Numerical Study of Flow and Heat Transfer on a Blade Tip With Different Leakage Reduction Strategies

Author(s):  
Sumanta Acharya ◽  
Huitao Yang ◽  
Chander Prakash ◽  
Ron Bunker

Numerical calculations are performed to explore different strategies for reducing tip leakage flow and heat transfer on the GE-E3 High-Pressure-Turbine (HPT) rotor blade. The calculations are performed for a single blade with periodic conditions imposed along the two boundaries in the circumferential-pitch direction. Several leakage reduction strategies are considered, all for a tip-clearance of 1.5% of the blade span, a pressure ratio (ratio of inlet total pressure to exit static pressure) of 1.2, and an inlet turbulence level of 6.1%. The first set of leakage reduction strategies explored include different squealer tip configurations: pressure-side squealer, suction-side squealer, mean-camber line squealer, and pressure plus suction side squealers located either along the edges of the blade or moved inwards. The suction-side squealer is shown to have the lowest heat transfer coefficient distribution and the lowest leakage flow rates. Two tip-desensitization strategies are explored. The first strategy involves a pressure-side winglet shaped to be thickest at the location with the largest pressure difference across the blade. The second strategy involves adding inclined ribs on the blade tip with the ribs normal to the local flow direction. While both strategies lead to reduction in the leakage flow and tip heat transfer rates, the ribbed tip exhibits considerably lower heat transfer coefficients. In comparing the two desensitization schemes with the various squealer tip configurations, the suction side squealer still exhibits the lowest heat transfer coefficient and leakage flow rates.

Author(s):  
Arun K. Saha ◽  
Sumanta Acharya ◽  
Chander Prakash ◽  
Ron Bunker

A numerical study has been conducted to explore the effect of a pressure-side winglet on the flow and heat transfer over a blade tip. Calculations are performed for both a flat tip and a squealer tip. The winglet is in the form of a flat extension, and is shaped in the axial chord direction to have the maximum thickness at the chord location where the pressure difference is the largest between the pressure and suction sides. For the flat tip, the pressure side winglet exhibits a significant reduction in the leakage flow strength and an associated reduction in the aerodynamic loss. The low heat transfer coefficient “sweet-spot” region is larger with the pressure-side winglet, and lower heat transfer coefficients are also observed along the pressure side of the blade. The winglet reduces the average heat transfer coefficient by about 7%. In the presence of a squealer, the role of the winglet decreases significantly, and only a 0.5% reduction in the pressure ratio is achieved with the winglet with virtually no reduction in the average heat transfer coefficient.


2006 ◽  
Vol 2006 ◽  
pp. 1-15 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. K. Saha ◽  
Sumanta Acharya ◽  
Ron Bunker ◽  
Chander Prakash

A numerical study has been conducted to explore the effect of a pressure-side winglet on the flow and heat transfer over a blade tip. Calculations are performed for both a flat tip and a squealer tip. The winglet is in the form of a flat extension, and is shaped in the axial chord direction to have the maximum thickness at the chord location, where the pressure difference is the largest between the pressure and suction sides. For the flat tip, the pressure-side winglet exhibits a significant reduction in the leakage flow strength. The low heat transfer coefficient “sweet-spot” region is larger with the pressure-side winglet, and lower heat transfer coefficients are also observed along the pressure side of the blade. For the flat tip, the winglet reduces the heat transfer coefficient locally by as much as 30%, while the average heat transfer coefficient is reduced by about 7%. In the presence of a squealer, the role of the winglet decreases significantly, and a 5% reduction in the pressure loss coefficient is achieved with the winglet with virtually no reduction in the average heat transfer coefficient. On the other hand, the suction-side squealer with constant width winglet shows lower heat transfer (reduction of 5.5%) and pressure loss coefficient (reduction of 26%) than its baseline counterpart.


2002 ◽  
Vol 124 (3) ◽  
pp. 452-459 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gm Salam Azad ◽  
Je-Chin Han ◽  
Ronald S. Bunker ◽  
C. Pang Lee

This study investigates the effect of a squealer tip geometry arrangement on heat transfer coefficient and static pressure distributions on a gas turbine blade tip in a five-bladed stationary linear cascade. A transient liquid crystal technique is used to obtain detailed heat transfer coefficient distribution. The test blade is a linear model of a tip section of the GE E3 high-pressure turbine first stage rotor blade. Six tip geometry cases are studied: (1) squealer on pressure side, (2) squealer on mid camber line, (3) squealer on suction side, (4) squealer on pressure and suction sides, (5) squealer on pressure side plus mid camber line, and (6) squealer on suction side plus mid camber line. The flow condition during the blowdown tests corresponds to an overall pressure ratio of 1.32 and exit Reynolds number based on axial chord of 1.1×106. Results show that squealer geometry arrangement can change the leakage flow and results in different heat transfer coefficients to the blade tip. A squealer on suction side provides a better benefit compared to that on pressure side or mid camber line. A squealer on mid camber line performs better than that on a pressure side.


2001 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gm Salam Azad ◽  
Je-Chin Han ◽  
Ronald S. Bunker ◽  
C. Pang Lee

Abstract This study investigates the effect of a squealer tip geometry arrangement on heat transfer coefficient and static pressure distributions on a gas turbine blade tip in a five-bladed stationary linear cascade. A transient liquid crystal technique is used to obtain detailed heat transfer coefficient distribution. The test blade is a linear model of a tip section of the GE E3 high-pressure turbine first stage rotor blade. Six tip geometry cases are studied: 1) squealer on pressure side, 2) squealer on mid camber line, 3) squealer on suction side, 4) squealer on pressure and suction sides, 5) squealer on pressure side plus mid camber line, and 6) squealer on suction side plus mid camber line. The flow condition corresponds to an overall pressure ratio of 1.32 and exit Reynolds number based on axial chord of 1.1 × 106. Results show that squealer geometry arrangement can change the leakage flow and results in different heat transfer coefficients to the blade tip. A squealer on suction side provides a better benefit compared to that on pressure side or mid camber line. A squealer on mid camber line performs better than that on a pressure side.


Author(s):  
Jae Su Kwak ◽  
Jaeyong Ahn ◽  
Je-Chin Han ◽  
C. Pang Lee ◽  
Robert Boyle ◽  
...  

Detailed heat transfer coefficient distributions on a gas turbine squealer tip blade were measured using a hue detection based transient liquid crystals technique. The heat transfer coefficients on the shroud and near tip regions of the pressure and suction sides of a blade were also measured. Squealer rims were located along (a) the camber line, (b) the pressure side, (c) the suction side, (d) the pressure and suction sides, (e) the camber line and the pressure side, and (f) the camber line and the suction side, respectively. Tests were performed on a five-bladed linear cascade with a blow down facility. The Reynolds number based on the cascade exit velocity and the axial chord length of a blade was 1.1×106 and the overall pressure ratio was 1.2. Heat transfer measurements were taken at the three tip gap clearances of 1.0%, 1.5% and 2.5% of blade span. Results show that the heat transfer coefficients on the blade tip and the shroud were significantly reduced by using a squealer tip blade. Results also showed that a different squealer geometry arrangement changed the leakage flow path and resulted in different heat transfer coefficient distributions. The suction side squealer tip provided the lowest heat transfer coefficient on the blade tip and near tip regions compared to the other squealer geometry arrangements.


2012 ◽  
Vol 134 (6) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jin Wang ◽  
Bengt Sundén ◽  
Min Zeng ◽  
Qiu-wang Wang

Three-dimensional simulations of the squealer tip on the GE-E3 blade with eight film cooling holes were carried out. The effect of the rim width and the blowing ratio on the blade tip flow and cooling performance were revealed. Numerical simulations were performed to predict the leakage flow and the tip heat transfer with the k–ɛ model. For the squealer tip, the depth of the cavity is fixed but the rim width varies to form a wide cavity, which can decrease the coolant momentum and the tip leakage flow velocity. This cavity contributes to the improvement of the cooling effect in the tip zone. To investigate the influence on the tip heat transfer by the rim width, numerical simulations were performed as a two-part study: (1) unequal rim width study on the pressure side and the suction side and (2) equal rim width study with rim widths of 0.58%, 1.16%, and 1.74% of the axial chord (0.5 mm, 1 mm, and 1.5 mm, respectively) on both the pressure side rim and the suction side rim. With different rim widths, the effect of different global blowing ratios, i.e., M = 0.5, 1.0 and 1.5, was investigated. It is found that the total heat transfer rate is increasing and the heat transfer rates on the rim surface (RS) rapidly ascend with increasing rim width.


Author(s):  
Andrew J. Saul ◽  
Peter T. Ireland ◽  
John D. Coull ◽  
Tsun Holt Wong ◽  
Haidong Li ◽  
...  

The effect of film cooling on a high pressure turbine blade with an open squealer tip has been examined in a high speed linear cascade. The cascade operates at engine realistic Mach and Reynolds numbers, producing transonic flow conditions over the blade tip. Tests have been performed on two uncooled tip geometries with differing pressure side rim edge radii, and a cooled tip matching one of the uncooled cases. The pressure sensitive paint technique has been used to measure adiabatic film cooling effectiveness on the blade tip at a range of tip gaps and coolant mass flow rates. Complementary tip heat transfer coefficients (HTC) have been measured using transient infrared thermography, and the effects of the coolant film on the tip heat transfer and engine heat flux examined. The uncooled data show that the tip heat transfer coefficient distribution is governed by the nature of flow reattachments and impingements. The squealer tip can be broken down into three regions, each exhibiting a distinct response to a change in the tip gap, depending on the local behaviour of the overtip leakage flow. The edge radius of the pressure side rim causes the overtip leakage flow to change dramatically at low clearance. Complementary CFD shows that the addition of casing motion causes no further change on the pressure side rim. Injected coolant interacts with the overtip leakage flow, which can locally enhance the tip heat transfer coefficient compared to the uncooled tip. The film effectiveness is dependent on both the coolant mass flow rate and tip clearance. At increased coolant mass flow, areas of high film effectiveness on the pressure side rim coincide strongly with a net heat flux reduction and in the subsonic tip region with low heat transfer coefficient.


2003 ◽  
Vol 125 (4) ◽  
pp. 778-787 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jae Su Kwak ◽  
Jaeyong Ahn ◽  
Je-Chin Han ◽  
C. Pang Lee ◽  
Ronald S. Bunker ◽  
...  

Detailed heat transfer coefficient distributions on a gas turbine squealer tip blade were measured using a hue detection based transient liquid-crystals technique. The heat transfer coefficients on the shroud and near tip regions of the pressure and suction sides of a blade were also measured. Squealer rims were located along (a) the camber line, (b) the pressure side, (c) the suction side, (d) the pressure and suction sides, (e) the camber line and the pressure side, and (f) the camber line and the suction side, respectively. Tests were performed on a five-bladed linear cascade with a blow down facility. The Reynolds number based on the cascade exit velocity and the axial chord length of a blade was 1.1×106 and the overall pressure ratio was 1.2. Heat transfer measurements were taken at the three tip gap clearances of 1.0%, 1.5%, and 2.5% of blade span. Results show that the heat transfer coefficients on the blade tip and the shroud were significantly reduced by using a squealer tip blade. Results also showed that a different squealer geometry arrangement changed the leakage flow path and resulted in different heat transfer coefficient distributions. The suction side squealer tip provided the lowest heat transfer coefficient on the blade tip and near tip regions compared to the other squealer geometry arrangements.


Author(s):  
J. R. Christophel ◽  
K. A. Thole ◽  
F. J. Cunha

The clearance gap between a turbine blade tip and its associated shroud allows leakage flow across the tip gap from the pressure side to the suction side of the blade. Understanding how this leakage flow affects heat transfer is critical in extending blade tip durability in terms of oxidation, erosion, clearance, and overall turbine performance. This paper is the second of a two part series that discusses the augmentation of tip heat transfer as a result of blowing from the pressure side of the tip as well as dirt purge holes placed on the tip. For the experimental investigation, three scaled-up blades were used to form a two-passage linear cascade in a low speed wind tunnel. The rig was designed to simulate different tip gap sizes and coolant flow rates. Heat transfer coefficients were quantified by measuring the total power supplied to a constant heat flux surface placed on the tip of the blade and measuring the tip temperatures. Results indicate that increased blowing leads to increased augmentations in tip heat transfer, particularly at the entrance region to the gap. When combined with adiabatic effectiveness measurements, the coolant from the pressure side holes provides an overall net heat flux reduction to the blade tip but is nearly independent of coolant flow levels.


2005 ◽  
Vol 127 (2) ◽  
pp. 278-286 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. R. Christophel ◽  
K. A. Thole ◽  
F. J. Cunha

The clearance gap between a turbine blade tip and its associated shroud allows leakage flow across the tip from the pressure side to the suction side of the blade. Understanding how this leakage flow affects heat transfer is critical in extending the durability of a blade tip, which is subjected to effects of oxidation and erosion. This paper is the second of a two-part series that discusses the augmentation of tip heat transfer coefficients as a result of blowing from film-cooling holes placed along the pressure side of a blade and from dirt purge holes placed on the tip. For the experimental investigation, three scaled-up blades were used to form a two-passage, linear cascade in a low-speed wind tunnel. The rig was designed to simulate different tip gap sizes and film-coolant flow rates. Heat transfer coefficients were quantified by using a constant heat flux surface placed along the blade tip. Results indicate that increased film-coolant injection leads to increased augmentation levels of tip heat transfer coefficients, particularly at the entrance region to the gap. Despite increased heat transfer coefficients, an overall net heat flux reduction to the blade tip results from pressure-side cooling because of the increased adiabatic effectiveness levels. The area-averaged results of the net heat flux reduction for the tip indicate that there is (i) little dependence on coolant flows and (ii) more cooling benefit for a small tip gap relative to that of a large tip gap.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document