Numerical Investigation of a Centrifugal Compressor for Supercritical CO2 Cycles

Author(s):  
Renan Emre Karaefe ◽  
Pascal Post ◽  
Marwick Sembritzky ◽  
Andreas Schramm ◽  
Francesca di Mare ◽  
...  

Abstract In this work, the performance characteristics and the flow field of a centrifugal compressor operating with supercritical CO2 are investigated by means of three-dimensional CFD. The considered geometry is based on main dimensions of the centrifugal compressor installed in the supercritical CO2 compression test-loop operated by Sandia National Laboratories. All numerical simulations are performed with a recently developed in-house hybrid CPU/GPU compressible CFD solver. Thermodynamic properties are computed through an efficient and accurate tabulation technique, the Spline-Based Table Look-Up Method (SBTL), particularly optimised for the applied density-based solution procedure. Numerical results are compared with available experimental data and accuracy as well as potentials in computational speedup of the solution method in combination with the SBTL are evaluated in the context of supercritical CO2 turbomachinery.

2005 ◽  
Author(s):  
E. Karunakaran ◽  
V. Ganesan

This paper is concerned with the study of performance of popular turbulence models used in the CFD analysis. Turbulence models considered for evaluation include the eddy viscosity models and the Reynolds stress model. The recent k-ε-v2-f model recommended for a flow with separation is also studied. Evaluation of the turbulence models in the present study focuses on a three-dimensional flow field development with adverse pressure gradient and flows that simulate wall-bounded turbulence. Numerical calculations are performed using SIMPLE based algorithm. Nowadays, decelerating flow in a diffuser is assessed by numerical simulations and the validation is done with experimental results. A comparison of the numerical results and the experimental data are presented. The main objective of the comparison is to obtain information on how well the numerical simulations representing the flow field with the standard turbulence models, are able to reproduce the experimental data.


Author(s):  
Veeraraghava R Hasti ◽  
Prithwish Kundu ◽  
Sibendu Som ◽  
Jay P Gore

The turbulent flow field in a practical gas turbine combustor is very complex because of the interactions between various flows resulting from components like multiple types of swirlers, dilution holes, and liner effusion cooling holes. Numerical simulations of flows in such complex combustor configurations are challenging. The challenges result from (a) the complexities of the interfaces between multiple three-dimensional shear layers, (b) the need for proper treatment of a large number of tiny effusion holes with multiple angles, and (c) the requirements for fast turnaround times in support of engineering design optimization. Both the Reynolds averaged Navier–Stokes simulation (RANS) and the large eddy simulation (LES) for the practical combustor geometry are considered. An autonomous meshing using the cut-cell Cartesian method and adaptive mesh refinement (AMR) is demonstrated for the first time to simulate the flow in a practical combustor geometry. The numerical studies include a set of computations of flows under a prescribed pressure drop across the passage of interest and another set of computations with all passages open with a specified total flow rate at the plenum inlet and the pressure at the exit. For both sets, the results of the RANS and the LES flow computations agree with each other and with the corresponding measurements. The results from the high-resolution LES simulations are utilized to gain fundamental insights into the complex turbulent flow field by examining the profiles of the velocity, the vorticity, and the turbulent kinetic energy. The dynamics of the turbulent structures are well captured in the results of the LES simulations.


Author(s):  
Martin Lipfert ◽  
Jan Habermann ◽  
Martin G. Rose ◽  
Stephan Staudacher ◽  
Yavuz Guendogdu

In a joint project between the Institute of Aircraft Propulsion Systems (ILA) and MTU Aero Engines a two-stage low pressure turbine is tested at design and strong off-design conditions. The experimental data taken in the altitude test-facility aims to study the effect of positive and negative incidence of the second stator vane. A detailed insight and understanding of the blade row interactions at these regimes is sought. Steady and time-resolved pressure measurements on the airfoil as well as inlet and outlet hot-film traverses at identical Reynolds number are performed for the midspan streamline. The results are compared with unsteady multi-stage CFD predictions. Simulations agree well with the experimental data and allow detailed insights in the time-resolved flow-field. Airfoil pressure field responses are found to increase with positve incidence whereas at negative incidence the magnitude remains unchanged. Different pressure to suction side phasing is observed for the studied regimes. The assessment of unsteady blade forces reveals that changes in unsteady lift are minor compared to changes in axial force components. These increase with increasing positive incidence. The wake-interactions are predominating the blade responses in all regimes. For the positive incidence conditions vane 1 passage vortex fluid is involved in the midspan passage interaction leading to a more distorted three-dimensional flow field.


Author(s):  
Li Cheng ◽  
Chao Liu ◽  
Jiren Zhou ◽  
Fangping Tang ◽  
Yan Jin

The pumping station with symmetric aerofoil can achieve reversible pumping function. It can keep high reversible efficiency and its flow coefficient is approaching to normal one. At same time, it has the simple structure and is easy to operate and maintain. The flow inside reversible pumping station is very complex and dominated by three dimensional viscous effects. With the rapid progress of computational fluid dynamics, CFD has become an important tool to help to make full understanding of flow. In order to recognize the characteristic of pumping station, the control volume method is used to simulation the flow filed. The RNG k-ε turbulent model and SIMPLEC algorithm are applied to do analysis. Flow field inside symmetric aerofoil blade and passage of pumping station are analyzed in detail. Some computational data, such as computational contour of sections, streamline of pumping system, flow vectors of blade and pressure contour of blade for two different rotate directional, are given in the paper. On the based of the simulation results, efficiency prediction of the pumping station is applied. By calculating the useful power and the hydraulic efficiency at the 11 different discharge points, capabilities of pumping station are predicted. A set of model pumping station with a 300mm blade are made for test. Using the laboratory test loop of which the total uncertainty of measured efficiency is ±0.39%, the hydraulic performance is evaluated and demonstrated. The numerical performances agree well with experiment data.


1992 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. J. Wang ◽  
M. J. Yuan ◽  
G. Xi ◽  
S. X. Liu ◽  
D. T. Qi ◽  
...  

Sixteen years ago an inverse method of designing radial, mixed flow impellers was proposed by the first author of this paper, which was based on a quasi-three-dimensional stream surface theory. The contradictions between the full controlling of the flow field in the whole impeller and the designed bables’ smooth machinability can be perfectly resolved with the above method (So it is called “all-over-controlled vortex distribution method”). This paper presents the developments and industrial applications of the above method in the last decade. Two single centrifugal compressor model stages with the 3-D impellers designed by this method are studied in detail, and several performance curves of the multistage centrifugal compressors designed by this method are also presented.


2014 ◽  
Vol 136 (11) ◽  
Author(s):  
Martin Lipfert ◽  
Jan Habermann ◽  
Martin G. Rose ◽  
Stephan Staudacher ◽  
Yavuz Guendogdu

In a joint project between the Institute of Aircraft Propulsion Systems (ILA) and MTU Aero Engines, a two-stage low pressure turbine is tested at design and strong off-design conditions. The experimental data taken in the Altitude Test Facility (ATF) aims to study the effect of positive and negative incidence of the second stator vane. A detailed insight and understanding of the blade row interactions at these regimes is sought. Steady and time-resolved pressure measurements on the airfoil as well as inlet and outlet hot-film traverses at identical Reynolds number are performed for the midspan streamline. The results are compared with unsteady multistage computational fluid dynamics (CFD) predictions. Simulations agree well with the experimental data and allow detailed insights in the time-resolved flow-field. Airfoil pressure field responses are found to increase with positive incidence whereas at negative incidence the magnitude remains unchanged. Different pressure to suction side (SS) phasing is observed for the studied regimes. The assessment of unsteady blade forces reveals that changes in unsteady lift are minor compared to changes in axial force components. These increase with increasing positive incidence. The wake-interactions are predominating the blade responses in all regimes. For the positive incidence conditions, vane 1 passage vortex fluid is involved in the midspan passage interaction, leading to a more distorted three-dimensional (3D) flow field.


2013 ◽  
Vol 17 (5) ◽  
pp. 1504-1507 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhi-Fei Li ◽  
Zheng Du ◽  
Kai Zhang ◽  
Dong-Sheng Li ◽  
Zhong-Di Su ◽  
...  

Three-dimensional computational model for a gas turbine flowmeter is proposed, and the finite volume based SIMPLEC method and k-? turbulence model are used to obtain the detailed information of flow field in turbine flowmeter, such as velocity and pressure distribution. Comparison between numerical results and experimental data reveals a good agreement. A rectifier with little pressure loss is optimally designed and validated numerically and experimentally.


2008 ◽  
Vol 2008 ◽  
pp. 1-7 ◽  
Author(s):  
F. Terzuoli ◽  
M. C. Galassi ◽  
D. Mazzini ◽  
F. D'Auria

Pressurized thermal shock (PTS) modelling has been identified as one of the most important industrial needs related to nuclear reactor safety. A severe PTS scenario limiting the reactor pressure vessel (RPV) lifetime is the cold water emergency core cooling (ECC) injection into the cold leg during a loss of coolant accident (LOCA). Since it represents a big challenge for numerical simulations, this scenario was selected within the European Platform for Nuclear Reactor Simulations (NURESIM) Integrated Project as a reference two-phase problem for computational fluid dynamics (CFDs) code validation. This paper presents a CFD analysis of a stratified air-water flow experimental investigation performed at the Institut de Mécanique des Fluides de Toulouse in 1985, which shares some common physical features with the ECC injection in PWR cold leg. Numerical simulations have been carried out with two commercial codes (Fluent and Ansys CFX), and a research code (NEPTUNE CFD). The aim of this work, carried out at the University of Pisa within the NURESIM IP, is to validate the free surface flow model implemented in the codes against experimental data, and to perform code-to-code benchmarking. Obtained results suggest the relevance of three-dimensional effects and stress the importance of a suitable interface drag modelling.


Author(s):  
Federico Daccà ◽  
Claudio Canelli ◽  
Stefano Cecchi

The purpose of this paper is to present a numerical analysis carried out for the performance evaluation of the axial exhaust diffuser of a LP steam turbine. A set of measured data in an actual real scale steam turbine is available for direct comparison. The three dimensional exhaust flow in a LP steam turbine provided with a 48″ LSB is numerically investigated in different real working conditions by means of 3D CFD analysis. A detailed 3D model of the actual geometry is used in order to catch the highly 3D features of the flow field, avoiding the use of numerical periodicity conditions. Boundary conditions are derived both from experimental data and from specific validated 3D simulations of the main flow of the entire LP turbine section from front stages up to the LSN. The comparison with measured data allows to validate the performed CFD simulations and to provide a reliable complete performance curve of the exhaust diffuser geometry coupled with the 48″ LSB design. An important outcome of the work consists also in a generalized method for accurate performance evaluation of axial diffusers.


Author(s):  
Alireza Ameli ◽  
Teemu Turunen-Saaresti ◽  
Jari Backman

Centrifugal compressors are one of the best choices among compressors in supercritical Brayton cycles. A supercritical CO2 centrifugal compressor increases the pressure of the fluid which state is initially very close to the critical point. When the supercritical fluid is compressed near the critical point, wide variations of fluid properties occur. The density of carbon dioxide at its critical point is close to the liquid density which leads to reduction in the compression work. This paper explains a method to overcome the simulation instabilities and challenges near the critical point in which the thermophysical properties change sharply. The investigated compressor is a centrifugal compressor tested in the Sandia supercritical CO2 test loop. In order to get results with the high accuracy and take into account the nonlinear variation of the properties near the critical point, the computational fluid dynamics (CFD) flow solver is coupled with a look-up table of properties of fluid. Behavior of real gas close to its critical point and the effect of the accuracy of the real gas model on the compressor performance are studied in this paper, and the results are compared with the experimental data from the Sandia compression facility.


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