scholarly journals 3D shape optimisation of a low-pressure turbine stage

2018 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 10-21
Author(s):  
L. Witanowski ◽  
P. Klonowicz ◽  
P. Lampart
Author(s):  
L. Simonassi ◽  
M. Zenz ◽  
P. Bruckner ◽  
S. Pramstrahler ◽  
F. Heitmeir ◽  
...  

Abstract The design of modern aero engines enhances the interaction between components and facilitates the propagation of circumferential distortions of total pressure and temperature. As a consequence, the inlet conditions of a real turbine have significant spatial non-uniformities, which have direct consequences on both its aerodynamic and vibration characteristics. This work presents the results of an experimental study on the effects of different inlet total pressure distortion-stator clocking positions on the propagation of total pressure inflow disturbances through a low pressure turbine stage, with a particular focus on both the aerodynamic and aeroelastic performance. Measurements at a stable engine relevant operating condition and during transient operation were carried out in a one and a half stage subsonic turbine test facility at the Institute of Thermal Turbomachinery and Machine Dynamics at Graz University of Technology. A localised total pressure distortion was generated upstream of the stage in three different azimuthal positions relative to the stator vanes. The locations were chosen in order to align the distortion directly with a vane leading edge, suction side and pressure side. Additionally, a setup with clean inflow was used as reference. Steady and unsteady aerodynamic measurements were taken downstream of the investigated stage by means of a five-hole-probe (5HP) and a fast response aerodynamic pressure probe (FRAPP) respectively. Strain gauges applied on different blades were used in combination with a telemetry system to acquire the rotor vibration data. The aerodynamic interactions between the stator and rotor rows and the circumferential perturbation were studied through the identification of the main structures constituting the flow field. This showed that the steady and unsteady alterations created by the distortion in the flow field lead to modifications of the rotor vibration characteristics. Moreover, the importance of the impact that the pressure distortion azimuthal position has on the LPT stage aerodynamics and vibrations was highlighted.


Author(s):  
A. Marn ◽  
E. Go¨ttlich ◽  
F. Malzacher ◽  
H. P. Pirker

The demand of further increased bypass ratio of aero engines will lead to low pressure turbines with larger diameters, which rotate at lower speed. Therefore, it is necessary to guide the flow leaving the high pressure turbine to the low pressure turbine at a larger diameter without any loss generating separation or flow disturbances. Due to costs and weight this intermediate turbine duct (ITD) has to be as short as possible. This leads to an aggressive (high diffusion) and further to a super-aggressive s-shaped duct geometry. In order to investigate the influence of the blade tip gap size on such a high diffusion duct flow a detailed test arrangement under engine representative conditions is necessary. Therefore, the continuously operating Transonic Test Turbine Facility (TTTF) at Graz University of Technology has been adapted: An super-aggressive intermediate duct is arranged downstream of a transonic HP-turbine stage providing an exit Mach number of about 0.6 and a swirl angle of −15 degrees. A second LP-vane row is located at the end of the duct and represents the counter rotating low pressure turbine at a larger diameter. A following deswirler and a diffuser are the connection to the exhaust casing of the facility. In order to determine the influence of the blade tip gap size on the flow through such a super-aggressive s-shaped turbine duct measurements were conducted with two different tip gap sizes, 1.5% span (0.8 mm) and 2.4% span (1.3 mm). The aerodynamic design of the HP-turbine stage, ITD, LP-vane and the de-swirler was done by MTU Aero engines. In 2007 at ASME Turbo Expo the influence of the rotor clearance size onto the flow through an aggressive ITD was presented. For the present investigation this aggressive duct has been further shortened by 20% (super-aggressive ITD) that the flow at the outer duct wall is fully separated. This paper shows the influence of the rotor tip clearance size onto this separation. The flow through this intermediate turbine duct was investigated by means of five-hole-probes, static pressure taps, boundary layer rakes and oil flow visualisation. The oil flow visualisation showed the existence of vortical structures within the separation where they seem to be imposed by the upstream HP-vanes. This work is part of the EU-project AIDA (Aggressive Intermediate Duct Aerodynamics, Contract: AST3-CT-2003-502836).


Author(s):  
Pouya Ghaffari ◽  
Reinhard Willinger ◽  
Sabine Bauinger ◽  
Andreas Marn

In addition to geometrical modifications of the blade tip for reducing tip-leakage mass flow rate the method of passive tip-injection serves as an aerodynamic resistance towards the tip-leakage flow. The impact of this method has been investigated thoroughly at unshrouded blades in linear cascades. Furthermore combinations of shrouded blades with passive tip-injection have been investigated analytically as well as via numerical simulations for incompressible flow in linear cascades. The objective of this paper is to consider a real uncooled low pressure turbine stage with shrouded blades and to investigate the effect of passive tip-injection on various operational characteristics. CFD calculations have been carried out in a rotational frame taking into consideration compressible flow and serve for evaluating the method of passive tip-injection in the given turbine stage. Experimental data obtained from the machine without tip-injection serve as boundary conditions for the CFD calculations.


2012 ◽  
Vol 134 (5) ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Marn ◽  
E. Göttlich ◽  
F. Malzacher ◽  
H. P. Pirker

The demand for a further increased bypass ratio of aero engines will lead to low pressure turbines with larger diameters, which rotate at a lower speed. Therefore, it is necessary to guide the flow leaving the high pressure turbine to the low pressure turbine at a larger diameter without any loss generating separation or flow disturbances. Due to costs and weight, this intermediate turbine duct (ITD) has to be as short as possible. This leads to an aggressive (high diffusion) and, furthermore, to a super-aggressive s-shaped duct geometry. In order to investigate the influence of the blade tip gap size on such a high diffusion duct flow a detailed test arrangement under engine representative conditions is necessary. Therefore, the continuously operating Transonic Test Turbine Facility (TTTF) at Graz University of Technology has been adapted: An super-aggressive intermediate duct is arranged downstream of a transonic high pressure (HP)-turbine stage providing an exit Mach number of about 0.6 and a swirl angle of –15 deg. A second low pressure (LP)-vane row is located at the end of the duct and represents the counter-rotating low pressure turbine at a larger diameter. A following deswirler and a diffuser are the connection to the exhaust casing of the facility. In order to determine the influence of the blade tip gap size on the flow through such a super-aggressive s-shaped turbine, duct measurements were conducted with two different tip gap sizes, a 1.5% span (0.8 mm) and a 2.4% span (1.3 mm). The aerodynamic design of the HP-turbine stage, ITD, LP-vane, and the de-swirler was done by MTU Aero engines. In 2007 at the ASME Turbo Expo, the influence of the rotor clearance size onto the flow through an aggressive ITD was presented. For the present investigation, this aggressive duct has been further shortened by 20% (super-aggressive ITD) so that the flow at the outer duct wall is fully separated. This paper shows the influence of the rotor tip clearance size on to this separation. The flow through this intermediate turbine duct was investigated by means of five-hole-probes, static pressure taps, boundary layer rakes, and oil flow visualization. The oil flow visualization showed the existence of vortical structures within the separation where they seem to be imposed by the upstream HP-vanes.


Author(s):  
C. Faustmann ◽  
E. Göttlich

The paper deals with the investigation on the aerodynamics and the acoustics of two different turning mid turbine frames (TMTF) in the two-stage two-spool test turbine located at the Institute for Thermal Turbomachinery and Machine Dynamics (ITTM) of Graz University of Technology. The facility is a continuously operating cold-flow open-circuit plant which is driven by pressurized air. The flow path consists of a transonic turbine stage (HP) followed by a low pressure turbine stage made of a turning mid turbine frame (TMTF) and a counter-rotating low pressure rotor. The two TMTF setups have been investigated at engine like flow conditions. The first configuration consists of 16 highly 3D-shaped turning struts. The goal of the second design was to reduce the length of the TMTF by 10% without increasing the losses and providing comparable inflow to the LP turbine rotor. This was achieved by applying 3D-contoured endwalls at the hub. To estimate the pressure loss over the duct aerodynamic measurements are performed at the inlet and the outlet of both turning mid turbine frames by using 5-hole probes (FHP) and total pressure rakes. The FHP-measurements at the inlet of the TMTF were performed in three different ways to obtain the influence of probe positioning and traversing on the results. While the 5-hole probe was traversed only in a sector the rakes were traversed over the full circumference. The comparison between the two turning mid turbine frame setups shows from an aerodynamic point of view that it is possible to reduce the engine weight by designing a 10% shorter TMTF with endwall contouring providing the same pressure loss and comparable inflow conditions for the LP turbine rotor. Due to the fact that noise becomes more and more an issue additional acoustic measurements were carried out downstream of the low pressure turbine. By comparing the two setups in terms of noise generation the propagating modes due to the HP turbine were found to be the same, while an increase of 10dB in amplitude of the modes related to the LP turbine was found in the 10% shorter setup. This is in good accordance with previous studies, where reducing the distance between stator and rotor increases the emitted sound.


2004 ◽  
Vol 10 (6) ◽  
pp. 495-506 ◽  
Author(s):  
Roger L. Davis ◽  
Jixian Yao ◽  
John P. Clark ◽  
Gary Stetson ◽  
Juan J. Alonso ◽  
...  

Results from a numerical simulation of the unsteady flow through one quarter of the circumference of a transonic high-pressure turbine stage, transition duct, and low-pressure turbine first vane are presented and compared with experimental data. Analysis of the unsteady pressure field resulting from the simulation shows the effects of not only the rotor/stator interaction of the high-pressure turbine stage but also new details of the interaction between the blade and the downstream transition duct and low-pressure turbine vane. Blade trailing edge shocks propagate downstream, strike, and reflect off of the transition duct hub and/or downstream vane leading to high unsteady pressure on these downstreamcomponents. The reflection of these shocks from the downstream components back into the blade itself has also been found to increase the level of unsteady pressure fluctuations on the uncovered portion of the blade suction surface. In addition, the blade tip vortex has been found to have a moderately strong interaction with the downstream vane even with the considerable axial spacing between the two blade-rows. Fourier decomposition of the unsteady surface pressure of the blade and downstream low-pressure turbine vane shows the magnitude of the various frequencies contributing to the unsteady loads. Detailed comparisons between the computed unsteady surface pressure spectrum and the experimental data are shown along with a discussion of the various interaction mechanisms between the blade, transition duct, and downstream vane. These comparisons show-overall good agreement between the simulation and experimental data and identify areas where further improvements in modeling are needed.


Author(s):  
C. Faustmann ◽  
S. Zerobin ◽  
S. Bauinger ◽  
A. Marn ◽  
F. Heitmeir ◽  
...  

This paper deals with the investigation on the acoustics of different turning mid turbine frames (TMTF) in the two-stage two-spool test turbine located at the Institute for Thermal Turbomachinery and Machine Dynamics (ITTM) of Graz University of Technology. The facility is a continuously operating cold-flow open-circuit plant which is driven by pressurized air. The flow path consists of a transonic turbine stage (HP) followed by a low pressure turbine stage made of a turning mid turbine frame (TMTF) and a counter-rotating low pressure rotor. Downstream of the low pressure turbine a measurement section is instrumented with acoustic sensors. Three TMTF setups have been investigated at engine like flow conditions. The first configuration (C1) consists of 16 highly 3D-shaped turning struts. The goal of the second design (C2) was to reduce the length of the TMTF by 10% without increasing the losses and providing comparable inflow to the LP turbine rotor. This was achieved by applying 3D-contoured endwalls at the hub. The third one (C3) is a new embedded concept for the turning mid turbine frame with two zero-lift splitters placed into the strut passages. In total 48 vanes (16 struts plus 32 splitter vanes) guide the flow from the HP rotor to the LP rotor. The comparison in terms of noise generation and propagation of the turbines is done by the microphones signal spectra, the emitted sound pressure and sound power level of each TMTF setup. Therefore the acoustic field is characterized by azimuthal and radial modes by means of a microphone array at the outer casing traversed over 360 degrees. By comparing the first two setups (C1 and C2) in terms of noise generation the propagating modes due to the HP turbine were found to be the same, while a difference of 5 dB in amplitude of the modes related to the LP turbine was found due to the different axial spacing between both setups. In the multi-splitter configuration (C3), the overall sound power level depending on the blade passing frequency (BPF) of the HP turbine is reduced by 7 dB and depending on the BPF of the LP turbine by 4 dB compared to C1, respectively. The overall effect is a reduction of the noise emission for the HP turbine due to the embedded design as well as for the LP turbine due to increasing the axial spacing between the TMTF Vanes and LP Blades on the one hand and considerably due to the embedded design on the other hand.


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