Multi-model structured H-infinity design of a robust and aggressive turbofan jet engine controller

Author(s):  
Patrick Authié

Abstract Jet engine control comprises tracking either the fan speed or engine pressure ratio setpoints. Further, safe operation entails maintaining several additional parameters, such as high-pressure turbine temperature, combustor pressure, core shaft acceleration and other ones within prescribed limits. A Min-Max selector that features PI controllers is frequently used to handle these requirements. However, this arrangement is overly conservative in the limits management, which unnecessarily slows down the engine response. To overcome this shortcoming, a new controller that adopts the traditional Min-Max structure in combination with the Ndot control, the Conditionally Active and the Conditioning Technique approaches is developed. PI regulators are replaced by dynamic output feedback controllers, which are designed according to a multi-model structured H-infinity methodology. This approach makes it possible to marry robustness with performance, which are two conflicting objectives. Singular value analysis tools demonstrate the robustness of the resulting design. Linear and nonlinear simulations indicate that the proposed controller optimizes the engine response time under the constraint of keeping a set of parameters within prescribed bounds. The features of the proposed design are lucrative for actual implementation in the industry.

Author(s):  
James Spelling ◽  
Björn Laumert ◽  
Torsten Fransson

A dynamic simulation model of a hybrid solar gas-turbine power plant has been developed, allowing determination of its thermodynamic and economic performance. In order to examine optimum gas-turbine designs for hybrid solar power plants, multi-objective thermoeconomic analysis has been performed, with two conflicting objectives: minimum levelized electricity costs and minimum specific CO2 emissions. Optimum cycle conditions: pressure-ratio, receiver temperature, turbine inlet temperature and flow rate, have been identified for a 15 MWe gas-turbine under different degrees of solarization. At moderate solar shares, the hybrid solar gas-turbine concept was shown to provide significant water and CO2 savings with only a minor increase in the levelized electricity cost.


Author(s):  
Brian R. Green ◽  
Randall M. Mathison ◽  
Michael G. Dunn

The effect of rotor purge flow on the unsteady aerodynamics of a high-pressure turbine stage operating at design corrected conditions has been investigated both experimentally and computationally. The experimental configuration consisted of a single-stage high-pressure turbine with a modern film-cooling configuration on the vane airfoil as well as the inner and outer end-wall surfaces. Purge flow was introduced into the cavity located between the high-pressure vane and the high-pressure disk. The high-pressure blades and the downstream low-pressure turbine nozzle row were not cooled. All hardware featured an aerodynamic design typical of a commercial high-pressure ratio turbine, and the flow path geometry was representative of the actual engine hardware. In addition to instrumentation in the main flow path, the stationary and rotating seals of the purge flow cavity were instrumented with high frequency response, flush-mounted pressure transducers and miniature thermocouples to measure flow field parameters above and below the angel wing. Predictions of the time-dependent flow field in the turbine flow path were obtained using FINE/Turbo, a three-dimensional, Reynolds-Averaged Navier-Stokes CFD code that had the capability to perform both steady and unsteady analysis. The steady and unsteady flow fields throughout the turbine were predicted using a three blade-row computational model that incorporated the purge flow cavity between the high-pressure vane and disk. The predictions were performed in an effort to mimic the design process with no adjustment of boundary conditions to better match the experimental data. The time-accurate predictions were generated using the harmonic method. Part I of this paper concentrates on the comparison of the time-averaged and time-accurate predictions with measurements in and around the purge flow cavity. The degree of agreement between the measured and predicted parameters is described in detail, providing confidence in the predictions for flow field analysis that will be provided in Part II.


Author(s):  
Richard Celestina ◽  
Spencer Sperling ◽  
Louis Christensen ◽  
Randall Mathison ◽  
Hakan Aksoy ◽  
...  

Abstract This paper presents the development and implementation of a new generation of double-sided heat-flux gauges at The Ohio State University Gas Turbine Laboratory (GTL) along with heat transfer measurements for film-cooled airfoils in a single-stage high-pressure transonic turbine operating at design corrected conditions. Double-sided heat flux gauges are a critical part of turbine cooling studies, and the new generation improves upon the durability and stability of previous designs while also introducing high-density layouts that provide better spatial resolution. These new customizable high-density double-sided heat flux gauges allow for multiple heat transfer measurements in a small geometric area such as immediately downstream of a row of cooling holes on an airfoil. Two high-density designs are utilized: Type A consists of 9 gauges laid out within a 5 mm by 2.6 mm (0.20 inch by 0.10 inch) area on the pressure surface of an airfoil, and Type B consists of 7 gauges located at points of predicted interest on the suction surface. Both individual and high-density heat flux gauges are installed on the blades of a transonic turbine experiment for the second build of the High-Pressure Turbine Innovative Cooling program (HPTIC2). Run in a short duration facility, the single-stage high-pressure turbine operated at design-corrected conditions (matching corrected speed, flow function, and pressure ratio) with forward and aft purge flow and film-cooled blades. Gauges are placed at repeated locations across different cooling schemes in a rainbow rotor configuration. Airfoil film-cooling schemes include round, fan, and advanced shaped cooling holes in addition to uncooled airfoils. Both the pressure and suction surfaces of the airfoils are instrumented at multiple wetted distance locations and percent spans from roughly 10% to 90%. Results from these tests are presented as both time-average values and time-accurate ensemble averages in order to capture unsteady motion and heat transfer distribution created by strong secondary flows and cooling flows.


Author(s):  
Irebert R. Delgado ◽  
Gary R. Halford ◽  
Bruce M. Steinetz ◽  
Clare M. Rimnac

NASA’s Turbine Seal Test Facility is used to test air-to-air seals for use primarily in advanced jet engine applications. Combinations of high temperature, high speed, and high pressure limit the disk life, due to the concern of crack initiation in the bolt holes of the Grainex Mar-M 247 disk. The primary purpose of this current work is to determine an inspection interval to ensure safe operation. The current work presents high temperature fatigue strain-life data for test specimens cut from an actual Grainex Mar-M 247 disk. Several different strain-life models were compared to the experimental data including the Manson-Hirschberg Method of Universal Slopes, the Halford-Nachtigall Mean Stress Method, and the Modified Morrow Method. The Halford-Nachtigall Method resulted in only an 18% difference between predicted and experimental results. Using the experimental data at a −99.95% prediction level and the presence of 6 bolt holes it was found that the disk should be inspected after 665 cycles based on a total strain of 0.5% at 649°C.


Author(s):  
Prasert Prapamonthon ◽  
Bo Yin ◽  
Guowei Yang ◽  
Mohan Zhang

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.


Author(s):  
Harjit S. Hura ◽  
Scott Carson ◽  
Rob Saeidi ◽  
Hyoun-Woo Shin ◽  
Paul Giel

This paper describes the engine and rig design, and test results of an ultra-highly loaded single stage high pressure turbine. In service aviation single stage HPTs typically operate at a total-to-total pressure ratio of less than 4.0. At higher pressure ratios or energy extraction the nozzle and blade both have regions of supersonic flow and shock structures which, if not mitigated, can result in a large loss in efficiency both in the turbine itself and due to interaction with the downstream component which may be a turbine center frame or a low pressure turbine. Extending the viability of the single stage HPT to higher pressure ratios is attractive as it enables a compact engine with less weight, and lower initial and maintenance costs as compared to a two stage HPT. The present work was performed as part of the NASA UEET (Ultra-Efficient Engine Technology) program from 2002 through 2005. The goal of the program was to design and rig test a cooled single stage HPT with a pressure ratio of 5.5 with an efficiency at least two points higher than the state of the art. Preliminary design tools and a design of experiments approach were used to design the flow path. Stage loading and through-flow were set at appropriate levels based on prior experience on high pressure ratio single stage turbines. Appropriate choices of blade aspect ratio, count, and reaction were made based on comparison with similar HPT designs. A low shock blading design approach was used to minimize the shock strength in the blade during design iterations. CFD calculations were made to assess performance. The HPT aerodynamics and cooling design was replicated and tested in a high speed rig at design point and off-design conditions. The turbine met or exceeded the expected performance level based on both steady state and radial/circumferential traverse data. High frequency dynamic total pressure measurements were made to understand the presence of unsteadiness that persists in the exhaust of a transonic turbine.


2013 ◽  
Vol 136 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Brian R. Green ◽  
Randall M. Mathison ◽  
Michael G. Dunn

The detailed mechanisms of purge flow interaction with the hot-gas flow path were investigated using both unsteady computationally fluid dynamics (CFD) and measurements for a turbine operating at design corrected conditions. This turbine consisted of a single-stage high-pressure turbine and the downstream, low-pressure turbine nozzle row with an aerodynamic design equivalent to actual engine hardware and typical of a commercial, high-pressure ratio, transonic turbine. The high-pressure vane airfoils and inner and outer end walls incorporated state-of-the-art film cooling, and purge flow was introduced into the cavity located between the high-pressure vane and disk. The flow field above and below the blade angel wing was characterized by both temperature and pressure measurements. Predictions of the time-dependent flow field were obtained using a three-dimensional, Reynolds-averaged Navier–Stokes CFD code and a computational model incorporating the three blade rows and the purge flow cavity. The predictions were performed to evaluate the accuracy obtained by a design style application of the code, and no adjustment of boundary conditions was made to better match the experimental data. Part I of this paper compared the predictions to the measurements in and around the purge flow cavity and demonstrated good correlation. Part II of this paper concentrates on the analytical results, looking at the primary gas path ingestion mechanism into the cavity as well as the effects of the rotor purge on the upstream vane and downstream rotor aerodynamics and thermodynamics. Ingestion into the cavity is driven by high static pressure regions downstream of the vane, high-velocity flow coming off the pressure side of the vane, and the blade bow waves. The introduction of the purge flow is seen to have an effect on the static pressure of the vane trailing edge in the lower 5% of span. In addition, the purge flow is weak enough that upon exiting the cavity, it is swept into the mainstream flow and provides no additional cooling benefits on the platform of the rotating blade.


Author(s):  
Byungchan Lee ◽  
Dohoy Jung ◽  
Dennis Assanis ◽  
Zoran Filipi

Diesel engines are gaining in popularity, penetrating even the luxury and sports vehicle segments that have traditionally been strongly favored gasoline engines as the performance and refinement of diesel engines have improved significantly in recent years. The introduction of sophisticated technologies such as common rail injection (CRI), advanced boosting systems such as variable geometry and multi-stage turbocharging, and exhaust gas after-treatment systems have renewed the interest in Diesel engines. Among the technical advancements of diesel engines, the multi-stage turbocharging is the key to achieve such high power density that is suitable for the luxury and sports vehicle applications. Single-stage turbocharging is limited to roughly 2.5 bar of boost pressure. In order to raise the boost pressure up to levels of 4 bar or so, another turbocharger must be connected in series further multiplying the pressure ratio. The dual-stage turbocharging, however, adds system complexity, and the matching of two turbochargers becomes very costly if it is to be done experimentally. This study presents a simulation-based methodology for dual-stage turbocharger matching through an iterative procedure predicting optimal configurations of compressors and turbines. A physics-based zero-dimensional Diesel engine system simulation with a dual-stage turbocharger is implemented in SIMULINK environment, allowing easy evaluation of different configurations and subsequent analysis of engine system performance. The simulation program is augmented with a turbocharger matching program and a turbomachinery scaling routine. The configurations considered in the study include a dual-stage turbocharging system with a bypass valve added to the high pressure turbine, and a system with a wastegate valve added to a low-pressure turbine. The systematic simulation study allows detailed analysis of the impact of each of the configurations on matching, boost characteristics and transient response. The configuration with the bypass valve across high pressure turbine showed better results in terms of both steady state engine torque and transient behavior.


Author(s):  
Frank Reiss ◽  
Timothy Griffin ◽  
Karl Reyser

ALSTOM Power’s GT13E2 gas turbine has been successfully commissioned in a refinery residual oil gasification process (api Energia, Italy) operating on Medium Btu gas (GT13E2-MBtu). The modification of the standard GT13E2 to operate with MBtu fuel has resulted in an improvement in the performance of the GT13E2 to exceed 192 MW and 38% efficiency (simple cycle) at ISO conditions. The GT compressor has been upgraded to incorporate an extra-end stage to boost the pressure ratio to 17:1 and improve performance. Syngas from residual oil gasification has a typical volumetric composition of 45% H2, 48% CO and 7% CO2 and a lower heating value of 13.9 MJ/kg. This syngas has been diluted with N2 to reduce the heating value to 7 MJ/kg lowering reactivity and allowing partially premixed operation. In order to operate with syngas a redesign of the standard EV burners was necessary to deal with the associated high flame velocities and volume fluxes. The fuel injection for syngas operation was placed at the burner end and the gas injected radially inward to obtain inherently safe operation. The gas turbine demonstrated successful operation with both syngas and oil No. 2 fuels. At the standard dilution of 7MJ/kg NOx emissions are in the 20–25 vppm range and the CO emissions are below 5 vppm independent of load. The modified burners demonstrated safe operation on syngas with and without dilution of nitrogen in a tested LHV range from 6.8 to 14 MJ/kg. This behavior allows high flexibility of the entire power plant. Changeover from oil no. 2 to syngas and vice versa can be done between 50 and 100% load. The gas turbine components have been inspected several times during the commissioning period and shown to be in good condition.


2013 ◽  
Vol 136 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul F. Beard ◽  
Andy D. Smith ◽  
Thomas Povey

This paper presents an experimental and computational study of the effect of inlet swirl on the efficiency of a transonic turbine stage. The efficiency penalty is approximately 1%, but it is argued that this could be recovered by correct design. There are attendant changes in capacity, work function, and stage total-to-total pressure ratio, which are discussed in detail. Experiments were performed using the unshrouded MT1 high-pressure turbine installed in the Oxford Turbine Research Facility (OTRF) (formerly at QinetiQ Farnborough): an engine scale, short duration, rotating transonic facility, in which M, Re, Tgas/Twall, and N/T01 are matched to engine conditions. The research was conducted under the EU Turbine Aero-Thermal External Flows (TATEF II) program. Turbine efficiency was experimentally determined to within bias and precision uncertainties of approximately ±1.4% and ±0.2%, respectively, to 95% confidence. The stage mass flow rate was metered upstream of the turbine nozzle, and the turbine power was measured directly using an accurate strain-gauge based torque measurement system. The turbine efficiency was measured experimentally for a condition with uniform inlet flow and a condition with pronounced inlet swirl. Full stage computational fluid dynamics (CFD) was performed using the Rolls-Royce Hydra solver. Steady and unsteady solutions were conducted for both the uniform inlet baseline case and a case with inlet swirl. The simulations are largely in agreement with the experimental results. A discussion of discrepancies is given.


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