Aeromechanical Optimization of Scalloping in Mixed Flow Turbines

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matthew Elliott ◽  
Stephen Spence ◽  
Martin Seiler ◽  
Marco Geron
Keyword(s):  
Internal Combustion Engines ◽  
Design Guidelines ◽  
Operating Conditions ◽  
Flow Structures ◽  
Optimized Design ◽  
Mixed Flow ◽  
Turbine Wheel ◽  
Engine Load ◽  
Baseline Design ◽  
Turbine Rotors

Abstract Scalloping of radial and mixed flow turbocharger turbine rotors has been commonplace for many years as a means of inertia reduction and stress relief. The interest in turbine rotor inertia reduction is driven by transient loading requirements of turbocharged internal combustion engines, as this is a key factor in the time taken to meet transient engine torque requirements. Due to the high density materials used in turbine rotors, any material removal from the turbine wheel has a significant impact on turbocharger inertia, and thus the transient response of the engine. It is well known that scalloping not only reduces inertia, but also efficiency. This study aimed to identify if it was possible to produce a new scallop design which reduced the scalloping efficiency penalty without increasing inertia, or compromising mechanical constraints. This was carried out with the aim of developing design recommendations for scalloping where a complete minimization of inertia is not the design goal. A multipoint, multi-physics numerical optimization, with constraints on inertia and back disc stress, was carried out to determine what efficiency benefit could be realized by aerodynamically designing mixed flow turbine scalloping. An efficiency benefit was identified across the entire turbocharger operating line, with increased benefit at low engine load, whilst not exceeding the design constraints. Scalloping losses for the baseline design were found to be greatest at low engine load, where the turbine experienced low expansion ratio, mass flow and speed. This explains why an aerodynamic redesign yields the greatest benefit under those operating conditions. These performance predictions were experimentally validated on the cold flow test rig at Queen’s University Belfast, with good agreement between simulated and measured data. To conclude the study, a detailed loss audit was carried out to identify key loss generating flow structures, and to understand how changes in geometry affected the formation and development of these flow structures throughout the passage. A large vortex which entered the passage from the scalloped region and interacted with the tip leakage vortex along the suction surface of the blade was identified as the main source of loss due to scalloping. The optimized design was found to better control the location of entry of this vortex into the blade passage, thus reducing the associated loss, and facilitating a performance improvement. Geometric design guidelines were then proposed based on these findings.

Design and Performance Analysis of Mixed Flow Turbine Rotors With Extended Blade Chord

2020 ◽  
Vol 142 (12) ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas Leonard ◽  
Stephen Spence ◽  
Dietmar Filsinger ◽  
Andre Starke
Keyword(s):  
Transient Response ◽  
Mechanical Performance ◽  
Cone Angle ◽  
Chord Length ◽  
Optimized Design ◽  
Blade Angle ◽  
Peak Efficiency ◽  
Mixed Flow ◽  
Blade Thickness ◽  
Turbine Rotors

Abstract Mixed flow turbines offer additional design freedom compared with conventional radial turbines. This is useful in the automotive turbocharger application to reduce rotor inertia, which can be very beneficial for the transient response of a highly boosted downsized passenger car powertrain. A previously published study from the authors analyzed a series of nine mixed flow turbine rotors with varying blade cone angle and inlet blade angle. This paper reports an extension of that study with two further mixed flow turbine rotors where the chord length of the rotor blade was extended. The aim of this work was to understand both the aerodynamic and mechanical impacts of varying the chord length, particularly for the turbocharger application where off-design performance and transient response are very important. The baseline mixed flow rotor for this study had a blade cone angle of 30 deg and an inlet blade angle of 30 deg. Two further variations were produced; one with the trailing edge (TE) extended in the downstream direction across the entire blade span. In the second variation, the chord was extended at the hub corner only, while the shroud corner of the TE remained unchanged, with the aim of achieving some aerodynamic improvement while meeting mechanical requirements. When the blade was extended at both the hub and shroud, the inertia and stress levels increased significantly and the blade eigenfrequencies reduced. There was a significant improvement in peak efficiency, but the mechanical performance was unfavourable. The improvement in peak efficiency was mainly due to better exhaust diffuser performance and, therefore, would not be realized in most turbocharger installations. The blade that was extended at only the hub corner incurred very little additional inertia, and the centrifugal stresses and blade eigenfrequencies were improved. Consequently, it was possible to reduce the blade thickness at the TE in order to achieve a more aerodynamically optimized design. In this case, the mechanical performance was acceptable and there were efficiency improvements of up to 1.1% points at off-design conditions, with no reduction in peak efficiency or maximum mass flowrate. Therefore, the blade that was extended only at the hub produced some improvement within acceptable mechanical limits. The flow field features were considered for the three rotor geometries to explain the changes in loss and efficiency across the operating range.

Performance Improvement of a Mixed Flow Turbine Using 3D Blading

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matthew Elliott ◽  
Stephen Spence ◽  
Martin Seiler ◽  
Marco Geron
Keyword(s):  
Performance Improvement ◽  
Design Feature ◽  
Secondary Flows ◽  
Operating Conditions ◽  
Optimized Design ◽  
Mixed Flow ◽  
Performance Improvements ◽  
Blade Shape ◽  
Real Performance ◽  
A Performance

Abstract Mixed flow turbines have reached a level of maturity where iterative performance improvements are very small, with real performance benefits coming from better matching to a given application as opposed to improvements in technology. One ubiquitous design feature of mixed flow turbines used to control stress within the wheel is the radial fibre constraint, wherein blade material is stacked radially outward along the entirety of the blade. While this constraint yields a mechanical benefit, it constrains the aerodynamic design significantly, with the blade shape defined by one camberline. One potential means of realizing a performance improvement is the use of 3D blading, where the blade is not constrained to a radially fibred structure. In such a design, the blade shape could be freely modified to better control blade loading and secondary flows. This study investigated the viability of such 3D blading through optimization of a state of the art mixed flow turbine. An equivalent design was ensured by maintaining the meridional shape and operating conditions of the baseline wheel, thus facilitating a fair comparison between the radial and 3D wheels. The paper details the optimization including an innovative constraint-driven geometry modification tool, experimental validation of performance predictions, and an investigation into why 3D blading facilitated a performance improvement. The optimization process identified a performance improvement across the entire turbocharger operating line. With performance improvements facilitated through a reduction in tip leakage loss, and improved pressure recovery within the conical diffuser. Importantly, the optimized design met targets for mass flow, maximum stress levels, and modal behaviour, through the use of the novel geometry modification process.

scholarly journals Evaluating the Use of Leaned Stator Vanes to Produce a Non-Uniform Flow Distribution Across the Inlet Span of a Mixed Flow Turbine Rotor

2020 ◽  
Vol 142 (12) ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard Morrison ◽  
Stephen Spence ◽  
Sung In Kim ◽  
Thomas Leonard ◽  
Andre Starke
Keyword(s):  
Leading Edge ◽  
Operating Conditions ◽  
Operating Point ◽  
Mixed Flow ◽  
Design Performance ◽  
Turbine Performance ◽  
Percentage Points ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Turbine Rotors ◽  
Operating Points

Abstract Current trends in the automotive industry have placed an increased emphasis on downsized turbocharged engines for passenger vehicles. The turbocharger is increasingly relied upon to improve power output across a wide range of engine operating conditions, placing a greater emphasis on turbocharger off-design performance. An off-design condition of significant importance is performance at low turbine velocity ratios, since it is relevant to engine transient response and also to efficient energy extraction from pressure pulses in the unsteady exhaust flow. An increased focus has been placed on equipping turbochargers with mixed flow turbine rotors instead of conventional radial flow turbine rotors to improve off-design performance and to reduce rotor inertia. A recognized feature of a mixed flow turbine is the spanwise variation of flow conditions across the blade leading edge. This is a consequence of the reduction in leading edge radius from shroud to hub, coupled with the increasing tangential velocity of the flow due to conserved angular momentum as the radius decreases. The result is increasingly positive incidence toward the hub side of the leading edge. The resulting region of highly positive incidence at the hub produces separation from the suction surface and generates significant loss within the rotor passage. The aim of this study was to determine if the losses in a mixed flow turbine (MFT) could be reduced by the use of leaned stator vanes, which deliberately created a significant spanwise variation of flow angle between hub and shroud at rotor inlet, to reduce the positive incidence at the hub. The turbine performance with a series of leaned vanes was compared against that of a straight vane using a validated computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model. It was found that increasing vane lean improved turbine performance at all operating points considered. An increase of 3.2 percentage points in stage total-to-static efficiency was achieved at a key off-design operating point. Experimental testing of a set of leaned vanes and the baseline vanes confirmed the advantage of the leaned vanes at all operating points, with an increase in measured efficiency of 2.6 percentage points at the key off-design condition. Unsteady CFD models confirmed the same level of improvement at this operating point. The CFD and experimental results confirmed that the losses in an MFT can be reduced by the use of leaned stator vanes to shape the flow at rotor inlet.

scholarly journals Evaluating the Use of Leaned Stator Vanes to Produce a Non-Uniform Flow Distribution Across the Inlet Span of a Mixed Flow Turbine Rotor

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard Morrison ◽  
Stephen Spence ◽  
Sung In Kim ◽  
Thomas Leonard ◽  
Andre Starke
Keyword(s):  
Leading Edge ◽  
Operating Conditions ◽  
Operating Point ◽  
Mixed Flow ◽  
Flow Angle ◽  
Turbine Performance ◽  
Percentage Points ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Turbine Rotors ◽  
Operating Points

Abstract Current trends in the automotive industry have placed an increased emphasis on downsized turbocharged engines for passenger vehicles. The turbocharger is increasingly relied upon to improve power output across a wide range of engine operating conditions, placing a greater emphasis on turbocharger offdesign performance. An off-design condition of significant importance is performance at low turbine velocity ratios, since it is relevant to engine transient response and also to efficient energy extraction from pressure pulses in the unsteady exhaust flow. An increased focus has been placed on equipping turbochargers with mixed flow turbine rotors instead of conventional radial flow turbine rotors to improve off-design performance and to reduce rotor inertia. A recognized feature of a mixed flow turbine is the spanwise variation of flow conditions across the blade leading edge. This is a consequence of the reduction in leading edge radius from shroud to hub, coupled with the increasing tangential velocity of the flow due to conserved angular momentum as the radius decreases. The result is increasingly positive incidence towards the hub side of the leading edge. The resulting region of highly positive incidence at the hub produces separation from the suction surface and generates significant loss within the rotor passage. The aim of this study was to determine if the losses in a MFT could be reduced by the use of leaned stator vanes, which deliberately created a significant spanwise variation of flow angle between hub and shroud at rotor inlet, to reduce the positive incidence at the hub. The turbine performance with a series of leaned vanes was compared against that of a straight vane using a validated CFD model. It was found that increasing vane lean improved turbine performance at all operating points considered. An increase of 3.2 percentage points in stage total-to-static efficiency was achieved at a key off-design operating point. Experimental testing of a set of leaned vanes and the baseline vanes confirmed the advantage of the leaned vanes at all operating points, with an increase in measured efficiency of 2.6 percentage points at the key off-design condition. Unsteady CFD models confirmed the same level of improvement at this operating point. The CFD and experimental results confirmed that the losses in a MFT can be reduced by the use of leaned stator vanes to shape the flow at rotor inlet.

Experimental Evaluation of Turbo-Matching Appropriateness of B60J67, B60J68, A58N70 and A58N72 Turbo-Chargers for a Commercial Vehicle Engine

2018 ◽  
Vol 6 (11) ◽  
pp. 71
Author(s):  
Badal Dev Roy ◽  
R. Saravanan
Keyword(s):  
Internal Combustion Engines ◽  
Perfect Match ◽  
Engine Performance ◽  
Operating Conditions ◽  
Data Logger ◽  
Negative Effects ◽  
Road Test ◽  
The Road ◽  
A Charge ◽  
All Speeds

The Turbocharger is a charge booster for internal combustion engines to ensure best engine performance at all speeds and road conditions especially at the higher load.  Random selection of turbocharger may lead to negative effects like surge and choke in the breathing of the engine. Appropriate selection or match of the turbocharger (Turbomatching) is a tedious task and expensive. But perfect match gives many distinguished advantages and it is a one time task per the engine kind. This study focuses to match the turbocharger to desired engine by simulation and on road test. The objective of work is to find the appropriateness of matching of turbochargers with trim 67 (B60J67), trim 68 (B60J68),  trim 70 (A58N70) and trim 72 (A58N72) for the TATA 497 TCIC -BS III engine. In the road-test (data-logger method) the road routes like highway and slope up were considered for evaluation. The operating conditions with respect various speeds, routes and simulated outputs were compared with the help of compressor map.

Experimental Investigation on the Rubbing Process of Labyrinth Seals Considering the Material Combination

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lisa Hühn ◽  
Oliver Munz ◽  
Corina Schwitzke ◽  
Hans-Jörg Bauer
Keyword(s):  
Turbine Blades ◽  
Design Guidelines ◽  
Operating Conditions ◽  
Contact Forces ◽  
Experimental Investigations ◽  
Process Data ◽  
Labyrinth Seals ◽  
Material Combination ◽  
Higher Temperature ◽  
And Control

Abstract Labyrinth seals are used to prevent and control the mass flow rate between rotating components. Due to thermally and mechanically induced expansions during operation and transient flight maneuvers, a contact, the so-called rubbing process, between rotor and stator cannot be excluded. A large amount of rubbing process data concerning numerical and experimental investigations is available in public literature as well as at the Institute of Thermal Turbomachinery (ITS). The investigations were carried out for different operating conditions, material combinations, and component geometries. In combination with the experiments presented in this paper, the effects of the different variables on load due to rubbing are compared, and discussed with the focus lying on the material combination. The influence of the material on the loads can be identified as detailed as never before. For example, the contact forces in the current experiments are higher due to a higher temperature resistance of Young’s modulus. The analysis will also be based on the rubbing of turbine blades. Design guidelines are derived for labyrinth seals with improved properties regarding tolerance of rub events. Based on the knowledge obtained, guidelines for designing reliable labyrinth seals for future engines are discussed.

Investigating realistic anode off-gas combustion in SOFC/ICE hybrid systems: mini review and experimental evaluation

2021 ◽  
pp. 146808742110583
Author(s):  
Ioannis Nikiforakis ◽  
Zhongnan Ran ◽  
Michael Sprengel ◽  
John Brackett ◽  
Guy Babbit ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Thermal Efficiency ◽  
Internal Combustion Engines ◽  
Engine Performance ◽  
High Energy ◽  
Operating Conditions ◽  
Compression Ignition ◽  
Case Scenario ◽  
Gas Combustion ◽  
Thermodynamic Conditions ◽  
Decentralized Energy

Solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) have been deployed in hybrid decentralized energy systems, in which they are directly coupled to internal combustion engines (ICEs). Prior research indicated that the anode tailgas exiting the SOFC stack should be additionally exploited due to its high energy value, with typical ICE operation favoring hybridization due to matching thermodynamic conditions during operation. Consequently, extensive research has been performed, in which engines are positioned downstream the SOFC subsystem, operating in several modes of combustion, with the most prevalent being homogeneous compression ignition (HCCI) and spark ignition (SI). Experiments were performed in a 3-cylinder ICE operating in the latter modus operandi, where the anode tailgas was assimilated by mixing syngas (H2: 33.9%, CO: 15.6%, CO2: 50.5%) with three different water vapor flowrates in the engine’s intake. While increased vapor content significantly undermined engine performance, brake thermal efficiency (BTE) surpassed 34% in the best case scenario, which outperformed the majority of engines operating under similar operating conditions, as determined from the conducted literature review. Nevertheless, the best performing application was identified operating under HCCI, in which diesel reformates assimilating SOFC anode tailgas, fueled a heavy duty ICE (17:1), and gross indicated thermal efficiency ([Formula: see text]) of 48.8% was achieved, with the same engine exhibiting identical performance when operating in reactivity-controlled compression ignition (RCCI). Overall, emissions in terms of NOx and CO were minimal, especially in SI engines, while unburned hydrocarbons (UHC) were non-existent due to the absence of hydrocarbons in the assessed reformates.

scholarly journals State-of-the-Art Cooling Technology for a Turbine Rotor Blade

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jason Town ◽  
Doug Straub ◽  
James Black ◽  
Karen Thole ◽  
Tom Shih
Keyword(s):  
Film Cooling ◽  
Gas Turbines ◽  
State Of The Art ◽  
Internal Heat ◽  
Leading Edge ◽  
Jet Impingement ◽  
Test Facility ◽  
Turbine Wheel ◽  
Baseline Design ◽  
External Cooling

Effective internal and external cooling of airfoils is key to maintaining component life for efficient gas turbines. Cooling designs have spanned the range from simple internal convective channels to more advanced double-walls with shaped film-cooling holes. This paper describes the development of an internal and external cooling concept for a state-of-the-art cooled turbine blade. These cooling concepts are based on a review of literature and patents, as well as, interactions with academic and industry turbine cooling experts. The cooling configuration selected and described in this paper is referred to as the “baseline” design, since this design will simultaneously be tested with other more advanced blade cooling designs in a rotating turbine test facility using a “rainbow turbine wheel” configuration. For the baseline design, the leading edge is cooled by internal jet impingement and showerhead film cooling. The mid-chord region of the blade contains a three-pass serpentine passage with internal discrete V-shaped trip strips to enhance the internal heat transfer coefficient. The film cooling along the mid-chord of the blade uses multiple rows of shaped diffusion holes. The trailing edge is internally cooled using jet impingement and externally film cooled through partitioned cuts on the pressure side of the blade.

Double Scroll Turbine for Automotive Applications: Engine Operating Point Versus Dynamic Blade Stress From Forced Response Vibration

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
David Hemberger ◽  
Roberto De Santis ◽  
Dietmar Filsinger
Keyword(s):  
Pulse Energy ◽  
Internal Combustion Engines ◽  
Forced Response ◽  
Operating Conditions ◽  
Blade Vibration ◽  
Structural Dynamic ◽  
Vibration Excitation ◽  
Engine Combustion ◽  
Operating Points ◽  
Combustion Cycle

As a means of meeting ever increasing emissions and fuel economy demands car manufacturers are using aggressive engine downsizing. To maintain the power output of the engine turbocharging is typically used. Compared to Mono scroll turbines, with a multi-entry system the individual volute sizing can be better matched to the single mass flow pulse from the engine cylinders. The exhaust pulse energy can be better utilised by the turbocharger turbine improving turbocharger response. Additionally the interaction of the engine exhaust pulses can be better avoided, improving the scavenging of the engine. Besides the thermodynamic advantages, the multi-entry turbine represents a challenge to the structural dynamic design of the turbine. A higher number of turbine wheel resonance points can be expected during operation. In addition, the increased use of exhaust pulse energy leads to a distinct accentuation of the blade vibration excitation. Using validated engine models, the interaction of the multi-entry turbine with the engine has been analyzed and various operating points, which may be critical for the blade vibration excitation, have been classified. These operating points deliver the input variables for unsteady computational flow dynamics (CFD) analyses. From these calculations unsteady blade forces were derived providing the necessary boundary conditions for the structural dynamic analyses by spatially and temporally high-resolved absolute pressures on the turbine surface. Goal of the investigation is to identify critical operating conditions. Important is also to investigate the effect of a scroll connection valve on blade excitation. The investigations utilize validated tools that were introduced and successfully applied to several turbine types in a series of publications over recent years. It can be stated that the engine operating condition and the admission type significantly influence the forced response reaction of the blade to the different excitation orders (EO). In case of equal admission even (or multiples of two) EOs generate the largest dynamic blade stress as can be expected due to the two turbine inlet segments. This reaction also increases with the engine speed. In the case of unequal admission, the odd EOs produce the largest forced response reaction. The maximum dynamic blade stress occurs in the region where the scroll connection is just closed. Above all, the scroll connection valve influences the Beta value and thus the basic behavior — unequal or equal admission. It has been possible to reconstruct the forced response behavior of the turbine blade within an engine combustion cycle. For the first time it could be shown for a double scroll application that there is a significant dynamic blade stress change dependent on the engine crankshaft angle. Certainly, due to the inertia of the mass and damping (mass, structure, flow), the blade will not exactly follow the predicted course. However, it is clear that the transient processes within an engine combustion cycle will affect the dynamic blade stress. This applies to the turbine wheels investigated in the work at hand with low damping, high eigenfrequencies and the considered internal combustion engines — as they are typically used in the passenger car sector.

Steady State Engine Test Demonstration of Performance Improvement With an Advanced Turbocharger

2013 ◽  
Author(s):  
Harold Sun ◽  
Dave Hanna ◽  
Liangjun Hu ◽  
Eric Curtis ◽  
James Yi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Steady State ◽  
Performance Improvement ◽  
High Efficiency ◽  
Combustion Engine ◽  
Load Condition ◽  
Department Of Energy ◽  
Speed Ratio ◽  
Mixed Flow ◽  
Turbine Wheel ◽  
Low Speed

Heavy EGR required on diesel engines for future emission regulation compliance has posed a big challenge to conventional turbocharger technology for high efficiency and wide operation range. This study, as part of the U.S. Department of Energy sponsored research program, is focused on advanced turbocharger technologies that can improve turbocharger efficiency on customer driving cycles while extending the operation range significantly, compared to a production turbocharger. The production turbocharger for a medium-duty truck application was selected as a donor turbo. Design optimizations were focused on the compressor impeller and turbine wheel. On the compressor side, advanced impeller design with arbitrary surface can improve the efficiency and surge margin at low end while extending the flow capacity, while a so-called active casing treatment can provide additional operation range extension without compromising compressor efficiency. On the turbine side, mixed flow turbine technology was revisited with renewed interest due to its performance characteristics, i.e. high efficiency at low-speed ratio, relative to the base conventional radial flow turbine, which is relevant to heavy EGR operation for future diesel applications. The engine dynamometer test shows that the advanced turbocharger technology enables over 3% BSFC improvement at part-load as well as full-load condition, in addition to an increase in rated power. The performance improvement demonstrated on engine dynamometer seems to be more than what would typically be translated from the turbocharger flow bench data, indicating that mixed flow turbine may provide additional performance benefits under pulsed exhaust flow on an internal combustion engine and in the low-speed ratio areas that are typically not covered by steady state flow bench tests.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document