An Experimental Study of Loss Sources in a Fan Operating With Continuous Inlet Stagnation Pressure Distortion

Author(s):  
E. J. Gunn ◽  
S. E. Tooze ◽  
C. A. Hall ◽  
Y. Colin

The viability of Boundary Layer Ingesting (BLI) engines for future aircraft propulsion is dependent on the ability to design robust, efficient engine fan systems for operation with continuously distorted inlet flow. A key step in this process is to develop an understanding of the specific mechanisms by which an inlet distortion affects the performance of a fan stage. In this paper, detailed full-annulus experimental measurements of the flow field within a low-speed fan stage operating with a continuous 60-degree inlet stagnation pressure distortion are presented. These results are used to describe the three-dimensional fluid mechanics governing the interaction between the fan and the distortion and to make a quantitative assessment of the impact on loss generation within the fan. A 5.3 percentage point reduction in stage total-to-total efficiency is observed as a result of the inlet distortion. The reduction in performance is shown to be dominated by increased loss generation in the rotor due to off-design incidence values at its leading edge, an effect which occurs throughout the annulus despite the localised nature of the inlet distortion. Increased loss generation in the stator row is also observed due to flow separations that are shown to be caused by whirl angle distortion at rotor exit. By addressing these losses, it should be possible to achieve improved efficiency in BLI fan systems.

2013 ◽  
Vol 135 (5) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ewan J. Gunn ◽  
Sarah E. Tooze ◽  
Cesare A. Hall ◽  
Yann Colin

The viability of boundary layer ingesting (BLI) engines for future aircraft propulsion is dependent on the ability to design robust, efficient engine fan systems for operation with continuously distorted inlet flow. A key step in this process is to develop an understanding of the specific mechanisms by which an inlet distortion affects the performance of a fan stage. In this paper, detailed full-annulus experimental measurements of the flow field within a low-speed fan stage operating with a continuous 60 deg inlet stagnation pressure distortion are presented. These results are used to describe the three-dimensional fluid mechanics governing the interaction between the fan and the distortion and to make a quantitative assessment of the impact on loss generation within the fan. A 5.3 percentage point reduction in stage total-to-total efficiency is observed as a result of the inlet distortion. The reduction in performance is shown to be dominated by increased loss generation in the rotor due to off-design incidence values at its leading edge, an effect that occurs throughout the annulus despite the localized nature of the inlet distortion. Increased loss in the stator row is also observed due to flow separations that are shown to be caused by whirl angle distortion at rotor exit. By addressing these losses, it should be possible to achieve improved efficiency in BLI fan systems.


Author(s):  
Zhihui Li ◽  
Juan Du ◽  
Qianfeng Zhang ◽  
Guofeng Ji ◽  
Hongwu Zhang

Boundary-layer-ingesting fans and compressors in the next-generation turbofan engines require high-performance operations under distorted inflow. The aim of this work is to study the effects of inlet distortions including inlet stagnation pressure and temperature distortion, on the aerodynamic performance of a transonic axial fan. Firstly, the validated full-annulus, unsteady, three-dimensional computational fluid dynamic code in conjunction with detached Eddy simulation approach is used here to simulate the fan flows assembly with individual inlet stagnation pressure/temperature distortion. Then, the propagation process of the inlet distortion waves is analyzed to understand how the aerodynamic performance degradation is triggered. The simulation results show that the fan performance is remarkably degraded when the inlet distortion is introduced. The leading-edge spillage, the trailing edge back flow and the “tornado vortex” occur when parts of fan blades encounter the incoming distorted flows. Finally, the responses of fan to the combined inlet stagnation distortion effects are discussed in this paper. It is found that the combined distortion effects can be predicted based on the sum of the performance responses to the individual constituent distortions. Furthermore, the relative location of the constituent distortions shows a non-ignorable influence on the overall fan performance, especially for the intensified inlet distortion.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
V. L. Kocharin ◽  
A. A. Yatskikh ◽  
D. S. Prishchepova ◽  
A. V. Panina ◽  
Yu. G. Yermolaev ◽  
...  

Author(s):  
Chunill Hah ◽  
Douglas C. Rabe ◽  
Thomas J. Sullivan ◽  
Aspi R. Wadia

The effects of circumferential distortions in inlet total pressure on the flow field in a low-aspect-ratio, high-speed, high-pressure-ratio, transonic compressor rotor are investigated in this paper. The flow field was studied experimentally and numerically with and without inlet total pressure distortion. Total pressure distortion was created by screens mounted upstream from the rotor inlet. Circumferential distortions of 8 periods per revolution were investigated at two different rotor speeds. The unsteady blade surface pressures were measured with miniature pressure transducers mounted in the blade. The flow fields with and without inlet total pressure distortion were analyzed numerically by solving steady and unsteady forms of the Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes equations. Steady three-dimensional viscous flow calculations were performed for the flow without inlet distortion while unsteady three-dimensional viscous flow calculations were used for the flow with inlet distortion. For the time-accurate calculation, circumferential and radial variations of the inlet total pressure were used as a time-dependent inflow boundary condition. A second-order implicit scheme was used for the time integration. The experimental measurements and the numerical analysis are highly complementary for this study because of the extreme complexity of the flow field. The current investigation shows that inlet flow distortions travel through the rotor blade passage and are convected into the following stator. At a high rotor speed where the flow is transonic, the passage shock was found to oscillate by as much as 20% of the blade chord, and very strong interactions between the unsteady passage shock and the blade boundary layer were observed. This interaction increases the effective blockage of the passage, resulting in an increased aerodynamic loss and a reduced stall margin. The strong interaction between the passage shock and the blade boundary layer increases the peak aerodynamic loss by about one percent.


2008 ◽  
Vol 3 (3) ◽  
pp. 34-38
Author(s):  
Sergey A. Gaponov ◽  
Yuri G. Yermolaev ◽  
Aleksandr D. Kosinov ◽  
Nikolay V. Semionov ◽  
Boris V. Smorodsky

Theoretical and an experimental research results of the disturbances development in a swept wing boundary layer are presented at Mach number М = 2. In experiments development of natural and small amplitude controllable disturbances downstream was studied. Experiments were carried out on a swept wing model with a lenticular profile at a zero attack angle. The swept angle of a leading edge was 40°. Wave parameters of moving disturbances were determined. In frames of the linear theory and an approach of the local self-similar mean flow the stability of a compressible three-dimensional boundary layer is studied. Good agreement of the theory with experimental results for transversal scales of unstable vertices of the secondary flow was obtained. However the calculated amplification rates differ from measured values considerably. This disagreement is explained by the nonlinear processes observed in experiment


2012 ◽  
Vol 135 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Imran Qureshi ◽  
Andy D. Smith ◽  
Thomas Povey

Modern lean burn combustors now employ aggressive swirlers to enhance fuel-air mixing and improve flame stability. The flow at combustor exit can therefore have high residual swirl. A good deal of research concerning the flow within the combustor is available in open literature. The impact of swirl on the aerodynamic and heat transfer characteristics of an HP turbine stage is not well understood, however. A combustor swirl simulator has been designed and commissioned in the Oxford Turbine Research Facility (OTRF), previously located at QinetiQ, Farnborough UK. The swirl simulator is capable of generating an engine-representative combustor exit swirl pattern. At the turbine inlet plane, yaw and pitch angles of over ±40 deg have been simulated. The turbine research facility used for the study is an engine scale, short duration, rotating transonic turbine, in which the nondimensional parameters for aerodynamics and heat transfer are matched to engine conditions. The research turbine was the unshrouded MT1 design. By design, the center of the vortex from the swirl simulator can be clocked to any circumferential position with respect to HP vane, and the vortex-to-vane count ratio is 1:2. For the current investigation, the clocking position was such that the vortex center was aligned with the vane leading edge (every second vane). Both the aligned vane and the adjacent vane were characterized. This paper presents measurements of HP vane surface and end wall heat transfer for the two vane positions. The results are compared with measurements conducted without swirl. The vane surface pressure distributions are also presented. The experimental measurements are compared with full-stage three-dimensional unsteady numerical predictions obtained using the Rolls Royce in-house code Hydra. The aerodynamic and heat transfer characterization presented in this paper is the first of its kind, and it is hoped to give some insight into the significant changes in the vane flow and heat transfer that occur in the current generation of low NOx combustors. The findings not only have implications for the vane aerodynamic design, but also for the cooling system design.


1995 ◽  
Vol 39 (04) ◽  
pp. 297-312
Author(s):  
You-Hua Liu

Both slipstream deformation and viscous effects are factors that affect the performance of a rotating marine propeller but neither of them has been properly treated in most of the current lifting-surface methods and surface panel theories. With the introduction of a partial roll-up wake model that is flexible to various cases of propeller geometry and loading condition, this paper presents a vortex-lattice method that can improve propeller performance prediction especially at heavy loading conditions. Some observations on the calculation of the blade leading-edge suction force and how to deduct it to account for the viscous drag increasing are given. The scale effect of propeller performance can be readily predicted by the quasi-three-dimensional boundary-layer calculation presented in this paper. Some patterns of the limiting streamlines on blade surfaces are also illustrated and compared with experimental results.


Coatings ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (4) ◽  
pp. 248 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anwar Saeed ◽  
Zahir Shah ◽  
Saeed Islam ◽  
Muhammad Jawad ◽  
Asad Ullah ◽  
...  

In this research, the three-dimensional nanofluid thin-film flow of Casson fluid over an inclined steady rotating plane is examined. A thermal radiated nanofluid thin film flow is considered with suction/injection effects. With the help of similarity variables, the partial differential equations (PDEs) are converted into a system of ordinary differential equations (ODEs). The obtained ODEs are solved by the homotopy analysis method (HAM) with the association of MATHEMATICA software. The boundary-layer over an inclined steady rotating plane is plotted and explored in detail for the velocity, temperature, and concentration profiles. Also, the surface rate of heat transfer and shear stress are described in detail. The impact of numerous embedded parameters, such as the Schmidt number, Brownian motion parameter, thermophoretic parameter, and Casson parameter (Sc, Nb, Nt, γ), etc., were examined on the velocity, temperature, and concentration profiles, respectively. The essential terms of the Nusselt number and Sherwood number were also examined numerically and physically for the temperature and concentration profiles. It was observed that the radiation source improves the energy transport to enhance the flow motion. The smaller values of the Prandtl number, Pr, augmented the thermal boundary-layer and decreased the flow field. The increasing values of the rotation parameter decreased the thermal boundary layer thickness. These outputs are examined physically and numerically and are also discussed.


2016 ◽  
Vol 792 ◽  
pp. 682-711 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael O. John ◽  
Dominik Obrist ◽  
Leonhard Kleiser

The leading-edge boundary layer (LEBL) in the front part of swept airplane wings is prone to three-dimensional subcritical instability, which may lead to bypass transition. The resulting increase of airplane drag and fuel consumption implies a negative environmental impact. In the present paper, we present a temporal biglobal secondary stability analysis (SSA) and direct numerical simulations (DNS) of this flow to investigate a subcritical transition mechanism. The LEBL is modelled by the swept Hiemenz boundary layer (SHBL), with and without wall suction. We introduce a pair of steady, counter-rotating, streamwise vortices next to the attachment line as a generic primary disturbance. This generates a high-speed streak, which evolves slowly in the streamwise direction. The SSA predicts that this flow is unstable to secondary, time-dependent perturbations. We report the upper branch of the secondary neutral curve and describe numerous eigenmodes located inside the shear layers surrounding the primary high-speed streak and the vortices. We find secondary flow instability at Reynolds numbers as low as$Re\approx 175$, i.e. far below the linear critical Reynolds number$Re_{crit}\approx 583$of the SHBL. This secondary modal instability is confirmed by our three-dimensional DNS. Furthermore, these simulations show that the modes may grow until nonlinear processes lead to breakdown to turbulent flow for Reynolds numbers above$Re_{tr}\approx 250$. The three-dimensional mode shapes, growth rates, and the frequency dependence of the secondary eigenmodes found by SSA and the DNS results are in close agreement with each other. The transition Reynolds number$Re_{tr}\approx 250$at zero suction and its increase with wall suction closely coincide with experimental and numerical results from the literature. We conclude that the secondary instability and the transition scenario presented in this paper may serve as a possible explanation for the well-known subcritical transition observed in the leading-edge boundary layer.


2019 ◽  
Vol 141 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Yousef Kanani ◽  
Sumanta Acharya ◽  
Forrest Ames

Vane pressure side heat transfer is studied numerically using large eddy simulation (LES) on an aft-loaded vane with a large leading edge over a range of turbulence conditions. Numerical simulations are performed in a linear cascade at exit chord Reynolds number of Re = 5.1 × 105 at low (Tu ≈ 0.7%), moderate (Tu ≈ 7.9%), and high (Tu ≈ 12.4%) freestream turbulence with varying length scales as prescribed by the experimental measurements of Varty and Ames (2016, “Experimental Heat Transfer Distributions Over an Aft Loaded Vane With a Large Leading Edge at Very High Turbulence Levels,” ASME Paper No. IMECE2016-67029). Heat transfer predictions on the vane pressure side are in a very good agreement with the experimental measurements and the heat transfer augmentation due to the freestream turbulence is well captured. At Tu ≈ 12.4%, freestream turbulence enhances the Stanton number on the pressure surface without boundary layer transition to turbulence by a maximum of about 50% relative to the low freestream turbulence case. Higher freestream turbulence generates elongated structures and high-velocity streaks wrapped around the leading edge that contain significant energy. Amplification of the velocity streaks is observed further downstream with max rms of 0.3 near the trailing edge but no transition to turbulence or formation of turbulence spots is observed on the pressure side. The heat transfer augmentation at the higher freestream turbulence is primarily due to the initial amplification of the low-frequency velocity perturbations inside the boundary layer that persist along the entire chord of the airfoil. Stanton numbers appear to scale with the streamwise velocity fluctuations inside the boundary layer.


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