Measurement of Blade Tip Heat Transfer and Leakage Flow in a Turbine Cascade With a Multi-Cavity Squealer Tip

Author(s):  
Jung Shin Park ◽  
Sang Hoon Lee ◽  
Jae Su Kwak ◽  
Won Suk Lee ◽  
Jin Taek Chung

Tip leakage flow induces high heat transfer to the blade tip and causes significant aerodynamic losses. In this paper, we propose a multi-cavity squealer tip with an additional rib in the squealer cavity. Our study investigated the effects of the rib location and shape on the blade tip heat transfer and the total pressure loss. Experiments were performed in a five-bladed linear cascade using a low speed wind tunnel. The blade chord, pitch, and span length were 126mm, 102.7mm, and 160mm, respectively. The Reynolds number, based on the blade chord and cascade exit velocity, was 2.44×105, and a tip clearance of 1.25% of the blade span was considered. The additional rib was installed in the squealer tip cavity near the leading edge, the mid-chord, and the training edge, respectively. The shape of the rib was also varied from rectangular to triangular in order to minimize the rib surface area exposed to the hot gas. The secondary flow and total pressure loss were measured using a seven-hole probe at one-chord downstream of the blade trailing edge, and the heat transfer coefficient distributions were measured by utilizing the hue-detection based transient liquid crystal technique. Flow measurement results indicated that the proposed multi-cavity tip reduced the total pressure loss. The blade tip heat transfer measurement results showed that the proposed multi-cavity tip was able to reduce the maximum heat transfer region near the cavity floor near the leading edge, but the heat transfer on the second cavity floor increased due to the leakage flow reattachment.

Author(s):  
Xiaojun Fan ◽  
Liang Li ◽  
Jiefeng Wang ◽  
Fan Wu

Abstract A new double-wall cooling configuration combined with the vortex cooling is established to study the cooling behavior for the gas turbine blade leading edge. This configuration consists of multiple nozzles, a curved inner cooling passage, a row of bridge holes and a curved outer cooling passage with 4 kinds of disturbing objects (namely smooth wall, pin-fins, dimples and protrusions). Numerical simulations are performed based on the 3D viscous steady Reynolds Averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) equations and the k-ω turbulence model. The cooling behavior of the Double-wall/vortex cooling configuration is compared with the Double-wall/impingement cooling configuration at the same conditions. Generally, the Double-wall/vortex cooling configuration has a better cooling performance. It is found the Nusselt number of the inner surface for the Double-wall/vortex cooling configuration is 46.7% higher. However, the Double-wall/impingement cooling configuration has a smaller friction coefficient and a total pressure loss. Different disturbing objects have significant influences on the heat transfer performance of the outer surface. The Nusselt number of disturbing objects (pin-fins, dimples and protrusions) is much higher than the smooth wall, and the value is 1.27–2.22 times larger. Configuration with protrusions has the highest globally-averaged Nusselt number. For the heat transfer performance of the inner surface and the total pressure loss coefficient, disturbing objects have no obvious influence. As bridge holes row increases, the overall cooling performance is improved. The globally-averaged Nusselt number of the outer target is enhanced while the total pressure loss is reduced.


Author(s):  
Zhaofang Liu ◽  
Zhiduo Wang ◽  
Zhenping Feng

This paper presents an investigation on the hot streak migration across tip clearance and heat transfer on blade tip in a high pressure (HP) gas turbine with different inlet swirl directions and clocking positions. The geometry is taken from the first stage of GE-E3 turbine engine. Two swirl directions (positive and negative) and two circumferential clocking positions (aligning with S1 nozzle leading edge and mid passage) for inlet hot streak and swirl have been employed and investigated, respectively. Two cases with only hot streak at different inlet circumferential positions are adopted as the baseline in this study. By solving the unsteady compressible Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes equations, the time dependent solutions were obtained. The results indicate that the influence of inlet swirl on pressure distribution focuses on the suction side. Positive swirl attracts more hot fluid to the upper endwall, when it aligns with nozzle stator leading edge. Because of the squeezing mechanism between positive swirl and leakage flow, the heat transfer on rotor blade tip is more uniform. While negative swirl increases tip leakage flow and the heat load at the first half on tip surface. In all cases with swirl, the heat load at the second half on blade tip is effectively reduced, which is good for cooling rotor blade tip. If the stator is cooled effectively, inlet positive swirl aligning with nozzle vane leading edge will be the best choice for protecting rotor blade tip. By comparing with the results of previous literature, it is concluded that whatever arrangement the blade rows locate, the swirl direction which is opposite to the leakage flow should be chosen for protecting not only blade surface but also blade tip when the inlet swirl exists.


Author(s):  
Masashi Yoshikawa ◽  
Hiroyuki Toyoda ◽  
Hisashi Daisaka

Abstract We developed a high-efficiency half-ducted propeller fan to reduce the electric power consumption of the outdoor unit of air conditioner by using computational fluid dynamics (CFD). Total pressure loss coefficient on the cylindrical surface of blade tip started increasing at the middle of the blade, and the region of high total pressure loss coefficient was formed after trailing edge. Therefore, we assumed that decreasing this region helped increasing static pressure efficiency. Limiting stream lines on the pressure surface showed that the flow from leading edge leaked at the middle of the blade tip, so it was assumed that the region of the high total pressure loss coefficient arose from the leakage at the middle of the blade tip. We confirmed that static pressure at the middle of blade tip, which was the leakage point, was low. We assumed that low inward force to the flow caused the leakage. On the other hand, static pressure at trailing edge of the blade tip was high. Therefore, it was found that the inward force could be increased by making the static pressure higher at the meddle of the blade tip. In order to make the static pressure higher at the middle of the blade tip, we attempted to move the maximum camber position of the blade tip from trailing edge side to leading edge side. Calculation results showed leakage at the blade tip decreased and the static pressure efficiency increased by 0.5%. Experimental results showed that the static pressure efficiency increased by 1.7 % and sound pressure level was almost the same. For the above reasons, we found leakage of flow from leading edge could be decreased by adjusting the maximum camber position of the blade tip. Decreasing leakage contributed to increasing static pressure efficiency and decreasing electric power consumption.


Author(s):  
Takahiro Nishioka ◽  
Masayoshi Joko

Rotor-tip flow fields at high stagger-angle setting were investigated to clarify the loss generation mechanism in a high specific-speed axial-flow fan. The tip clearance flow in the cases of large and small clearances, which are 2.0% and 1.0% of the rotor tip chord length respectively, are experimentally and numerically evaluated at the maximum efficiency point and the operating limit. At the maximum efficiency point, the tip leakage vortex reached to the rotor exit in both cases of large and small tip clearances. However, the leakage vortex in the case of large tip-clearance passed closer to the pressure side of the adjacent blade than that in the case of small one. Moreover, in the case of large tip clearance, the tip leakage vortex generated the large total pressure loss in the blade passage, and the interaction between the tip leakage vortex and the wake also generated the large total pressure loss at the rotor exit. Therefore, the maximum efficiency of the rotor and the fan was lower than that in the case of small tip clearance. At the operating limit, the tip-leakage vortex extended inside the blade passage and reached to the front part of the pressure side of the next blade in the case of small tip-clearance. Moreover, the double leakage flow occurred in the case of small tip clearance. In contrast, the leakage vortex reached to the leading edge of the next blade, and the spillage of the tip leakage flow from the leading edge occurred in the case of large tip clearance. The spillage of the tip leakage flow induced the larger total pressure loss than that induced by the double leakage flow. Therefore, the pressure rise in the case of large tip clearance is lower than that in the case of small tip clearance at the operating limit. It was concluded from the experimental and numerical results at the high stagger-angle setting for rotor blade that the loss generation mechanism depended on the behavior of tip-leakage vortex and that this behavior also depended on the tip-clearance.


Author(s):  
Jiahui Jin ◽  
Yanping Song ◽  
Jianyang Yu ◽  
Fu Chen

The influence of different arbitrary blade tip shapes on restraining the tip leakage flow in a highly loaded turbine cascade has been numerically studied. A combined method of establishing and optimizing the arbitrary blade tip shape is proposed by using B-spline surface modeling, Kriging model and genetic optimization algorithm. The results show that the Kriging model established by the B-spline surface modeling method can accurately fit the relationship between the arbitrary blade tip shape and the relevant aerodynamic parameters. The optimal leakage mass flow tip and the optimal total pressure loss tip obtained by genetic algorithm both have strong inhibitory effects on tip leakage flow. Compare to the flat tip at 1%H gap height, the tip leakage mass flow of the optimal leakage mass flow case and the optimal total pressure loss case decrease by 11.14% and 10.23%, respectively, the area-average total pressure loss at exit section is reduced by 8.08% and 7.41%, respectively.


2021 ◽  
pp. 1-49
Author(s):  
Xin Yan

Abstract To improve the resolution accuracy and get deep insight into the flow structures in squealer tip gap, the Very Large Eddy Simulation (VLES) method was implemented into the commercial CFD (Computational Fluid Dynamics) solver with the User Defined Function (UDF). Based on the published experimental data, the numerical accuracy of VLES method was validated. With VLES method, the unsteady heat transfer coefficient distributions on the squealer tip and total pressure loss in the blade passage were computed. The influences of coherent vortex structures on aero-thermal performance in the squealer tip gap were analyzed. The results show that the Brown-Roshko vortices are the main driver for the formation of cavity vortex system. The direct impingement of pass-over leakage into the cavity is the main cause of high heat transfer area on the cavity floor near leading edge. The unsteady fluctuations of leakage rate through the tip gap reach about ±8% of the time-averaged value. The development of leakage vortex accounts for the major contribution of total pressure loss in the squealer tipped blade. Due to flow unsteadiness, the fluctuation of pitch-averaged total pressure loss coefficient induced by leakage vortex system reaches about ±30% of the time-averaged value. The unsteady fluctuation of pitch-averaged heat transfer coefficient on the cavity floor reaches about ±35% of the time-averaged value, while on the shroud surface it is only fluctuated by about ±10%.


Author(s):  
Mingliang Ye ◽  
Xin Yan

Abstract Wear damage commonly occurs in modern gas turbine rotor blade tip due to relative movements and expansions between rotating and stationary parts. Tip wear has a significant impact on the aerodynamic, heat transfer and cooling performance of rotor blades, thus threatening the economy and safety of whole gas turbine system. Based on a simple linear wear model, this paper numerically investigates the aerodynamic, heat transfer and film cooling performance of a worn squealer tip with three starting-locations of wear (sl = 25%Cax, 50%Cax and 75%Cax) and five wear-depths (wd = 0.82%, 1.64%, 2.46%, 3.28% and 4.10%). Firstly, based on the existing experimental data, numerical methods and grid independence are examined carefully. Then, three dimensional flow fields, total pressure loss distributions, heat transfer coefficients and film cooling effectiveness in worn squealer tip region are computed, which are compared with the original design case. The results show that, with the increase of wear depth and the movement of wear starting-location to the leading edge, the scale and intensity of cavity vortex are increased, which results in the extended high heat transfer area on cavity floor near the leading edge. Wear makes more coolant flow out of the cavity, and reduces the area-averaged film cooling effectiveness at the bottom of cavity, but increases the film cooling effectiveness on pressure-side rim. The increase of wear depth makes more flow leak through the tip gap, thus increasing the scale and intensity of leakage vortex and further increasing the total pressure loss in the tip gap. Compared with the original design case, as the wear depth is increased from 0.82% to 4.10%, the mass-averaged total pressure loss in cascade is increased by 0.3–6.7%, the area-averaged heat transfer coefficient on cavity floor is increased by 1.7–29.1% while on squealer rim it is decreased by 3.1–26.3%, and the area-averaged film cooling effectiveness on cavity floor is decreased by 0.035 at most while on squealer rim it is increased by 0.064 at most.


Author(s):  
Dianliang Yang ◽  
Xiaobing Yu ◽  
Zhenping Feng

In this paper, numerical methods have been applied to the investigation of the effect of rotation on the blade tip leakage flow and heat transfer. Using the first stage rotor blade of GE-E3 engine high pressure turbine, both flat tip and squealer tip have been studied. The tip gap height is 1% of the blade height, and the groove depth of the squealer tip is 2% of the blade height. Heat transfer coefficient on tip surface obtained by using different turbulence models was compared with experimental results. And the grid independence study was carried out by using the Richardson extrapolation method. The effect of the blade rotation was studied in the following cases: 1) blade domain is rotating and shroud is stationary; 2) blade domain is stationary and shroud is rotating; and 3) both blade domain and shroud are stationary. In this approach, the effects of the relative motion of the endwall, the centrifugal force and the Coriolis force can be investigated respectively. By comparing the results of the three cases discussed, the effects of the blade rotation on tip leakage flow and heat transfer are revealed. It indicated that the main effect of the rotation on the tip leakage flow and heat transfer is resulted from the relative motion of the shroud, especially for the squealer tip blade.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Feng Li ◽  
Zhao Liu ◽  
Zhenping Feng

Abstract The blade tip region of the shroud-less high-pressure gas turbine is exposed to an extremely operating condition with combined high temperature and high heat transfer coefficient. It is critical to design new tip structures and apply effective cooling method to protect the blade tip. Multi-cavity squealer tip has the potential to reduce the huge thermal loads and improve the aerodynamic performance of the blade tip region. In this paper, numerical simulations were performed to predict the aerothermal performance of the multi-cavity squealer tip in a heavy-duty gas turbine cascade. Different turbulence models were validated by comparing to the experimental data. It was found that results predicted by the shear-stress transport with the γ-Reθ transition model have the best precision. Then, the film cooling performance, the flow field in the tip gap and the leakage losses were presented with several different multi-cavity squealer tip structures, under various coolant to mainstream mass flow ratios (MFR) from 0.05% to 0.15%. The results show that the ribs in the multi-cavity squealer tip could change the flow structure in the tip gap for that they would block the coolant and the leakage flow. In this study, the case with one-cavity (1C) achieves the best film cooling performance under a lower MFR. However, the cases with multi-cavity (2C, 3C, 4C) show higher film cooling effectiveness under a higher MFR of 0.15%, which are 32.6%%, 34.2%% and 41.0% higher than that of the 1C case. For the aerodynamic performance, the case with single-cavity has the largest total pressure loss coefficient in all MFR studied, whereas the case with two-cavity obtains the smallest total pressure loss coefficient, which is 7.6% lower than that of the 1C case.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Juan He ◽  
Qinghua Deng ◽  
Zhenping Feng

Abstract Double wall cooling, consisting of internal impingement cooling and external film cooling, is believed to be the most advanced technique in modern turbine blades cooling. In this paper, to improve the uniformity of temperature distribution, a flat plate double wall cooling model with gradient diameter of film and impingement holes was proposed, and the heat transfer and flow characteristics were investigated by solving steady three-dimensional Reynolds-Averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) equations with SST k-ω turbulence model. The influence of gradient diameter on overall cooling effectiveness and total pressure loss was studied by comparing with the uniform pattern at the blowing ratios ranging from 0.5 to 2. For gradient diameter of film hole patterns, results show that −10% film pattern always has the lowest film flow non-uniformity coefficient. The laterally averaged overall cooling effectiveness of uniform pattern lies between that of +10% and −10% film patterns, but the intersection of three patterns moves upstream from the middle of flow direction with the increase of blowing ratio. Therefore, the −10% film pattern exerts the highest area averaged cooling effectiveness, which is improved by up to 1.6% and 1% at BR = 0.5 and 1 respectively compared with a uniform pattern. However, at higher blowing ratios, the +10% film pattern maintains higher cooling effectiveness and lower total pressure loss. For gradient diameter of impingement hole patterns, the intersection of laterally averaged overall cooling effectiveness in three patterns is located near the middle of flow direction under all blowing ratios. The uniform pattern has the highest area averaged cooling effectiveness and the smallest non-uniform coefficient, but the −10% jet pattern has advantages of reducing pressure loss, especially in the laminated loss.


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