A Study of the Three-Dimensional Unsteady Real-Gas Flows Within a Transonic ORC Turbine

2014 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrew P. S. Wheeler ◽  
Jonathan Ong
Keyword(s):  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Organic Rankine Cycle ◽  
Leading Edge ◽  
Rankine Cycle ◽  
Gas Flows ◽  
Cfd Simulations ◽  
Significant Drop ◽  
Real Gas ◽  
Turbine Efficiency ◽  
Real Gas Effects

In this paper we investigate the three-dimensional unsteady real-gas flows which occur within Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC) turbines. A radial-inflow turbine stage operating with supersonic vane exit flows (M ≈ 1.4) is simulated using a RANS solver which includes real-gas effects. Steady CFD simulations show that small changes in the inducer shape can have a significant effect on turbine efficiency due to the development of supersonic flows in the rotor. Unsteady predictions show the same trends as the steady CFD, however a strong interaction between the vane trailing-edge shocks and rotor leading-edge leads to a significant drop in efficiency.

scholarly journals Sensitivity of Supersonic ORC Turbine Injector Designs to Fluctuating Operating Conditions

2015 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elio A. Bufi ◽  
Paola Cinnella ◽  
Xavier Merle
Keyword(s):  
Method Of Characteristics ◽  
Organic Rankine Cycle ◽  
Design Procedure ◽  
Rankine Cycle ◽  
Operating Conditions ◽  
Real Gas ◽  
Real Gas Effects ◽  
Nozzle Shape ◽  
Turbine Design ◽  
The Impact

The design of an efficient organic rankine cycle (ORC) expander needs to take properly into account strong real gas effects that may occur in given ranges of operating conditions, which can also be highly variable. In this work, we first design ORC turbine geometries by means of a fast 2-D design procedure based on the method of characteristics (MOC) for supersonic nozzles characterized by strong real gas effects. Thanks to a geometric post-processing procedure, the resulting nozzle shape is then adapted to generate an axial ORC blade vane geometry. Subsequently, the impact of uncertain operating conditions on turbine design is investigated by coupling the MOC algorithm with a Probabilistic Collocation Method (PCM) algorithm. Besides, the injector geometry generated at nominal operating conditions is simulated by means of an in-house CFD solver. The code is coupled to the PCM algorithm and a performance sensitivity analysis, in terms of adiabatic efficiency and power output, to variations of the operating conditions is carried out.

Real-Gas Effects in Organic Rankine Cycle Turbine Nozzles

2008 ◽  
Vol 24 (2) ◽  
pp. 282-294 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. Colonna ◽  
J. Harinck ◽  
S. Rebay ◽  
A. Guardone
Keyword(s):  
Organic Rankine Cycle ◽  
Rankine Cycle ◽  
Real Gas ◽  
Real Gas Effects

The Role of Dense Gas Dynamics on Organic Rankine Cycle Turbine Performance

2013 ◽  
Vol 135 (10) ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrew P. S. Wheeler ◽  
Jonathan Ong
Keyword(s):  
Pressure Ratio ◽  
Organic Rankine Cycle ◽  
Rankine Cycle ◽  
Navier Stokes ◽  
Working Fluid ◽  
Gas Flows ◽  
High Pressure Ratio ◽  
Dense Gases ◽  
Turbine Efficiency ◽  
Turbine Vanes

In this paper, we investigate the real gas flows which occur within organic Rankine cycle (ORC) turbines. A new method for the design of nozzles operating with dense gases is discussed, and applied to the case of a high pressure ratio turbine vane. A Navier–Stokes method, which uses equations of states for a variety of working fluids typical of ORC turbines, is then applied to the turbine vanes to determine the vane performance. The results suggest that the choice of working fluid has a significant influence on the turbine efficiency.

The Role of Dense Gas Dynamics on ORC Turbine Performance

2013 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrew P. S. Wheeler ◽  
Jonathan Ong
Keyword(s):  
Pressure Ratio ◽  
Organic Rankine Cycle ◽  
Rankine Cycle ◽  
Navier Stokes ◽  
Working Fluid ◽  
Gas Flows ◽  
High Pressure Ratio ◽  
Dense Gases ◽  
Turbine Efficiency ◽  
Turbine Vanes

In this paper we investigate the real gas flows which occur within Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC) turbines. A new method for the design of nozzles operating with dense gases is discussed, and applied to the case of a high pressure ratio turbine vane. A Navier-Stokes method which uses equations of states for a variety of working fluids typical of ORC turbines is then applied to the turbine vanes to determine the vane performance. The results suggest that the choice of working fluid has a significant influence on the turbine efficiency.

Numerical Simulation of Clocking Effect on Wake Transportation and Interaction in a 1.5-Stage Axial Turbine

2010 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wei Li ◽  
Hua Ouyang ◽  
Zhao-hui Du
Keyword(s):  
Stokes Equations ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Leading Edge ◽  
Navier Stokes ◽  
Maximum Efficiency ◽  
Suction Surface ◽  
Navier Stokes Equations ◽  
Pressure Surface ◽  
Turbine Efficiency ◽  
Small Influence

To give insight into the clocking effect and its influence on the wake transportation and its interaction, the unsteady three-dimensional flow through a 1.5-stage axial low pressure turbine is simulated numerically using a density-correction based, Reynolds-Averaged Navier-Stokes equations commercial CFD code. The 2nd stator clocking is applied over ten equal tangential positions. The results show that the harmonic blade number ratio is an important factor affecting the clocking effect. The clocking effect has a very small influence on the turbine efficiency in this investigation. The efficiency difference between the maximum and minimum configuration is nearly 0.1%. The maximum efficiency can be achieved when the 1st stator wake enters the 2nd stator passage near blade suction surface and its adjacent wake passes through the 2nd stator passage close to blade pressure surface. The minimum efficiency appears if the 1st stator wake impinges upon the leading edge of the 2nd stator and its adjacent wake of the 1st stator passed through the mid-channel in the 2nd stator.

Experimental and Numerical Study of Supersonic Non-ideal Flows for Organic Rankine Cycle Applications

2020 ◽  
Vol 142 (8) ◽  
Author(s):  
Miles Robertson ◽  
Peter Newton ◽  
Tao Chen ◽  
Aaron Costall ◽  
Ricardo Martinez-Botas
Keyword(s):  
Experimental Validation ◽  
Numerical Study ◽  
Pressure Ratio ◽  
Organic Rankine Cycle ◽  
Rankine Cycle ◽  
Helmholtz Energy ◽  
System Level ◽  
Low Grade ◽  
Dense Gas ◽  
Cfd Simulations

Abstract The organic Rankine cycle (ORC) is low-grade heat recovery technology, for sources as diverse as geothermal, industrial, and vehicle waste heat. The working fluids used within these systems often display significant real-gas effects, especially in proximity of the thermodynamic critical point. Three-dimensional (3D) computational fluid dynamics (CFD) is commonly used for performance prediction and flow field analysis within expanders, but experimental validation with real gases is scarce within the literature. This paper therefore presents a dense-gas blowdown facility constructed at Imperial College London, for experimentally validating numerical simulations of these fluids. The system-level design process for the blowdown rig is described, including the sizing and specification of major components. Tests with refrigerant R1233zd(E) are run for multiple inlet pressures, against a nitrogen baseline case. CFD simulations are performed, with the refrigerant modeled by ideal gas, Peng–Robinson, and Helmholtz energy equations of state. It is shown that increases in fluid model fidelity lead to reduced deviation between simulation and experiment. Maximum and mean discrepancies of 9.59% and 8.12% in nozzle pressure ratio with the Helmholtz energy EoS are reported. This work demonstrates an over-prediction of pressure ratio and power output within commercial CFD packages, for turbomachines operating in non-ideal fluid environments. This suggests a need for further development and experimental validation of CFD simulations for highly non-ideal flows. The data contained within this paper are therefore of vital importance for the future validation and development of CFD methods for dense-gas turbomachinery.

Real Gas Effects in Turbomachinery Flows: A Computational Fluid Dynamics Model for Fast Computations

2004 ◽  
Vol 126 (2) ◽  
pp. 268-276 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paolo Boncinelli ◽  
Filippo Rubechini ◽  
Andrea Arnone ◽  
Massimiliano Cecconi ◽  
Carlo Cortese
Keyword(s):  
Fluid Dynamic ◽  
Computational Cost ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Industrial Applications ◽  
Design Tool ◽  
Navier Stokes ◽  
Computational Time ◽  
Real Gas ◽  
Real Gas Effects ◽  
Low Computational Cost

A numerical model was included in a three-dimensional viscous solver to account for real gas effects in the compressible Reynolds averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) equations. The behavior of real gases is reproduced by using gas property tables. The method consists of a local fitting of gas data to provide the thermodynamic property required by the solver in each solution step. This approach presents several characteristics which make it attractive as a design tool for industrial applications. First of all, the implementation of the method in the solver is simple and straightforward, since it does not require relevant changes in the solver structure. Moreover, it is based on a low-computational-cost algorithm, which prevents a considerable increase in the overall computational time. Finally, the approach is completely general, since it allows one to handle any type of gas, gas mixture or steam over a wide operative range. In this work a detailed description of the model is provided. In addition, some examples are presented in which the model is applied to the thermo-fluid-dynamic analysis of industrial turbomachines.

The Influence of Shroud and Cavity Geometry on Turbine Performance: An Experimental and Computational Study—Part I: Shroud Geometry

2008 ◽  
Vol 130 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Budimir Rosic ◽  
John D. Denton ◽  
Eric M. Curtis
Keyword(s):  
Computational Study ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Leading Edge ◽  
Leakage Flow ◽  
Cavity Depth ◽  
Industrial Practice ◽  
Turbine Efficiency ◽  
Turbine Performance ◽  
Mainstream Flow ◽  
Mass Fractions

Imperfections in the turbine annulus geometry, caused by the presence of the shroud and associated cavity, have a significant influence on the aerodynamics of the main passage flow path. In this paper, the datum shroud geometry, representative of steam turbine industrial practice, was systematically varied and numerically tested. The study was carried out using a three-dimensional multiblock solver, which modeled the flow in a 1.5 stage turbine. The following geometry parameters were varied: inlet and exit cavity length, shroud overhang upstream of the rotor leading edge and downstream of the trailing edge, shroud thickness for fixed casing geometry and shroud cavity depth, and shroud cavity depth for the fixed shroud thickness. The aim of this study was to investigate the influence of the above geometric modifications on mainstream aerodynamics and to obtain a map of the possible turbine efficiency changes caused by different shroud geometries. The paper then focuses on the influence of different leakage flow fractions on the mainstream aerodynamics. This work highlighted the main mechanisms through which leakage flow affects the mainstream flow and how the two interact for different geometrical variations and leakage flow mass fractions.

The Influence of Shroud and Cavity Geometry on Turbine Performance — An Experimental and Computational Study: Part I — Shroud Geometry

2007 ◽  
Author(s):  
Budimir Rosic ◽  
John D. Denton ◽  
Eric M. Curtis
Keyword(s):  
Computational Study ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Leading Edge ◽  
Leakage Flow ◽  
Cavity Depth ◽  
Industrial Practice ◽  
Turbine Efficiency ◽  
Turbine Performance ◽  
Mainstream Flow ◽  
Mass Fractions

Imperfections in the turbine annulus geometry, caused by the presence of the shroud and associated cavity have a significant influence on the aerodynamics of the main passage flow path. In this paper the datum shroud geometry, representative of steam turbine industrial practice, was systematically varied and numerically tested. The study was carried out using a three-dimensional multi-block solver, which modelled the flow in a 1.5 stage turbine. The following geometry parameters were varied: - Inlet and exit cavity length, - Shroud overhang upstream of the rotor leading edge and downstream of the trailing edge, - Shroud thickness for fixed casing geometry and shroud cavity depth, and - Shroud cavity depth for the fixed shroud thickness. The aim of this study was to investigate the influence of the above geometric modifications on mainstream aerodynamics, and to obtain a map of the possible turbine efficiency changes caused by different shroud geometries. The paper then focuses on the influence of different leakage flow fractions on the mainstream aerodynamics. This work highlighted the main mechanisms through which leakage flow affects the mainstream flow and how the two interact for different geometrical variations and leakage flow mass fractions.

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