Characteristics of a Turbine Cascade at Low Reynolds Numbers

1997 ◽  
Author(s):  
Koji Murata ◽  
Hiroyuki Abe ◽  
Yasukata Tsutsui
Keyword(s):  
Reynolds Number ◽  
Gas Turbines ◽  
Pressure Loss ◽  
Total Pressure ◽  
Separation Bubble ◽  
Reynolds Numbers ◽  
Boundary Layer Separation ◽  
Total Pressure Loss ◽  
Turbine Cascade ◽  
Low Reynolds

The aerodynamic characteristics of turbine cascades are thought to be relatively satisfactory due to the favorable pressure of the accelerating flow. But within the low Reynolds number region of 50,000 where the 300kW ceramic gas turbines which are being developed under the New-Sunshine Project of Japan operate, the characteristics such as boundary layer separation and reattachment which lead to prominent power losses cannot be easily predicted. In this research, experiments have been conducted to evaluate the performance of a linear two dimensional turbine cascade. Surface pressure distributions of the airfoil were measured for a range of blade chord Reynolds numbers from 40,000 to 160,000 (at inlet), and at 1.3% inlet turbulence intensity. In addition, the wake of the cascade was measured simultaneously using a five hole pilot tube. Traverses of the wake show that there is a drastic increase in the mean total pressure loss at the wake between the Reynolds number of 80,000 to 40,000, and in some conditions, a rise as much as 10% was confirmed. Thus, in accordance with the pressure distribution of the surface of the airfoil, a relation between the total pressure loss and the length of the laminar separation bubble formed on the airfoil could be seen.

The Influence of Aero-Derivative Combustor Turbulence and Reynolds Number on Vane Aerodynamics Losses, Secondary Flows, and Wake Growth

2006 ◽  
Author(s):  
F. E. Ames ◽  
J. D. Johnson ◽  
N. J. Fiala
Keyword(s):  
Heat Transfer ◽  
Reynolds Number ◽  
Pressure Loss ◽  
Total Pressure ◽  
Reynolds Numbers ◽  
Secondary Flows ◽  
Total Pressure Loss ◽  
Surface Boundary ◽  
High Turbulence ◽  
Turbulence Condition

Exit surveys detailing total pressure loss, turning angle, and secondary velocities have been acquired for a fully loaded vane profile in a large scale low speed cascade facility. Exit surveys have been taken over a four-to-one range in Reynolds numbers based on exit conditions and for both a low turbulence condition and a high turbulence condition. The high turbulence condition was generated using a mock aero-derivative combustor. Exit loss, angle, and secondary velocity measurements were acquired in the facility using a five-hole cone probe at two stations representing axial chord spacings of 0.25 and 0.50. Substantial differences in the level of losses, distribution of losses, and secondary flow vectors are seen with the different turbulence conditions and at the different Reynolds numbers. The higher turbulence condition produces a significantly broader wake than the low turbulence case and shows a measurable total pressure loss in the region outside the wakes. Generally, total pressure losses are about 0.02 greater for the high turbulence case compared with the low turbulence case primarily due to the state of the suction surface boundary layers. Losses decrease moderately with increasing Reynolds number. Cascade inlet velocity distributions have been previously documented in an endwall heat transfer study of this same geometry. These exit survey measurements support our understanding of the endwall heat transfer distributions, the secondary flows in the passage, and the origin of losses.

Aerodynamic Optimization of a Winglet-Shroud Tip Geometry for a Linear Turbine Cascade

2017 ◽  
Vol 139 (10) ◽  
Author(s):  
Min Zhang ◽  
Yan Liu ◽  
Tianlong Zhang ◽  
Mengchao Zhang ◽  
Ying He
Keyword(s):  
Pressure Loss ◽  
Total Pressure ◽  
Separation Bubble ◽  
Aerodynamic Performance ◽  
Total Pressure Loss ◽  
Turbine Cascade ◽  
Aerodynamic Optimization ◽  
Tip Leakage ◽  
Viscous Loss ◽  
Partial Shroud

This paper presents a continued study on a previously investigated novel winglet-shroud (WS) (or partial shroud) geometry for a linear turbine cascade. Various widths of double-side winglets (DSW) and different locations of a partial shroud are considered. In addition, both a plain tip and a full shroud tip are applied as the datum cases which were examined experimentally and numerically. Total pressure loss and viscous loss coefficients are comparatively employed to execute a quantitative analysis of aerodynamic performance. The effectiveness of various widths (w) of DSW set at 3%, 5%, 7%, and 9% of the blade pitch (p) is numerically investigated. Skin-friction lines on the tip surface indicate that different DSW cases do not alter flow field features including the separation bubble and reattachment flow within the tip gap region, even for the case with the broadest width (w/p = 9%). However, the pressure side extension of the DSW exhibits the formation of separation bubble, while the suction side platform of the DSW turns the tip leakage vortex (TLV) away from the suction surface (SS). Meanwhile, the horse-shoe vortex (HV) near the casing is not generated even for the case with the smallest width (w/p = 3%). As a result, both the tip leakage and the upper passage vortices are weakened and further dissipated with wider w/p in the DSW cases. Larger width of the DSW geometry is indeed able to improve the aerodynamic performance, but only to a slight degree. With the w/p increasing from 3% to 9%, the mass-averaged total pressure loss coefficient over an exit plane is reduced by only 2.61%. Therefore, considering both the enlarged (or reduced) tip area and the enhanced (or deteriorated) performance compared to the datum cases, a favorable width of w/p = 5% is chosen to design the WS structure. Three locations for the partial shroud (linkage segment) are devised, locating them near the leading edge, in the middle and close to the trailing edge, respectively. Results demonstrate that all three cases of the WS design have advantages over the DSW arrangement in lessening the aerodynamic loss, with the middle linkage segment location producing the optimal effect. This conclusion verifies the feasibility of the previously studied WS configuration.

Aerodynamic Optimization of a Winglet-Shroud Tip Geometry for a Linear Turbine Cascade

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Min Zhang ◽  
Yan Liu ◽  
Tian-long Zhang ◽  
Meng-chao Zhang ◽  
Hong-kun Li
Keyword(s):  
Pressure Loss ◽  
Total Pressure ◽  
Separation Bubble ◽  
Aerodynamic Performance ◽  
Total Pressure Loss ◽  
Turbine Cascade ◽  
Aerodynamic Optimization ◽  
Tip Leakage ◽  
Viscous Loss ◽  
Partial Shroud

This paper presents a continued study on a previously investigated novel winglet-shroud (WS) (or partial shroud) geometry for a linear turbine cascade. Various width of double-side winglets and different locations of a partial shroud are considered. In addition, both a plain tip and a full shroud tip are applied as the datum cases which were examined experimentally and numerically. Total pressure loss and viscous loss coefficients are comparatively employed to execute a quantitative analysis of the aerodynamic performance. The effectiveness of various width (w) of double-side winglets (DSW) involving 3%, 5%, 7% and 9% of the blade pitch (p) is numerically investigated. Skin-friction lines on the tip surface indicate that the different DSW cases do not alter flow field features including the separation bubble and reattachment flow within the tip gap region, even for the case with the broadest width (w/p = 9%). However, the pressure side extension of the DSW exhibits the formation of the separation bubble, while the suction side platform of the DSW turns the tip leakage vortex away from the suction surface. Meanwhile, the horse-shoe vortex near the casing is not generated even for the case with the smallest width (w/p=3%). As a result, both the tip leakage and the upper passage vortices are weakened and further dissipated with wider w/p in the DSW cases. Larger width of the DSW geometry is indeed able to improve the aerodynamic performance, but in a slight degree. With the w/p increasing from 3% to 9%, the mass-averaged total pressure loss coefficient over an exit plane is just reduced by 2.61%. Therefore, considering both the enlarged (or reduced) tip area and the enhanced (or deteriorated) performance compared to the datum cases, a favorable width of w/p=5% is chosen to design the WS structure. Three locations of the partial shroud (linkage segment) are devised, which are located near the leading edge, the middle and close to the trailing edge respectively. Results illustrates that all three cases of the WS have advantages in lessening the aerodynamic loss over the DSW arrangement, but with the linkage segment located in the middle having optimal effect. This conclusion verifies the feasibility of the previously studied WS configuration.

Surface Roughness Effects on Turbine Blade Aerodynamics

2004 ◽  
Author(s):  
Frank Hummel ◽  
Michael Lo¨tzerich ◽  
Pasquale Cardamone ◽  
Leonhard Fottner
Keyword(s):  
Surface Roughness ◽  
Reynolds Number ◽  
Turbine Blade ◽  
Gas Turbines ◽  
Pressure Loss ◽  
Total Pressure ◽  
High Speed ◽  
Armed Forces ◽  
Total Pressure Loss ◽  
German Armed Forces

The aerodynamic performance of a turbine blade was evaluated via total pressure loss measurements on a linear cascade. The Reynolds number was varied from 600,000 to 1,200,000 to capture the operating regime for heavy-duty gas turbines. Four different types of surface roughness on the same profile were tested in the High Speed Cascade Wind Tunnel of the University of the German Armed Forces Munich and evaluated against a hydraulically smooth reference blade. The ratios of surface roughness to chord length for the test blade surfaces are in the range of Ra/c = 7.6×10−06 – 7.9×10−05. The total pressure losses were evaluated from wake traverse measurements. The loss increase due to surface roughness was found to increase with increasing Reynolds number. For the maximum tested Reynolds number of Re = 1,200,000 the increase in total pressure loss for the highest analysed surface roughness value of Ra = 11.8 μm was found to be 40% compared to a hydraulically smooth surface. The results of the measurements were compared to a correlation from literature as well as to well-documented measurements in literature. Good agreement was found for high Reynolds numbers between the correlation and the test results presented in this paper and the data available from literature.

scholarly journals Characteristics of an Annular Turbine Cascade at Low Reynolds Numbers

1998 ◽  
Author(s):  
Takayuki Matsunuma ◽  
Hiroyuki Abe ◽  
Yasukata Tsutsui ◽  
Koji Murata
Keyword(s):  
Reynolds Number ◽  
Gas Turbines ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Reynolds Numbers ◽  
Boundary Layer Separation ◽  
Aerodynamic Characteristics ◽  
Secondary Flows ◽  
Suction Surface ◽  
Low Reynolds Numbers ◽  
Low Reynolds

The aerodynamic characteristics of turbine cascades are thought to be relatively satisfactory due to the favorable pressure gradient of the accelerating flow. But within the low Reynolds number region of approximately 6×104 where the 300kW ceramic gas turbines which are being developed under the New Sunshine Project of Japan operate, the characteristics such as boundary layer separation, reattachment and secondary flow which lead to prominent power losses can not be easily predicted. In this research, experiments have been conducted to evaluate the performance of an annular turbine stator cascade. Wakes of the cascade were measured using a single hot wire and five hole pressure tube, for a range of blade chord Reynolds numbers based on the inlet condition from 2×104 to 12×104. Flow visualizations on the suction surface of the blade were carried out using oil film method. At low Reynolds numbers, the flow structure in the annular cascade was quite complex and three-dimensional. The separation line on the suction surface moved upstream due to the decrease of Reynolds number. In addition, the growth of secondary flows, i.e., passage vortices and leakage vortex, was extremely under the influence of Reynolds number.

Combustion Turbine Exhaust Duct, Silencer, and Stack Scale Modeling

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert Craven ◽  
Keith Kirkpatrick ◽  
Stephen Idem
Keyword(s):  
Reynolds Number ◽  
Power Plant ◽  
Pressure Loss ◽  
Total Pressure ◽  
Exhaust System ◽  
Total Pressure Loss ◽  
Scale Model ◽  
Pressure Losses ◽  
Exhaust Duct ◽  
On Line

Abstract After constructing a scale model of planned changes to a power plant exhaust system, tests were performed to measure pressure losses in the transition, silencer, and stack. A dimension of 0.30 m (1.0 ft) for the scale model corresponded to 3.7 m (12.0 ft) at full scale. To the extent possible, the scale model tests exhibited geometric similarity with the actual power plant. Total pressure loss coefficients varied between 2.122, 1.969, and 1.932, for three separate scale model configurations that were considered. A combination of turning vanes and splitter vanes in the five-gore elbow, coupled with the use of turning vanes in the rectangular elbow yielded the lowest total pressure loss. Although Reynolds number similarity between the scale model experiments and the actual power plant was not attained, Reynolds number independence was achieved in the tests. The results from this study was applied to model pressure loss in the actual power plant. The scale model testing revealed that utilization of the exhaust ducting design designated as Case A would yield a sufficiently low pressure loss that it would not degrade the performance of the combustion turbine in the power plant to be repaired. Therefore it was selected for inclusion in the retro-fitting of the power plant to facilitate its being quickly brought back on-line.

The Application of Flow Control to an Aft-Loaded Low Pressure Turbine Cascade With Unsteady Wakes

2008 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeffrey P. Bons ◽  
Jon Pluim ◽  
Kyle Gompertz ◽  
Matthew Bloxham ◽  
John P. Clark
Keyword(s):  
Reynolds Number ◽  
Flow Control ◽  
Shear Layer ◽  
Pressure Loss ◽  
Total Pressure ◽  
Separation Zone ◽  
Total Pressure Loss ◽  
Separation Control ◽  
Low Pressure Turbine ◽  
Separated Shear Layer

The synchronous application of flow control in the presence of unsteady wakes was studied on a highly-loaded low pressure turbine blade. The L1A blade has a design Zweifel coefficient of 1.34 and a suction peak at 58% axial chord, making it an aft-loaded pressure distribution. Velocity and pressure data were acquired at Rec = 20,000 with 3% incoming freestream turbulence. Unsteady wakes from an upstream vane row are simulated with a moving row of bars at a flow coefficient of 0.76. At this Reynolds number, the blade exhibits a non-reattaching separation bubble beginning at 57% axial chord under steady flow conditions without upstream wakes. The separation zone is modified substantially by the presence of unsteady wakes, producing a smaller separation zone and reducing the area-averaged wake total pressure loss by more than 50%. The wake disturbance accelerates transition in the separated shear layer but stops short of reattaching the flow. Rather, a new time-averaged equilibrium location is established for the separated shear layer, further downstream than without wakes. The focus of this study was the application of pulsed flow control using two spanwise rows of discrete vortex generator jets (VGJs). The VGJs were located at 59% Cx, approximately the peak cp location, and at 72% Cx. The most effective separation control was achieved at the 59% Cx location. Wake total pressure loss decreased 60% from the wake only level and the cp distribution fully recovered its high Reynolds number (attached flow) performance. The VGJ disturbance dominates the dynamics of the separated shear layer, with the wake disturbance assuming a secondary role only. When the pulsed jet actuation (30% duty cycle) was initiated at the 72% Cx location, synchronization with the wake passing frequency (10.6Hz) was key to producing the most effective separation control. A 25% improvement in effectiveness was obtained by aligning the jet actuation between wake events. Evidence suggests that flow control using VGJs will be effective in the highly unsteady LPT environment of an operating gas turbine, provided the VGJ location and amplitude are adapted for the specific blade profile.

scholarly journals Impact of a Cooled Cooling Air System on the External Aerodynamics of a Gas Turbine Combustion System

2017 ◽  
Vol 139 (5) ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Duncan Walker ◽  
Bharat Koli ◽  
Liang Guo ◽  
Peter Beecroft ◽  
Marco Zedda
Keyword(s):  
Gas Turbines ◽  
Pressure Loss ◽  
Total Pressure ◽  
Outer Wall ◽  
Total Pressure Loss ◽  
Test Facility ◽  
Combustion System ◽  
Air System ◽  
External Aerodynamics ◽  
Cooling Air

To manage the increasing turbine temperatures of future gas turbines a cooled cooling air system has been proposed. In such a system some of the compressor efflux is diverted for additional cooling in a heat exchanger (HX) located in the bypass duct. The cooled air must then be returned, across the main gas path, to the engine core for use in component cooling. One option is do this within the combustor module and two methods are examined in the current paper; via simple transfer pipes within the dump region or via radial struts in the prediffuser. This paper presents an experimental investigation to examine the aerodynamic impact these have on the combustion system external aerodynamics. This included the use of a fully annular, isothermal test facility incorporating a bespoke 1.5 stage axial compressor, engine representative outlet guide vanes (OGVs), prediffuser, and combustor geometry. Area traverses of a miniature five-hole probe were conducted at various locations within the combustion system providing information on both flow uniformity and total pressure loss. The results show that, compared to a datum configuration, the addition of transfer pipes had minimal aerodynamic impact in terms of flow structure, distribution, and total pressure loss. However, the inclusion of prediffuser struts had a notable impact increasing the prediffuser loss by a third and consequently the overall system loss by an unacceptable 40%. Inclusion of a hybrid prediffuser with the cooled cooling air (CCA) bleed located on the prediffuser outer wall enabled an increase of the prediffuser area ratio with the result that the system loss could be returned to that of the datum level.

Effect of Turbine Blade tip shape on the Total Pressure Loss of a Turbine Cascade

2009 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 39-45 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ki-Seon Lee ◽  
Seoung-Duck Park ◽  
Young-Chul Noh ◽  
Hak-Bong Kim ◽  
Jae-Su Kwak ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Turbine Blade ◽  
Pressure Loss ◽  
Total Pressure ◽  
Total Pressure Loss ◽  
Turbine Cascade ◽  
Blade Tip

Influence of Turbulence Intensity on Annular Turbine Stator Aerodynamics at Low Reynolds Numbers

1999 ◽  
Author(s):  
Takayuki Matsunuma ◽  
Hiroyuki Abe ◽  
Yasukata Tsutsui
Keyword(s):  
Reynolds Number ◽  
Turbulence Intensity ◽  
Gas Turbines ◽  
Separation Zone ◽  
Reynolds Numbers ◽  
Pressure Probe ◽  
Single Element ◽  
Low Reynolds Numbers ◽  
Turbine Stator ◽  
Low Reynolds

The aerodynamic characteristics of turbine cascades are thought to be relatively satisfactory due to the favorable pressure of the accelerating flow. But within the low Reynolds number region of 6×104 where the 300kW ceramic gas turbines which are being developed under the New Sunshine project of Japan operate, the characteristics such as boundary layer separation, reattachment and secondary flow which lead to prominent power losses can not be easily predicted. In this research, experiments have been conducted to evaluate the performance of an annular turbine stator cascade, especially focused on the influence of inlet turbulence intensity at low Reynolds numbers. The Reynolds number, based on inlet condition, was varied from 2×104 to 12×104. The turbulence intensity was changed between 0.5% and 8.9% by setting turbulence generation sheets. The wake of the cascade was measured using a 5-hole pressure probe and a single element hot-wire anemometry. The Reynolds number was a determinative important parameter, while the turbulence intensity was found to have an insignificant effect on the overall total pressure loss of annular turbine stator at low Reynolds numbers. However, the increase in separation zone on suction surface and the decrease of passage vortices near the endwalls were observed locally with the increase in the inlet turbulence intensity. Instantaneous velocity signals proved the transformation of the flow structure in separation zone. The increase in profile loss (separation) and the decrease in net secondary loss (passage vonices) offset each other. Therefore, the net overall loss remains almost constant.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document