Experimental and Numerical Investigations of a Transonic, High Turning Turbine Cascade With a Divergent Endwall

Author(s):  
Santosh Abraham ◽  
Kapil Panchal ◽  
Song Xue ◽  
Srinath V. Ekkad ◽  
Wing Ng ◽  
...  

The paper presents detailed measurements of midspan total pressure loss, secondary flow field, static pressure measurements on airfoil surface at midspan, near hub and near the end walls in a transonic turbine airfoil cascade. Numerous low-speed experimental studies have been carried out to investigate the performance of turbine cascades. Profile and secondary loss correlations have been developed and improved over the years to include the induced incidence and leading edge geometry and to reflect recent trends in turbine design. All of the above investigations have resulted in better understanding of flow field in turbine passages. However, there is still insufficient data on the performance of turbine blades with high turning angles operating at varying incidences angles at transonic Mach numbers. In the present study, measurements were made at +10, 0 and −10 degree incidence angles for a high turning turbine airfoil with 127 degree turning. The exit Mach numbers were varied within a range from 0.6 to 1.1. Additionally, the exit span is increased relative to the inlet span resulting in one end wall diverging from inlet to exit at 13 degree angle. This was done in order to obtain a ratio of inlet Mach number to exit Mach number which is representative to that encountered in real engine and simulates the blade and near end wall loading that is seen in an engine. 3D viscous compressible CFD analysis was carried out in order to compare the results with experimentally obtained values and to further investigate the design and off-design flow characteristics of the airfoil under study. All aerodynamic measurements were compared with CFD analysis and a reasonably good match was observed.

Author(s):  
Santosh Abraham ◽  
Kapil Panchal ◽  
Srinath V. Ekkad ◽  
Wing Ng ◽  
Barry J. Brown ◽  
...  

Profile and secondary loss correlations have been developed and improved over the years to include the induced incidence and leading edge geometry and to reflect recent trends in turbine design. All of these investigations have resulted in better understanding of the flow field in turbine passages. However, there is still insufficient data on the performance of turbine airfoils with high turning angles operating at varying incidence angles at transonic Mach numbers. The paper presents detailed aerodynamic measurements for three different turbine airfoils with similar turning angles but different aerodynamic shapes. Midspan total pressure loss, secondary flow field, and static pressure measurements on the airfoil surface in the cascades are presented and compared for the three different airfoil sets. The airfoils are designed for the same velocity triangles (inlet/exit gas angles and Mach number). Airfoil curvature and true chord are varied to change the loading vs. chord. The objective is to investigate the type of loading distribution and its effect on aerodynamic performance (pressure loss). Measurements are made at +10, 0 and −10 degree incidence angles for high turning turbine airfoils with ∼127 degree turning. The cascade exit Mach numbers were varied within a range from 0.6 to 1.1. In order to attain a ratio of inlet Mach number to exit Mach number that is representative to that encountered in a real engine, the exit span is increased relative to the inlet span. This results in one end wall diverging from inlet to exit at a 13 degree angle, which simulates the required leading edge loading as seen in an engine. 3D viscous compressible CFD analysis was carried out in order to compare the results with experimentally obtained values and to further investigate the flow characteristics of the airfoils under study.


Author(s):  
D. Corriveau ◽  
S. A. Sjolander

Linear cascade measurements for the aerodynamic performance of a family of three transonic, high-pressure (HP) turbine blades have been presented previously by the authors. The airfoils were designed for the same inlet and outlet velocity triangles but varied in their loading distributions. The previous papers presented results for the design incidence at various exit Mach numbers, and for off-design incidence at the design exit Mach number of 1.05. Results from the earlier studies indicated that by shifting the loading towards the rear of the airfoil an improvement in the profile loss performance of the order of 20% could be obtained near the design Mach number at design incidence. Measurements performed at off-design incidence, but still at the design Mach number, showed that the superior performance of the aft-loaded blade extended over a range of incidence from about −5.0° to +5.0° relative to the design value. For the current study, additional measurements were performed at off-design Mach numbers from about 0.5 to 1.3 and for incidence values of −10.0°, +5.0° and + 10.0° relative to design. The corresponding Reynolds numbers, based on outlet velocity and true chord, varied from roughly 4 × 105 to 10 × 105. The measurements included midspan losses, blade loading distributions and base pressures. In addition, two-dimensional Navier-Stokes computations of the flow were performed to help in the interpretation of the experimental results. The results show that the superior loss performance of the aft-loaded profile, observed at design Mach number and low values of off-design incidence, does not extend readily to off-design Mach numbers and larger values of incidence. In fact, the measured midspan loss performance for the aft-loaded blade was found to be inferior to, or at best equal to, that of the baseline, mid-loaded airfoil at most combinations of off-design Mach number and incidence. However, based on the observations made at design and off-design flow conditions, it appears that aft-loading can be a viable design philosophy to employ in order to reduce the losses within a blade row provided the rearward deceleration is carefully limited. The loss performance of the front-loaded blade is inferior or at best equal to that of the other two blades for all operating conditions. As such, it appears that there is no advantage to front loading the airfoil for transonic high-pressure turbine blades. The results also provide a significant addition to the data available in the open literature on the off-design performance of transonic HP turbine airfoils.


Author(s):  
Santosh Abraham ◽  
Kapil Panchal ◽  
Srinath V. Ekkad ◽  
Wing Ng ◽  
Barry J. Brown ◽  
...  

Performance data for high turning gas turbine blades under transonic Mach numbers is significantly lacking in literature. Performance of three gas turbine airfoils with varying turning angles at transonic flow conditions was investigated in this study. Midspan total pressure loss, secondary flow field and static pressure measurements on the airfoil surface in a linear cascade setting were measured. Airfoil curvature and true chord were varied to change the loading vs. chord for each airfoil. Airfoils A, D and E are designed to operate at different velocity triangles. Velocity triangle requirements (inlet/exit Mach number and gas angles) come from 1D and 2D models that include calibrated loss systems. One of the goals of this study was to use the experimental data to confirm/refine loss predictions for the effect of various Mach numbers and gas turning angles. The cascade exit Mach numbers were varied within a range from 0.6 to 1.1. The airfoil turning angle ranges from 120° to 138°. A realistic inlet/exit Mach number ratio, that is representative of that seen in a real engine, was obtained by reducing the inlet span with respect to the exit span of the airfoil, thereby creating a quasi 2D cascade. In order to compare the experimental results and study the detailed flow characteristics, 3D viscous compressible CFD analysis was also carried out.


2006 ◽  
Vol 129 (3) ◽  
pp. 563-571 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. Corriveau ◽  
S. A. Sjolander

Linear cascade measurements for the aerodynamic performance of a family of three transonic, high-pressure (HP) turbine blades have been presented previously by the authors. The airfoils were designed for the same inlet and outlet velocity triangles but varied in their loading distributions. The previous papers presented results for the design incidence at various exit Mach numbers, and for off-design incidence at the design exit Mach number of 1.05. Results from the earlier studies indicated that by shifting the loading towards the rear of the airfoil an improvement in the profile loss performance of the order of 20% could be obtained near the design Mach number at design incidence. Measurements performed at off-design incidence, but still at the design Mach number, showed that the superior performance of the aft-loaded blade extended over a range of incidence from about −5.0deg to +5.0deg relative to the design value. For the current study, additional measurements were performed at off-design Mach numbers from about 0.5 to 1.3 and for incidence values of −10.0deg, +5.0deg, and +10.0deg relative to design. The corresponding Reynolds numbers, based on outlet velocity and true chord, varied from roughly 4×105 to 10×105. The measurements included midspan losses, blade loading distributions, and base pressures. In addition, two-dimensional Navier–Stokes computations of the flow were performed to help in the interpretation of the experimental results. The results show that the superior loss performance of the aft-loaded profile, observed at design Mach number and low values of off-design incidence, does not extend readily to off-design Mach numbers and larger values of incidence. In fact, the measured midspan loss performance for the aft-loaded blade was found to be inferior to, or at best equal to, that of the baseline, midloaded airfoil at most combinations of off-design Mach number and incidence. However, based on the observations made at design and off-design flow conditions, it appears that aft-loading can be a viable design philosophy to employ in order to reduce the losses within a blade row provided the rearward deceleration is carefully limited. The loss performance of the front-loaded blade is inferior or at best equal to that of the other two blades for all operating conditions.


Author(s):  
Shane Colón ◽  
Mark Ricklick ◽  
Doug Nagy ◽  
Amy Lafleur

Abstract Thermal barrier coatings (TBC) found on turbine blades are a key element in the performance and reliability of modern gas turbines. TBC reduces the heat transfer into turbine blades by introducing an additional surface thermal resistance; consequently allowing for higher gas temperatures. During the service life of the blades, the TBC surface may be damaged due to manufacturing imperfections, handling damage, service spalling, or service impact damage, producing chips in the coating. While an increase in aerofoil temperature is expected, it is unknown to what degree the blade will be affected and what parameters of the chip shape affect this result. During routine inspections, the severity of the chipping will often fall to the discretion of the inspecting engineer. Without a quantitative understanding of the flow and heat transfer around these chips, there is potential for premature removal or possible blade failure if left to operate. The goal of this preliminary study is to identify the major driving parameters that lead to the increase in metal temperature when TBC is damaged, such that more quantitative estimates of blade life and refurbishing needs can be made. A two-dimensional computational Conjugate Heat Transfer model was developed; fully resolving the hot gas path and TBC, bond-coat, and super alloy solids. Representative convective conditions were applied to the cold side to emulate the characteristics of a cooled turbine blade. The hot gas path properties included an inlet temperature of 1600 K with varying Mach numbers of 0.30, 0.59, and 0.80 and Reynolds number of 5.1×105, 7.0×105, and 9.0×105 as referenced from the leading edge of the model. The cold side was given a coolant temperature of 750 K and a heat transfer coefficient of 1500 W/m2*K. The assigned thermal conductivities of the TBC, bond-coat, and metal alloys were 0.7 W/m*K, 7.0 W/m*K, and 11.0 W/m*K, respectively, and layer thicknesses of 0.50 mm, 0.25 mm, and 1.50 mm, respectively. A flat plate model without the presence of the chip was first evaluated to provide a basis of validation by comparison to existing correlations. Comparing heat transfer coefficients, the flat plate model matched within uncertainty to the Chilton-Colburn analogy. In addition, flat plate results captured the boundary layer thickness when compared with Prandtl’s 1/7th power-law. A chip was then introduced into the model, varying the chip width and the edge geometry. The most sensitive driving parameters were identified to be the chip width and Mach number. In cases where the chip width reached 16 times the TBC thickness, temperatures increased by almost 30% when compared to the undamaged equivalents. Additionally, increasing the Mach number of the incoming flow also increased metal temperatures. While the Reynolds number based on the leading edge of the model was deemed negligible, the Reynolds number based on the chip width was found to have a noticeable impact on the blade temperature. In conclusion, this study found that chip edge geometry was a negligible factor, while the Mach number, chip width, and Reynolds number based on the chip width had a significant effect on the total metal temperature.


2018 ◽  
Vol 2018 ◽  
pp. 1-9
Author(s):  
Fangyuan Lou ◽  
John Charles Fabian ◽  
Nicole Leanne Key

This paper investigates the aerodynamics of a transonic impeller using static pressure measurements. The impeller is a high-speed, high-pressure-ratio wheel used in small gas turbine engines. The experiment was conducted on the single stage centrifugal compressor facility in the compressor research laboratory at Purdue University. Data were acquired from choke to near-surge at four different corrected speeds (Nc) from 80% to 100% design speed, which covers both subsonic and supersonic inlet conditions. Details of the impeller flow field are discussed using data acquired from both steady and time-resolved static pressure measurements along the impeller shroud. The flow field is compared at different loading conditions, from subsonic to supersonic inlet conditions. The impeller performance was strongly dependent on the inducer, where the majority of relative diffusion occurs. The inducer diffuses flow more efficiently for inlet tip relative Mach numbers close to unity, and the performance diminishes at other Mach numbers. Shock waves emerging upstream of the impeller leading edge were observed from 90% to 100% corrected speed, and they move towards the impeller trailing edge as the inlet tip relative Mach number increases. There is no shock wave present in the inducer at 80% corrected speed. However, a high-loss region near the inducer throat was observed at 80% corrected speed resulting in a lower impeller efficiency at subsonic inlet conditions.


Author(s):  
Rau´l Va´zquez ◽  
Vicente Jerez Fidalgo

This paper shows an experimental back-to-back comparison carried out between two annular cascades of identical turbine airfoils operating at the same flow conditions; one of them had axysimmetric endwalls and, the other, non-axysimmetric. The annular cascades consisted of 100 high lift, high aspect ratio and high turning blades that are characteristic of modern low pressure (LP) turbines. Upstream and downstream data were obtained with miniature pneumatic probes. The static pressure fields on the airfoil surface and the end-walls were measured with more than 200 sensors. The motivation of this work is to improve the understanding of profiled end-wall performance in the following three aspects: A. Explore the performance of profiled non-axysimmetric end-walls at off design conditions, namely its sensitivity to Reynolds and Mach numbers, analyzing how the turbine characteristics are modified. For that purpose, the experiment was carried out for a wide range of Reynolds numbers, extending from 120k to 315k, and exit Mach numbers, extending from 0.5 to 0.9. B. Determine experimentally the stagnation pressure loss improvement due to profiled non-axysimmetric end-walls in a relevant environment. C. Investigate further the physical mechanisms that govern the variation of stagnation pressure losses of profiled end-walls. CFD results are presented and are compared with experimental results in terms of total pressure loss, helicity and SKEH.


Author(s):  
P. J. Disimile ◽  
D. M. Paule

The primary objective of this paper is to present the results of research into the effects of periodic excitation upon the local heat transfer characteristics of a turbine blade cooled by an impinging jet of air. A curved plate (used to simulate the inner leading edge of a turbine blade) was subjected to a two-dimensional jet flow field (Re = 10,000) with a superimposed periodic acoustic disturbance. When compared to the naturally disturbed flow, the excited flow field was found to reduce the local Nusselt number and cool the blade less efficiently (by as much as ten percent in the extreme cases). The results of the study appear to indicate that harmonic disturbances present a serious controlling factor in the quest for optimization of turbine blade cooling techniques. By isolating dominant frequencies in gas turbine engines and working to suppress them, the authors believe it possible to make significant contributions towards the desired increase in turbine inlet temperature.


Author(s):  
Xin Wang ◽  
Greg Naterer ◽  
Eric Bibeau

Icing of wind turbine blades and sensors in cold climates can cause a significant decrease in turbine efficiency and power production, due to the altered blade aerodynamics and forced shutdowns. Various studies have developed innovative methods for de-icing of wind turbine blades and sensors. In this paper, experimental studies of heat transfer with water droplets on a NACA 63–421 airfoil are studied to simulate anti-icing conditions. Various liquid water contents (LWC) are investigated. The measurements can provide important characterization of heat convection between the airfoil surface and cold surrounding air just before icing accumulation. These experimental measurements can be used to develop better methods to reduce impact of wind turbine icing in cold weather climates. This study is intended to provide useful data to improve methods of anti-icing of wind turbines.


Author(s):  
Kaname Kawatsu ◽  
Naoki Tani ◽  
Nobuhiro Yamanishi

For an open cycle liquid rocket engine, such as the expander bleed cycle, the mass flow rate of turbine driving gas should be small, especially to improve rocket engine performance. However, work output must be high as possible. As a result, pressure ratio of the turbine becomes high, and Mach number at both nozzle exit and rotor inlet becomes supersonic. As a result, strong shock wave interaction can be generated between nozzle exit and rotor inlet, and this interaction affects the turbine aerodynamic performance. However, this rotor-stator interaction of supersonic turbine has not yet been clarified. Therefore, as the first step, it is important to clarify the structure of the flow field and to evaluate the accuracy of CFD method as practical engineering tool for liquid rocket engine design. In the present study, quasi 3-D RANS simulations were applied to the NACA supersonic turbine and the numerical results were compared with the experimental ones to evaluate numerical methodology. Turbulence models and rotor/stator interface modeling method were compared, and their impacts to the turbine aerodynamic performance estimation were evaluated. In addition to these points, the flow field between nozzle and rotor region and the turbine efficiency were investigated. The present results clarify some features of rotor-stator interaction. The shock wave, which is generated near the nozzle exit caused by encounter of nozzle exit flow, reflects at the neighbor nozzle wall and affects the rotor region. At the same time, the shock wave from the rotor leading edge impinges the nozzle cascade, and these shocks interact with each other. The present results showed that Mach number at nozzle outlet becomes different due to each turbulence and rotor/stator interface models. This difference of Mach number influences the shape of detached shock wave at the leading edge of rotor blade, and changes the entire rotor region flow field such as static pressure profile of rotor region. Thus, turbine efficiency may be influenced by these different features of flow field.


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