scholarly journals Assessment of turbulence model predictions for a centrifugal compressor simulation

2017 ◽  
Vol 1 ◽  
pp. 2II890 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lee Gibson ◽  
Lee Galloway ◽  
Sung in Kim ◽  
Stephen Spence

Abstract Steady-state computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations are an essential tool in the design process of centrifugal compressors. Whilst global parameters, such as pressure ratio and efficiency, can be predicted with reasonable accuracy, the accurate prediction of detailed compressor flow fields is a much more significant challenge. Much of the inaccuracy is associated with the incorrect selection of turbulence model. The need for a quick turnaround in simulations during the design optimisation process also demands that the turbulence model selected be robust and numerically stable with short simulation times. In order to assess the accuracy of a number of turbulence model predictions, the current study used an exemplar open test case, the centrifugal compressor “Radiver”, to compare the results of three eddy-viscosity models and two Reynolds stress type models. The turbulence models investigated in this study were: (i) Spalart-Allmaras (SA), (ii) Shear Stress Transport (SST), (iii) a modification to the SST model denoted the SST-curvature correction (SST-CC), (iv) Reynolds stress model of Speziale, Sarkar and Gatski (RSM-SSG), and (v) the turbulence frequency formulated Reynolds stress model (RSM-ω). Each was found to be in good agreement with the experiments (below 2% discrepancy), with respect to total-to-total parameters at three different operating conditions. However, for the near surge operating point P1, local flow field differences were observed between the models, with the SA model showing particularly poor prediction of local flow structures. The SST-CC showed better prediction of curved rotating flows in the impeller. The RSM-ω was better for the wake and separated flow in the diffuser. The SST model showed reasonably stable, robust and time efficient capability to predict global performance and local flow features.

Author(s):  
Huitao Yang ◽  
Sumanta Acharya ◽  
Srinath V. Ekkad ◽  
Chander Prakash ◽  
Ron Bunker

Numerical calculations are performed to simulate the tip leakage flow and heat transfer on the squealer (recessed) tip of GE-E3 turbine rotor blade. A squealer tip with a 3.77% recess of the blade span is considered in this study, and the results are compared with the predictions for a flat-tip blade. The calculations have been performed for an isothermal blade with an overall pressure ratio of 1.32, an inlet turbulence intensity of 6.1%, and for three different tip gap clearances of 1%, 1.5% and 2.5% of the blade span. These conditions correspond to the experiments reported by Azad et al. [1]. The calculations have been performed for three different turbulence models (the standard high Re k-ε model, the RNG k-ε and the Reynolds Stress Model) in order to assess the capability of the models in correctly predicting the blade heat transfer. The predictions show good agreement with the experimental data, with the Reynolds stress model calculations clearly providing the best results. Substantial reductions in the tip heat transfer and leakage flow is obtained with the squealer tip configuration. With the squealer tip, the heat transfer coefficients on the shroud and on the suction surface of the blade are also considerably reduced.


Author(s):  
S. Y. Jaw ◽  
R. R. Hwang

To improve the prediction of turbulent flows, a two-scale, non-linear Reynolds stress turbulence model is proposed in this study. It is known that for the near-wall low-Reynolds number turbulent flows, the Kolmogorov turbulence scale, based on the fluid kinematic viscosity and dissipation rate of turbulent kinetic energy (ν,ε), is the dominant turbulence scale, hence it is adopted to address the viscous effects and the rapid increase of dissipation rate in the near wall region. As a wall is approached, the turbulence scale transits smoothly from turbulent kinetic energy based (k, ε) scale to (ν,ε) scale. The damping functions of the low-Reynolds number models can thus be simplified and the near-wall turbulence characteristics, such as the ε distribution, are correctly reproduced. Furthermore, to improve the prediction of the anisotropic Reynolds stresses for complex flows, a nonlinear algebraic Reynolds stress model is incorporated. The same turbulence scales are adopted in the nonlinear algebraic Reynolds stress model. The developed two-scale non-linear Reynolds stress model is first calibrated with the DNS budgets of two-dimensional channel flows, and then applied to predict the separation flow behind a backward facing step. It is found that the proposed two-scale nonlinear Reynolds stress turbulence model is capable of providing satisfactory results without increasing much computation efforts or causing numerical stability problems.


1995 ◽  
Vol 39 (04) ◽  
pp. 263-283 ◽  
Author(s):  
F. Sotiropoulos ◽  
V. C. Patel

ABSTRACT The Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes equations are solved to assess the importance of the turbulence model in the prediction of ship stern and wake flows. Solutions are obtained with a two-equation scalar turbulence model and a seven-equation Reynolds-stress tensor model, both of which resolve the flow up to the wall, holding invariant all aspects of the numerical method, including solution domain, initial and boundary conditions, and grid topology and density. Calculations are carried out for two tanker forms used as test cases at recent workshops, and solutions are compared with each other and with experimental data. The comparisons reveal that the Reynolds-stress model accurately predicts most of the experimentally observed flow features in the stern and near-wake regions whereas the two-equation model predicts only the overall qualitative trends. In particular, solutions with the Reynolds-stress model clarify the origin of the stern vortex.


Author(s):  
Anton Weber ◽  
Christian Morsbach ◽  
Edmund Kügeler ◽  
Christoph Rube ◽  
Matthias Wedeking

The flow field inside a single-stage centrifugal compressor characterized by a high flowrate of Φ = 0.15 and a design total pressure ratio of approximately 1.4 is analysed numerically. The stage geometry consists of a radially oriented inlet duct with uniform inflow without swirl, a 90 deg inlet bend in front of the impeller, the shrouded impeller itself followed by a large radial vaneless diffuser, a 180 deg U-turn, a radially oriented turning vane, a subsequent 90 deg bend, and as the last item a long axial exit duct. The impeller blades have large fillets at hub and tip and thick blunt trailing edges. Due to the rotating shroud, a labyrinth seal is placed above the impeller with 5 seal tips. The complete leakage region is also included in the CFD analysis. The blade numbers for the impeller and vane are 15 and 14, respectively. The test rig has recently been built at the Institute of Propulsion and Turbomachinery at RWTH Aachen University (Germany). The first part of the CFD work presented was carried out before the first experimental data were available. Using the k-ω turbulence model of Wilcox (1988), a number of principal steady RANS calculations were performed to investigate the following: Impact of near wall grid resolution and turbulence model wall boundary condition treatment, impact of impeller fillets, and the influence of leakage flow. This part is completed by a comparison of steady RANS simulations with the time-mean results of unsteady RANS analyses of one blade passage. For the calculations presented in the second part, experimental data are available at the inflow and outflow planes. At these planes overall mean values were deduced. Additionally, 3- and 5-hole probe data are available at spanwise traverse planes located at the zenith of the U-turn and in the exit plane. For part two a finer grid with y+ values of approximately unity for all solid walls was used. In addition to the Wilcox k-ω model and the Menter SST k-ω model, two higher level turbulence models — the explicit algebraic Reynolds stress model Hellsten EARSM k-ω and the differential Reynolds stress model SSG/LRR-ω — have been tested and compared with the experiments. The agreement in terms of overall performance (total pressure ratio, isentropic efficiency) is satisfactory for all turbulence models used, but there are some differences: the k-ω model is shown to be the most stable one towards stall. On the other hand, it is shown that details of the flow field in terms of the two spanwise traverses can be better represented by the more advanced turbulence models. All CFD simulations have been performed at 100% shaft speed.


Author(s):  
Stefan Voigt ◽  
Berthold Noll ◽  
Manfred Aigner

The present paper deals with the detailed numerical simulation of film cooling including conjugate heat transfer. Five different turbulence models are used to simulate a film cooling configuration. The models include three steady and two unsteady models. The steady RANS models are the Shear stress transport (SST) model of Menter, the Reynolds stress model of Speziale, Sarkar and Gatski and a k-ε explicit algebraic Reynolds stress model. The unsteady models are a URANS formulation of the SST model and a scale-adaptive simulation (SAS). The solver used in this study is the commercial code ANSYS CFX 11.0. The results are compared to available experimental data. These data include velocity and turbulence intensity fields in several planes. It is shown that the steady RANS approach has difficulties with predicting the flow field due to the high 3-dimensional unsteadiness. The URANS and SAS simulations on the other hand show good agreement with the experimental data. The deviation from the experimental data in velocity values in the steady cases is about 20% whereas the error in the unsteady cases is below 10%.


Author(s):  
Peng Wang ◽  
Thomas Reviol ◽  
Haikun Ren ◽  
Martin Böhle

The mixing performance of a novel design propeller fixed at a position with the angle of −10° combine the inference of the variety of rotation speed and rheology properties were investigated using an ultrasonic Doppler anemometer (UDA) and CFD simulation to investigate the flow patterns and the power consumption in a mixing vessel. The fluids of interest in this research are CMC fluids, which is a type of Walocel CRT 40,000PA powder was added into water to prepare the solutions with the mass concentration which performed shear thinning non-Newtonian fluid properties. As the viscosity of the non-Newtonian fluids varies from the shear rate, rather than a constant value. Therefore, a non-Newtonian power-law model has been selected to describe the properties of the non-Newtonian fluids, and combine with six turbulence models (the standard k-ω model, RNG k-ε, standard k-ε, Realizable k-ε, SST k-ω and Reynolds stress model (RSM))for mechanical agitation of non-Newtonian fluids. Through comparing experiment results, the SST k-ω and Reynolds stress model (RSM) are found more physical than other turbulence models at the design operating point. Furthermore, the CFD simulation results from Reynolds stress model (RSM) and the SST models were validated with the experimental results over the range of rotation speed (small, design, and large rotation speeds), and show that the simulated propeller torque and flow patterns agreed very well with experimental measurements. The velocity field distribution with different operating conditions within selected planes also have been compared with each other and found that for different rheology concentrations and operating conditions, the turbulence model should be properly chosen. The model for simulating non-Newtonian fluid in a stirred vessel in this study can lay a foundation for further optimum research.


Author(s):  
Woochan Seok ◽  
Sang Bong Lee ◽  
Shin Hyung Rhee

This study concerns the characteristics of the partially averaged Navier–Stokes method for local flow analysis around a rotating propeller. Partially averaged Navier–Stokes, resolving crucial large-scale structures of turbulent flow at a given computational grid resolution, is a bridging turbulence closure model between the Reynolds-averaged Navier–Stokes equation and the direct numerical simulation. A detailed comparison between partially averaged Navier–Stokes and Reynolds-averaged Navier–Stokes models is made to achieve a better understanding of partially averaged Navier–Stokes characteristics for predicting the coherent structures in turbulent flow. The two-equation k-ω shear stress transport model and the seven-equation Reynolds stress model are selected for Reynolds-averaged Navier–Stokes computations. The problem of interest is the flow around a rotating KP505 propeller in open water conditions at an advance ratio of 0.7. Near the leading edge, the partially averaged Navier–Stokes results are similar to those of Reynolds stress model in terms of the vortical structures. Vorticity predicted by different turbulence models, however, shows significant differences. For a more detailed analysis, the velocity gradient constituting the vorticity is identified at the leading edge. It is proven that partially averaged Navier–Stokes is able to capture the anisotropic characteristics of the flow at the leading edge, where both the geometric and flow characteristics change abruptly.


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