High-Fidelity Numerical Analysis of Per-Rev-Type Inlet Distortion Transfer in Multistage Fans—Part II: Entire Component Simulation and Investigation

2010 ◽  
Vol 132 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jixian Yao ◽  
Steven E. Gorrell ◽  
Aspi R. Wadia

Part I of this paper validated the ability of the unsteady Reynolds-Averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) solver PTURBO to accurately simulate distortion transfer and generation through selected blade rows of two multistage fans. In this part, unsteady RANS calculations were successfully applied to predict the 1/rev inlet total pressure distortion transfer in the entirety of two differently designed multistage fans. This paper demonstrates that high-fidelity computational fluid dynamics (CFD) can be used early in the design process for verification purposes before hardware is built and can be used to reduce the number of distortion tests, hence reducing engine development cost. The unsteady RANS code PTURBO demonstrated remarkable agreement with the data, accurately capturing both the magnitude and the profile of total pressure and total temperature measurements. Detailed analysis of the flow physics identified from the CFD results has led to a thorough understanding of the total temperature distortion generation and transfer mechanism, especially for the spatial phase difference of total pressure and total temperature profiles. The analysis illustrates that the static parameters are more revealing than their stagnation counterpart and that pressure and temperature rise are more revealing while the pressure and temperature ratio could be misleading. The last stage is effectively throttled by the inlet distortion even though the overall engine throttle remains unchanged. The total temperature distortion generally grows as flow passes through the fan stages.

Author(s):  
Jixian Yao ◽  
Steven E. Gorrell ◽  
Aspi R. Wadia

Part I of the paper validated the ability of the Unsteady RANS solve Pturbo to accurately simulate distortion transfer and generation through selected blade rows of two multistage fans. In part II, unsteady RANS calculations were successfully applied to predict the one-per-rev inlet total pressure distortion transfer in the entirety of two differently designed multistage fans. This paper demonstrates that Hi-Fi CFD can be used early in the design process for verification purposes before hardware is built, and can be used to reduce the number of distortion tests, hence reducing engine development cost. The unsteady RANS code Pturbo demonstrated remarkable agreement with data, accurately capturing both the magnitude and profile of total pressure and total temperature measurements. Detailed analysis of the flow physics identified from the CFD results has led to a thorough understanding of the total temperature distortion generation and transfer mechanism, especially for the spatial phase difference of total pressure and total temperature profiles. The analysis illustrates that the static parameters are more revealing than their stagnation counterpart and that pressure and temperature rise are more revealing while the pressure and temperature ratio could be misleading. The last stage is effectively throttled by the inlet distortion even though the overall engine throttle remains unchanged. The total temperature distortion generally grows as flow passes through the fan stages.


2006 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peng Sun ◽  
Guotal Feng

A time-accurate three-dimensional Navier-Stokes solver of the unsteady flow field in a transonic fan was carried out using "Fluent-parallel" in a parallel supercomputer. The numerical simulation focused on a transonic fan with inlet square wave total pressure distortion and the analysis of result consisted of three aspects. The first was about inlet parameters redistribution and outlet total temperature distortion induced by inlet total pressure distortion. The pattern and causation of flow loss caused by pressure distortion in rotor were analyzed secondly. It was found that the influence of distortion was different at different radial positions. In hub area, transportation-loss and mixing-loss were the main loss patterns. Distortion not only complicated them but enhanced them. Especially in stator, inlet total pressure distortion induced large-scale vortex, which produced backflow and increased the loss. While in casing area, distortion changed the format of shock wave and increased the shock loss. Finally, the format of shock wave and the hysteresis of rotor to distortion were analyzed in detail.


Author(s):  
Jixian Yao ◽  
Steven E. Gorrell ◽  
Aspi R. Wadia

Demands for improved performance and operability of advanced propulsion systems require an understanding of the physics of inlet flow distortion transfer and generation and the subsequent engine response. This also includes developing a high-fidelity characterization capability and suitable tools/rules for the design of distortion tolerant engines. This paper describes efforts to establish a high-fidelity prediction capability of distortion transfer and fan response via high-performance computing. The current CFD capability was evaluated with a focus of predicting the transfer of prescribed inlet flow distortions. Numerical simulations, comparison to experimental data, and analysis of two selected three-stage fans are presented. The unsteady RANS code Pturbo demonstrated remarkable agreement with data, accurately capturing both the magnitude and profile of total pressure and total temperature measurements. Part I of the paper describes the establishment of the required numerical simulation procedures. The computational domains are limited to the first three blade rows for the first multistage fan and the last three blade rows for the second fan. The paper presents initial validation and analysis of the total pressure distortion transfer and the total temperature distortion generation. Based on the established ground work of Part I, the entire two multi-stage fans were simulated with inlet distortion at normal operating condition and near stall condition, which is part II of the paper. Part II presents the full range validation against engine test data, and in-depth analysis of distortion transfer and generation mechanisms through out the two fans.


2010 ◽  
Vol 132 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jixian Yao ◽  
Steven E. Gorrell ◽  
Aspi R. Wadia

Demands for improved performance and operability of advanced propulsion systems require an understanding of the physics of inlet flow distortion transfer and generation and the subsequent engine response. This also includes developing a high-fidelity characterization capability and suitable tools/rules for the design of distortion tolerant engines. This paper describes efforts to establish a high-fidelity prediction capability of distortion transfer and fan response via high-performance computing. The current CFD capability was evaluated with a focus of predicting the transfer of prescribed inlet flow distortions. Numerical simulations, comparison to experimental data, and analysis of two selected three-stage fans are presented. The unsteady Reynolds-Averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) code PTURBO demonstrated remarkable agreement with data, accurately capturing both the magnitude and profile of total pressure and total temperature measurements. Part I of this paper describes the establishment of the required numerical simulation procedures. The computational domains are limited to the first three blade rows for the first multistage fan and the last three blade rows for the second fan. This paper presents initial validation and analysis of the total pressure distortion transfer and the total temperature distortion generation. Based on the established ground work of Part I, the entire two multistage fans were simulated with inlet distortion at normal operating condition and near stall condition, which is Part II of this paper. Part II presents the full range validation against engine test data and in-depth analysis of distortion transfer and generation mechanisms throughout the two fans.


Author(s):  
Qiangqiang Huang ◽  
Xinqian Zheng ◽  
Aolin Wang

Air often flows into compressors with inlet prewhirl, because it will obtain a circumferential component of velocity via inlet distortion or swirl generators such as inlet guide vanes. A lot of research has shown that inlet prewhirl does influence the characteristics of components, but the change of the matching relation between the components caused by inlet prewhirl is still unclear. This paper investigates the influence of inlet prewhirl on the matching of the impeller and the diffuser and proposes a flow control method to cure mismatching. The approach combines steady three-dimensional Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) simulations with theoretical analysis and modeling. The result shows that a compressor whose impeller and diffuser match well at zero prewhirl will go to mismatching at non-zero prewhirl. The diffuser throat gets too large to match the impeller at positive prewhirl and gets too small for matching at negative prewhirl. The choking mass flow of the impeller is more sensitive to inlet prewhirl than that of the diffuser, which is the main reason for the mismatching. To cure the mismatching via adjusting the diffuser vanes stagger angle, a one-dimensional method based on incidence matching has been proposed to yield a control schedule for adjusting the diffuser. The optimal stagger angle predicted by analytical method has good agreement with that predicted by computational fluid dynamics (CFD). The compressor is able to operate efficiently in a much broader flow range with the control schedule. The flow range, where the efficiency is above 80%, of the datum compressor and the compressor only employing inlet prewhirl and no control are just 25.3% and 31.8%, respectively. For the compressor following the control schedule, the flow range is improved up to 46.5%. This paper also provides the perspective of components matching to think about inlet distortion.


2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (10) ◽  
pp. 786
Author(s):  
S. Polyzos ◽  
G. Tzabiras

The present work describes a simplified Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) approach in order to calculate the propulsive performance of a ship moving at steady forward speed in head seas. The proposed method combines experimental data concerning the added resistance at model scale with full scale Reynolds Averages Navier–Stokes (RANS) computations, using an in-house solver. In order to simulate the propeller performance, the actuator disk concept is employed. The propeller thrust is calculated in the time domain, assuming that the total resistance of the ship is the sum of the still water resistance and the added component derived by the towing tank data. The unsteady RANS equations are solved until self-propulsion is achieved at a given time step. Then, the computed values of both the flow rate through the propeller and the thrust are stored and, after the end of the examined time period, they are processed for calculating the variation of Shaft Horsepower (SHP) and RPM of the ship’s engine. The method is applied for a bulk carrier which has been tested in model scale at the towing tank of the Laboratory for Ship and Marine Hydrodynamics (LSMH) of the National Technical University of Athens (NTUA).


Author(s):  
Peng Sun ◽  
Jingjun Zhong ◽  
Guotai Feng

The performance and stability of a fan in clean and distorted inlet flow can be improved through the use of bowed stator blades. Measurements between the blade rows in transonic and supersonic flow are too complex to provide any useful insights, so 3D flow simulations are required. In this paper, a time-accurate three-dimensional Navier-Stokes solver of the unsteady flow field in a transonic fan is carried out using “Fluent-parallel” in a parallel supercomputer. Two sets of simulations are performed. The first simulation focuses on a better understanding of inlet total pressure distortion effects on a transonic fan. The second set of numerical simulation aims at studying the improvements of fan performance made by bowed stator blades. Three aspects are contained in this paper. The first is about the distortion effects on characteristics of the fan stage with straight stator. The effects of bowed stator on fan performance with inlet distortion are demonstrated secondly. One hand bowed stator increases the loss in rotor. On the other hand, it reduces the flow loss in stator. Finally, the patterns of flow loss caused by total pressure distortion with straight/bowed stator are compared. The scale of vortex in stator induced by inlet total pressure distortion is weakened by bowed blades, which decreases the stator loss.


Author(s):  
Daniel R. Soderquist ◽  
Andrew D. Orme ◽  
Steven E. Gorrell ◽  
Michael G. List

Abstract Understanding distortion transfer and generation through fan and compressor blade rows is able to assist in blade design and performance prediction. Using full annulus URANS simulations, the effects of distortion as it passes through the rotor of a transonic fan at five radial locations (10%, 30%, 50%, 70%, and 90% span) are analyzed. The inlet distortion profile is a 90-degree sector with a 15% total pressure deficit. Fourier distortion descriptors are used in this study to quantitatively describe distortion transfer and generation. Results are presented and compared for three operating points (near-stall, design, and choke). These results are used to explain the relationship between inlet total pressure distortion, pressure-induced swirl, total pressure distortion transfer, total temperature distortion generation, and circumferential rotor power variation. It is shown that very large changes in pressure-induced swirl and distortion transfer and generation occur between near-stall and design, but only small changes are seen between design and choke. The greatest changes are shown to be near the tip. Local power variations are shown to correlate with total pressure distortion transfer and total temperature distortion generation.


Author(s):  
David B. Weston ◽  
Steven E. Gorrell ◽  
Matthew L. Marshall ◽  
Carol V. Wallis

Inlet distortion is an important consideration in fan performance. The focus of this paper is a series of high-fidelity time accurate Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulations of a multistage fan at choke, design, and near stall operating conditions. These investigate distortion transfer and generation as well as the underlying flow physics of these phenomena under different operating conditions. The simulations are performed on the full annulus of a 3 stage fan and are analyzed. The code used to carry out these simulations is a modified version of OVERFLOW 2.2. The inlet is specified as a 1/rev total pressure distortion. Analysis includes the phase and amplitude of total temperature and pressure distortion through each stage of the fan and blade loading. The total pressure distortion does not change in severity through the fan, but the peak pressure distortion rotates by as much as 45° at the near stall point. This is due to a variation in the work input around the blades of the rotor. This variation is also responsible for the generation of total temperature distortion in the fan. The rotation of the total temperature distortion becomes more pronounced as the fan approaches stall, and the total temperature distortion levels increase. The amount of work performed by a single blade can vary by as much as 25% in the first stage at near stall. The variation in work becomes more pronounced as the fan approaches stall. The passage shock in the rotor blades moves nearly 20% of the blade chord in both the peak efficiency and near stall cases.


Author(s):  
Wei-Min Ren ◽  
Charles E. Seeley ◽  
Xuefeng Zhang ◽  
Brian E. Mitchell ◽  
Hongbin Ju

There is a demand for Modern Heavy Duty Gas Turbines (HDGT) to provide greater MW power output with higher efficiency. This trend leads to longer and slimmer turbine last stage blades with exposure to higher aerodynamic loadings. As a result, they are more prone to flutter risks. Turbine flutter risks must be addressed during the design phase and this requires the accurate prediction of the flutter boundary and the aero damping ratios with quantified uncertainties. Numerical simulations, based on Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD), of a two-passage linear turbine cascade were carried out. The results are presented in this paper aimed to study aspects of flutter. A time-linearized Navier–Stokes approach was applied to predict the aeroelastic response. Simulations were carried out for Mach numbers ranging from 0.4 to 1.2. The objective of this study is to quantify the aero damping prediction uncertainty. CFD results showed successful prediction of the transonic flutter boundary. The predicted aero work was compared with the experimental data and good agreements were demonstrated for both the subsonic and supersonic flows. The steady and unsteady surface pressures on the test rig sidewalls, predicted by CFD, were then compared with the test data in great detail. Limitations of the linear approach are also discussed.


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