High Resolution Large Eddy Simulations to Evaluate Turbulence Properties Within a Real Helicopter Engine Combustor

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Charlie Koupper ◽  
Jean Lamouroux ◽  
Stephane Richard ◽  
Gabriel Staffelbach
Keyword(s):  
Gas Turbine ◽  
Turbulence Intensity ◽  
Numerical Scheme ◽  
Mesh Refinement ◽  
Large Eddy Simulations ◽  
Scale Model ◽  
Large Eddy ◽  
Set Up ◽  
High Level ◽  
The Impact

In a gas turbine, the combustor is feeding the turbine with hot gases at a high level of turbulence which in turns strongly enhances the heat transfer in the turbine. It is thus of primary importance to properly characterize the turbulence properties found at the exit of a combustor to design the turbine at its real thermal constraint. This being said, real engine measurements of turbulence are extremely rare if not inexistent because of the harsh environment and difficulty to implement experimental techniques that usually operate at isothermal conditions (e.g. hot wire anemometry). As a counterpart, high fidelity unsteady numerical simulations using Large Eddy Simulations (LES) are now mature enough to simulate combustion processes and turbulence within gas turbine combustors. It is thus proposed here to assess the LES methodology to qualify turbulence within a real helicopter engine combustor operating at take-off conditions. In LES, the development of turbulence is primarily driven by the level of real viscosity in the calculation, which is the sum of three contributions: laminar (temperature linked), turbulent (generated by the sub-grid scale model) and artificial (numerics dependent). In this study, the impact of the two main sources of un-desired viscosity is investigated: the mesh refinement and numerical scheme. To do so, three grids containing 11, 33 and 220 million cells for a periodic sector of the combustor are tested as well as centred second (Lax-Wendroff) and third order (TTGC) in space schemes. The turbulence properties (intensity and integral scales) are evaluated based on highly sampled instantaneous solutions and compared between the available simulations. Results show first that the duration of the simulation is important to properly capture the level of turbulence. If short simulations (a few combustor through-times) may be sufficient to evaluate the turbulence intensity, a bias up to 14% is introduced for the turbulence length scales. In terms of calculation set-up, the mesh refinement is found to have a limited influence on the turbulence properties. The numerical scheme influence on the quantities studied here is small, highlighting that the employed schemes dissipation properties are already sufficient for turbulence characterization. Finally, spatially averaged values of turbulence intensity and lengthscale at the combustor exit are almost identically predicted in all cases. However, significant variations from hub to tip are reported, which questions the pertinence to use 0-D turbulence boundary conditions for turbines. Based on the set of simulations discussed in the paper, guidelines can be derived to adequately set-up (mesh, scheme) and run (duration, acquisition frequency) a LES when turbulence evaluation is concerned. As no experimental counterpart to this study is available, the conclusions mainly aim at knowing the possible numerical bias rather than commenting on the predictivity of the approach.

Geometry Effects on Thermal Striping in Nuclear Reactors: POD Analysis of Large-Eddy Simulations and Experiments

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Oana Marin ◽  
Elia Merzari ◽  
Aleks Obabko ◽  
Andres Alvarez ◽  
Stephen Lomperski ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Nuclear Reactor ◽  
Flow Behavior ◽  
National Laboratory ◽  
Argonne National Laboratory ◽  
Large Eddy Simulations ◽  
Large Eddy ◽  
Set Up ◽  
Pod Analysis ◽  
Thermal Striping ◽  
The Impact

Thermal striping is of particular significance in nuclear reactor applications, primarily in sodium cooled fast reactors. The mixing chamber of the upper plenum of a nuclear reactor can be subjected to thermal striping unless designed such that the coolant is sufficiently mixed prior to reaching the top wall of the upper plenum. In order to conduct a systematic analysis of this phenomenon a simplified experimental set-up was designed and built at Argonne National Laboratory. In a parallel effort a similar simulation was conducted using the spectral-element code Nek5000. The set-up consists of two turbulent jets entering a rectangular tank via two hexagonal inlets, the interesting phenomena being the mixing within the tank. Two different inlet geometries were studied previously, both experimentally and via high-fidelity large-eddy simulations reporting various turbulent statistical quantities. To further assess the flow behavior we hereby perform a Proper Orthogonal Decomposition (POD) to identify the most dominant energetic modes and quantify their impact on the top wall of the upper plenum. The POD analysis of the experimental data in both inlet geometrical configurations is compared with LES and presented to highlight the impact of geometry on the velocity and thermal fields. We find a qualitative coherence between both simulation and experiment, characterized by a strong backflow in the weakly stable geometry, as indicated by the first mode, and the presence of three stagnation points in the strongly stable geometry setup. Also we identify a pairing of modes 1 and 3 with higher frequency than the second mode. This pairing is opposite in the two flow configurations leading to a faster decay of one of the jets in one case and a stable flow in the other.

scholarly journals The Impact of Variable Inlet Mixture Stratification on Flame Topology and Emissions Performance of a Premixer/Swirl Burner Configuration

2012 ◽  
Vol 2012 ◽  
pp. 1-12 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. Koutmos ◽  
G. Paterakis ◽  
E. Dogkas ◽  
Ch. Karagiannaki
Keyword(s):  
Vortex Formation ◽  
Gas Analysis ◽  
Large Eddy Simulations ◽  
Mixing Conditions ◽  
Swirl Burner ◽  
Large Eddy ◽  
Air Mixing ◽  
Set Up ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Plane Disk

The work presents the assessment of a low emissions premixer/swirl burner configuration utilizing lean stratified fuel preparation. An axisymmetric, single- or double-cavity premixer, formed along one, two, or three concentric disks promotes propane-air premixing and supplies the combustion zone at the afterbody disk recirculation with a radial equivalence ratio gradient. The burner assemblies are operated with a swirl co-flow to study the interaction of the recirculating stratified flame with the surrounding swirl. A number of lean and ultra-lean flames operated either with a plane disk stabilizer or with one or two premixing cavity arrangements were evaluated over a range of inlet mixture conditions. The influence of the variation of the imposed swirl was studied for constant fuel injections. Measurements of turbulent velocities, temperatures, OH* chemiluminescence and gas analysis provided information on the performance of each burner set up. Comparisons with Large Eddy Simulations, performed with an 11-step global chemistry, illustrated the flame front interaction with the vortex formation region under the influence of the variable inlet mixture stratifications. The combined effort contributed to the identification of optimum configurations in terms of fuel consumption and pollutants emissions and to the delineation of important controlling parameters and limiting fuel-air mixing conditions.

Large-eddy simulations of gas-turbine swirl injector flow dynamics

2007 ◽  
Vol 583 ◽  
pp. 99-122 ◽  
Author(s):  
SHANWU WANG ◽  
VIGOR YANG ◽  
GEORGE HSIAO ◽  
SHIH-YANG HSIEH ◽  
HUKAM C. MONGIA
Keyword(s):  
Gas Turbine ◽  
Swirling Flow ◽  
Flow Characteristics ◽  
Large Eddy Simulations ◽  
Recirculating Flow ◽  
Precessing Vortex Core ◽  
Large Eddy ◽  
Swirl Injector ◽  
Finite Volume Approach ◽  
The Impact

A comprehensive study on confined swirling flows in an operational gas-turbine injector was performed by means of large-eddy simulations. The formulation was based on the Favre-filtered conservation equations and a modified Smagorinsky treatment of subgrid-scale motions. The model was then numerically solved by means of a preconditioned density-based finite-volume approach. Calculated mean velocities and turbulence properties show good agreement with experimental data obtained from the laser-Doppler velocimetry measurements. Various aspects of the swirling flow development (such as the central recirculating flow, precessing vortex core and Kelvin–Helmholtz instability) were explored in detail. Both co- and counter-rotating configurations were considered, and the effects of swirl direction on flow characteristics were examined. The flow evolution inside the injector is dictated mainly by the air delivered through the primary swirler. The impact of the secondary swirler appears to be limited.

scholarly journals Fully Coupled Large Eddy Simulation of Conjugate Heat Transfer in a Ribbed Channel with a 0.1 Blockage Ratio

Energies ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (8) ◽  
pp. 2096
Author(s):  
Joon Ahn ◽  
Jeong Chul Song ◽  
Joon Sik Lee
Keyword(s):  
Heat Transfer ◽  
Gas Turbine ◽  
Conjugate Heat Transfer ◽  
Heat Transfer Analysis ◽  
Scale Model ◽  
Computational Domain ◽  
Blockage Ratio ◽  
Ribbed Channel ◽  
Large Eddy ◽  
Cooling Passage

Large eddy simulations are performed to analyze the conjugate heat transfer of turbulent flow in a ribbed channel with a heat-conducting solid wall. An immersed boundary method (IBM) is used to determine the effect of heat transfer in the solid region on that in the fluid region in a unitary computational domain. To satisfy the continuity of the heat flux at the solid–fluid interface, effective conductivity is introduced. By applying the IBM, it is possible to fully couple the convection on the fluid side and the conduction inside the solid and use a dynamic subgrid scale model in a Cartesian grid. The blockage ratio (e/H) is set at 0.1, which is typical for gas turbine blades. Through conjugate heat transfer analysis, it is confirmed that the heat transfer peak in front of the rib occurs because of the impinging of the reattached flow and not the influence of the thermal boundary condition. When the rib turbulator acts as a fin, its efficiency and effectiveness are predicted to be 98.9% and 8.32, respectively. When considering conjugate heat transfer, the total heat transfer rate is reduced by 3% compared with that of the isothermal wall. The typical Biot number at the internal cooling passage of a gas turbine is <0.1, and the use of the rib height as the characteristic length better represents the heat transfer of the rib.

Prediction of liquid-liquid flow in an SMX static mixer using large eddy simulations

2010 ◽  
Vol 64 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Paulina Pianko-Oprych ◽  
Zdzisław Jaworski
Keyword(s):  
Centrifugal Force ◽  
Liquid Flow ◽  
Concentration Distribution ◽  
Large Eddy Simulations ◽  
Dispersed Phase ◽  
Static Mixer ◽  
Phase Concentration ◽  
Large Eddy ◽  
Smx Static Mixer ◽  
The Impact

AbstractThe main purpose of the paper is to apply the large eddy simulations (LES) technique and to verify its use as a predicting tool for turbulent liquid-liquid flow in an SMX static mixer. LES modeling was carried out using the Smagorinsky-Lilly model of the turbulent subgrid viscosity for the Reynolds number of 5000 and 10000. The continuous phase was water and the dispersed phase was silicon oil. The investigation covers the effects of the density ratio between the phases. Three different cases of liquid densities were considered. The dispersed phase concentration distribution in the mixer cross-sections was compared with the corresponding time averaged results obtained formerly for the same configuration in a steady-state simulation using the standard RANS approach with the k-ɛ model. The dependency of the standard deviation of the dispersed phase concentration on the distance from the mixer inlet and the impact of the centrifugal force on the phase concentration distribution were investigated. The presented results for the SMX static mixer confirm conclusions of previous studies by Jaworski et al. (2006) obtained for a Kenics static mixer and show less a pronounced influence of the centrifugal force on the phase concentration distribution of the LES results in comparison to the RANS case.

scholarly journals Dynamic LES of the magnetohydrodynamic flow in a square duct with the varied wall conductance parameters

2021 ◽  
Vol 2116 (1) ◽  
pp. 012036
Author(s):  
A Blishchik ◽  
S Kenjereš
Keyword(s):  
Electrical Conductivity ◽  
Turbulent Flow ◽  
Magnetohydrodynamic Flow ◽  
Large Eddy Simulations ◽  
Scale Model ◽  
Turbulent Structures ◽  
Square Duct ◽  
Large Eddy ◽  
Side Walls

Abstract The current study is focused on the magnetohydrodynamics and demonstrates how electrical conductivity of the wall can affect the turbulent flow in the square duct. Different variations of the boundary walls have been considered including arbitrary conductive walls. The Large Eddy Simulations method with the dynamic Smagorinsky sub-grid scale model have been used for the turbulent structures resolving. Results show the significant impact of the wall conductance parameters for both Hartmann and side walls.

scholarly journals High-resolution large-eddy simulations of sub-kilometer-scale turbulence in the upper troposphere lower stratosphere

2013 ◽  
Vol 13 (12) ◽  
pp. 31891-31932 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. Paoli ◽  
O. Thouron ◽  
J. Escobar ◽  
J. Picot ◽  
D. Cariolle
Keyword(s):  
Large Scale ◽  
Lower Stratosphere ◽  
Atmospheric Model ◽  
Large Eddy Simulations ◽  
Stratified Flows ◽  
Flow Topology ◽  
Upper Troposphere ◽  
Large Eddy ◽  
Scale Turbulence ◽  
The Impact

Abstract. Large-eddy simulations of sub-kilometer-scale turbulence in the upper troposphere lower stratosphere (UTLS) are carried out and analyzed using the mesoscale atmospheric model Méso-NH. Different levels of turbulence are generated using a large-scale stochastic forcing technique that was especially devised to treat atmospheric stratified flows. The study focuses on the analysis of turbulence statistics, including mean quantities and energy spectra, as well as on a detailed description of flow topology. The impact of resolution is also discussed by decreasing the grid spacing to 2 m and increasing the number of grid points to 8×109. Because of atmospheric stratification, turbulence is substantially anisotropic, and large elongated structures form in the horizontal directions, in accordance with theoretical analysis and spectral direct numerical simulations of stably stratified flows. It is also found that the inertial range of horizontal kinetic energy spectrum, generally observed at scales larger than a few kilometers, is prolonged into the sub-kilometric range, down to the Ozmidov scales that obey isotropic Kolmorogov turbulence. The results are in line with observational analysis based on in situ measurements from existing campaigns.

Structural Analysis of a Gas Turbine Axial Compressor Blade Eroded by Online Water Washing

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rossella Cinelli ◽  
Gianluca Maggiani ◽  
Serena Gabriele ◽  
Alessio Castorrini ◽  
Giuliano Agati ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Structural Analysis ◽  
Gas Turbine ◽  
Axial Compressor ◽  
Compressor Blades ◽  
Performance Levels ◽  
Water Washing ◽  
Critical Issues ◽  
Air Intake ◽  
Set Up ◽  
The Impact

Abstract The Gas Turbine (GT) Axial Compressor (AXCO) can absorb up to the 30% of the power produced by the GT, being the component with the largest impact over the performances. The axial compressor blades might undergo the fouling phenomena as a consequence of the unwanted material locally accumulating during the machine operations. The presence of such polluting substances reduces the aerodynamic efficiency as well as the air intake causing the drop of performances and the increase of the fuel consumption. To address the above-mentioned critical issues, several washing strategies have been implemented so far, among the most promising ones, High Flow On-Line Water Washing (HFOLWW) is worth to mention. Exploiting this technique, the performance levels are preserved, whereas the stops for maintenance should be reduced. Nevertheless, this comes at the cost of a long-term erosion exposure caused by the impact of water washing droplets. Hence, it was deemed necessary to carry out a finite element method (FEM) structural analysis of the first rotor stage of the compressor of an aeroderivative GT, integrated into the HFOLWW scheme, in order to evaluate the fatigue strength of the component subjected to the erosion; possibly along with its acceptability limits. The first step requires the determination of the blade areas affected by erosion, using computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations, followed by the creation and the 3D modelling of the damaged geometry. The final step consists in the evaluation of the static stress and the dynamic agents, to perform a fatigue analysis through the Goodman relation and carrying out a simulation of damage propagation exploiting the theory of fracture mechanics. This procedure has been extended to the damage-free baseline component to set-up a model suitable for comparison. The structural analysis confirms the design of the blade, moreover dynamic and static evaluation of the eroded profiles haven’t outlined any working, nor mechanical, issue. This entitles the structural choice of HFOLWW as a system which guarantees full performance levels of the compressor.

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