scholarly journals Design Guidelines for Axial Turbines Operating With Non-Ideal Compressible Flows

Author(s):  
Andrea Giuffre’ ◽  
Matteo Pini

Abstract The impact of non-ideal compressible flows on the fluid-dynamic design of axial turbine stages is examined. First, the classical similarity equation is revised and extended to account for the effect of flow non-ideality and compressibility. Then, the influence of the most relevant design parameters is investigated through the application of a dimensionless turbine stage model embedding a first-principles loss model. The results show that the selection of optimal duty coefficients is scarcely affected by the molecular complexity of the working fluid, whereas compressibility effects produce an offset in the efficiency trends and in the optimal flow coefficient. Furthermore, flow non-ideality can lead to either an increase or a decrease of stage efficiency of the order of 2–3% relative to turbines designed to operate in dilute gas state. This effect can be predicted at preliminary design phase through the evaluation of the isentropic pressure-volume exponent. 3D RANS simulations of selected test cases corroborate the trends predicted with the reduced-order turbine stage model.

2020 ◽  
Vol 143 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrea Giuffre' ◽  
Matteo Pini

Abstract The impact of non-ideal compressible flows on the fluid-dynamic design of axial turbine stages is examined. First, the classical similarity equation (CSE) is revised and extended to account for the effect of flow non-ideality. Then, the influence of the most relevant design parameters is investigated through the application of a dimensionless turbine stage model embedding a first-principles loss model. The results show that compressibility effects induced by the fluid molecular complexity and the stage volumetric flow ratio produce an offset in the efficiency trends and in the optimal stage layout. Furthermore, flow non-ideality can lead to either an increase or a decrease of stage efficiency up to 3–4% relative to turbines designed to operate in dilute gas state. This effect can be predicted at preliminary design phase through the evaluation of the isentropic pressure–volume exponent. Three-dimensional (3D) RANS simulations of selected test cases corroborate the trends predicted with the reduced-order turbine stage model. URANS computations provide equivalent trends, except for case study niMM1, featuring a non-monotonic variation of the generalized isentropic exponent. For such turbine stage, the efficiency is predicted to be higher than the one computed with any steady-state model based on the control volume approach.


Author(s):  
Irene Simonetti ◽  
Lorenzo Cappietti

Abstract The importance of properly modelling the effects of air compressibility in the selection of the optimal design parameters for an Oscillating Water Column wave energy converter is investigated. For this purpose, a wide dataset of capture width ratios, obtained from both experimental tests and Computational Fluid Dynamic simulations, is used to formulate an empirical model able to predict the performance of the device as a function of its basic design parameters (chamber width and draught, turbine damping) and of the wave conditions (wave period, wave height). A multiple non-linear regression approach is used to determine the model numerical coefficients. The data used to formulate the model include the effects of air compressibility. The impact of considering such effects on the selection of the optimal geometry of the device is evaluated and discussed by means of the model application for the optimization of a device to be installed in a site located in the Mediterranean Sea (in front of the coast of Tuscany, Italy).


2007 ◽  
Vol 55 (4) ◽  
pp. 85-91 ◽  
Author(s):  
F.A. Memon ◽  
A. Fidar ◽  
K. Littlewood ◽  
D. Butler ◽  
C. Makropoulos ◽  
...  

This paper describes a full-scale physical model and its application to investigate the effectiveness/performance of small-bore sewers for a range of operational and design parameters. The implementation methodology involves observing the movement of synthetic gross solids in three small bore sewers (150, 100 and 75 mm diameter) for different volumes of simulated flush waves and gradients. The simulated flush waves were generated, using an automated wave sequencer, for three different flush volumes (3, 4.5 and 6 litres). To investigate the impact of solid shape factor, a number of tests were carried out using synthetic solids in combination with toilet tissue paper. In total, more than 1,000 tests were performed for different operational and design parameter combinations. Results obtained to date have confirmed earlier studies, particularly with respect to the role of flush volume in solids transport, and identified the impact of gradient variation and its significance particularly in small-bore sewers receiving low flush volume. Results from the physical model application exercise will be used to propose new design guidelines for wastewater collection systems with specific consideration to new developments and inform the decision support system, currently being developed as part of a research project on water cycle management for new developments (WaND).


Author(s):  
Wenyang Shao ◽  
Xiaofang Wang ◽  
Jinguang Yang ◽  
Huimin Liu ◽  
Zhenjun Huang

The Supercritical Carbon Dioxide (SCO2) Brayton cycle has been getting more and more attentions all over the world in recent years for its high cycle efficiency and compact components. The compressor is one of the most important components in the cycle. Different from traditional working fluid, SCO2 has a risk of condensation at the impeller inlet because of the particular properties near the critical point. In order to determine the possibility of the condensation, a concept called “Condensation Margin (CM)” suited for SCO2 is introduced. It is associated with the total and saturated thermodynamic conditions. A design parameter called velocity ratio at the impeller inlet (IVR) is defined to control the state of working fluid at impeller inlet based on CM. In terms of different constraints and design requirements, such as impeller efficiency, operating range and processing technic, especially in small size cases, the design parameters at the impeller outlet are explored by establishing a function of outlet width, the number of blades, rotating speed, outlet tangential velocity coefficient and outlet meridional velocity coefficient. A preliminary design result of a low-flow-coefficient SCO2 centrifugal compressor is presented as an example of the application of the design parameters exploration results; then CFD simulation is performed, and consistent results are obtained compared with exploration results.


Author(s):  
C. Brüggemann ◽  
M. Schatz ◽  
D. M. Vogt ◽  
F. Popig

This paper presents a numerical investigation of the impact of different part-span connector (PSC) configurations on the flow field in a turbine passage. For this purpose a linear cascade based on a profile section of a typical reaction blade used in industrial steam turbines was modeled and 3D simulations with varying size, shape, axial position and yaw incidence angle of the PSC were performed. Air modeled as ideal gas was chosen as the working fluid. Apart from a sensitivity study of the above mentioned parameters on the losses incurred by PSCs based on the numerical results, a detailed investigation of the flow field was carried out to highlight the interaction with the incoming flow. Moreover, the variation of the flow field behind the cascade was examined to assess the impact on the subsequent blade row. It is shown that depending on the geometry and the position of the PSC, different vortex structures are established in the wakes. These wakes interact with the main flow in the passage, thus influencing both dissipation and the downstream flow field. Major changes of the wake flow character and extent could be observed. Comparisons of the CFD results against commonly used analytical loss correlations for PSC revealed large differences, especially as certain parameters such as the yaw incidence angle are generally not considered by the latter. As a consequence, the analytical models need to be improved and extended. The results of this study indicate that the possibility of reducing the losses incurred by PSC by careful selection of design parameters within the design space dictated by its mechanical constraints.


Author(s):  
A. Panizza ◽  
R. Valente ◽  
D. Rubino ◽  
L. Tapinassi

The goal of the present study is to quantify the uncertainty in the aerodynamic performance of a centrifugal compressor stage with curvilinear impeller blades, due to impeller manufacturing variability. Impellers with curvilinear element blades allow a greater control of secondary flows with respect to impellers having ruled blades. High flow coefficient impellers for centrifugal compressors exhibit larger secondary flow than medium or low flow coefficient impellers, due to the stronger curvature of the flow path and the larger blade height for the same external diameter. Thus curvilinear blade impellers allow to improve the efficiency and range of high flow coefficient centrifugal compressor stages. As the design of these impellers is more complex than the design of ruled blade impellers, it is important to estimate the impact of the impeller manufacturing variability on the performance of the full stage. Sampling methods are often used in uncertainty propagation studies. However, sampling based approaches require a very large number of samples to have an accurate estimate of the performance uncertainty. 3D steady RANS computations are necessary to capture the impact of the geometric variability of the curvilinear blade impeller, on the stage performance. Thus, sampling methods would require an excessive computational time. In this work, the Polynomial Chaos Expansion (PCE) method with arbitrary probability distributions, implemented in DAKOTA, is used to reduce the number of runs required for the uncertainty quantification study. Manufacturing measurement data are been used to derive the histograms of the main impeller design parameters. From these histograms, numerically-generated orthogonal polynomials are computed for each parameter using a discretized Stieltjes procedure. Stochastic expansion methods such as PCE suffer from the curse of dimensionality, i.e., an exponential increase in the number of runs as the number of uncertain parameters increases. To mitigate the curse of dimensionality, sparse grids are used, which allow a drastic reduction of the number of runs. The results of the study show that the performance variability is small, thus our design with curvilinear element blades is robust with respect to impeller manufacturing variability. Using Sobol indices, we also rank the design parameters according to their impact on the performance variability.


Author(s):  
Rene Pecnik ◽  
Enrico Rinaldi ◽  
Piero Colonna

The merit of using supercritical CO2 (scCO2) as the working fluid of a closed Brayton cycle gas turbine is now widely recognized, and the development of this technology is now actively pursued. scCO2 gas turbine power plants are an attractive option for solar, geothermal and nuclear energy conversion. Among the challenges which must be overcome in order to successfully bring the technology to the market, the efficiency of the compressor and turbine operating with the supercritical fluid should be increased as much as possible. High efficiency can be reached by means of sophisticated aerodynamic design, which, compared to other overall efficiency improvements, like cycle maximum pressure and temperature increase, or increase of recuperator effectiveness, does not require an increase in equipment cost, but only an additional effort in research and development. This paper reports a three-dimensional CFD study of a high-speed centrifugal compressor operating with CO2 in the thermodynamic region slightly above the vapor-liquid critical point. The investigated geometry is the compressor impeller tested in the Sandia scCO2 compression loop facility [1]. The fluid dynamic simulations are performed with a fully implicit parallel Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes code based on a finite volume formulation on arbitrary polyhedral mesh elements. The CFD code has been validated on test cases which are relevant for this study, see Ref. [2,3]. In order to account for the strongly nonlinear variation of the thermophysical properties of supercritical CO2, the CFD code is coupled with an extensive library for the computation of properties of fluids and mixtures [4]. Among the available models, the one based on reference equations of state for CO2 [5,6] has been selected, as implemented in one of the sub-libraries [7]. A specialized look-up table approach and a meshing technique suited for turbomachinery geometries are also among the novelties introduced in the developed methodology. A detailed evaluation of the CFD results highlights the challenges of numerical studies aimed at the simulation of technically relevant compressible flows occurring close to the liquid-vapor critical point. The data of the obtained flow field are used for a comparison with experiments performed at the Sandia scCO2 compression-loop facility.


Author(s):  
Diana K. Grauer ◽  
Kirby S. Chapman

This paper presents an investigation into the NOX reduction role played by the exhaust manifold of large-bore two stroke cycle engines by exploring the impact of the exhaust manifold design on turbocharger and engine operation. Exhaust manifold performance is defined as the ability of the exhaust manifold to: 1) optimize cylinder scavenging efficiency; and 2) minimize the pressure differential between the compressor discharge and the turbine inlet by exploiting the blow-down pressure pulses and minimizing the static pressure gradient along the exhaust manifold. Pressure pulses in the exhaust manifold have been identified as a plausible mechanism that hinders efficient cylinder scavenging and turbocharger operating range. While modifying the ports and manifold may not be cost effective, a complete understanding of and the ability to address the impact of these pressure waves on turbocharger performance and scavenging efficiency will lead to more reliable engine upgrade projects as the industry approaches the 0.5 g/bhp-hr engine. The research team chose “available energy,” or the amount of mechanical and thermal energy available to the turbocharger turbine for operation as the parameter for defining optimal exhaust manifold design parameters. This allowed the research team to: 1) investigate energy losses in the candidate Clark TLA-6 exhaust removal system on a component basis, and 2) translate the mitigation of these losses into expanded turbocharger operating range. The end point of the project was a set of exhaust manifold design guidelines aimed at maximizing turbocharger performance by way of the defined metrics, scavenging efficiency and waste-gate margin.


Energies ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (4) ◽  
pp. 1030
Author(s):  
Muhammad Tauseef Nasir ◽  
Michael Chukwuemeka Ekwonu ◽  
Yoonseong Park ◽  
Javad Abolfazli Esfahani ◽  
Kyung Chun Kim

This study presents a combined cooling, heating, and power system powered by biogas, suitable for small scale communities in remote locations. To run such a system, in order to obtain the daily life essentials of electricity, hot water, and cooling, municipal waste can be considered as an option. Furthermore, the organic Rankine cycle part of the organic Rankine cycle powered vapor compression chiller can be used in times of need for additional electric production. The system comprises a medium temperature organic Rankine cycle utilizing M-xylene as its working fluid, and the cooling was covered by an Isobutane vapor compression cycle powered by an R245fa employing organic Rankine cycle. The system analyzed was designated to provide 250 kW of electricity. The energetic and exergetic analysis was performed, considering several system design parameters. The impact of the design parameters in the prime mover has a much greater effect on the whole system. The system proposed can deliver cooling values at the rate between 9.19 and 22 kW and heating values ranging from 879 up to 1255 kW, depending on the design parameter. Furthermore, the second law efficiency of the system was found to be approximately 56% at the baseline conditions and can be increased to 64.5%.


Author(s):  
A. N. Basarevsky ◽  
A. M. Kravtsov ◽  
D. S. Shakhrai

Development and implementation of water-saving technologies into irrigation agriculture aimed at increasing the efficiency of irrigation water use, is one of the priorities for achieving guaranteed and stable yields of agricultural crops. Study of parameters of artificial rain is one of the key moments in design of irrigation equipment. Research of the rain formation process is necessary in order to avoid negative effect on soil cover and vegetation, and also to increase efficiency of artificial irrigation, also reducing the power consumption. At the same time, one of the key characteristics is the diameter of drops created by rain-forming devices, which directly affects the other main characteristics of artificial rain and depends on the physical and mechanical properties of water, parameters of working fluid flow and geometric parameters of rain- forming devices. Based on the theoretical studies, a criterion similarity equation was obtained, allowing to calculate the drop diameter using parameters characterizing the process of artificial rain formation, to predict the size of drops when designing sprinkling equipment. The parameters having greatest effect on drop diameter are determined. It was revealed that, in accordance with the criterion equation obtained, the process of formation of artificial rain drops can be characterized by a geometric similarity criterion, as well as by Ohnezorge and Froude number. Calculations on the proposed formulas are well correlated with the results of other authors’ experiments. The studies conducted further allow to significantly improve the accuracy of determining the diameter of drops for various types of sprinkling nozzles, match design parameters and operating fluid flow parameters for the specified conditions.


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