Performance of a Finned Turbine Rim Seal

2014 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carl M. Sangan ◽  
James A. Scobie ◽  
J. Michael Owen ◽  
Gary D. Lock ◽  
Kok Mun Tham ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Gas Turbines ◽  
Turbine Stage ◽  
Research Facility ◽  
Flow Rates ◽  
Co2 Gas ◽  
Gas Concentration ◽  
Solid Body Rotation ◽  
Turbine Disc ◽  
Purge Flow ◽  
Improved Performance

In gas turbines, rim seals are fitted at the periphery of the wheel-space between the turbine disc and its adjacent casing; their purpose is to reduce the ingress of hot mainstream gases. A superposed sealant flow, bled from the compressor, is used to purge the wheel-space or at least dilute the ingress to an acceptable level. The ingress is caused by the circumferential variation of pressure in the turbine annulus radially outward of the seal. Engine designers often use double rim seals where the variation in pressure is attenuated in the outer wheel-space between the two seals. This paper describes experimental results from a research facility which models an axial turbine stage with engine-representative rim seals. The radial variation of CO2 gas concentration, swirl and pressure, in both the inner and outer wheel-space, are presented over a range of purge flow rates. The data are used to assess the performance of two seals: a datum double-rim seal and a derivative with a series of radial fins. The concept behind the finned seal is that the radial fins increase the swirl in the outer wheel-space; measurements of swirl show the captive fluid between the fins rotate with near solid body rotation. The improved attenuation of the pressure asymmetry, which governs the ingress, results in an improved performance of the inner geometry of the seal. The fins also increased the pressure in the outer wheel-space and reduced the ingress though the outer geometry of the seal.

Performance of a Finned Turbine Rim Seal

2014 ◽  
Vol 136 (11) ◽  
Author(s):  
Carl M. Sangan ◽  
James A. Scobie ◽  
J. Michael Owen ◽  
Gary D. Lock ◽  
Kok Mun Tham ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Gas Turbines ◽  
Turbine Disk ◽  
Turbine Stage ◽  
Research Facility ◽  
Flow Rates ◽  
Co2 Gas ◽  
Gas Concentration ◽  
Solid Body Rotation ◽  
Purge Flow ◽  
Improved Performance

In gas turbines, rim seals are fitted at the periphery of the wheel-space between the turbine disk and its adjacent casing; their purpose is to reduce the ingress of hot mainstream gases. A superposed sealant flow, bled from the compressor, is used to purge the wheel-space or at least dilute the ingress to an acceptable level. The ingress is caused by the circumferential variation of pressure in the turbine annulus radially outward of the seal. Engine designers often use double-rim seals where the variation in pressure is attenuated in the outer wheel-space between the two seals. This paper describes experimental results from a research facility that models an axial turbine stage with engine-representative rim seals. The radial variation of CO2 gas concentration, swirl, and pressure, in both the inner and outer wheel-space, are presented over a range of purge flow rates. The data are used to assess the performance of two seals: a datum double-rim seal and a derivative with a series of radial fins. The concept behind the finned seal is that the radial fins increase the swirl in the outer wheel-space; measurements of swirl show the captive fluid between the fins rotate with near solid body rotation. The improved attenuation of the pressure asymmetry, which governs the ingress, results in an improved performance of the inner geometry of the seal. The fins also increased the pressure in the outer wheel-space and reduced the ingress though the outer geometry of the seal.

Design of an Improved Turbine Rim-Seal

2015 ◽  
Author(s):  
James A. Scobie ◽  
Roy Teuber ◽  
Yan Sheng Li ◽  
Carl M. Sangan ◽  
Michael Wilson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Gas Turbines ◽  
Computational Time ◽  
Bench Mark ◽  
Swirl Ratio ◽  
Turbine Stage ◽  
Gas Concentration ◽  
Engine Design ◽  
Successful Design ◽  
Purge Flow ◽  
Improved Performance

Rim seals are fitted in gas turbines at the periphery of the wheel-space formed between rotor discs and their adjacent casings. These seals, also called platform overlap seals, reduce the ingress of hot gases which can limit the life of highly-stressed components in the engine. This paper describes the development of a new, patented rim-seal concept showing improved performance relative to a reference engine design, using URANS computations of a turbine stage at engine conditions. The CFD study was limited to a small number of purge-flow rates due to computational time and cost, and the computations were validated experimentally at a lower rotational Reynolds number and in conditions under incompressible flow. The new rim seal features a stator-side angel wing and two buffer cavities between outer and inner seals: the angel-wing promotes a counter-rotating vortex to reduce the effect of the ingress on the stator; the two buffer cavities are shown to attenuate the circumferential pressure asymmetries of the fluid ingested from the mainstream annulus. Rotor disc pumping is exploited to reduce the sealing flow rate required to prevent ingress, with the rotor boundary layer also providing protective cooling. Measurements of gas concentration and swirl ratio, determined from static and total pressure, were used to assess the performance of the new seal concept relative to a bench-mark generic seal. The radial variation of concentration through the seal was measured in the experiments and these data captured the improvements due to the intermediate buffer cavities predicted by the CFD. This successful design approach is a potent combination of insight provided by computation, and the flexibility and expedience provided by experiment.

Experimental Measurements of Ingestion Through Turbine Rim Seals: Part 1—Externally-Induced Ingress

2011 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carl M. Sangan ◽  
Kunyuan Zhou ◽  
J. Michael Owen ◽  
Oliver J. Pountney ◽  
Mike Wilson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Three Dimensional ◽  
External Pressure ◽  
Operating Conditions ◽  
Turbine Stage ◽  
Research Facility ◽  
Three Dimensional Flow ◽  
Co2 Gas ◽  
Gas Concentration ◽  
Hot Gas ◽  
New Research

This paper describes a new research facility which experimentally models hot gas ingestion into the wheel-space of an axial turbine stage. Measurements of CO2 gas concentration in the rim-seal region and inside the cavity are used to assess the performance of two generic (though engine-representative) rim-seal geometries in terms of the variation of concentration effectiveness with sealing flow rate. The variation of pressure in the turbine annulus, which governs this externally-induced (EI) ingestion, was obtained from steady pressure measurements downstream of the vanes and near the rim seal upstream of the rotating blades. Although the ingestion through the rim seal is a consequence of an unsteady, three-dimensional flow field and the cause-effect relationship between pressure and the sealing effectiveness is complex, the experimental data is shown to be successfully calculated by simple effectiveness equations developed from a previously published orifice model. The data illustrate that, for similar turbine-stage velocity triangles, the effectiveness can be correlated using a non-dimensional sealing parameter, Φo. In principle, and within the limits of dimensional similitude, these correlations should apply to a geometrically-similar engine at the same operating conditions. Part 2 of this paper describes an experimental investigation of rotationally-induced (RI) ingress, where there is no mainsteam flow and consequently no circumferential variation of external pressure.

Experimental Measurements of Ingestion Through Turbine Rim Seals—Part III: Single and Double Seals

2013 ◽  
Vol 135 (5) ◽  
Author(s):  
Carl M. Sangan ◽  
Oliver J. Pountney ◽  
James A. Scobie ◽  
Mike Wilson ◽  
J. Michael Owen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Experimental Measurements ◽  
Pressure Measurements ◽  
Turbine Stage ◽  
Research Facility ◽  
Three Dimensional Flow ◽  
Co2 Gas ◽  
Performance Limit ◽  
Gas Concentration ◽  
Hot Gas

This paper describes experimental results from a research facility, which experimentally models hot gas ingress into the wheel-space of an axial turbine stage. Measurements of CO2 gas concentration in the rim-seal region and inside the wheel-space are used to assess the performance of generic (though engine-representative) single and double seals in terms of the variation of concentration effectiveness with sealing flow rate. The variation of pressure in the turbine annulus, which governs externally induced ingress, was obtained from steady pressure measurements downstream of the vanes. The benefit of using double seals is demonstrated: the ingested gas is shown to be predominately confined to the outer wheel-space radially outward of the inner seal; and in the inner wheel-space, radially inward of the inner seal, the effectiveness is shown to be significantly higher. Criteria for ranking the performance of single and double seals are proposed, and the performance limit for any double seal is shown to be one in which the inner seal is exposed to rotationally induced ingress. Although the ingress is a consequence of an unsteady, three-dimensional flow field and the cause-effect relationship between pressure and the sealing effectiveness is complex, the experimental data is shown to be successfully calculated by simple effectiveness equations developed from a theoretical model. The data illustrate that, for similar turbine-stage velocity triangles, the effectiveness can be correlated using two empirical parameters. In principle, these correlations could be extrapolated to a geometrically similar turbine operating at engine-representative conditions.

Design of an Improved Turbine Rim-Seal

2015 ◽  
Vol 138 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
James A. Scobie ◽  
Roy Teuber ◽  
Yan Sheng Li ◽  
Carl M. Sangan ◽  
Michael Wilson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Gas Turbines ◽  
Navier Stokes ◽  
Computational Time ◽  
Gas Concentration ◽  
Engine Design ◽  
Successful Design ◽  
Purge Flow ◽  
Rotor Disk ◽  
Computational Fluid Dynamics Cfd ◽  
Improved Performance

Rim seals are fitted in gas turbines at the periphery of the wheel-space formed between rotor disks and their adjacent casings. These seals, also called platform overlap seals, reduce the ingress of hot gases which can limit the life of highly stressed components in the engine. This paper describes the development of a new, patented rim-seal concept showing improved performance relative to a reference engine design, using unsteady Reynolds-averaged Navier–Stokes (URANS) computations of a turbine stage at engine conditions. The computational fluid dynamics (CFD) study was limited to a small number of purge-flow rates due to computational time and cost, and the computations were validated experimentally at a lower rotational Reynolds number and in conditions under incompressible flow. The new rim seal features a stator-side angel wing and two buffer cavities between outer and inner seals: the angel-wing promotes a counter-rotating vortex to reduce the effect of the ingress on the stator; the two buffer cavities are shown to attenuate the circumferential pressure asymmetries of the fluid ingested from the mainstream annulus. Rotor disk pumping is exploited to reduce the sealing flow rate required to prevent ingress, with the rotor boundary layer also providing protective cooling. Measurements of gas concentration and swirl ratio, determined from static and total pressure, were used to assess the performance of the new seal concept relative to a benchmark generic seal. The radial variation of concentration through the seal was measured in the experiments and these data captured the improvements due to the intermediate buffer cavities predicted by the CFD. This successful design approach is a potent combination of insight provided by computation, and the flexibility and expedience provided by experiment.

Experimental Measurements of Ingestion Through Turbine Rim Seals: Part 3—Single and Double Seals

2012 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carl M. Sangan ◽  
James A. Scobie ◽  
J. Michael Owen ◽  
Oliver J. Pountney ◽  
Mike Wilson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Experimental Measurements ◽  
Pressure Measurements ◽  
Turbine Stage ◽  
Research Facility ◽  
Three Dimensional Flow ◽  
Co2 Gas ◽  
Performance Limit ◽  
Gas Concentration ◽  
Hot Gas

This paper describes experimental results from a research facility which experimentally models hot gas ingress into the wheel-space of an axial turbine stage. Measurements of CO2 gas concentration in the rim-seal region and inside the wheel-space are used to assess the performance of generic (though engine-representative) single and double seals in terms of the variation of concentration effectiveness with sealing flow rate. The variation of pressure in the turbine annulus, which governs externally-induced ingress, was obtained from steady pressure measurements downstream of the vanes. The benefit of using double seals is demonstrated: the ingested gas is shown to be predominately confined to the outer wheel-space radially outward of the inner seal; in the inner wheel-space, radially inward of the inner seal, the effectiveness is shown to be significantly higher. Criteria for ranking the performance of single and double seals are proposed, and the performance limit for any double seal is shown to be one in which the inner seal is exposed to rotationally-induced ingress. Although the ingress is a consequence of an unsteady, three-dimensional flow field and the cause-effect relationship between pressure and the sealing effectiveness is complex, the experimental data is shown to be successfully calculated by simple effectiveness equations developed from a theoretical model. The data illustrate that, for similar turbine-stage velocity triangles, the effectiveness can be correlated using two empirical parameters. In principle, these correlations could be extrapolated to a geometrically-similar turbine operating at engine-representative conditions.

Influence of Leakage Flows on Hot Gas Ingress

2018 ◽  
Vol 141 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Marios Patinios ◽  
Irvin L. Ong ◽  
James A. Scobie ◽  
Gary D. Lock ◽  
Carl M. Sangan
Keyword(s):  
Flow Structure ◽  
Turbine Stage ◽  
Co2 Gas ◽  
Gas Concentration ◽  
Leakage Flows ◽  
Hot Gas ◽  
Interface Gaps ◽  
Axial Clearance ◽  
Pass Through ◽  
Do So

One of the most important problems facing gas turbine designers today is the ingestion of hot mainstream gases into the wheel-space between the turbine disk (rotor) and its adjacent casing (stator). A rim seal is fitted at the periphery and a superposed sealant flow—typically fed through the bore of the stator—is used to prevent ingress. The majority of research studies investigating ingress do so in the absence of any leakage paths that exist throughout the engine's architecture. These inevitable pathways are found between the mating interfaces of adjacent pieces of hardware. In an environment where the turbine is subjected to aggressive thermal and centrifugal loading, these interface gaps can be difficult to predict and the resulting leakage flows which pass through them even harder to account for. This paper describes experimental results from a research facility which experimentally models hot gas ingestion into the wheel-space of an axial turbine stage. The facility was specifically designed to incorporate leakage flows through the stator disk; leakage flows were introduced axially through the stator shroud or directly underneath the vane carrier ring. Measurements of CO2 gas concentration, static pressure, and total pressure were used to examine the wheel-space flow structure with and without ingress from the mainstream gas-path. Data are presented for a simple axial-clearance rim-seal. The results support two distinct flow-structures, which are shown to be dependent on the mass-flow ratio of bore and leakage flows. Once the leakage flow was increased above a certain threshold, the flow structure is shown to transition from a classical Batchelor-type rotor-stator system to a vortex-dominated structure. The existence of a toroidal vortex immediately inboard of the outer rim-seal is shown to encourage ingestion.

Identification of Wake Convection and Flow Outline in the Interface Region of Blade Rows With Axial Gap in a Counter Rotating Turbine

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rayapati Subbarao ◽  
M. Govardhan
Keyword(s):  
Flow Pattern ◽  
Mass Flow Rate ◽  
Mass Flow ◽  
Flow Rate ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Interface Region ◽  
Turbine Stage ◽  
Deviation Angle ◽  
Flow Rates ◽  
Improved Performance

Abstract In a Counter Rotating Turbine (CRT), the stationary nozzle is trailed by two rotors that rotate in the opposite direction to each other. Flow in a CRT stage is multifaceted and more three dimensional, especially, in the gap between nozzle and rotor 1 as well as rotor 1 and rotor 2. By varying this gap between the blade rows, the flow and wake pattern can be changed favorably and may lead to improved performance. Present work analyzes the aspect of change in flow field through the interface, especially the wake pattern and deviation in flow with change in spacing. The components of turbine stage are modeled for different gaps between the components using ANSYS® ICEM CFD 14.0. Normalized flow rates ranging from 0.091 to 0.137 are used. The 15, 30, 50 and 70% of the average axial chords are taken as axial gaps in the present analysis. CFX 14.0 is used for simulation. At nozzle inlet, stagnation pressure boundary condition is used. At the turbine stage or rotor 2 outlet, mass flow rate is specified. Pressure distribution contours at the outlets of the blade rows describe the flow pattern clearly in the interface region. Wake strength at nozzle outlet is more for the lowest gap. At rotor 1 outlet, it is less for x/a = 0.3 and increases with gap. Incidence angles at the inlets of rotors are less for the smaller gaps. Deviation angle at the outlet of rotor 1 is also considered, as rotor 1-rotor 2 interaction is more significant in CRT. Deviation angle at rotor 1 outlet is minimum for this gap. Also, for the intermediate mass flow rate of 0.108, x/a = 0.3 is giving more stage performance. This suggests that at certain axial gap, there is better wake convection and flow outline, when compared to other gap cases. Further, it is identified that for the axial gap of x/a = 0.3 and the mean mass flow rate of 0.108, the performance of CRT is maximum. It is clear that the flow pattern at the interface is changing the incidence and deviation with change in axial gap and flow rate. This study is useful for the gas turbine community to identify the flow rates and gaps at which any CRT stage would perform better.

Experimental Investigation of Purge Flow Effects on a High Pressure Turbine Stage

2014 ◽  
Vol 137 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
K. Regina ◽  
A. I. Kalfas ◽  
R. S. Abhari
Keyword(s):  
Experimental Investigation ◽  
High Pressure ◽  
Gas Turbines ◽  
Radial Displacement ◽  
Secondary Flows ◽  
Turbine Stage ◽  
Flow Factor ◽  
Purge Flow ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Stage Efficiency

In the present paper, an experimental investigation of the effects of rim seal purge flow on the performance of a highly loaded axial turbine stage is presented. The test configuration consists of a one-and-a-half stage, unshrouded, turbine, with a blading representative of high pressure (HP) gas turbines. Efficiency measurements for various purge flow injection levels have been carried out with pneumatic probes at the exit of the rotor and show a reduction of isentropic total-to-total efficiency of 0.8% per percent of injected mass flow. For three purge flow conditions, the unsteady aerodynamic flow field at rotor inlet and rotor exit has been measured with the in-house developed fast response aerodynamic probe (FRAP). The time-resolved data show the unsteady interaction of the purge flow with the secondary flows of the main flow and the impact on the radial displacement of the rotor hub passage vortex (HPV). Steady measurements at off-design conditions show the impact of the rotor incidence and of the stage flow factor on the resulting stage efficiency and the radial displacement of the rotor HPV. A comparison of the effect of purge flow and of the off-design conditions on the rotor incidence and stage flow factor shows that the detrimental effect of the purge flow on the stage efficiency caused by the radial displacement of the rotor HPV is dominated by the increase of stage flow factor in the hub region rather than by the increase of negative rotor incidence.

Influence of Leakage Flows on Hot Gas Ingress

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marios Patinios ◽  
Irvin L. Ong ◽  
James A. Scobie ◽  
Gary D. Lock ◽  
Carl M. Sangan
Keyword(s):  
Flow Structure ◽  
Turbine Stage ◽  
Co2 Gas ◽  
Gas Concentration ◽  
Leakage Flows ◽  
Hot Gas ◽  
Interface Gaps ◽  
Axial Clearance ◽  
Pass Through ◽  
Do So

One of the most important problems facing gas turbine designers today is the ingestion of hot mainstream gases into the wheel-space between the turbine disc (rotor) and its adjacent casing (stator). A rim seal is fitted at the periphery and a superposed sealant flow — typically fed through the bore of the stator — is used to prevent ingress. The majority of research studies investigating ingress do so in the absence of any leakage paths that exist throughout the engine’s architecture. These inevitable pathways are found between the mating interfaces of adjacent pieces of hardware. In an environment where the turbine is subjected to aggressive thermal and centrifugal loading these interface gaps can be difficult to predict and the resulting leakage flows which pass through them even harder to account for. This paper describes experimental results from a research facility which experimentally models hot gas ingestion into the wheel-space of an axial turbine stage. The facility was specifically designed to incorporate leakage flows through the stator disc; leakage flows were introduced axially through the stator shroud or directly underneath the vane carrier ring. Measurements of CO2 gas concentration, static pressure and total pressure were used to examine the wheel-space flow structure with and without ingress from the mainstream gas-path. Data is presented for a simple axial-clearance rim-seal. The results support two distinct flow-structures, which are shown to be dependent on the mass-flow ratio of bore and leakage flows. Once the leakage flow was increased above a certain threshold, the flow structure is shown to transition from a classical Batchelor-type rotor-stator system to a vortex-dominated structure. The existence of a toroidal vortex immediately inboard of the outer rim-seal is shown to encourage ingestion.

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