Iterative Learning Active Flow Control Applied to a Compressor Stator Cascade With Periodic Disturbances

Author(s):  
Simon J. Steinberg ◽  
Rudibert King ◽  
Marcel Staats ◽  
Wolfgang Nitsche

This contribution presents the capability of iterative learning active flow control to decrease the impact of periodic disturbances in an experimental compressor stator cascade with sidewall actuation. The periodic disturbances of the individual passage flows are generated by a damper flap device that is located downstream of the trailing edges of the blades. These mimic the throttling effect of periodically closed combustion tubes in a pulsed detonation engine. For the purpose of rejecting this disturbance the passage flow is manipulated by fluidic actuators that introduce an adjustable amount of pressurized air through slots in the sidewalls of the cascade. Pressure sensors that are mounted flush to the suction surface of the middle blade provide information on the current flow situation. This data is fed back in real-time to an optimal iterative learning controller. By learning from period to period the controller modifies the actuation amplitude such that, eventually, a control command trajectory is calculated that reduces the impact of the periodic disturbance on the flow in an optimal manner.

2015 ◽  
Vol 137 (11) ◽  
Author(s):  
Simon J. Steinberg ◽  
Marcel Staats ◽  
Wolfgang Nitsche ◽  
Rudibert King

This paper presents the capability of iterative learning active flow control to decrease the impact of periodic disturbances in an experimental compressor stator cascade with sidewall actuation. The periodic disturbances of the individual passage flows are generated by a damper flap device that is located downstream of the trailing edges of the blades. The device mimics the throttling effect of periodically closed combustion tubes in a pulsed detonation engine (PDE). For the purpose of rejecting this disturbance, the passage flow is manipulated by fluidic actuators that introduce an adjustable amount of pressurized air through slots in the sidewalls of the cascade. Pressure sensors that are mounted flush to the suction surface of the middle blade provide information on the current flow situation. These data are fed back in real-time to an optimization-based iterative learning controller (ILC). By learning from period to period, the controller modifies the actuation amplitude such that, eventually, a control command trajectory is calculated that reduces the impact of the periodic disturbance on the flow in an optimal manner.


Author(s):  
Simon J. Steinberg ◽  
Rudibert King ◽  
Marcel Staats ◽  
Wolfgang Nitsche

This paper presents a constrained Repetitive Model Predictive Controller (RMPC) implemented as closed-loop flow controller for an experimental compressor stator cascade. The objective of the controller is to decrease the impact of periodic disturbances on the passage flow. The disturbances are generated by movable flaps that are located downstream of the trailing edges of the stator vanes. The flaps emulate the throttling effect of periodically closed combustion tubes in a pulsed detonation engine on the flow over the stator vanes. The RMPC adjusts the actuation amplitude of fluidic sidewall actuators according to the present state of the passage flow. The current flow situation is monitored by pressure sensors that are mounted flush to the surface of one of the stator vanes. This data is fed back in real-time to the RMPC which thereupon modifies the actuation amplitude. By learning from period to period, a control command trajectory is computed that reduces detrimental effects of the periodic disturbance in an optimal manner while respecting the input constraints of the physical system. Five-hole-probe measurements in the wake of the passage are utilized to compare the optimized, transient actuation trajectories to the case of constant amplitude actuation.


Author(s):  
Marcel Staats ◽  
Wolfgang Nitsche

We present results of experiments on a periodically unsteady compressor stator flow of the type which would be expected in consequence of pulsed combustion. A Reynolds number of Re = 600000 was used for the investigations. The experiments were conducted on the two-dimensional low-speed compressor testing facility in Berlin. A choking device downstream the trailing edges induced a periodic non-steady outflow condition to each stator vane which simulated the impact of a pressure gaining combuster downstream from the last stator. The Strouhal number of the periodic disturbance was Sr = 0.03 w.r.t. the stator chord length. Due to the periodic non-steady outflow condition, the flow-field suffers from periodic flow separation phenomena, which were managed by means of active flow control. In our case, active control of the corner separation was applied using fluidic actuators based on the principle of fluidic amplification. The flow separation on the centre region of the stator blade was suppressed by means of a fluidic blade actuator leading to an overall time-averaged loss reduction of 11.5%, increasing the static pressure recovery by 6.8% while operating in the non-steady regime. Pressure measurements on the stator blade and the wake as well as PIV data proved the beneficial effect of the active flow control application to the flow field and the improvement of the compressor characteristics. The actuation efficiency was evaluated by two figures of merit introduced in this contribution.


2017 ◽  
Vol 140 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mehran Tadjfar ◽  
Ehsan Asgari

We have studied the influence of a tangential blowing jet in dynamic stall of a NACA0012 airfoil at Reynolds number of 1 × 106, for active flow control (AFC) purposes. The airfoil was oscillating between angles of attack (AOA) of 5 and 25 deg about its quarter-chord with a sinusoidal motion. We have utilized computational fluid dynamics to investigate the impact of jet location and jet velocity ratio on the aerodynamic coefficients. We have placed the jet location upstream of the counter-clockwise (CCW) vortex which was formed during the upstroke motion near the leading-edge; we have also considered several other locations nearby to perform sensitivity analysis. Our results showed that placing the jet slot within a very small range upstream of the CCW vortex had tremendous effects on both lift and drag, such that maximum drag was reduced by 80%. There was another unique observation: placing the jet at separation point led to an inverse behavior of drag hysteresis curve in upstroke and downstroke motions. Drag in downstroke motion was significantly lower than upstroke motion, whereas in uncontrolled case the converse was true. Lift was significantly enhanced during both upstroke and downstroke motions. By investigating the pressure coefficients, it was found that flow control had altered the distribution of pressure over the airfoil upper surface. It caused a reduction in pressure difference between upper and lower surfaces in the rear part, while substantially increased pressure difference in the front part of the airfoil.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Benjamin Fietzke ◽  
Rudibert King ◽  
Jan Mihalyovics ◽  
Dieter Peitsch

Abstract Novel pressure gain combustion concepts invoke periodic flow disturbances in a gas turbine’s last compressor stator row. This contribution presents studies of mitigation efforts on the effects of these periodic disturbances on an annular compressor stator rig. The passages were equipped with pneumatic Active Flow Control (AFC) influencing the stator blade’s suction side, and a rotating throttling disc downstream of the passages inducing periodic disturbances. For steady blowing, it is shown that with increasing actuation amplitudes Cμ, the extension of a hub corner vortex deteriorating the suction side flow can be reduced, resulting in an increased static pressure rise coefficient Cp of a passage. The effects of the induced periodic disturbances could not be addressed intrinsically, by using steady blowing actuation, Considering a corrected total pressure loss coefficient ζ*, which includes the actuation effort, the stator row’s efficiency decreases with higher cμ due to the increasing costs of the actuation mass flow. Therefore, a closed-loop approach is presented to address the effects of the disturbances more specifically, thus lowering the actuation cost, i.e., mass flow. For this, a Repetitive Model Predictive Control (RMPC) was applied, taking advantage of the periodic nature of the induced disturbances. The presented RMPC formulation is restricted to a binary control domain to account for the used solenoid valves’ switching character. An efficient implementation of the optimization within the RMPC is presented, which ensures real-time capability. As a result, Cp increases in a similar magnitude but with a lower actuation mass flow of up to 66%, resulting in a much lower ζ* for similar values of cμ.


Author(s):  
Finn Lückoff ◽  
Moritz Sieber ◽  
Christian Oliver Paschereit ◽  
Kilian Oberleithner

Abstract The reduction of polluting NOx emission remains a driving factor in the design process of swirl-stabilized combustion systems, to meet strict legislative restrictions. In reacting swirl flows, hydrodynamic coherent structures, such as periodic large-scale vortices in the shear layer, induce zones with increased heat release rate fluctuations in connection with temperature peaks, which lead to an increase of NOx emissions. Such large-scale vortices can be induced by the helical coherent structure known as precessing vortex core (PVC), which influences the flow and flame dynamics of reacting swirl flows under certain operating conditions. We developed an active flow control system, which allows for a targeted actuation of the PVC, to investigate its impact on important combustion properties. In this study, the direct active flow control is used to actuate a PVC of arbitrary frequency and amplitude, which facilitates a systematic study of the impact of the PVC on NOx emissions. In the course of the present work, a perfectly premixed flame, which slightly damps the PVC, is studied in detail. Since the PVC is slightly damped, it can be precisely excited by means of open-loop flow control. In connection with time-resolved OH*-chemiluminescence and stereoscopic PIV measurements, the flame and flow response to PVC actuation as well as the impact of the actuated PVC on flow and flame dynamics are characterized. It turns out that the PVC rolls up the inner shear layer, which results in an interaction of PVC-induced vortices and flame. This interaction considerably influences the measured level of NOx emissions, which grow with increasing PVC amplitude in a perfectly premixed flame. Nearly the same increase is to be seen for a partially premixed flame. This in contrast to previous studies, where the PVC is assumed to reduce the NOx emissions due to vortex-enhanced mixing.


2020 ◽  
pp. 0309524X2096139
Author(s):  
Fangrui Shi ◽  
Yingqiao Xu ◽  
Xiaojing Sun

In this paper, a three-dimensional numerical simulation of the aerodynamic performance of a horizontal axis wind turbine (HAWT) whose blades are equipped with a new active flow control concept called Co-Flowing Jet (CFJ) is carried out. Numerical results show that the use of CFJ over the blade suction surface can effectively delay flow separation, thus improving the net torque and power output of HAWT. Besides, this increment in the net power produced by the turbine is considerably higher than the power consumed by the CFJ. Thus, the overall efficiency of the HAWT can be greatly increased. Furthermore, influences of different CFJ operating parameters including location of injection port, jet momentum coefficient and slot length on the performance enhancement of a HAWT are also systematically studied and the optimal combination of these parameters to obtain the best possible turbine efficiency throughout a range of different wind speeds has been identified.


2021 ◽  
Vol 143 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Tobias Werder ◽  
Robert Liebich ◽  
Karl Neuhäuser ◽  
Clara Behnsen ◽  
Rudibert King

Abstract As a consequence of constant volume combustion in gas turbines, pressure waves propagating upstream the main flow into the compressor system are generated leading to incidence variations. Numerical and experimental investigations of stator vanes have shown that active flow control (AFC) by means of adaptive blade geometries is beneficial when such periodic incidence variations occur. A significant risk reduction in a compressor facing disturbances can thereby be achieved concerning stall or choke. Experimental investigations on such an AFC method with simultaneous application of a closed-loop control are missing in order to demonstrate its potential. This work investigates a linear compressor cascade that is equipped with a 3D-manufactured piezo-adaptive blade structure. The utilized actuators are piezoelectric macro-fiber-composites. A throttling device is positioned downstream the trailing edge plane to emulate an unsteady combustion process. Periodic transient throttling events with a frequency of up to 20 Hz cause incidence changes to the blade’s leading edge. Consequently, pressure fluctuations on the blade’s surface occur, having a significant impact on the pressure recovery downstream of the stator cascade. Experimental results of harmonically actuating the piezo-adaptive blade with the corresponding disturbance frequency show that the impact of disturbances can be reduced to approximately 50%. However, this is only effective if the phase shift of the harmonic actuation is adjusted correctly. Using an inadequate phase shift reverses the positive effects, causing the aforementioned stall, choke, or significant losses. In order to find the optimum phase shift, even under varying, possibly unpredictable operating conditions, an extremum seeking controller is presented. This gradient-based approach is minimizing the pressure variance over time by carefully adjusting the phase shift of the harmonic actuation of the AFC system.


Author(s):  
B. Dobrzynski ◽  
H. Saathoff ◽  
G. Kosyna ◽  
C. Clemen ◽  
V. Gu¨mmer

Different active flow control techniques have been investigated in a 1.5-stage axial-flow compressor. Looking at a low-speed single-stage environment, many researchers have shown that highly loaded compressors are tip critical, showing stall inception caused by short length scale disturbances (spikes). It has been shown by several authors that these disturbances are related to the spillage of endwall flow ahead of the blading (spill forward). For the present work, different tip injection configurations were investigated in order to stabilize the near casing flow, increasing the operating range of the compressor. Stall margin improvement and the impact on stage efficiency are compared and discussed. Oil flow pictures of the casing wall above the rotor and of the stator blades as well as traverse data from pneumatic 5-hole probes show the impact of flow control on rotor and stator performance. Another method of energizing the casing wall boundary layer is the removal of low energy fluid by a circumferential slot above the rotor, which was also studied experimentally. Again, the impact on compressor operating range and efficiency, as well as flow field information collected by oil flow visualization and traverse data are discussed. Comparing the different flow control techniques, it is shown that increasing stall margin is not directly linked to stage efficiency. As described in various publications, discrete tip injection is a very powerful technique as far as range extension is concerned, but it also has substantial drawbacks such as the circumferential inhomogeneity of the rotor exit flow. These inhomogeneities may result in poor stator performance, overall resulting in a drop of stage efficiency. This problem does not occur if circumferential boundary layer removal above the rotor is used. This method however shows much less potential for increasing the operating range.


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