The Dynamics of the Vorticity Field in a Low Solidity Axial Turbine

2008 ◽  
Author(s):  
K. G. Barmpalias ◽  
A. I. Kalfas ◽  
N. Chokani ◽  
R. S. Abhari
Keyword(s):  
Current Trend ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Fast Response ◽  
Secondary Flows ◽  
Vorticity Field ◽  
Time Resolved ◽  
Axial Turbine ◽  
Unsteady Interaction ◽  
Vorticity Transport ◽  
Highly Loaded

A current trend in turbomachinery design is the use of low solidity axial turbines that can generate a given power with fewer blades. However, due to the higher turning of the flow, relative to a high solidity turbine, there is an increase in secondary flows and their associated losses. In order to increase the efficiency of these more highly loaded stages, an improved understanding of the mechanisms related to the development, evolution and unsteady interaction of the secondary flows is required. An experimental investigation of the unsteady vorticity field in highly loaded stages of a research turbine is presented here. The research turbine facility is equipped with a two-stage axial turbine that is representative of the high-pressure section of a steam turbine. Steady and unsteady area measurements are performed, with the use of miniature pneumatic and fast response aerodynamic probes, in closely spaced planes at the exits of each blade row. In addition to the 3D total pressure flowfield, the multi-plane measurements allow the full three-dimensional time-resolved vorticity and velocity fields to be determined. These measurements are then used to describe the development, evolution and unsteady interaction of the secondary flows and loss generation. Particular emphasis is given to the vortex stretching term of the vorticity transport equation, which gives new insight into the vortex tilting and stretching that is associated with the secondary loss generation.

Three Dimensional Clocking Effects in a One and a Half Stage Transonic Turbine

2009 ◽  
Vol 132 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
O. Schennach ◽  
J. Woisetschläger ◽  
B. Paradiso ◽  
G. Persico ◽  
P. Gaetani
Keyword(s):  
Flow Field ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Fast Response ◽  
Secondary Flows ◽  
Pressure Probe ◽  
Time Resolved ◽  
Flow Angle ◽  
Aerodynamic Pressure ◽  
Velocity Flow ◽  
Transonic Turbine

This paper presents an experimental investigation of the flow field in a high-pressure transonic turbine with a downstream vane row (1.5 stage machine) concerning the airfoil indexing. The objective is a detailed analysis of the three-dimensional aerodynamics of the second vane for different clocking positions. To give an overview of the time-averaged flow field, five-hole probe measurements were performed upstream and downstream of the second stator. Furthermore in these planes additional unsteady measurements were carried out with laser Doppler velocimetry in order to record rotor phase-resolved velocity, flow angle, and turbulence distributions at two different clocking positions. In the planes upstream of the second vane, the time-resolved pressure field has been measured by means of a fast response aerodynamic pressure probe. This paper shows that the secondary flows of the second vane are significantly modified by the different clocking positions, in connection with the first vane modulation of the rotor secondary flows. An analysis of the performance of the second vane is also carried out, and a 0.6% variation in the second vane loss coefficient has been recorded among the different clocking positions.

Effect of Hot Streak Migration on Unsteady Blade Row Interaction in an Axial Turbine

2012 ◽  
Vol 134 (5) ◽  
Author(s):  
P. Jenny ◽  
C. Lenherr ◽  
R. S. Abhari ◽  
A. Kalfas
Keyword(s):  
Hot Spot ◽  
Fast Response ◽  
Secondary Flows ◽  
Inlet Temperature ◽  
Time Resolved ◽  
Axial Turbine ◽  
Blade Row ◽  
Hot Streak ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Blade Row Interaction

This paper presents an experimental study of the effect of unsteady blade row interaction on the migration of hot streaks in an axial turbine. The hot streaks can cause localized hot spots on the blade surfaces in a high-pressure turbine, leading to high heat loads and potentially catastrophic failure of the blades. An improved understanding of the effect of unsteady blade row interaction on an inlet temperature distortion is of crucial importance. The impact of hot streaks on the aerodynamic performance of a turbine stage is also not well understood. In the current experiment, the influence of hot streaks on a highly loaded 1.5-stage unshrouded model axial turbine is studied. A hot streak generator has been developed specifically for this project to introduce hot streaks that match the dimensional parameters of real engines. The temperature profile, spanwise position, circumferential position, and cross-section shape of the hot streak can be independently varied. The recently developed ETH Zurich two-sensor high temperature (260 °C) fast response aerodynamic probe (FRAP) technique and the fast response entropy. Probe (FENT) systems are used in this experimental campaign. Time resolved measurements of the unsteady pressure, temperature, and entropy are made at the NGV inlet and between the rotor and stator blade rows. From the nozzle guide vane inlet to outlet the measurements show a reduction in the maximum relative entropy difference between the free stream and the hot spot of 30% for the highest temperature gases in the core of the hot streak, indicating a region of heat loss. Time resolved flow field measurements at the rotor exit based on both measurement methods showed the hot gases traveling towards the hub and tip casing on the blade pressure side and interacting with secondary flows such as the hub passage vortex.

Effect of Hot Streak Migration on Unsteady Blade Row Interaction in an Axial Turbine

2010 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. Jenny ◽  
C. Lenherr ◽  
A. Kalfas ◽  
R. S. Abhari
Keyword(s):  
Hot Spot ◽  
Fast Response ◽  
Secondary Flows ◽  
Inlet Temperature ◽  
Time Resolved ◽  
Axial Turbine ◽  
Blade Row ◽  
Hot Streak ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Blade Row Interaction

This paper presents an experimental study of the effect of unsteady blade row interaction on the migration of hot streaks in an axial turbine. The hot streaks can cause localised hot spots on the blade surfaces in a high-pressure turbine, leading to high heat loads and potentially catastrophic failure of the blades. An improved understanding of the effect of unsteady blade row interaction on an inlet temperature distortion is of crucial importance. The impact of hot streaks on the aerodynamic performance of a turbine stage is also not well understood. In the current experiment, the influence of hot streaks on a highly loaded one-and-half-stage unshrouded model axial turbine is studied. A hot streak generator has been developed specifically for this project to introduce hot streaks that match the dimensional parameters of real engines. The temperature profile, spanwise position, circumferential position and cross-section shape of the hot streak can be independently varied. The recently developed ETH Zurich 2-sensor high temperature (260°C) Fast Response Aerodynamic Probe (FRAP) technique and the Fast Response Entropy Probe (FENT) systems are used in this experimental campaign. Time resolved measurements of the unsteady pressure, temperature and entropy are made at the NGV inlet and between the rotor and stator blade rows. From the nozzle guide vane inlet to outlet the measurements show a reduction in the maximum relative entropy difference between the free stream and the hot spot of 30% for the highest temperature gases in the core of the hot streak, indicating a region of heat loss. Time resolved flow field measurements at the rotor exit based on both measurement methods showed the hot gases travelling towards the hub and tip casing on the blade pressure side and interacting with secondary flows such as the hub passage vortex.

Impact of Time-Resolved Entropy Measurement on a One-and-One-Half-Stage Axial Turbine Performance

2011 ◽  
Vol 134 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Mansour ◽  
N. Chokani ◽  
A. I. Kalfas ◽  
R. S. Abhari
Keyword(s):  
Fast Response ◽  
Loss Coefficient ◽  
Time Resolved ◽  
Axial Turbine ◽  
Pressure Loss Coefficient ◽  
Entropy Measurement ◽  
High Pressure Stage ◽  
Turbine Design ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Loss Mechanisms

An accurate assessment of unsteady interactions in turbines is required, so that this may be taken into account in the design of the turbine. This assessment is required since the efficiency of the turbine is directly related to the contribution of unsteady loss mechanisms. This paper presents unsteady entropy measurements in an axial turbine. The measurements are conducted at the rotor exit of a one–and-one-half-stage unshrouded turbine that is representative of a highly loaded, high-pressure stage of an aero-engine. The unsteady entropy measurements are obtained using a novel miniature fast-response probe, which has been developed at ETH Zurich. The entropy probe has two components: a one-sensor fast-response aerodynamic probe and a pair of thin-film gauges. The probe allows the simultaneous measurement of the total temperature and the total pressure from which the time-resolved entropy field can be derived. The measurements of the time-resolved entropy provide a new insight into the unsteady loss mechanisms that are associated with the unsteady interaction between rotor and stator blade rows. A particular attention is paid to the interaction effects of the stator wake interaction, the secondary flow interaction, and the potential field interaction on the unsteady loss generation at the rotor exit. Furthermore, the impact on the turbine design of quantifying the loss in terms of the entropy loss coefficient, rather than the more familiar pressure loss coefficient, is discussed in detail.

The Effect of Coolant Injection on the Endwall Flow of a High Pressure Turbine

2012 ◽  
Vol 134 (5) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jonathan Ong ◽  
Robert J. Miller ◽  
Sumiu Uchida
Keyword(s):  
High Pressure ◽  
Secondary Flow ◽  
Penetration Depth ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Fast Response ◽  
Secondary Flows ◽  
Pressure Probe ◽  
Leakage Flow ◽  
Speed Test ◽  
Coolant Injection

This paper presents a study of the effects of two types of hub coolant injection on the rotor of a high pressure gas turbine stage. The first involves the leakage flow from the hub cavity into the mainstream. The second involves a deliberate injection of coolant from a row of angled holes from the edge of the stator hub. The aim of this study is to improve the distribution of the injected coolant on the rotor hub wall. To achieve this, it is necessary to understand how the coolant and leakage flows interact with the rotor secondary flows. The first part of the paper shows that the hub leakage flow is entrained into the rotor hub secondary flow and the negative incidence of the leakage strengthens the secondary flow and increases its penetration depth. Three-dimensional unsteady calculations were found to agree with fast response pressure probe measurements at the rotor exit of a low speed test turbine. The second part of the paper shows that increasing the injected coolant swirl angle reduced the secondary flow penetration depth, improves the coolant distribution on the rotor hub, and improves stage efficiency. Most of the coolant however, was still found to be entrained into the rotor secondary flow.

A Simulation of the Unsteady Interaction of a Centrifugal Impeller With its Vaned Diffuser: Flows Analysis

1994 ◽  
Author(s):  
W. N. Dawes
Keyword(s):  
Flow Analysis ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Navier Stokes ◽  
Centrifugal Impeller ◽  
Vaned Diffuser ◽  
Time Resolved ◽  
High Loss ◽  
Swirl Angle ◽  
Unsteady Interaction ◽  
Unsteady Effects

The aim of this paper is to help advance our understanding of the complex, three-dimensional, unsteady flow associated with the interaction of a splattered centrifugal impeller and its vaned diffuser. A time-resolved simulation is presented of the Krain stage performed using a time-accurate, 3D, unstructured mesh, solution-adaptive Navier-Stokes solver. The predicted flowfield, compared with experiment where available, displays a complex, unsteady interaction especially in the neighbourhood of the diffuser entry zone which experiences large periodic flow unsteadiness. Downstream of the throat, although the magnitude of this unsteadiness diminishes rapidly, the flow has a highly distorted three-dimensional character. The loss levels in the diffuser are then investigated to try and determine how time-mean loss levels compare with the levels expected from “equivalent” steady flow analysis performed by using the circumferentially averaged exit flow from the impeller as inlet to the diffuser. It is concluded that little loss could be attributed directly to unsteady effects but rather that the principle cause of the rather high loss levels observed in the diffuser is the strong spanwise distortion in swirl angle at inlet which initiates a strong hub/comer stall.

Unsteady Aerodynamics of a Low Aspect Ratio Turbine Stage: Modeling Issues and Flow Physics

2012 ◽  
Vol 134 (6) ◽  
Author(s):  
G. Persico ◽  
A. Mora ◽  
P. Gaetani ◽  
M. Savini
Keyword(s):  
Aspect Ratio ◽  
Coming Out ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Unsteady Aerodynamics ◽  
Fast Response ◽  
Operating Conditions ◽  
Pressure Probe ◽  
Turbine Stage ◽  
Time Resolved ◽  
Low Aspect Ratio

In this paper the three-dimensional unsteady aerodynamics of a low aspect ratio, high pressure turbine stage are studied. In particular, the results of fully unsteady three-dimensional numerical simulations, performed with ANSYS-CFX, are critically evaluated against experimental data. Measurements were carried out with a novel three-dimensional fast-response pressure probe in the closed-loop test rig of the Laboratorio di Fluidodinamica delle Macchine of the Politecnico di Milano. An analysis is first reported about the strategy to limit the CPU and memory requirements while performing three-dimensional simulations of blade row interaction when the rotor and stator blade numbers are prime to each other. What emerges as the best choice is to simulate the unsteady behavior of the rotor alone by applying the stator outlet flow field as a rotating inlet boundary condition (scaled on the rotor blade pitch). Thanks to the reliability of the numerical model, a detailed analysis of the physical mechanisms acting inside the rotor channel is performed. Two operating conditions at different vane incidence are considered, in a configuration where the effects of the vortex-blade interaction are highlighted. Different vane incidence angles lead to different size, position, and strength of secondary vortices coming out from the stator, thus promoting different interaction processes in the subsequent rotor channel. However some general trends can be recognized in the vortex-blade interaction: the sense of rotation and the spanwise position of the incoming vortices play a crucial role on the dynamics of the rotor vortices, determining both the time-mean and the time-resolved characteristics of the secondary field at the exit of the stage.

Blade Row Interaction in a One and a Half Stage Transonic Turbine Focusing on Three Dimensional Effects: Part II—Clocking Effects

2008 ◽  
Author(s):  
O. Schennach ◽  
B. Paradiso ◽  
G. Persico ◽  
P. Gaetani ◽  
J. Woisetschla¨ger
Keyword(s):  
High Pressure ◽  
Flow Field ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Field Measurements ◽  
Fast Response ◽  
Secondary Flows ◽  
Pressure Probe ◽  
Flow Angle ◽  
Aerodynamic Pressure ◽  
Transonic Turbine

The paper presents an experimental investigation of the flow field in a high-pressure transonic turbine with a downstream vane row (1.5 stage machine) concerning the airfoil indexing. The objective is a detailed analysis of the three dimensional flow field downstream of the high pressure turbine for different vane clocking positions. To give an overview of the time averaged flow field, measurements by means of a pneumatic five hole probe were performed upstream and downstream of the second stator. Furthermore in this planes additional unsteady measurements were carried out with Laser Doppler Velocimetry in order to record rotor phase resolved velocity, flow angle and turbulence distributions at two different clocking positions. In the measurement plane upstream the second vane the time resolved pressure field has been analyzed by means of a Fast Response Aerodynamic Pressure Probe. The paper shows that the secondary flows of the second vane are significantly modified for different clocking positions, in connection with the first vane modulation of the rotor secondary flows. An analysis of the performance of the second vane is also carried out.

Impact of Time-Resolved Entropy Measurement on a One-and-1/2-Stage Axial Turbine Performance

2008 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Mansour ◽  
N. Chokani ◽  
A. I. Kalfas ◽  
R. S. Abhari
Keyword(s):  
Fast Response ◽  
Loss Coefficient ◽  
Time Resolved ◽  
Axial Turbine ◽  
Pressure Loss Coefficient ◽  
Entropy Measurement ◽  
High Pressure Stage ◽  
Turbine Design ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Loss Mechanisms

An accurate assessment of unsteady interactions in turbines is required, so that this may be taken into account in the design of the turbine. This assessment is required since the efficiency of the turbine is directly related to the contribution of unsteady loss mechanisms. This paper presents unsteady entropy measurements in an axial turbine. The measurements are conducted at the rotor exit of a one-and-1/2-stage, unshrouded turbine that is representative of a highly loaded, high-pressure stage of an aero-engine. The unsteady entropy measurements are obtained using a novel miniature fast-response probe, which has been developed at ETH Zurich. The entropy probe has two components: a one-sensor fast response aerodynamic probe and a pair of thin-film gauges. The probe allows the simultaneous measurement of total temperature and total pressure from which the time-resolved entropy field can be derived. The measurements of the time resolved entropy provide a new insight into the unsteady loss mechanisms that are associated with the unsteady interaction between rotor and stator blade rows. A particular attention is paid to the interaction effects of the stator wake interaction, the secondary flow interaction and the potential field interaction on the unsteady loss generation at the rotor exit. Furthermore, the impact on turbine design of quantifying the loss in terms of the entropy loss coefficient, rather than the more familiar pressure loss coefficient, is discussed in detail.

scholarly journals Aeroloads and Secondary Flows in a Transonic Mixed Flow Turbine Stage

1992 ◽  
Author(s):  
K. R. Kirtley ◽  
T. A. Beach ◽  
Cass Rogo
Keyword(s):  
Pressure Ratio ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Leading Edge ◽  
Secondary Flows ◽  
Navier Stokes ◽  
Design System ◽  
Turbine Stage ◽  
Mixed Flow ◽  
Nozzle Vane ◽  
Highly Loaded

A numerical simulation of a transonic mixed flow turbine stage has been carried out using an average passage Navier-Stokes analysis. The mixed flow turbine stage considered here consists of a transonic nozzle vane and a highly loaded rotor. The simulation was run at the design pressure ratio and is assessed by comparing results with those of an established throughflow design system. The three-dimensional aerodynamic loads are studied as well as the development and migration of secondary flows and their contribution to the total pressure loss. The numerical results indicate that strong passage vortices develop in the nozzle vane, mix out quickly, and have little impact on the rotor flow. The rotor is highly loaded near the leading edge. Within the rotor passage, strong spanwise flows and other secondary flows exist along with the tip leakage vortex. The rotor exit loss distribution is similar in character to that found in radial inflow turbines. The secondary flows and non-uniform work extraction also tend to significantly redistribute a non-uniform inlet total temperature profile by the exit of the stage.

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