Analysis on the Effect of a Non-Uniform Inlet Profile on Heat Transfer and Fluid Flow in Turbine Stages

Author(s):  
Salvadori Simone ◽  
Francesco Montomoli ◽  
Francesco Martelli ◽  
Kam S. Chana ◽  
Imran Qureshi ◽  
...  

This paper presents an investigation of the aerothermal performance of a modern unshrouded high pressure (HP) aeroengine turbine subject to non-uniform inlet temperature profile. The turbine used for the study was the MT1 turbine installed in the QinetiQ Turbine Test Facility (TTF) based in Farnborough (UK). The MT1 turbine is a full scale transonic HP turbine, and is operated in the test facility at the correct non-dimensional conditions for aerodynamics and heat transfer. Datum experiments of aero-thermal performance were conducted with uniform inlet conditions. Experiments with nonuniform inlet temperature were conducted with a temperature profile that had a non-uniformity in the radial direction defined by (Tmax−Tmin)/T = 0.355, and a non-uniformity in the circumferential direction defined by (Tmax−Tmin)/T = 0.14. This corresponds to an extreme point in the engine cycle, in an engine where the non-uniformity is dominated by the radial distribution. Accurate experimental area surveys of the turbine inlet and exit flows were conducted, and detailed heat transfer measurements were obtained on the blade surfaces and end-walls. These results are analysed with the unsteady numerical data obtained using the in-house HybFlow code developed at the University of Firenze. Two particular aspects are highlighted in the discussion: prediction confidence for state of the art computational fluid dynamics (CFD) and impact of real conditions on stator-rotor thermal loading. The efficiency value obtained with the numerical analysis is compared with the experimental data and a 0.8% difference is found and discussed. A study of the flow field influence on the blade thermal load has also been detailed. It is shown that the hot streak migration mainly affects the rotor pressure side from 20% to 70% of the span, where the Nusselt number increases by a factor of 60% with respect to the uniform case. Furthermore, in this work it has been found that a nonuniform temperature distribution is beneficial for the rotor tip, contrary to the results found in the open literature. Although the hot streak is affected by the pressure gradient across the tip gap, the radial profile (which dominates the temperature profile being considered) is not fully mixed out in passing through the HP stage, and contributes significantly to cooling the turbine casing. A design approach not taking into account these effects will underestimate to rotor life near the tip and the thermal load at mid-span. The temperature profile that has been used in both the experiments and CFD is the first simulation of an extreme cycle point (more than twice the magnitude of distortion all previous experimental studies): it represents an engine-take-off condition combined with the full combustor cooling. The research was part of the EU funded TATEF2 (Turbine Aero-Thermal External Flows 2) programme.

2011 ◽  
Vol 134 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Salvadori Simone ◽  
Francesco Montomoli ◽  
Francesco Martelli ◽  
Kam S. Chana ◽  
Imran Qureshi ◽  
...  

This paper presents an investigation of the aerothermal performance of a modern unshrouded high-pressure (HP) aero-engine turbine subject to nonuniform inlet temperature profile. The turbine used for this study was the MT1 turbine installed in the QinetiQ turbine test facility based in Farnborough (UK). The MT1 turbine is a full scale transonic HP turbine, and is operated in the test facility at the correct nondimensional conditions for aerodynamics and heat transfer. Datum experiments of aerothermal performance were conducted with uniform inlet conditions. Experiments with nonuniform inlet temperature were conducted with a temperature profile that had a nonuniformity in the radial direction defined by (Tmax−Tmin)/T¯=0.355, and a nonuniformity in the circumferential direction defined by (Tmax−Tmin)/T¯=0.14. This corresponds to an extreme point in the engine cycle, in an engine where the nonuniformity is dominated by the radial distribution. Accurate experimental area surveys of the turbine inlet and exit flows were conducted, and detailed heat transfer measurements were obtained on the blade surfaces and end-walls. These results are analyzed with the unsteady numerical data obtained using the in-house HybFlow code developed at the University of Firenze. Two particular aspects are highlighted in the discussion: prediction confidence for state of the art computational fluid dynamics (CFD) and impact of real conditions on stator-rotor thermal loading. The efficiency value obtained with the numerical analysis is compared with the experimental data and a 0.8% difference is found and discussed. A study of the flow field influence on the blade thermal load has also been detailed. It is shown that the hot streak migration mainly affects the rotor pressure side from 20% to 70% of the span, where the Nusselt number increases by a factor of 60% with respect to the uniform case. Furthermore, in this work, it has been found that a nonuniform temperature distribution is beneficial for the rotor tip, contrary to the results found in open literature. Although the hot streak is affected by the pressure gradient across the tip gap, the radial profile (which dominates the temperature profile being considered) is not fully mixed out in passing through the HP stage, and contributes significantly to cooling the turbine casing. A design approach not taking into account these effects will underestimate the rotor life near the tip and the thermal load at midspan. The temperature profile that has been used in both experiments and CFD is the first simulation of an extreme cycle point (more than twice the magnitude of distortion of all previous experimental studies): It represents an engine-take-off condition combined with the full combustor cooling. This research was part of the EU funded Turbine AeroThermal External Flows 2 program.


Author(s):  
A. Rahim ◽  
B. Khanal ◽  
L. He ◽  
E. Romero

One of the most widely studied parameters in turbine blade shaping is blade lean, i.e. the tangential displacement of spanwise sections. However, there is a lack of published research that investigates the effect of blade lean under non-uniform temperature conditions (commonly referred to as a ‘hot-streak’) that are present at the combustor exit. Of particular interest is the impact of such an inflow temperature profile on heat transfer when the NGV blades are shaped. In the present work a computational study has been carried out for a transonic turbine stage using an efficient unsteady Navier-Stokes solver (HYDRA). The configurations with a nominal vane and a compound leaned vane under uniform and hot-streak inlet conditions are analysed. After confirming the typical NGV loading and aero-loss redistributions as seen in previous literature on blade lean, the focus has been directed to the rotor aerothermal behavior. Whilst the overall stage efficiencies for the configurations are largely comparable, the results show strikingly different rotor heat transfer characteristics. For a uniform inlet, a leaned NGV has a detrimental effect on the rotor heat transfer. However, once the hot-streak is introduced, the trend is reversed; the leaned NGV leads to favourable heat transfer characteristics in general and for the rotor tip region in particular. The possible causal links for the observed aerothermal features are discussed. The present findings also highlight the significance of evaluating NGV shaping designs under properly conditioned inflow profiles, rather than extrapolating the wisdom derived from uniform inlet cases. The results also underline the importance of including rotor heat transfer and coolability during the NGV design process.


Author(s):  
Imran Qureshi ◽  
Arrigo Beretta ◽  
Thomas Povey

This paper presents experimental measurements and computational predictions of surface and endwall heat transfer for a high-pressure (HP) nozzle guide vane (NGV) operating as part of a full HP turbine stage in an annular rotating turbine facility, with and without inlet temperature distortion (hot-streaks). A detailed aerodynamic survey of the vane surface is also presented. The test turbine was the unshrouded MT1 turbine, installed in the Turbine Test Facility (previously called Isentropic Light Piston Facility) at QinetiQ, Farnborough UK. This is a short duration facility, which simulates engine representative M, Re, non-dimensional speed and gas-to-wall temperature ratio at the turbine inlet. The facility has recently been upgraded to incorporate an advanced second-generation combustor simulator, capable of simulating well-defined, aggressive temperature profiles in both the radial and circumferential directions. This work forms part of the pan-European research programme, TATEF II. Measurements of HP vane and endwall heat transfer obtained with inlet temperature distortion are compared with results for uniform inlet conditions. Steady and unsteady CFD predictions have also been conducted on vane and endwall surfaces, using the Rolls-Royce CFD code HYDRA to complement the analysis of experimental results. The heat transfer measurements presented in this paper are the first of their kind in the respect that the temperature distortion is representative of an extreme cycle point measured in the engine situation, and was simulated with good periodicity and with well defined boundary conditions in the test turbine.


Author(s):  
Imran Qureshi ◽  
Arrigo Beretta ◽  
Thomas Povey

This paper presents experimental measurements and computational predictions of surface and end wall heat transfer for a high-pressure (HP) nozzle guide vane operating as part of a full HP turbine stage in an annular rotating turbine facility, with and without inlet temperature distortion (hot streaks). A detailed aerodynamic survey of the vane surface is also presented. The test turbine was the unshrouded MT1 turbine, installed in the Turbine Test Facility (previously called Isentropic Light Piston Facility) at QinetiQ, Farnborough, UK. This is a short-duration facility, which simulates engine-representative M, Re, nondimensional speed, and gas-to-wall temperature ratio at the turbine inlet. The facility has recently been upgraded to incorporate an advanced second-generation combustor simulator, capable of simulating well-defined, aggressive temperature profiles in both the radial and circumferential directions. This work forms part of the pan-European research program, TATEF II. Measurements of HP vane and end wall heat transfer obtained with inlet temperature distortion are compared with results for uniform inlet conditions. Steady and unsteady computational fluid dynamics (CFD) predictions have also been conducted on vane and end wall surfaces using the Rolls-Royce CFD code HYDRA to complement the analysis of experimental results. The heat transfer measurements presented in this paper are the first of their kind in that the temperature distortion is representative of an extreme cycle point, and was simulated with good periodicity and with well-defined boundary conditions in the test turbine.


2009 ◽  
Vol 131 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas Povey ◽  
Imran Qureshi

The importance of understanding the impact of hot-streaks, and temperature distortion in general, on the high pressure turbine is widely appreciated, although it is still generally the case that turbines are designed for uniform inlet temperature—often the predicted peak gas temperature. This is because there is an insufficiency of reliable experimental data both from operating combustors and from rotating turbine experiments in which a combustor representative inlet temperature profile has accurately been simulated. There is increasing interest, therefore, in experiments that attempt to address this deficiency. Combustor (hot-streak) simulators have been implemented in six rotating turbine test facilities for the study of the effects on turbine life, heat transfer, aerodynamics, blade forcing, and efficiency. Three methods have been used to simulate the temperature profile: (a) the use of foreign gas to simulate the density gradients that arise due to temperature differences, (b) heat exchanger temperature distortion generators, and (c) cold gas injection temperature distortion generators. Since 2004 three significant new temperature distortion generators have been commissioned, and this points to the current interest in the field. The three new distortion generators are very different in design. The generator designs are reviewed, and the temperature profiles that were measured are compared in the context of the available data from combustors, which are also collected. A universally accepted terminology for referring to and quantifying temperature distortion in turbines has so far not developed, and this has led to a certain amount of confusion regarding definitions and terminology, both of which have proliferated. A simple means of comparing profiles is adopted in the paper and is a possible candidate for future use. New whole-field combustor measurements are presented, and the design of an advanced simulator, which has recently been commissioned to simulate both radial and circumferential temperature nonuniformity profiles in the QinetiQ/Oxford Isentropic Light Piston Turbine Test Facility, is presented.


Author(s):  
Imran Qureshi ◽  
Andy D. Smith ◽  
Kam S. Chana ◽  
Thomas Povey

Detailed experimental measurements have been performed to understand the effects of turbine inlet temperature distortion (hot-streaks) on the heat transfer and aerodynamic characteristics of a full-scale unshrouded high pressure turbine stage at flow conditions that are representative of those found in a modern gas turbine engine. To investigate hot-streak migration, the experimental measurements are complemented by three-dimensional steady and unsteady CFD simulations of the turbine stage. This paper presents the time-averaged measurements and computational predictions of rotor blade surface and rotor casing heat transfer. Experimental measurements obtained with and without inlet temperature distortion are compared. Time-mean experimental measurements of rotor casing static pressure are also presented. CFD simulations have been conducted using the Rolls-Royce code Hydra, and are compared to the experimental results. The test turbine was the unshrouded MT1 turbine, installed in the Turbine Test Facility (previously called Isentropic Light Piston Facility) at QinetiQ, Farnborough UK. This is a short duration transonic facility, which simulates engine representative M, Re, Tu, N/T and Tg /Tw at the turbine inlet. The facility has recently been upgraded to incorporate an advanced second-generation temperature distortion generator, capable of simulating well-defined, aggressive temperature distortion both in the radial and circumferential directions, at the turbine inlet.


Author(s):  
T. Povey ◽  
K. S. Chana ◽  
T. V. Jones ◽  
J. Hurrion

Pronounced non-uniformities in combustor exit flow temperature (hot-streaks), which arise because of discrete injection of fuel and dilution air jets within the combustor and because of end-wall cooling flows, affect both component life and aerodynamics. Because it is very difficult to quantitatively predict the affects of these temperature non-uniformities on the heat transfer rates, designers are forced to budget for hot-streaks in the cooling system design process. Consequently, components are designed for higher working temperatures than the mass-mean gas temperature, and this imposes a significant overall performance penalty. An inadequate cooling budget can lead to reduced component life. An improved understanding of hot-streak migration physics, or robust correlations based on reliable experimental data, would help designers minimise the overhead on cooling flow that is currently a necessity. A number of recent research projects sponsored by a range of industrial gas turbine and aero-engine manufacturers attest to the growing interest in hot-streak physics. This paper presents measurements of surface and end-wall heat transfer rate for an HP nozzle guide vane (NGV) operating as part of a full HP turbine stage in an annular transonic rotating turbine facility. Measurements were conducted with both uniform stage inlet temperature and with two non-uniform temperature profiles. The temperature profiles were non-dimensionally similar to profiles measured in an engine. A difference of one half of an NGV pitch in the circumferential (clocking) position of the hot-streak with respect to the NGV was used to investigate the affect of clocking on the vane surface and end-wall heat transfer rate. The vane surface pressure distributions, and the results of a flow-visualisation study, which are also given, are used to aid interpretation of the results. The results are compared to two-dimensional predictions conducted using two different boundary layer methods. Experiments were conducted in the Isentropic Light Piston Facility (ILPF) at QinetiQ Farnborough, a short duration engine-size turbine facility. Mach number, Reynolds number and gas-to-wall temperature ratios were correctly modelled. It is believed that the heat transfer measurements presented in this paper are the first of their kind.


Energies ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 12 (17) ◽  
pp. 3276 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jan Wajs ◽  
Michał Bajor ◽  
Dariusz Mikielewicz

In this paper a patented design of a heat exchanger with minijets, with a cylindrical construction is presented. It is followed by the results of its systematic experimental investigations in the single-phase convection heat transfer mode. Based on these results, validation of selected correlations (coming from the literature) describing the Nusselt number was carried out. An assessment of the heat exchange intensification level in the described heat exchanger was done through the comparison with a shell-and-tube exchanger of a classical design. The thermal-hydraulic characteristics of both units were the subjects of comparison. They were constructed for the identical thermal conditions, i.e., volumetric flow rates of the working media and the media temperatures at the inlets to the heat exchanger. The experimental studies of both heat exchangers were conducted on the same test facility. An increase in the heat transfer coefficients values for the minijets heat exchanger was observed in comparison with the reference one, whereas the generated minijets caused greater hydraulic resistance. Experimentally confirmed intensification of heat transfer on the air side, makes the proposed minijets heat exchanger application more attractive, for the waste heat utilization systems from gas sources.


2005 ◽  
Vol 129 (1) ◽  
pp. 32-43 ◽  
Author(s):  
T. Povey ◽  
K. S. Chana ◽  
T. V. Jones ◽  
J. Hurrion

Pronounced nonuniformities in combustor exit flow temperature (hot-streaks), which arise because of discrete injection of fuel and dilution air jets within the combustor and because of endwall cooling flows, affect both component life and aerodynamics. Because it is very difficult to quantitatively predict the effects of these temperature nonuniformities on the heat transfer rates, designers are forced to budget for hot-streaks in the cooling system design process. Consequently, components are designed for higher working temperatures than the mass-mean gas temperature, and this imposes a significant overall performance penalty. An inadequate cooling budget can lead to reduced component life. An improved understanding of hot-streak migration physics, or robust correlations based on reliable experimental data, would help designers minimize the overhead on cooling flow that is currently a necessity. A number of recent research projects sponsored by a range of industrial gas turbine and aero-engine manufacturers attest to the growing interest in hot-streak physics. This paper presents measurements of surface and endwall heat transfer rate for a high-pressure (HP) nozzle guide vane (NGV) operating as part of a full HP turbine stage in an annular transonic rotating turbine facility. Measurements were conducted with both uniform stage inlet temperature and with two nonuniform temperature profiles. The temperature profiles were nondimensionally similar to profiles measured in an engine. A difference of one-half of an NGV pitch in the circumferential (clocking) position of the hot-streak with respect to the NGV was used to investigate the affect of clocking on the vane surface and endwall heat transfer rate. The vane surface pressure distributions, and the results of a flow-visualization study, which are also given, are used to aid interpretation of the results. The results are compared to two-dimensional predictions conducted using two different boundary layer methods. Experiments were conducted in the Isentropic Light Piston Facility (ILPF) at QinetiQ Farnborough, a short-duration engine-sized turbine facility. Mach number, Reynolds number, and gas-to-wall temperature ratios were correctly modeled. It is believed that the heat transfer measurements presented in this paper are the first of their kind.


1994 ◽  
Vol 116 (2) ◽  
pp. 395-401 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. Wittig ◽  
A. Glahn ◽  
J. Himmelsbach

Increasing the thermal loading of bearing chambers in modern aero-engines requires advanced techniques for the determination of heat transfer characteristics. In the present study, film thickness and heat transfer measurements have been carried out for the complex two-phase oil/air flow in bearing chambers. In order to ensure real engine conditions, a new test facility has been built up, designed for rotational speeds up to n = 16,000 rpm and maximum flow temperatures of Tmax = 473 K. Sealing air and lubrication oil flow can be varied nearly in the whole range of aero-engine applications. Special interest is directed toward the development of an ultrasonic oil film thickness measuring technique, which can be used without any reaction on the flow inside the chamber. The determination of local heat transfer at the bearing chamber housing is based on a well-known temperature gradient method using surface temperature measurements and a finite element code to determine temperature distributions within the bearing chamber housing. The influence of high rotational speed on the local heat transfer and the oil film thickness is discussed.


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