Large-eddy simulations of tip leakage and secondary flows in an axial compressor cascade using a near-wall turbulence model

Author(s):  
D Borello ◽  
G Delibra ◽  
K Hanjalić ◽  
F Rispoli

This paper reports on the application of unsteady Reynolds averaged Navier—Stokes (U-RANS) and hybrid large-eddy simulation (LES)/Reynolds averaged Navier—Stokes (RANS) methods to predict flows in compressor cascades using an affordable computational mesh. Both approaches use the ζ— f elliptic relaxation eddy-viscosity model, which for U-RANS prevails throughout the flow, whereas for the hybrid the U-RANS is active only in the near-wall region, coupled with the dynamic LES in the rest of the flow. In this ‘seamless’ coupling the dissipation rate in the k-equation is multiplied by a grid-detection function in terms of the ratio of the RANS and LES length scales. The potential of both approaches was tested in several benchmark flows showing satisfactory agreement with the available experimental results. The flow pattern through the tip clearance in a low-speed linear cascade shows close similarity with experimental evidence, indicating that both approaches can reproduce qualitatively the tip leakage and tip separation vortices with a relatively coarse computational mesh. The hybrid method, however, showed to be superior in capturing the evolution of vortical structures and related unsteadiness in the hub and wake regions.

Author(s):  
J. Luo ◽  
B. Lakshminarayana

The 3-D viscous flowfield in the rotor passage of a single-stage turbine, including the tip-leakage flow, is computed using a Navier-Stokes procedure. A grid-generation code has been developed to obtain embedded H grids inside the rotor tip gap. The blade tip geometry is accurately modeled without any “pinching”. Chien’s low-Reynolds-number k-ε model is employed for turbulence closure. Both the mean-flow and turbulence transport equations are integrated in time using a four-stage Runge-Kutta scheme. The computational results for the entire turbine rotor flow, particularly the tip-leakage flow and the secondary flows, are interpreted and compared with available data. The predictions for major features of the flowfield are found to be in good agreement with the data. Complicated interactions between the tip-clearance flows and the secondary flows are examined in detail. The effects of endwall rotation on the development and interaction of secondary and tip-leakage vortices are also analyzed.


Author(s):  
John Leggett ◽  
Stephan Priebe ◽  
Richard Sandberg ◽  
Vittorio Michelassi ◽  
Aamir Shabbir

In the design of modern jet engines the need for accurate loss prediction techniques is ever present. The most common tool currently in use is Reynolds Averaged Navier-Stokes model which provides good estimation at design conditions but can struggle with off design conditions. With accuracy being such an important requirement, an alternative method such as Large Eddy Simulation presents an opportunity to improve and assess the off design performance. Although still limited by computational resources, the use of Large Eddy Simulations in conjunction with more detailed loss analysis methods forms a powerful tool for assessing and improving current Reynolds Averaged Navier-Stokes techniques. The simulations performed here are an incidence sweep at off-design conditions with free stream turbulence. The results of the two methodologies are compared with the use of loss breakdown analysis and the best practice of applying the loss breakdown technique to compressors is outlined.


2002 ◽  
Vol 453 ◽  
pp. 201-238 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. SALINAS VÁZQUEZ ◽  
O. MÉTAIS

Large-eddy simulations of a compressible turbulent square duct flow at low Mach number are described. First, we consider the isothermal case with all the walls at the same temperature: good agreement with previous incompressible DNS and LES results is obtained both for the statistical quantities and for the turbulent structures. A heated duct with a higher temperature prescribed at one wall is then considered and the intensity of the heating is varied widely. The increase of the viscosity with temperature in the vicinity of the heated wall turns out to play a major rôle. We observe an amplification of the near-wall secondary flows, a decrease of the turbulent fluctuations in the near-wall region and, conversely, their enhancement in the outer wall region. The increase of the viscous thickness with heating implies a significant augmentation of the size of the characteristic flow structures such as the low- and high-speed streaks, the ejections and the quasi-longitudinal vorticity structures. For strong enough heating, the size limitation imposed by the lateral walls leads to a single low-speed streak located near the duct central plane surrounded by two high-speed streaks on both sides. Violent ejections of slow and hot fluid from the heated wall are observed, linked with the central low-speed streak. A selective statistical sampling of the most violent ejection events reveals that the entrainment of cold fluid, originated from the duct core, at the base of the ejection and its subsequent expansion amplifies the ejection intensity.


Author(s):  
Domenico Borello ◽  
Giovanni Delibra ◽  
Kemal Hanjalic´ ◽  
Franco Rispoli

In this work a robust hybrid LES/RANS model has been applied to the prediction of secondary flows in a linear compressor cascade with moving casing simulating the relative motion between blade and the casing. The hybrid LES/RANS model uses the well established Ζ-f URANS model of Hanjalic´ et al. (2004) in the near wall region coupled with dynamic Smagorinsky LES. The switch between the two zones is based on a couple of parameters defining the boundary of interface region: the first one is a grid-detection parameter expressed as a function of the ratio between the turbulent and LES characteristic length scales while the switching to pure LES is obtained when the subgrid scale viscosity is greater than eddy viscosity (Delibra et al., 2010). We present hybrid LES/RANS results of a 3D linear compressor cascade with a tip leakage equal to 1.65% of chord. We compare two cascade configurations: with stationary casing and with moving casing. The second simulation allows to scrutinize the exclusive influence of the relative motion between casing and blades on the tip leakage vortex and the turbulent structures developing in the wake. The quality of the results and their agreement with experiments are encouraging in terms of prediction of the main flow characteristics and identification of turbulence structures.


Author(s):  
Michael Leschziner ◽  
Ning Li ◽  
Fabrizio Tessicini

This paper provides a discussion of several aspects of the construction of approaches that combine statistical (Reynolds-averaged Navier–Stokes, RANS) models with large eddy simulation (LES), with the objective of making LES an economically viable method for predicting complex, high Reynolds number turbulent flows. The first part provides a review of alternative approaches, highlighting their rationale and major elements. Next, two particular methods are introduced in greater detail: one based on coupling near-wall RANS models to the outer LES domain on a single contiguous mesh, and the other involving the application of the RANS and LES procedures on separate zones, the former confined to a thin near-wall layer. Examples for their performance are included for channel flow and, in the case of the zonal strategy, for three separated flows. Finally, a discussion of prospects is given, as viewed from the writer's perspective.


Author(s):  
Domenico Borello ◽  
Giovanni Delibra ◽  
Franco Rispoli

In this paper we present an innovative Partially Averaged Navier Stokes (PANS) approach for the simulation of turbomachinery flows. The elliptic relaxation k-ε-ζ-f model was used as baseline Unsteady Reynolds Averaged Navier Stokes (URANS) model for the derivation of the PANS formulation. The well established T-FlowS unstructured finite volume in-house code was used for the computations. A preliminary assessment of the developed formulation was carried out on a 2D hill flow that represents a very demanding test case for turbulence models. The turbomachinery flow here investigated reproduces the experimental campaign carried out at Virginia Tech on a linear compressor cascade with tip leakage. Their measurements were used for comparisons with numerical results. The predictive capabilities of the model were assessed through the analysis of the flow field. Then an investigation of the blade passage, where experiments were not available, was carried out to detect the main loss sources.


AIAA Journal ◽  
2021 ◽  
pp. 1-17
Author(s):  
Tanner B. Nielsen ◽  
Jack R. Edwards ◽  
Harsha K. Chelliah ◽  
Damien Lieber ◽  
Clayton Geipel ◽  
...  

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
David Vanpouille ◽  
Dimitrios Papadogiannis ◽  
Stéphane Hiernaux

Abstract Surge margin is critical for the safety of aeronautical compressors, hence predicting it early in the design process using CFD is mandatory. However, close to surge, steady-state Reynolds Averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) simulations are proven inadequate. Unsteady techniques such as Unsteady RANS (URANS) and Large Eddy Simulation (LES) can provide more reliable predictions. Nevertheless, the accuracy of such methods are dependent on the method used to handle the rotor/stator interfaces. The most precise method, the sliding mesh, requires simulating the full annulus or a periodic sector, which can be very costly. Other techniques to reduce the domain exist, such as the phase-lagged approach or geometric blade scaling, but introduce restrictive assumptions on the flow at near-stall conditions. The objective of this paper is to investigate the near-stall flow of a low-pressure compressor using unsteady methods of varying fidelity: URANS with the phase lag assumption, URANS on a periodic sector and a high-fidelity LES on a smaller periodic sector achieved using geometric blade scaling. Results are compared to experimental measurements. An overall good agreement is found. Results show that the tip leakage vortex is not the origin of the stall on the studied configuration and a hub corner separation is initiated. LES further validates the (U)RANS flow predictions and brings additional insight on unsteady flow separations.


Author(s):  
Benjamin Torner ◽  
Sebastian Hallier ◽  
Matthias Witte ◽  
Frank-Hendrik Wurm

The use of implantable pumps for cardiac support (Ventricular Assist Devices) has proven to be a promising option for the treatment of advanced heart failure. Avoiding blood damage and achieving high efficiencies represent two main challenges in the optimization process. To improve VADs, it is important to understand the turbulent flow field in depth in order to minimize losses and blood damage. The application of the Large-eddy simulation (LES) is an appropriate approach to simulate the flow field because turbulent structures and flow patterns, which are connected to losses and blood damage, are directly resolved. The focus of this paper is the comparison between an LES and an Unsteady Reynolds-Averaged Navier-Stokes simulation (URANS) because the latter one is the most frequently used approach for simulating the flow in VADs. Integral quantities like pressure head and efficiency are in a good agreement between both methods. Additionally, the mean velocity fields show similar tendencies. However, LES and URANS show different results for the turbulent kinetic energy. Deviations of several tens of percent can be also observed for a blood damage parameter, which depend on velocity gradients. Possible reasons for the deviations will be investigated in future works.


Author(s):  
José Ramón Serrano ◽  
Roberto Navarro ◽  
Luis Miguel García-Cuevas ◽  
Lukas Benjamin Inhestern

Tip leakage loss characterization and modeling plays an important role in small size radial turbine research. The momentum of the flow passing through the tip gap is highly related with the tip leakage losses. The ratio of fluid momentum driven by the pressure gradient between suction side and pressure side and the fluid momentum caused by the shroud friction has been widely used to analyze and to compare different sized tip clearances. However, the commonly used number for building this momentum ratio lacks some variables, as the blade tip geometry data and the viscosity of the used fluid. To allow the comparison between different sized turbocharger turbine tip gaps, work has been put into finding a consistent characterization of radial tip clearance flow. Therefore, a non-dimensional number has been derived from the Navier Stokes Equation. This number can be calculated like the original ratio over the chord length. Using the results of wide range CFD data, the novel tip leakage number has been compared with the traditional and widely used ratio. Furthermore, the novel tip leakage number can be separated into three different non-dimensional factors. First, a factor dependent on the radial dimensions of the tip gap has been found. Second, a factor defined by the viscosity, the blade loading, and the tip width has been identified. Finally, a factor that defines the coupling between both flow phenomena. These factors can further be used to filter the tip gap flow, obtained by CFD, with the influence of friction driven and pressure driven momentum flow.


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