Effect of Unsteady Wakes on Boundary Layer Separation on a Very High Lift Low Pressure Turbine Airfoil

2011 ◽  
Vol 134 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ralph J. Volino

Boundary layer separation has been studied on a very high lift, low pressure turbine airfoil in the presence of unsteady wakes. Experiments were done under low (0.6%) and high (4%) freestream turbulence conditions on a linear cascade in a low speed wind tunnel. Wakes were produced from moving rods upstream of the cascade. Flow coefficients were varied from 0.35 to 1.4 and wake spacing was varied from one to two blade spacings, resulting in dimensionless wake passing frequencies F=fLj-te/Uave (f is the frequency, Lj-te is the length of the adverse pressure gradient region on the suction surface of the airfoils, and Uave is the average freestream velocity) ranging from 0.14 to 0.56. Pressure surveys on the airfoil surface and downstream total pressure loss surveys were documented. Instantaneous velocity profile measurements were acquired in the suction surface boundary layer and downstream of the cascade. Cases were considered at Reynolds numbers (based on the suction surface length and the nominal exit velocity from the cascade) of 25,000 and 50,000. In cases without wakes, the boundary layer separated and did not reattach. With wakes, separation was largely suppressed, particularly if the wake passing frequency was sufficiently high. At lower frequencies the boundary layer separated between wakes. Background freestream turbulence had some effect on separation, but its role was secondary to the wake effect.

Author(s):  
Ralph J. Volino

Boundary layer separation has been studied on a very high lift, low-pressure turbine airfoil in the presence of unsteady wakes. Experiments were done under low (0.6%) and high (4%) freestream turbulence conditions on a linear cascade in a low speed wind tunnel. Wakes were produced from moving rods upstream of the cascade. Flow coefficients were varied from 0.35 to 1.4 and wake spacing was varied from 1 to 2 blade spacings, resulting in dimensionless wake passing frequencies F = fLj-te/Uave (f is the frequency, Lj-te is the length of the adverse pressure gradient region on the suction surface of the airfoils, and Uave is the average freestream velocity) ranging from 0.14 to 0.56. Pressure surveys on the airfoil surface and downstream total pressure loss surveys were documented. Instantaneous velocity profile measurements were acquired in the suction surface boundary layer and downstream of the cascade. Cases were considered at Reynolds numbers (based on the suction surface length and the nominal exit velocity from the cascade) of 25,000 and 50,000. In cases without wakes, the boundary layer separated and did not reattach. With wakes, separation was largely suppressed, particularly if the wake passing frequency was sufficiently high. At lower frequencies the boundary layer separated between wakes. Background freestream turbulence had some effect on separation, but its role was secondary to the wake effect.


Author(s):  
Ralph J. Volino

Boundary layer separation control with pulsed vortex generator jets (VGJs) has been studied on a very high lift, low-pressure turbine airfoil in the presence of unsteady wakes. Experiments were done under low (0.6%) and high (4%) freestream turbulence conditions on a linear cascade in a low speed wind tunnel. Cases were considered at Reynolds numbers (based on the suction surface length and the nominal exit velocity from the cascade) of 25,000 and 50,000. Wakes were produced from moving rods upstream of the cascade with flow coefficient 1.13 and rod spacing equal 2 blade pitches, resulting in a dimensionless wake passing frequency F = fLj-te/Uave = 0.14, where f is the frequency, Lj-te is the length of the adverse pressure gradient region on the suction surface, and Uave is the average freestream velocity. The VGJs were injected at the beginning of the adverse pressure gradient region on the suction surface with maximum jet velocity in each pulse equal to the local freestream velocity and a jet duty cycle of 10%. Several different timings of the VGJs with respect to the wakes were considered. Pressure surveys on the airfoil surface and downstream total pressure loss surveys were documented. Instantaneous velocity profile measurements were acquired in the suction surface boundary layer and downstream of the cascade. In cases without VGJs, the boundary layer momentarily reattached in response to the wake passing, but separated between wakes. The VGJs also caused reattachment, and if the VGJ pulsing frequency was sufficiently high, separation was largely suppressed for the full wake passing cycle. The timing of the VGJs with respect to the wakes was not very important. The jet pulsing frequency needed for separation control was about the same as found previously in cases without wakes. The background freestream turbulence effect was negligible in the presence of the larger wake and VGJ disturbances.


2011 ◽  
Vol 133 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ralph J. Volino ◽  
Olga Kartuzova ◽  
Mounir B. Ibrahim

Boundary layer separation control has been studied using vortex generator jets (VGJs) on a very high lift, low-pressure turbine airfoil. Experiments were done under high (4%) freestream turbulence conditions on a linear cascade in a low speed wind tunnel. Pressure surveys on the airfoil surface and downstream total pressure loss surveys were documented. Instantaneous velocity profile measurements were acquired in the suction surface boundary layer. Cases were considered at Reynolds numbers (based on the suction surface length and the nominal exit velocity from the cascade) of 25,000 and 50,000. Jet pulsing frequency, duty cycle, and blowing ratio were all varied. Computational results from a large eddy simulation of one case showed reattachment in agreement with the experiment. In cases without flow control, the boundary layer separated and did not reattach. With the VGJs, separation control was possible even at the lowest Reynolds number. Pulsed VGJs were more effective than steady jets. At sufficiently high pulsing frequencies, separation control was possible even with low jet velocities and low duty cycles. At lower frequencies, higher jet velocity was required, particularly at low Reynolds numbers. Effective separation control resulted in an increase in lift and a reduction in total pressure losses. Phase averaged velocity profiles and wavelet spectra of the velocity show the VGJ disturbance causes the boundary layer to reattach, but that it can reseparate between disturbances. When the disturbances occur at high enough frequency, the time available for separation is reduced, and the separation bubble remains closed at all times.


Author(s):  
Sun Shuang ◽  
Lei Zhi-jun ◽  
Lu Xin-gen ◽  
Zhang Yan-feng ◽  
Zhu Jun-qiang

Boundary layer separation can lead to partial loss of lift and higher aerodynamic losses on low-pressure turbine airfoils at low Reynolds number in high bypass ratio engines. The combined effects of upstream wakes and surface roughness on boundary layer development have been investigated experimentally to improve the performance of ultra-high-lift low-pressure turbine (LPT) blades. The measurement was performed on a linear cascade with an ultra-high-lift aft-loaded LP turbine profile named IET-LPTA with Zweifel loading coefficient of about 1.37. The wakes were simulated by the moving cylindrical bars upstream of the cascade. The time-mean aerodynamic performance and the boundary layer behavior on suction surface had been measured with two 3-hole probes and a hot-wire probe. Three roughness heights ranging from 8.8–20.9μm combined with three roughness deposit positions ranging from 5.2%–39.5% suction surface length formed a large measurement matrix. The roughness with height of 8.8μm (1.05×10−4 chord length) covering 5.2% suction surface reduced the profile loss across the whole Reynolds number range. Under the effect of roughness associated with upstream wakes, the freestream turbulence intensity (FSTI) is responsible in part for the development of the wake-induced transition region, calmed region and natural transition region of the boundary layer. The transition length and the transition onset of the boundary layer were also affected by the FSTI.


Author(s):  
Ken-ichi Funazaki ◽  
Kazutoyo Yamada ◽  
Nozomi Tanaka ◽  
Yasuhiro Chiba

This paper deals with experimental investigation on the interaction between inlet freestream turbulence and boundary layers with separation bubble on a low-pressure turbine airfoil under several High Lift conditions. Solidity of the cascade can be reduced by increasing the airfoil pitch by 25%, while maintaining the throat in the blade-to-blade passage. Reynolds number examined is 57000, based on chord length and averaged exit velocity. Freestream turbulence intensity at the inlet is varied from 0.80% (no grid condition) to 2.1% by use of turbulence grid. Hot-wire probe measurements of the boundary layer on the suction surface for Low Pressure (LP) turbines rotor are carried out to obtain time-averaged and time-resolved characteristics of the boundary layers under the influence of the freestream turbulence. Frequency analysis extracts some important features of the unsteady behaviors of the boundary layer, including vortex formation and shedding. Numerical analysis based on high resolution Large Eddy Simulation is also executed to enhance the understanding on the flow field around the highly loaded turbine airfoils. Standard Smagorinsky model is employed as subgrid scale model. Emphasis of the simulation is placed on the relationship of inherent instability of the shear layer of the separation bubble and the freestream turbulence.


Author(s):  
Ralph J. Volino ◽  
Olga Kartuzova ◽  
Mounir B. Ibrahim

Boundary layer separation control has been studied using vortex generator jets (VGJs) on a very high lift, low-pressure turbine airfoil. Experiments were done under high (4%) freestream turbulence conditions on a linear cascade in a low speed wind tunnel. Pressure surveys on the airfoil surface and downstream total pressure loss surveys were documented. Instantaneous velocity profile measurements were acquired in the suction surface boundary layer. Cases were considered at Reynolds numbers (based on the suction surface length and the nominal exit velocity from the cascade) of 25,000 and 50,000. Jet pulsing frequency, duty cycle, and blowing ratio were all varied. Computational results from a large eddy simulation of one case showed reattachment in agreement with the experiment. In cases without flow control, the boundary layer separated and did not reattach. With the VGJs, separation control was possible even at the lowest Reynolds number. Pulsed VGJs were more effective than steady jets. At sufficiently high pulsing frequencies, separation control was possible even with low jet velocities and low duty cycles. At lower frequencies, higher jet velocity was required, particularly at low Reynolds numbers. Effective separation control resulted in an increase in lift and a reduction in total pressure losses. Phase averaged velocity profiles and wavelet spectra of the velocity show the VGJ disturbance causes the boundary layer to reattach, but that it can re-separate between disturbances. When the disturbances occur at high enough frequency, the time available for separation is reduced, and the separation bubble remains closed at all times.


Author(s):  
Ralph J. Volino

Boundary layer separation, transition and reattachment have been studied on a new, very high lift, low-pressure turbine airfoil. Experiments were done under low freestream turbulence conditions on a linear cascade in a low speed wind tunnel. Pressure surveys on the airfoil surface and downstream total pressure loss surveys were documented. Velocity profiles were acquired in the suction side boundary layer at several streamwise locations using hot-wire anemometry. Cases were considered at Reynolds numbers (based on the suction surface length and the nominal exit velocity from the cascade) ranging from 25,000 to 330,000. In all cases the boundary layer separated, but at high Reynolds number the separation bubble remained very thin and quickly reattached after transition to turbulence. In the low Reynolds number cases, the boundary layer separated and did not reattach, even when transition occurred. This behavior contrasts with previous research on other airfoils, in which transition, if it occurred, always induced reattachment, regardless of Reynolds number.


Author(s):  
Mounir B. Ibrahim ◽  
Samuel Vinci ◽  
Olga Kartuzova ◽  
Ralph J. Volino

A study of a very high lift, low-pressure turbine airfoil in the presence of unsteady wakes was performed computationally and compared against experimental results. The experiments were conducted in a low speed wind tunnel under high (4.9%) and then low (0.6%) freestream turbulence intensity conditions with a flow coefficient (ζ) of 0.7. The experiments were done on a linear cascade with wakes that were produced from moving rods upstream of the cascade with the rod to blade spacing varied from 1 to 1.6 to 2. In the present study two different Reynolds numbers (25,000 and 50,000, based on the suction surface length and the nominal exit velocity from the cascade) were considered. The experimental and computational data have shown that in cases without wakes, the boundary layer separated and did not reattach. The CFD was performed with Large Eddy Simulation (LES) and Unsteady Reynolds-Averaged Navier-Stokes (URANS), Transition-SST, utilizing the finite-volume code ANSYS FLUENT under the same freestream turbulence and Reynolds number conditions as the experiment but only at a rod to blade spacing of 1. With wakes, separation was largely suppressed, particularly if the wake passing frequency was sufficiently high. Similar effect was predicted by 3D CFD simulations. Computational results for the pressure coefficients and velocity profiles were in a reasonable agreement with experimental ones for all cases examined. The 2D CFD efforts failed to capture the three dimensionality effects of the wake and thus were less consistent with the experimental data. As a further computational study, cases were run to simulate higher wake passing frequencies which were not run experimentally. The results of these computational cases showed that an initial 25% increase from the experimental dimensionless wake passing frequency of F = 0.45 greatly reduced the size of the separation bubble, nearly completely suppressing it, however an additional 33% increase on top of this did not prove to have much of an effect.


Author(s):  
Weihao Zhang ◽  
Zhengping Zou ◽  
Kun Zhou ◽  
Huoxing Liu ◽  
Jian Ye

The effects of periodic wakes and inlet freestream turbulence intensity (FSTI) on coherent structures in the boundary layer of a high-lift low-pressure turbine cascade are studied in this paper. Large-eddy simulations (LES) are performed on T106D-EIZ profile at Reynolds number (Re) of 60,154 (based on the chord and outflow velocity). Eight cases, considering FSTI of 0, 2.5%, 5% and 10% as well as the wake reduced frequency (fr) of 0.67, 1.34 and 0.335, are conducted and discussed. The results show that the open separation could be compressed by freestream turbulence to a small extent, whereas, it could be replaced by separation bubbles under wake conditions. Stripe structures and turbulence spots appear in shear layer over the separation bubbles. The increments of wake frequency or FSTI can accelerate the transition progress which result in shorter separation bubbles, meanwhile, emphasize the turbulence spots.


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