Exergy Analysis for the Performance Evaluation of Different Setups of the Secondary Air System of Aircraft Gas Turbines

2007 ◽  
Author(s):  
Philipp W. Zeller ◽  
Stephan Staudacher
Keyword(s):  
Performance Evaluation ◽  
Gas Turbines ◽  
Exergy Analysis ◽  
Entropy Increase ◽  
Engine Efficiency ◽  
Specific Entropy ◽  
Air System ◽  
Exergy Method ◽  
Secondary Air ◽  
Careful Design

Secondary Air System related losses in aircraft gas turbines cannot be directly assessed and quantified as possible for other sub-systems of the engine. If a particular setup is to be evaluated and compared to other, competing designs, it is required to have a distinct understanding of the loss mechanisms and the way these losses appear in the cycle. The relevant loss phenomena are therefore discussed in detail and are quantified with regard to the respective specific entropy increase. The exergy method is found to be the method of choice, since it holds some important advantages compared to other loss accounting methods like gas horsepower or thrust work potential. An exergy analysis is carried out for a high TET, two shaft engine of the medium thrust range. A comparison of setups with different compressor offtake positions is performed. It is found that the contribution of Air System related losses to overall engine efficiency deficits is significant, but may be reduced by careful design.

Analysis of Gas Turbine Rotating Cavities by an One-Dimensional Model

2009 ◽  
Author(s):  
Riccardo Da Soghe ◽  
Bruno Facchini ◽  
Luca Innocenti ◽  
Mirko Micio
Keyword(s):  
Gas Turbine ◽  
Gas Turbines ◽  
Design Tool ◽  
Operating Conditions ◽  
Outer Flow ◽  
One Dimensional ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Air System ◽  
Secondary Air ◽  
Radial Outflow

Reliable design of secondary air system is one of the main tasks for the safety, unfailing and performance of gas turbine engines. To meet the increasing demands of gas turbines design, improved tools in prediction of the secondary air system behavior over a wide range of operating conditions are needed. A real gas turbine secondary air system includes several components, therefore its analysis is not carried out through a complete CFD approach. Usually, that predictions are performed using codes, based on simplified approach which allows to evaluate the flow characteristics in each branch of the air system requiring very poor computational resources and few calculation time. Generally the available simplified commercial packages allow to correctly solve only some of the components of a real air system and often the elements with a more complex flow structure cannot be studied; among such elements, the analysis of rotating cavities is very hard. This paper deals with a design-tool developed at the University of Florence for the simulation of rotating cavities. This simplified in-house code solves the governing equations for steady one-dimensional axysimmetric flow using experimental correlations both to incorporate flow phenomena caused by multidimensional effects, like heat transfer and flow field losses, and to evaluate the circumferential component of velocity. Although this calculation approach does not enable a correct modeling of the turbulent flow within a wheel space cavity, the authors tried to create an accurate model taking into account the effects of inner and outer flow extraction, rotor and stator drag, leakages, injection momentum and, finally, the shroud/rim seal effects on cavity ingestion. The simplified calculation tool was designed to simulate the flow in a rotating cavity with radial outflow both with a Batchelor and/or Stewartson flow structures. A primary 1D-code testing campaign is available in the literature [1]. In the present paper the authors develop, using CFD tools, reliable correlations for both stator and rotor friction coefficients and provide a full 1D-code validation comparing, due to lack of experimental data, the in house design-code predictions with those evaluated by CFD.

Heavy Duty Gas Turbine Simulation: Global Performances Estimation and Secondary Air System Modifications

2006 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carlo Carcasci ◽  
Bruno Facchini ◽  
Stefano Gori ◽  
Luca Bozzi ◽  
Stefano Traverso
Keyword(s):  
Gas Turbine ◽  
Gas Turbines ◽  
Cooling System ◽  
Energy System ◽  
Operating Conditions ◽  
Coupled Analysis ◽  
Ambient Conditions ◽  
Air System ◽  
Secondary Air ◽  
And Performance

This paper reviews a modular-structured program ESMS (Energy System Modular Simulation) for the simulation of air-cooled gas turbines cycles, including the calculation of the secondary air system. The program has been tested for the Ansaldo Energia gas turbine V94.3A, which is one of the more advanced models in the family Vx4.3A with a rated power of 270 MW. V94.3A cooling system has been modeled with SASAC (Secondary Air System Ansaldo Code), the Ansaldo code used to predict the structure of the flow through the internal air system. The objective of the work was to investigate the tuning of the analytical program on the basis of the data from design and performance codes in use at Ansaldo Energy Gas Turbine Department. The results, both at base load over different ambient conditions and in critical off-design operating points (full-speed-no-load and minimum-load), have been compared with APC (Ansaldo Performance Code) and confirmed by field data. The coupled analysis of cycle and cooling network shows interesting evaluations for components life estimation and reliability during off-design operating conditions.

Finite Element Transient Modelling for Aero-Thermo-Mechanical Analysis of Whole Gas Turbine Engine

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sabrina Giuntini ◽  
Antonio Andreini ◽  
Bruno Facchini
Keyword(s):  
Gas Turbines ◽  
Structural Integrity ◽  
Numerical Procedure ◽  
Mechanical Analysis ◽  
Operating Conditions ◽  
Test Case ◽  
Large Power ◽  
Turbine Engine ◽  
Air System ◽  
Secondary Air

Abstract It is here proposed a numerical procedure aimed to perform transient aero-thermo-mechanical calculations of large power generation gas turbines. Due to the frequent startups and shutdowns that nowadays these engines encounter, procedures for multi-physics simulations have to take into account the complex coupled interactions related to inertial and thermal loads, and seal running clearances. In order to develop suitable secondary air system configurations, guarantee structural integrity and maintain actual clearances and temperature peaks in pre-established ranges, the overall complexity of the structure has to be reproduced with a whole engine modelling approach, simulating the entire machine in the real operating conditions. In the proposed methodology the aerodynamic solution providing mass flows and pressures, and the thermo-mechanical analysis returning temperatures and material expansion, are performed separately. The procedure faces the aero-thermo-mechanical problem with an iterative process with the aim of taking into account the complex aero-thermo-mechanical interactions actually characterizing a real engine, in a robust and modular tool, combining secondary air system, thermal and mechanical analysis. The heat conduction in the solid and the fluid-solid heat transfer are computed by a customized version of the open source FEM solver CalculiX®. The secondary air system is modelled by a customized version of the embedded CalculiX® one-dimensional fluid network solver. In order to assess the physical coherence of the presented methodology the procedure has been applied to a test case representative of a portion of a real engine geometry, tested in a thermal transient cycle for the assessment of the interaction between secondary air system properties and geometry deformations.

Numerical and Experimental Investigation of Secondary Flows and Influence of Air System Design on Heavy-Duty Gas Turbine Performance

2012 ◽  
Author(s):  
Luca Bozzi ◽  
Enrico D’angelo
Keyword(s):  
Gas Turbine ◽  
Gas Turbines ◽  
Engine Performance ◽  
Combined Cycle ◽  
Secondary Flows ◽  
Operating Conditions ◽  
Heavy Duty ◽  
Turbine Performance ◽  
Air System ◽  
Secondary Air

High turn-down operating of heavy-duty gas turbines in modern Combined Cycle Plants requires a highly efficient secondary air system to ensure the proper supply of cooling and sealing air. Thus, accurate performance prediction of secondary flows in the complete range of operating conditions is crucial. The paper gives an overview of the secondary air system of Ansaldo F-class AEx4.3A gas turbines. Focus of the work is a procedure to calculate the cooling flows, which allows investigating both the interaction between cooled rows and additional secondary flows (sealing and leakage air) and the influence on gas turbine performance. The procedure is based on a fluid-network solver modelling the engine secondary air system. Parametric curves implemented into the network model give the consumption of cooling air of blades and vanes. Performances of blade cooling systems based on different cooling technology are presented. Variations of secondary air flows in function of load and/or ambient conditions are discussed and justified. The effect of secondary air reduction is investigated in details showing the relationship between the position, along the gas path, of the upgrade and the increasing of engine performance. In particular, a section of the paper describes the application of a consistent and straightforward technique, based on an exergy analysis, to estimate the effect of major modifications to the air system on overall engine performance. A set of models for the different factors of cooling loss is presented and sample calculations are used to illustrate the splitting and magnitude of losses. Field data, referred to AE64.3A gas turbine, are used to calibrate the correlation method and to enhance the structure of the lumped-parameters network models.

Separation of Particles in the Secondary Air System of Gas Turbines

2011 ◽  
Author(s):  
Natalia Garci´a Vi´llora ◽  
Klaus Dullenkopf ◽  
Hans-Jo¨rg Bauer
Keyword(s):  
Film Cooling ◽  
Gas Turbines ◽  
Separation Efficiency ◽  
Cooling System ◽  
Turbine Blades ◽  
Spherical Particles ◽  
Experimental Investigations ◽  
Air System ◽  
Secondary Air ◽  
Aero Engines

Particles contaminating the secondary air system of land based gas turbines or aero-engines can cause serious problems in various engine components, particularly in the cooling system. The capability of the pre-swirl system in separating particles will be described in this paper. So far, only a few publications can be found on experimental investigations on this subject. The work presented in this paper attempts to give a contribution to fill this gap and thus represents a further step towards a better understanding of the behaviour of solid contaminants in the secondary air system. Due to the strong swirl in the pre-swirl cavity, the aero-dynamical forces can be used to separate particles, thus preventing depositions inside the turbine blades or even block-age of the film cooling holes. Numerous experiments in a pre-swirl system have been performed using spherical particles and non-spherical particles. As reference cases, three types of spheres, with two size ranges and different materials, were used to understand how size and density influence the separation efficiency. For further experiments, irregularly-shaped particles, more similar to the ones found in real aero-engines, were used too. The separation efficiency was investigated at different pre-swirl nozzle pressure ratios, rotational speeds and radial mass flows. The results are presented in relation to the particle Reynolds numbers, drag coefficients, Stokes numbers and swirl ratios in the pre-swirl cavity.

An Efficient Procedure for the Analysis of Heavy Duty Gas Turbine Secondary Flows in Different Operating Conditions

2010 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matteo Cerutti ◽  
Luca Bozzi ◽  
Federico Bonzani ◽  
Carlo Carcasci
Keyword(s):  
Gas Turbine ◽  
Gas Turbines ◽  
Cooling System ◽  
Secondary Flows ◽  
Operating Conditions ◽  
Heavy Duty ◽  
Efficient Procedure ◽  
Air System ◽  
Secondary Air ◽  
Flow Functions

Combined cycle and partial load operating of modern heavy-duty gas turbines require highly efficient secondary air systems to supply both cooling and sealing air. Accurate performance predictions are then a fundamental demand over a wide range of operability. The paper describes the development of an efficient procedure for the investigation of gas turbine secondary flows, based on an in-house made fluid network solver, written in Matlab® environment. Fast network generation and debugging are achieved thanks to Simulink® graphical interface and modular structure, allowing predictions of the whole secondary air system. A crucial aspect of such an analysis is the calculation of blade and vane cooling flows, taking into account the interaction between inner and outer extraction lines. The problem is closed thanks to ad-hoc calculated transfer functions: cooling system performances and flow functions are solved in a pre-processing phase and results correlated to influencing parameters using Response Surface Methodology (RSM) and Design of Experiments (DOE) techniques. The procedure has been proved on the secondary air system of the AE94.3A2 Ansaldo Energia gas turbine. Flow functions for the cooling system of the first stage blade, calculated by RSM and DOE techniques, are presented. Flow functions based calculation of film cooling, tip cooling and trailing edge cooling air flows is described in details.

Investigation of Internal Cooling Air Flow of Gas Turbines With Attention to Heat Transfer

2003 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. Brillert ◽  
F.-K. Benra ◽  
H. J. Dohmen ◽  
O. Schneider
Keyword(s):  
Heat Transfer ◽  
Gas Turbines ◽  
Turbine Blades ◽  
Internal Cooling ◽  
Flow Physics ◽  
Cooling Flow ◽  
Air System ◽  
Secondary Air ◽  
Cooling Air ◽  
Material Temperature

The cooling air in the secondary air system of gas turbines is routed through the inside of the rotor shaft. The air enters the rotor through an internal extraction in the compressor section and flows through different components to the turbine blades. Constant improvements of the secondary air system is a basic element to increase efficiency and power of heavy duty gas turbines. It is becoming more and more important to have a precise calculation of the heat transfer and air temperature in the internal cooling air system. This influences the cooling behavior, the material temperature and consequently the cooling efficiency. The material temperature influences the stresses and the creep behavior which is important for the life time prediction and the reliability of the components of the engine. Furthermore, the material temperature influences the clearances and again the cooling flow, e.g. the amount of mass flow rate, hot gas ingestion etc. This paper deals with an investigation of the influence of heat transfer on the internal cooling air system and on the material temperature. It shows a comparison between numerical calculations with and without heat transfer. Firstly, the Navier-Stokes CFD calculation shows the cooling flow physics of different parts of the secondary air system passages with solid heat transfer. In the second approach, the study is expanded to consider the cooling flow physics under conditions without heat transfer. On the basis of these investigations, the paper shows a comparison between the flow with and without heat transfer. The results of the simulation with heat transfer show a negligible influence on the cooling flow temperature and a stronger influence on the material temperature. The results of the calculations are compared with measured data. The influence on the material temperature is verified with measured material temperatures from a Siemens Model V84.3A gas turbine prototype.

Interdependence of Discharge Behavior, Swirl Development and Total Temperature Increase in Rotating Labyrinth Seals

2008 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Denecke ◽  
J. Fa¨rber ◽  
K. Dullenkopf ◽  
H.-J. Bauer
Keyword(s):  
Gas Turbines ◽  
Temperature Increase ◽  
Computational Effort ◽  
Analytical Models ◽  
Labyrinth Seals ◽  
Simple Method ◽  
Air System ◽  
Total Temperature ◽  
Discharge Behavior ◽  
Secondary Air

Leakage flows between stationary and rotating components are one of the main sources for losses in turbo machines. Therefore, their reduction is a main goal in the design of modern aircraft engines. Contactless seals, mainly labyrinth seals are key elements either to seal rotating parts or to control the amount of leakage flow for internal use in the secondary air system. Even though new seal types like, brush seals, carbon seals etc. will be seen more often in advanced gas turbines, labyrinth seals will continue to play an important role in the primary and secondary air system and thus improved design tools are a necessity for more efficient and reliable engines. In the design process but also during the life time of the engine the characterization of contactless seals e.g. their discharge behavior, the development of the circumferential velocity (swirl) and the loss induced total temperature increase (windage heating) are of special interest for designers and operators. Despite of today’s efficient CFD methods, analytical models remain a valuable tool as they provide for reasonably estimates fast with small computational effort. Additionally, analytical models are especially suited to improve the understanding of the complex interdependency of the aforementioned parameters. As one limit of the swirl in rotating seals, the equilibrium swirl is defined in this paper and a simple method to determine its value is presented. In this context, the influences of the rotor-stator area ratio and the stator roughness on the equilibrium swirl are taken into account. In the case the inlet swirl is known or can be estimated with reasonable confidence an analytical approach to determine the swirl development from chamber to chamber is proposed. Given this swirl development along the seal axis, the overall total temperature increase can be calculated. Based on the final dimensionless equation for the total temperature change the interdependent influences of discharge behavior, swirl development and the total temperature increase on each other are discussed.

Simple Particle Separator for the Secondary Air System of Gas Turbines

2012 ◽  
Author(s):  
Natalia García Víllora ◽  
Klaus Dullenkopf ◽  
Hans-Jörg Bauer ◽  
Cyrille Bricaud ◽  
Thomas Zierer
Keyword(s):  
Turbulent Flows ◽  
Gas Turbines ◽  
Separation Efficiency ◽  
Cooling System ◽  
Material Selection ◽  
Solid Particles ◽  
Air System ◽  
Secondary Air ◽  
Institute Of Technology ◽  
Particle Separator

In heavy-duty gas turbines as well as in aero-engines, air is extracted from the compressor and led to the hot parts of the combustor and the turbine in order to cool them. Despite active design solutions such as material selection, and inclusion of compressor inlet filters, dust holes, and so on, the cooling air can be charged with solid particles, which can block the cooling holes. Therefore prediction of the particle behaviour within the secondary air system remains crucial for the design of a robust and efficient cooling system for the hot parts. For this study a particle separator prototype was designed by Alstom and its particle separation efficiency together with its total pressure losses were measured at the Institute of Thermal Turbomachinery (ITS) at the Karlsruher Institute of Technology (KIT) for two geometrical configurations and numerous flow conditions. The test rig design was optimized to provide accurate boundary conditions for the simulations. In addition, the influence of the particle shape, size, and density on the separation efficiency was studied. The experimental results were used to validate the predicted flow field and to evaluate standard methods available in a commercial CFD-solver, to simulate the interaction of solid particles with turbulent flows and the containing walls. Comparisons between the measured and calculated separation efficiencies were performed for spherical and flat particles with different Stokes numbers. In particular, the way in which a simple modelling approach used for the prediction of sphere trajectories can be transferred to flat particles was investigated. Finally this study delivers generic data for improved modelling of solid particles, like spheres and flat particles, in turbulent flows.

Loss Prediction for Rotating Passages in Secondary Air Systems

1997 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. W. Reichert ◽  
D. Brillert ◽  
H. Simon
Keyword(s):  
Flow Field ◽  
Gas Turbines ◽  
Detailed Calculation ◽  
Rotating Disks ◽  
Developing Flow ◽  
Air System ◽  
Loss Prediction ◽  
Secondary Air ◽  
Calculation System ◽  
Cooling Air

Modern heavy duty gas turbines operate with high turbine inlet temperatures, and thus require a complex secondary air system to ensure that the blades and vanes are supplied with the required amount of cooling air. Gas turbines with high thermal efficiency and with low emissions require minimum amounts of cooling and sealing air which means that the design of the secondary air system must be extremely accurate. A previous paper introduced the secondary air system for the new Siemens Vx4.3A gas turbines and the calculation method used for its design. This paper deals with the detailed calculation of flow field losses in cooling air passages in rotating disks (rotating passages). The paper starts with a brief review of the work on this topic described in the literature and then presents a consistent model for the prediction of the flow field losses in rotating passages of different lengths and with varying upstream swirl. Particularly short passages with developing flow at the passage exit can he calculated using this model. The calculation system is completed by matching the correlations to experimental data.

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