in the cycle. This maximum temperature may exceed creep temperature limit or even melting temperature of the blade material. Therefore, it becomes an absolute necessity to implement blade cooling to prevent them from structural damage. Turbine inlet temperatures for oxy-combustion supercritical CO2 (sCO2) are promised to reach blade material limit in near future foreseeing need of turbine blade cooling. Properties of sCO2 and the cycle parameters can make Reynolds number external to blade and external heat transfer coefficient to be significantly higher than those typically experience in regular gas turbines. This necessitates evaluation and rethinking of the internal cooling techniques to be adopted. The purpose of this paper is to investigate conjugate heat transfer effects within a first stage vane cascade of a sCO2 turbine. This study can help understand cooling requirements which include mass flow rate of leakage coolant sCO2 and geometry of cooling channels. Estimations can also be made if the cooling channels alone are enough for blade cooling or there is need for more cooling techniques such as film cooling, impingement cooling and trailing edge cooling. The conjugate heat transfer and aerodynamic analysis of a turbine cascade is carried out using STAR CCM+. The turbine inlet temperature of 1350K and 1775 K is considered for the study considering future potential needs. Thermo-physical properties of this mixture are given as input to the code in form of tables using REFPROP database. The blade material considered is Inconel 718.

THE INFLUENCE OF PURGE FLOW PARAMETERS ON HEAT TRANSFER AND FILM COOLING IN TURBINE CENTER FRAMES

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-26
Author(s):  
Patrick René Jagerhofer ◽  
Marios Patinios ◽  
Tobias Glasenapp ◽  
Emil Goettlich ◽  
Federica Farisco
Keyword(s):  
Heat Transfer ◽  
High Pressure ◽  
Film Cooling ◽  
Density Ratio ◽  
Constant Heat Flux ◽  
Inlet Temperature ◽  
High Pressure Turbine ◽  
Turbofan Engines ◽  
Blowing Ratio ◽  
Purge Flow

Abstract The imperative improvement in the efficiency of turbofan engines is commonly facilitated by increasing the turbine inlet temperature. This development has reached a point where also components downstream of the high-pressure turbine have to be adequately cooled. Such a component is the turbine center frame (TCF), known for a complex aerodynamic flow highly influenced by purge-mainstream interactions. The purge air, being injected through the wheelspace cavities of the upstream high-pressure turbine, bears a significant cooling potential for the TCF. Despite this, fundamental knowledge of the influencing parameters on heat transfer and film cooling in the TCF is still missing. This paper examines the influence of purge-to-mainstream blowing ratio, density ratio and purge swirl angle on heat transfer and film cooling in the TCF. The experiments are conducted in a sector-cascade test rig specifically designed for such heat transfer studies using infrared thermography and tailor-made flexible heating foils with constant heat flux. Three purge-to-mainstream blowing ratios and an additional no purge case are investigated. The purge flow is injected without swirl and also with engine-similar swirl angles. The purge swirl and blowing ratio significantly impact the magnitude and the spread of film cooling in the TCF. Increasing blowing ratios lead to an intensification of heat transfer. By cooling the purge flow, a moderate variation in purge-to-mainstream density ratio is investigated, and the influence is found to be negligible.

Numerical Prediction of Cooling Performance Sensitivity of 1st Stage Nozzle Guide Vane Under Aerothermal Conditions

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Prasert Prapamonthon ◽  
Bo Yin ◽  
Guowei Yang ◽  
Mohan Zhang
Keyword(s):  
Heat Transfer ◽  
Surface Roughness ◽  
High Pressure ◽  
Guide Vane ◽  
Pressure Ratio ◽  
Inlet Temperature ◽  
High Pressure Turbine ◽  
Cooling Performance ◽  
Nozzle Guide Vane ◽  
Nozzle Guide

Abstract To obtain high power and thermal efficiency, the 1st stage nozzle guide vanes of a high-pressure turbine need to operate under serious circumstances from burned gas coming out of combustors. This leads to vane suffering from effects of high thermal load, high pressure and turbulence, including flow-separated transition. Therefore, it is necessary to improve vane cooling performance under complex flow and heat transfer phenomena caused by the integration of these effects. In fact, these effects on a high-pressure turbine vane are controlled by several factors such as turbine inlet temperature, pressure ratio, turbulence intensity and length scale, vane curvature and surface roughness. Furthermore, if the vane is cooled by film cooling, hole configuration and blowing ratio are important factors too. These factors can change the aerothermal conditions of the vane operation. The present work aims to numerically predict sensitivity of cooling performances of the 1st stage nozzle guide vane under aerodynamic and thermal variations caused by three parameters i.e. pressure ratio, coolant inlet temperature and height of vane surface roughness using Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) with Conjugate Heat Transfer (CHT) approach. Numerical results show that the coolant inlet temperature and the vane surface roughness parameters have significant effects on the vane temperature, thereby affecting the vane cooling performances significantly and sensitively.

Topology Optimization of Serpentine Channels for Minimization of Pressure Loss and Maximization of Heat Transfer Performance As Applied for Additive Manufacturing

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shinjan Ghosh ◽  
Jayanta S. Kapat
Keyword(s):  
Heat Transfer ◽  
Topology Optimization ◽  
Additive Manufacturing ◽  
Pressure Drop ◽  
Gas Turbine ◽  
Turbine Blades ◽  
Inlet Temperature ◽  
Internal Cooling ◽  
Cooling Channels ◽  
Blade Cooling

Abstract Gas Turbine blade cooling is an important topic of research, as a high turbine inlet temperature (TIT) essentially means an increase in efficiency of gas turbine cycles. Internal cooling channels in gas turbine blades are key to the cooling and prevention of thermal failure of the material. Serpentine channels are a common feature in internal blade cooling. Optimization methods are often employed in the design of blade internal cooling channels to improve heat-transfer and reduce pressure drop. Topology optimization uses a variable porosity approach to manipulate flow geometries by adding or removing material. Such a method has been employed in the current work to modify the geometric configuration of a serpentine channel to improve total heat transferred and reduce the pressure drop. An in-house OpenFOAM solver has been used to create non-traditional geometries from two generic designs. Geometry-1 is a 2-D serpentine passage with an inlet and 4 bleeding holes as outlets for ejection into the trailing edge. Geometry-2 is a 3-D serpentine passage with an aspect ratio of 3:1 and consists of two 180-degree bends. The inlet velocity for both the geometries was used as 20 m/s. The governing equations employ a “Brinkman porosity parameter” to account for the porous cells in the flow domain. Results have shown a change in shape of the channel walls to enhance heat-transfer in the passage. Additive manufacturing can be employed to make such unconventional shapes.

Optimization of a U-Bend for Minimal Pressure Loss in Internal Cooling Channels—Part II: Experimental Validation

2013 ◽  
Vol 135 (5) ◽  
Author(s):  
Filippo Coletti ◽  
Tom Verstraete ◽  
Jérémy Bulle ◽  
Timothée Van der Wielen ◽  
Nicolas Van den Berge ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Heat Transfer ◽  
Pressure Loss ◽  
Heat Transfer Performance ◽  
Internal Cooling ◽  
Transfer Performance ◽  
Cooling Channel ◽  
Piv Measurements ◽  
Cooling Channels ◽  
Numerical Predictions ◽  
The Impact

This two-part paper addresses the design of a U-bend for serpentine internal cooling channels optimized for minimal pressure loss. The total pressure loss for the flow in a U-bend is a critical design parameter, as it augments the pressure required at the inlet of the cooling system, resulting in a lower global efficiency. In the first part of the paper, the design methodology of the cooling channel was presented. In this second part, the optimized design is validated. The results obtained with the numerical methodology described in Part I are checked against pressure measurements and particle image velocimetry (PIV) measurements. The experimental campaign is carried out on a magnified model of a two-legged cooling channel that reproduces the geometrical and aerodynamical features of its numerical counterpart. Both the original profile and the optimized profile are tested. The latter proves to outperform the original geometry by about 36%, in good agreement with the numerical predictions. Two-dimensional PIV measurements performed in planes parallel to the plane of the bend highlight merits and limits of the computational model. Despite the well-known limits of the employed eddy viscosity model, the overall trends are captured. To assess the impact of the aerodynamic optimization on the heat transfer performance, detailed heat transfer measurements are carried out by means of liquid crystals thermography. The optimized geometry presents overall Nusselt number levels only 6% lower with respect to the standard U-bend. The study demonstrates that the proposed optimization method based on an evolutionary algorithm, a Navier–Stokes solver, and a metamodel of it is a valid design tool to minimize the pressure loss across a U-bend in internal cooling channels without leading to a substantial loss in heat transfer performance.

An Experimental Study of Combustor Exit Profile Shapes on Endwall Heat Transfer in High Pressure Turbine Vanes

2009 ◽  
Vol 131 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
M. D. Barringer ◽  
K. A. Thole ◽  
M. D. Polanka
Keyword(s):  
Heat Transfer ◽  
High Pressure ◽  
Elevated Temperatures ◽  
Convection Heat Transfer ◽  
Operating Conditions ◽  
Inlet Temperature ◽  
Transfer Coefficients ◽  
High Pressure Turbine ◽  
Radial Profiles ◽  
Temperature And Pressure

The design and development of current and future gas turbine engines for aircraft propulsion have focused on operating the high pressure turbine at increasingly elevated temperatures and pressures. The drive toward thermal operating conditions near theoretical stoichiometric limits as well as increasingly stringent requirements on reducing harmful emissions both equate to the temperature profiles exiting combustors and entering turbines becoming less peaked than in the past. This drive has placed emphasis on determining how different types of inlet temperature and pressure profiles affect the first stage airfoil endwalls. The goal of the current study was to investigate how different radial profiles of temperature and pressure affect the heat transfer along the vane endwall in a high pressure turbine. Testing was performed in the Turbine Research Facility located at the Air Force Research Laboratory using an inlet profile generator. Results indicate that the convection heat transfer coefficients are influenced by both the inlet pressure profile shape and the location along the endwall. The heat transfer driving temperature for inlet profiles that are nonuniform in temperature is also discussed.

Numerical investigation of high-pressure turbine blade tip flows: analysis of aerodynamics

2011 ◽  
Vol 225 (7) ◽  
pp. 940-953 ◽  
Author(s):  
P Vass ◽  
T Arts
Keyword(s):  
High Pressure ◽  
Turbine Blade ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Suction Side ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Internal Cooling ◽  
High Pressure Turbine ◽  
Blade Tip ◽  
Design Solutions ◽  
Exit Mach Number

The current contribution reports on the validation and analysis of three-dimensional computational results of the flow around four distinct high-pressure turbine blade tip geometries (TG1, 2, 3, and 4 hereinafter), taking into account the effect of the entire internal cooling setup inside the blade, at design exit Mach number: M = 0.8, and high exit Reynolds number: Re C = 900 000. Three of the four geometries represent different tip design solutions – TG1: full squealer rim; TG2: single squealer on the suction side; TG3: partial suction and pressure side squealer, and one (TG4) models TG1 in worn condition. This article provides a comparison between the different geometries from the aerodynamic point of view, analyses the losses, and evaluates the distinct design solutions. An assessment of the effect of the uneven rubbing of the blade tip was performed as well. TG1 was found to be the top performer followed by TG3 and TG2. According to the investigations, the effect of rubbing increased the kinetic loss coefficient by 10–15 per cent.

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