Large Eddy Simulations of a Turbocharger Radial Turbine Under Pulsating Flow Conditions

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Roberto Mosca ◽  
Shyang Maw Lim ◽  
Mihai Mihaescu

Abstract The pulsating flow conditions which a turbocharger turbine is exposed cause important deviations of the turbine aerodynamic performance when compared to steady flow conditions. Indeed, the secondary flows developing in the turbine are determined by the inflow aerodynamic conditions, which largely vary during the pulse cycle. In this paper, a high-resolved Large Eddy Simulation is performed to investigate and characterize the flow field evolution in a turbocharger radial turbine over the pulse cycle. At first, the model is validated against experimental results obtained in gas-stand flow conditions. Then, the instantaneous flow field at the rotor mid-span section is compared to the one given by the equivalent cycle-averaged steady flow conditions. The results highlight five distinct flow features. At low mass flow rates, when the relative inflow angle assumes large negative values, the flow separates at the blade pressure side, causing a secondary flow consisting in two counter-rotating vortices characterized by a diameter comparable to the blade passage. As the mass flow rate increases, the first vortex persists at the blade tip while the second one moves closer to the blade trailing edge. This corresponds to the second characteristic flow field. With increasing relative inflow angle, for the third characteristic flow feature, only the recirculation at the blade leading edge is displayed and its size gradually reduces. For the fourth characteristic flow feature, at moderate negative values of the relative inflow angle, the flow field is well aligned with the blade profile and free of secondary flows. Then, as the relative inflow angle gradually grows towards large positive values, the flow separates on the blade suction side causing the mixing of the flow with the stream flowing on the pressure side of the previous blade.

2000 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul F. Fischer ◽  
Seung Lee ◽  
Francis Loth ◽  
Hisham S. Bassiouny ◽  
Nurullah Arslan

Abstract This was a study to compare computational and experimental results of flow field inside the venous anastomosis of an arteriovenous (AV) graft. Laser Doppler anemometry (LDA) measurements were conducted inside an upscaled end-to-side graft model under steady flow conditions at Reynolds number 1820 which is representative of the in vivo flow conditions inside a human AV graft. The distribution of the velocity and turbulence intensity was measured at several locations in the plane of the bifurcation. This flow field was simulated using computation fluid dynamics (CFD) and shown to be in good agreement. Under steady flow conditions, the flow field demonstrated an unsteady character (transition to turbulence).


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gaston Latessa ◽  
Angela Busse ◽  
Manousos Valyrakis

<p>The prediction of particle motion in a fluid flow environment presents several challenges from the quantification of the forces exerted by the fluid onto the solids -normally with fluctuating behaviour due to turbulence- and the definition of the potential particle entrainment from these actions. An accurate description of these phenomena has many practical applications in local scour definition and to the design of protection measures.</p><p>In the present work, the actions of different flow conditions on sediment particles is investigated with the aim to translate these effects into particle entrainment identification through analytical solid dynamic equations.</p><p>Large Eddy Simulations (LES) are an increasingly practical tool that provide an accurate representation of both the mean flow field and the large-scale turbulent fluctuations. For the present case, the forces exerted by the flow are integrated over the surface of a stationary particle in the streamwise (drag) and vertical (lift) directions, together with the torques around the particle’s centre of mass. These forces are validated against experimental data under the same bed and flow conditions.</p><p>The forces are then compared against threshold values, obtained through theoretical equations of simple motions such as rolling without sliding. Thus, the frequency of entrainment is related to the different flow conditions in good agreement with results from experimental sediment entrainment research.</p><p>A thorough monitoring of the velocity flow field on several locations is carried out to determine the relationships between velocity time series at several locations around the particle and the forces acting on its surface. These results a relevant to determine ideal locations for flow investigation both in numerical and physical experiments.</p><p>Through numerical experiments, a large number of flow conditions were simulated obtaining a full set of actions over a fixed particle sitting on a smooth bed. These actions were translated into potential particle entrainment events and validated against experimental data. Future work will present the coupling of these LES models with Discrete Element Method (DEM) models to verify the entrainment phenomena entirely from a numerical perspective.</p>


Author(s):  
Harald Schoenenborn ◽  
Virginie Chenaux ◽  
Peter Ott

The prediction of flutter and forced response at normal flow conditions has become a standard procedure during the design of compressor airfoils. But at severe off-design conditions, the flow field becomes very complex, especially during the surge blow-down phase where reversed flow conditions occur. The correct prediction of the unsteady pressures and the resulting aerodynamic excitation or damping at these conditions remains an extremely challenging task. In the first part of the paper, basic investigations for these flow conditions are presented. Aeroelastic calculations during compressor surge are shown in the second part. Experimental investigations were performed in the Annular Test Facility for non-rotating cascades at EPF Lausanne. The test cascade was exposed to flow conditions as expected during the surge blow-down phase which is characterized by large separation regions. Measurements of the steady-state flow conditions on the blade surface, at the outer wall, upstream and downstream of the cascade provided detailed information about the steady flow conditions. The cascade was then subjected to controlled vibration of the blades with constant amplitudes and inter-blade phase angles. Unsteady pressure measurements on the blade surface and at the casing wall provided information about the resulting unsteady flow conditions. Analytical CFD calculations were performed. The steady flow field was calculated using a RANS code. Based on the steady-state flow field, unsteady calculations applying a linearized code were carried out. The agreement between measurements and calculations shows that the steady flow as well as the unsteady flow phenomena can be predicted quantitatively. In addition, knowing the blade vibration mode shape, which in this case is a torsion mode, the aerodynamic damping can be determined for the corresponding flow conditions.


1990 ◽  
Vol 112 (4) ◽  
pp. 464-472 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. N. Ku ◽  
C. L. Biancheri ◽  
R. I. Pettigrew ◽  
J. W. Peifer ◽  
C. P. Markou ◽  
...  

Whole body magnetic resonance (MR) imaging has recently become an important diagnostic tool for cardiovascular diseases. The technique of magnetic resonance phase velocity encoding allows the quantitative measurement of velocity for an arbitrary component direction. A study was initiated to determine the ability and accuracy of MR velocimetry to measure a wide range of flow conditions including flow separation, three-dimensional secondary flow, high velocity gradients, and turbulence. A steady flow system pumped water doped with manganese chloride through a variety of test sections. Images were produced using gradient echo sequences on test sections including a straight tube, a curved tube, a smoothly converging-diverging nozzle, and an orifice. Magnetic resonance measurements of laminar and turbulent flows were depicted as cross-sectional velocity profiles. MR velocity measurements revealed such flow behavior as spatially varying velocity, recirculation and secondary flows over a wide range of conditions. Comparisons made with published experimental laser Doppler anemometry measurements and theoretical calculations for similar flow conditions revealed excellent accuracy and precision levels. The successful measurement of velocity profiles for a variety of flow conditions and geometries indicate that magnetic resonance imaging is an accurate, non-contacting velocimeter.


Author(s):  
P. Gaetani ◽  
G. Persico ◽  
V. Dossena ◽  
C. Osnaghi

An extensive experimental analysis on the subject of unsteady flow field in high pressure turbine stages was carried out at the Laboratorio di Fluidodinamica delle Macchine (LFM) of Politecnico di Milano. The research stage represents a typical modern HP gas turbine stage designed by means of 3D techniques, characterised by a leaned stator and a bowed rotor and operating in high subsonic regime. The first part of the program concerns the analysis of the steady flow field in the stator-rotor axial gap by means of a conventional five-hole probe and a temperature sensor. Measurements were carried out on eight planes located at different axial positions allowing the complete definition of steady flow field both in absolute and relative frame of reference. The evolution of the main flow structures, such as secondary flows and vane wakes, downstream of the stator are here presented and discussed in order to evidence the stator aerodynamic performance and, in particular, the different flow field approaching the rotor blade row for the two axial gaps. This results set will support the discussion of the unsteady stator-rotor effects presented in paper Part II. Furthermore, 3D time-averaged measurements downstream of the rotor were carried out at one axial distance and for two stator-rotor axial gaps. The position of the probe with respect to the stator blades is changed by means of rotating the stator in circumferential direction, in order to describe possible effects of the non-uniformity of the stator exit flow field downstream of the stage. Both flow fields, measured for the nominal and for a very large stator-rotor axial gap, are discussed and results show the persistence of some stator flow structures downstream of the rotor, in particular for the minimum axial gap. Eventually the flow fields are compared to evidence the effect of the stator-rotor axial gap on the stage performance from a time-averaged point of view.


1997 ◽  
Vol 119 (2) ◽  
pp. 187-194 ◽  
Author(s):  
F. Loth ◽  
S. A. Jones ◽  
D. P. Giddens ◽  
H. S. Bassiouny ◽  
S. Glagov ◽  
...  

The flow field inside a model of a polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) canine artery end-to-side bypass graft was studied under steady flow conditions using laser-Doppler anemometry. The anatomically realistic in vitro model was constructed to incorporate the major geometric features of the in vivo canine anastomosis geometry, most notably a larger graft than host artery diameter. The velocity measurements at Reynolds number 208, based on the host artery diameter, show the flow field to be three dimensional in nature. The wall shear stress distribution, computed from the near-wall velocity gradients, reveals a relatively low wall shear stress region on the wall opposite to the graft near the stagnation point approximately one artery diameter in axial length at the midplane. This low wall shear stress region extends to the sidewalls, suture lines, and along the PTFE graft where its axial length at the midplane is more than two artery diameters. The velocity distribution inside the graft model presented here provides a data set well suited for validation of numerical solutions on a model of this type.


Author(s):  
Bernhard Bonhoff ◽  
Uwe Tomm ◽  
Bruce V. Johnson ◽  
Ian Jennions

A computational study was performed for the flow and heat transfer in rotating coolant passages with two legs connected with a U-bend. The dimensionless flow conditions and the rotational speed were typical of those in the internal cooling passages of turbine blades. The calculations were performed for two geometries and flow conditions for which experimental heat transfer data were obtained under the NASA HOST project. The first model had smooth surfaces on all walls. The second model had opposing ribs staggered and angled at 45 deg. to the main flow direction on two walls of the legs, corresponding to the coolant passage surfaces adjacent to the pressure and suction surfaces of a turbine airfoil. Results from these calculations were compared with the previous measurements as well as with previous calculations for the nonrotating models at a Reynolds number of 25,000 and a rotation number of 0.24. At these conditions, the predicted heat transfer is known to be strongly influenced by the turbulence and wall models. The differential Reynolds-stress model (RSM) was used for the calculation. Local heat transfer results are presented as well as results averaged over wall segments. The averaged heat transfer predictions were close to the experimental results in the first leg of the channel, while the heat transfer in the second leg was overestimated by RSM. The flow field results showed a large amount of secondary flow in the channels with rotational velocities as large as 90 percent of the mean value. These secondary flows were attributed to the buoyancy effects, the Coriolis forces, the curvature of the bend and the orientation of the skewed ribs. Details of the flow field are discussed. Both the magnitude and the change of the heat transfer were captured well with the calculations for the rotating cases.


2022 ◽  
Vol 0 (0) ◽  
Author(s):  
He Zhenpeng ◽  
Zhou Jiaxing ◽  
Xin Jia ◽  
Yang Chengquan ◽  
Li Baichun

Abstract The present work reports the influence of the 1.5-stage turbine flow field by the front and aft rim seal flow. The interaction between the front and aft purge flow and the mainstream of a 1.5-stage turbine was numerically simulated, and the influence of the front and aft purge flow on the downstream vane was analyzed separately. The results show that the front purge flow is distributed at the higher radius of second vane inlet, which changes the position of the blade hub secondary flows, and the aft purge flow is distributed at the low radius. The purge flow at different locations in the aft cavity exit forms shear induced vortex, pressure and suction side legs of the egress, which converges with the suction and pressure side legs of the horse vortex to form vane hub passage vortex. The increased purge flow rate in both the front and aft cavities significantly increases the sealing effectiveness of the rim seal, but also causes a reduction in turbine efficiency. The combined effect of the front and aft purge flow reduces the turbine efficiency of the end-wall structure by 0.3619, 0.9062, 1.5004, 2.0188 and 2.509% at IR = 0, IR = 0.5%, IR = 0.9%, IR = 1.3% and IR = 1.7%.


2016 ◽  
Vol 138 (12) ◽  
Author(s):  
Antonio Posa ◽  
Antonio Lippolis ◽  
Elias Balaras

Turbopumps operating at reduced flow rates experience significant separation and backflow phenomena. Although Reynolds-Averaged Navier–Stokes (RANS) approaches proved to be usually able to capture the main flow features at design working conditions, previous numerical studies in the literature verified that eddy-resolving techniques are required in order to simulate the strong secondary flows generated at reduced loads. Here, highly resolved large-eddy simulations (LES) of a radial pump with a vaned diffuser are reported. The results are compared to particle image velocimetry (PIV) experiments in the literature. The main focus of the present work is to investigate the separation and backflow phenomena occurring at reduced flow rates. Our results indicate that the effect of these phenomena extends up to the impeller inflow: they involve the outer radii of the impeller vanes, influencing significantly the turbulent statistics of the flow. Also in the diffuser vanes, a strong spanwise evolution of the flow has been observed at the reduced load, with reverse flow, located mainly on the shroud side and on the suction side (SS) of the stationary channels, especially near the leading edge of the diffuser blades.


Sensors ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 20 (24) ◽  
pp. 7349
Author(s):  
Francesco D’Amato ◽  
Silvia Viciani ◽  
Alessio Montori ◽  
Marco Barucci ◽  
Carmen Morreale ◽  
...  

In order to assess the limits and applicability of Pitot tubes for the measurement of flow velocity in narrow ducts, e.g., biomass burning plants, an optical, dual function device was implemented. This sensor, based on spectroscopic techniques, targets a trace gas, injected inside the stack either in bursts, or continuously, so performing transit time or dilution measurements. A comparison of the two optical techniques with respect to Pitot readings was carried out in different flow conditions (speed, temperature, gas composition). The results of the two optical measurements are in agreement with each other and fit quite well the theoretical simulation of the flow field, while the results of the Pitot measurements show a remarkable dependence on position and inclination of the Pitot tube with respect to the duct axis. The implications for the metrology of small combustors’ emissions are outlined.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document