New Insight Into Aspect Ratio's Effect on Secondary Losses of Turbine Blades

2019 ◽  
Vol 141 (11) ◽  
Author(s):  
Luis Teia

Abstract In view of improving the understanding of the loss mechanisms existing on a compact turbine driving a cryogenic engine turbo-pump for a satellite delivering rocket, a new perspective on how the aspect ratio of turbine blades affects the secondary and profile losses is presented. This perspective, originally based on published experimental data, is further developed by a series of back-to-back highly resolved computational fluid dynamics (CFD) numerical simulations, with the aim of acquiring further insight into the dynamics of the secondary vortices, and the intermediate boundary layer flow for varying blade heights. The main outcome redefines the extreme cases and the partition of losses between secondary and profile, and establishes a new critical ultra-low aspect ratio of 0.35 as a threshold distinguishing two different behaviors. The final venue of this new perspective is the possibility to further improve existing off-design turbine loss models, like those presented by Craig–Cox and Ainley–Mathieson.

1998 ◽  
Vol 120 (4) ◽  
pp. 831-838 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. E. Taslim ◽  
G. J. Korotky

Cooling channels, roughened with repeated ribs, are commonly employed as a means of cooling turbine blades. The increased level of mixing induced by these ribs enhances the convective heat transfer in the blade cooling cavities. Many previous investigations have focused on the heat transfer coefficient on the surfaces between these ribs and only a few studies report the heat transfer coefficient on the rib surfaces themselves. The present study investigated the heat transfer coefficient on the surfaces of round-corner, low-aspect-ratio (ARrib = 0.667) ribs. Twelve rib geometries, comprising three rib height-to-channel hydraulic diameters (blockage ratios) of 0.133, 0.167, and 0.25 as well as three rib spacings (pitch-to-height ratios) of 5, 8.5, and 10 were investigated for two distinct thermal boundary conditions of heated and unheated channel walls. A square channel, roughened with low-aspect-ratio ribs on two opposite walls in a staggered manner and perpendicular to the flow direction, was tested. An instrumented copper rib was positioned either in the middle of the rib arrangements or in the furthest upstream location. Both rib heat transfer coefficient and channel friction factor for these low-aspect-ratio ribs were also compared with those of square ribs, reported previously by the authors. Heat transfer coefficients of the furthest upstream rib and that of a typical rib located in the middle of the rib-roughened region of the passage wall were also compared.


Author(s):  
Robert J. Boyle ◽  
Pritheesh Gnanaselvam ◽  
Ankur H. Parikh ◽  
Ali A. Ameri ◽  
Jeffrey P. Bons ◽  
...  

Abstract The structural and aerodynamic performance of a a low aspect ratio SiC/SiC CMC High Pressure Turbine blade was determined. The application was a NASA notional single aisle aircraft engine to be available in the N+3, beyond 2030, time frame. The notional rpm was maintained, and to satisfy stress constraints the annulus area was constrained. This led to a low span blade. For a given clearance low span blade are likely to have improved efficiency when shrouded. The efficiency improvement due to shrouding was found to strongly depend on the axial gap between the shroud and casing. Axial gap, unlike clearance or reaction, is not a common parameter used to correlate the efficiency improvement due to shrouding. The zero clearance stage efficiency of the low aspect ratio turbine was 0.920. Structural analyses showed that the rotor blade could be shrouded without excessive stresses. The goal was to have blade stresses less than 100 MPa (14.5 ksi) for the unshrouded blade. Under some not very restrictive circumstances, such as blade stacking, a one-dimensional radial stress equation accurately predicted area averaged Von Mises stress at the blade hub. With appropriate stacking radial and Von Mises stresses were similar.


Author(s):  
A. M. Wallis ◽  
J. D. Denton ◽  
A. A. J. Demargne

The losses generated by fluid leaking across the shrouds of turbine blade rows are known to form a significant proportion of the overall loss generated in low aspect ratio turbines. The use of shrouds to encase the tips of turbine blades has encouraged the development of many innovative sealing arrangements, all of which are intended to reduce the quantity of fluid (the leakage fraction) leaking across the shroud. Modern sealing arrangements have reduced leakage fractions considerably, meaning that further improvements can only be obtained by controlling the leakage flow in such a way so as to minimise the aerodynamic losses incurred by the extraction and re-injection of the leakage flow into the mainstream. There are few published experimental investigations on the interaction between mainstream and leakage flows to provide guidance on the best means of managing the leakage flows to do this. This paper describes the development and testing of a strategy to turn the fluid leaking over shrouded turbine rotor blade rows with the aim of reducing the aerodynamic losses associated with its re-injection into the mainstream flow. The intent was to extract work from the leakage flow in the process. A four stage research turbine was used to test in detail the sealing design resulting from this strategy. A reduction in brake efficiency of 3.5% was measured. Further investigation suggested that much of the increase in loss could be attributed to the presence of axial gaps upstream and downstream of the shroud cavity which facilitated the periodic ingress and egress of mainstream fluid into the shroud cavity under the influence of the rotor potential field. This process was exacerbated by reductions in the leakage fraction.


1989 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert P. Taylor

Results are presented from profilometer measurements of the surface roughness on inservice turbine engine blades from F-100 and TF-39 aeroengines. On each blade, one roughness profile is taken in the region of the leading edge, the mid-chord and the trailing edge on both the pressure and suction sides for a total of 6 profiles. Thirty 1st stage turbine blades are measured from each engine. Statistical computations are performed on these profiles and the root mean square height, skewness and kurtosis of the roughness height distribution are presented along with the correlation length of the autocorrelation function. The purpose of this work is to provide insight into the nature of surface roughness characteristics of inservice turbine blades which can be used in the development of scaled laboratory experiments of boundary layer flow and heat transfer on turbine engine blades.


Author(s):  
Robert Boyle ◽  
Pritheesh Gnanaselvam ◽  
Ankur H. Parikh ◽  
Ali Ameri ◽  
Jeffrey Bons ◽  
...  

Abstract The structural and aerodynamic performance of a a low aspect ratio SiC/SiC CMC High Pressure Turbine blade was determined. The application was a NASA notional single aisle aircraft engine to be available in the N+3, beyond 2030, time frame. The notional rpm was maintained, and to satisfy stress constraints the annulus area was constrained. This led to a low span blade. For a given clearance low span blade are likely to have improved efficiency when shrouded. The efficiency improvement due to shrouding was found to strongly depend on the axial gap between the shroud and casing. Axial gap, unlike clearance or reaction, is not a common parameter used to correlate the efficiency improvement due to shrouding. The zero clearance stage efficiency of the low aspect ratio turbine was 0.920. Structural analyses showed that the rotor blade could be shrouded without excessive stresses. The goal was to have blade stresses less than 100 MPa(14.5 ksi) for the unshrouded blade. Under some not very restrictive circumstances, such as blade stacking, a one-dimensional radial stress equation accurately predicted area averaged Von Mises stress at the blade hub. With appropriate stacking radial and Von Mises stresses were similar.


Author(s):  
M. E. Taslim ◽  
G. J. Korotky

Cooling channels, roughened with repeated ribs, are commonly employed as a means of cooling turbine blades. The increased level of mixing induced by these ribs enhances the convective heat transfer in the blade cooling cavities. Many previous investigations have focused on the heat transfer coefficient on the surfaces between these ribs and only a few studies report the heat transfer coefficient on the rib surfaces themselves. The present study investigated the heat transfer coefficient on the surfaces of round-corner, low-aspect-ratio (ARrib = 0.667) ribs. Twelve rib geometries, comprising of three rib height-to-channel hydraulic diameter (blockage ratios) of 0.133, 0.167, and 0.25 as well as three rib spacings (pitch-to-height ratios) of 5, 8.5, and 10 were investigated for two distinct thermal boundary conditions of heated and unheated channel walls. A square channel, roughened with low-aspect-ratio ribs on two opposite walls in a staggered manner end perpendicular to the flow direction was tested. An instrumented copper rib was positioned either in the middle of the rib arrangements or in the furthest upstream location. Rib heat transfer coefficient as well as the channel friction factor for these low-aspect-ratio ribs were also compared with those of square ribs, reported previously by the authors. Heat transfer coefficients of the furthest upstream rib and that of a typical rib located in the middle of the rib-roughened region of the passage wall were also compared.


1990 ◽  
Vol 112 (2) ◽  
pp. 175-180 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. P. Taylor

Results are presented from profilometer measurements of the surface roughness on in-service turbine engine blades from F-100 and TF-39 aeroengines. On each blade, one roughness profile is taken in the region of the leading edge, the midchord and the trailing edge on both the pressure and suction sides for a total of six profiles. Thirty first-stage turbine blades are measured from each engine. Statistical computations are performed on these profiles and the root mean square height, skewness and kurtosis of the roughness height distribution are presented along with the correlation length of the autocorrelation function. The purpose of this work is to provide insight into the nature of surface roughness characteristics of in-service turbine blades which can be used in the development of scaled laboratory experiments of boundary layer flow and heat transfer on turbine engine blades.


Author(s):  
Rosario Spataro ◽  
Gabriele D’Ippolito ◽  
Vincenzo Dossena

One key issue in the advanced aerodynamic optimization of turbomachinery involves the application of 3D blade design techniques. The complex shape of the resulting blades is often a combination of simple techniques such as sweep. Such a blade arrangement is often imposed to the designer by structural constrains, space reduction needs, diameter optimization or spanwise blade loading control. This work aims to study the aerodynamic effects produced on turbine passages by blade sweep; with this term we refer to a configuration where the flow mainstream direction and the blade stacking axis are not orthogonal. A linear cascade of turbine blades, obtained by stacking the same profile with a sweep angle of 20 degrees, was investigated in a blow down facility at an isentropic downstream Mach number of 0.65. Standing the low aspect ratio of the cascade, the blade was built by simply shifting in axial direction the 2D profile originally used in the reference prismatic blade. The choice to build the swept blade keeping the same 2D section parallel to the incident flow was considered taking into account the blade low aspect ratio. Measurements were performed by means of blade surface pressure taps and five holes probe traversing downstream of the cascade; oil and dye flow visualizations were also performed to study the effects on the secondary vortices evolution inside of the passage. Moreover, a commercial CFD code was applied to provide information on the flow field all along the passage. The same profile was already extensively investigated both by measurements and CFD calculations [1, 2] in order to clarify the effects of blade lean and bowing. This additional paper gives a final contribution addressed to deeply understand the aerodynamic effects produced on turbine cascade flow field by the separate application of each one of the typical 3D design techniques. Results from both the experimental and computational investigations are presented and discussed in the paper where a phenomenological approach has been preferred. Measurements of the blade surface pressure distribution, performed at several blade heights, support the analysis of the pressure field inside of the passage which is mainly based on numerical results. In particular, the paper shows the influence of pressure contours shape on streamwise vorticity inside and downstream of the passage focusing the attention on secondary structures. The downstream vorticity field is then discussed together with the loss distribution in the same region to provide a more exhaustive description.


Author(s):  
Jiaqi Luo ◽  
Juntao Xiong ◽  
Feng Liu ◽  
Ivan McBean

For low-aspect-ratio turbine blades secondary loss reduction is important for improving performance. This paper presents the application of a viscous adjoint method to reduce secondary loss of a linear cascade. A scalable wall function is implemented in an existing Navier-Stokes flow solver to simulate the secondary flow with reduced requirements on grid density. The simulation result is in good agreement with the experimental data. Entropy production through a blade row is used as the objective function in the optimization of blade redesign and endwall contouring. With the adjoint method, the complete gradient information needed for optimization can be obtained by solving the governing flow equations and their corresponding adjoint equations only once, regardless of the number of design parameters. Three design cases are performed with a low-aspect-ratio steam turbine blade tested by Perdichizzi and Dossena. The results demonstrate that it is feasible to reduce flow loss through the redesign of the blade while maintaining the same mass-averaged turning angle. The effects on the profile loss and secondary loss due to the geometry modification of stagger angle, blade shape and endwall profile are presented and analyzed.


Author(s):  
Todd P. Lagus ◽  
Jon F. Edd

Inertial focusing and ordering in microchannel flows refers to the tendency of finite-sized particles to migrate across streamlines and to form linear, equally spaced trains in the direction of flow. This study utilizes a motorized microscope stage moving along the length of a low aspect ratio microchannel at up to 10 cm/s and provides a Lagrangian view of particles to obtain more complete time dependent trajectory and rotation histories from the channel inlet to outlet. We observe monodisperse particle dynamics, rotations, and interactions over time scales significantly longer (exceeding a 30-fold increase) than static reference frames. The results present new insight into particle interactions which show quasi-steady state equilibrium spacing which oscillates at a constant frequency at a fixed flow rate, which is different from the damped oscillatory interactions suggested in the literature. The average spacing shows little dependence on flow rate, but the oscillation frequency is dependent both on flow rate and particle size.


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