scholarly journals Loss Assessment of the Axial-Gap Size Effect in a Low-Pressure Turbine

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 ◽  
pp. 1-14
Author(s):  
Marcel Oettinger ◽  
Dajan Mimic ◽  
Michael Henke ◽  
Oleg Schmunk ◽  
Jorg Seume

The aim of this work is the decomposition, quantification, and analysis of losses related to the axial-gap size effect. Both experimental data and unsteady RANS calculations are investigated for axial gaps equal to 20%, 50% and 80% of the stator axial chord. A framework for identifying sources of loss typical in turbomachinery is derived and utilized for the low-pressure turbine presented. The analysis focuses on the dependency of these losses on the axial-gap variation. It is found that two-dimensional profile losses increase for smaller gaps due to higher wake-mixing losses and unsteady wake-blade interaction. Losses in the end-wall regions, however, decrease for smaller gaps. The total system efficiency can be described by a superposition of individual loss contributions, the optimum of which is found for the smallest gap investigated. It is concluded that these loss contributions are characteristic for the medium aspect-ratio airfoils and operating conditions investigated. This establishes a deeper physical understanding for future investigations into the axial-gap size effect and its interdependency with other design parameters.

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marcel Oettinger ◽  
◽  
Dajan Mimic ◽  
Michael Henke ◽  
Oleg Schmunk ◽  
...  

2005 ◽  
Vol 109 (1093) ◽  
pp. 101-118 ◽  
Author(s):  
Y. B. Suzen ◽  
P. G. Huang

Abstract A transport equation for the intermittency factor is employed to predict transitional flows under the effects of pressure gradients, freestream turbulence intensities, Reynolds number variations, flow separation and reattachment, and unsteady wake-blade interactions representing diverse operating conditions encountered in low-pressure turbines. The intermittent behaviour of the transitional flows is taken into account and incorporated into computations by modifying the eddy viscosity, μτ with the intermittency factor, γ. Turbulent quantities are predicted by using Menter’s two-equation turbulence model (SST). The onset location of transition is obtained from correlations based on boundary-layer momentum thickness, accelaration parameter, and turbulence intensity. The intermittency factor is obtained from a transport model which can produce both the experimentally observed streamwise variation of intermittency and a realistic profile in the cross stream direction. The intermittency transport model is tested and validated against several well documented low pressure turbine experiments ranging from flat plate cases to unsteady wake-blade interaction experiments. Overall, good agreement between the experimental data and computational results is obtained illustrating the predicting capabilities of the model and the current intermittency transport modelling approach for transitional flow simulations.


Author(s):  
Manuel Zenz ◽  
Loris Simonassi ◽  
Philipp Bruckner ◽  
Simon Pramstrahler ◽  
Franz Heitmeir ◽  
...  

Abstract To further reduce the noise emitted from modern aircrafts, every possibility has to be taken into account. Acoustic liners are successfully used in the inlet or the bypass duct of aircraft engines to mitigate the noise emitted by the fan. Due to the rough environment (high temperature, flow velocity, higher order duct modes), the exhaust duct is of limited use concerning the application of acoustic liners. It is well known that the last stage low pressure turbine (LPT) has a dominant influence onto the emitted noise of an aircraft engine especially at low load conditions such as approach. A noise reduction in this area could lead to a beneficial result of decreasing the noise content which is directly emitted in the environment. This paper is about noise attenuation using Helmholtz absorbers in various parts of a turbine exit casing (TEC). These single degree of freedom absorbers have been integrated in turbine exit guide vanes (TEGVs), with the openings on the vanes suction side, as well as in the inner and outer duct end walls. Different absorber neck diameters were investigated and combined with different vane designs. The vane designs studied included a state of the art set-up as well as vanes with a lean. Test runs were performed with altered combinations of vanes and end walls under engine relevant operating conditions in a subsonic test turbine facility for aerodynamic, aeroacoustic and aeroelastic investigations (STTF-AAAI) located at the Institute of Thermal Turbomachinery and Machine Dynamics at Graz University of Technology. Comparisons between all these setups and the respective hard wall reference cases were done. The resulting sound pressure levels as well as sound power levels of all investigated combinations are listed and compared concerning each configurations noise attenuation potential. Additionally, the flow field downstream of every setup is analysed if the aerodynamic behaviour is changing. The investigated operating point is the noise certification point Approach (APP) which is of high importance because of the high acoustical impact onto the environment around airports during the landing procedure of an aircraft. The acoustical data has been obtained by using flush mounted condenser microphones located downstream of the TEC. The whole test section was rotated over 360 deg around the flow channel. To detect if the aerodynamical behaviour changes by including openings into the flow channel end walls as well as into the vanes, aerodynamic measurements have been performed downstream of the TEC. The aerodynamical data was obtained by using an aerodynamic five-hole-probe (5HP) as well as a trailing edge probe.


Author(s):  
Simone Marchetti ◽  
Duccio Nappini ◽  
Roberto De Prosperis ◽  
Paolo Di Sisto

Abstract This paper describes the design of the Free Power Turbine (FPT) of the LM9000, in particularly the design of its Passive Clearance Control (PCC) system. The LM9000 is the aero-derivative version of the GE90-115B jet engine. Its core engine has many common parts with the GE90; what differs is the booster (low pressure compressor) and the lower pressure turbine (LPT). The booster of the LM9000 is without fan because the engine is not used to provide thrust but torque only, subsequently it has a new flow path [5]. The LPT has instead been replaced by an intermediate pressure turbine (IPT) and by the FPT. The IPT drives the booster, while the FPT is a free low-pressure turbine designed for both power generation and mechanical drive industrial applications, including LNG production plants. Due to its different application, the LM9000 FPT flow path differs sensibly from the GE90 LPT, however as the GE90 it is provided of a clearance control system that cools the casing in order to reduce its radial deflection. It is not the first time that a clearance control system has been used in industrial applications; in GE aero-derivative power turbines is already present in the LM6000 and LMS100. Design constraints, system complexity, high environment variability because the PCC is located outside the GT, harsh environments and long periods of usage still make the design of this component challenging. The design of the PCC has been supported by extensive heat transfer and mechanical simulations. Each PCC component has been addressed with a dedicated life calculation and all the blade and seal clearances have been estimated for all the operating conditions of the engine. Simulations have been validated by an extensive test campaign performed on the first engine.


2017 ◽  
Vol 140 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
R. Pichler ◽  
V. Michelassi ◽  
R. Sandberg ◽  
J. Ong

Blade-to-blade interactions in a low-pressure turbine (LPT) were investigated using highly resolved compressible large eddy simulations (LESs). For a realistic setup, a stator and rotor configuration with profiles typical of LPTs was used. Simulations were conducted with an in-house solver varying the gap size between stator and rotor from 21.5% to 43% rotor chord. To investigate the effect of the gap size on the prevailing loss mechanisms, a loss breakdown was conducted. It was found that in the large gap (LG) size case, the turbulence kinetic energy (TKE) levels of the stator wake close to the rotor leading edge were only one third of those in the small gap (SG) case, due to the longer distance of constant area mixing. The small time-averaged suction side separation on the blade, found in the LG case, disappeared in the SG calculations, confirming how stronger wakes can keep the boundary layer attached. The higher intensity wake impinging on the blade, however, did not affect the time-averaged losses calculated using the control volume approach of Denton. On the other hand, losses computed by taking cross sections upstream and downstream of the blade revealed a greater distortion loss generated by the stator wakes in the SG case. Despite the suction side separation suppression, the SG case gave higher losses overall due to the incoming wake turbulent kinetic energy amplification along the blade passage.


2020 ◽  
Vol 142 (7) ◽  
Author(s):  
Silvio Chemnitz ◽  
Reinhard Niehuis

Abstract The development and verification of new turbulence models for Reynolds-averaged Navier–Stokes (RANS) equation-based numerical methods require reliable experimental data with a deep understanding of the underlying turbulence mechanisms. High accurate turbulence measurements are normally limited to simplified test cases under optimal experimental conditions. This work presents comprehensive three-dimensional data of turbulent flow quantities, comparing advanced constant temperature anemometry (CTA) and stereoscopic particle image velocimetry (PIV) methods under realistic test conditions. The experiments are conducted downstream of a linear, low-pressure turbine cascade at engine relevant high-speed operating conditions. The special combination of high subsonic Mach and low Reynolds number results in a low density test environment, challenging for all applied measurement techniques. Detailed discussions about influences affecting the measured result for each specific measuring technique are given. The presented time mean fields as well as total turbulence data demonstrate with an average deviation of ΔTu<0.4% and ΔC/Cref<0.9% an extraordinary good agreement between the results from the triple sensor hot-wire probe and the 2D3C-PIV setup. Most differences between PIV and CTA can be explained by the finite probe size and individual geometry.


1987 ◽  
Vol 109 (2) ◽  
pp. 201-209 ◽  
Author(s):  
H. P. Hodson ◽  
R. G. Dominy

The ability of a given blade profile to operate over a wide range of conditions is often of the utmost importance. This paper reports the off-design performance of a low-pressure turbine rotor root section in a linear cascade. Data were obtained using pneumatic probes and surface flow visualization. The effects of incidence (+9, 0, −20 deg), Reynolds (1.5, 2.9, 6.0 × 105), pitch-chord ratio (0.46, 0.56, 0.69), and inlet boundary layer thickness (0.011, 0.022 δ*/C) are discussed. Particular attention is paid to the three dimensionality of the flow field. Significant differences in the detail of the flow occur over the range of operating conditions investigated. It is found that the production of new secondary loss is greatest at lower Reynolds numbers, positive incidence, and the higher pitch-chord ratios.


Author(s):  
M. Nowinski ◽  
J. Panovsky

The work described in this paper is part of a comprehensive research effort aimed at eliminating the occurrence of low pressure turbine blade flutter in aircraft engines. The results of fundamental unsteady aerodynamic experiments conducted in an annular cascade are studied in order to improve the overall understanding of the flutter mechanism and to identify the key flutter parameters. In addition to the standard traveling wave tests, several other unique experiments are described. The influence coefficient technique is experimentally verified for this class of blades. The beneficial stabilizing effect of mistuning is also directly demonstrated. Finally, the key design parameters for flutter in low pressure turbine blades are identified. In addition to the experimental effort, correlating analyses utilizing linearized Euler methods demonstrate that these computational techniques are adequate to predict turbine flutter.


1996 ◽  
Vol 118 (1) ◽  
pp. 214-224 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. H. Tindell ◽  
T. M. Alston ◽  
C. A. Sarro ◽  
G. C. Stegmann ◽  
L. Gray ◽  
...  

Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) methods are applied to the analysis of a low-pressure turbine exhaust hood at a typical steam power generating station. A Navier-Stokes solver, capable of modeling all the viscous terms, in a Reynolds-averaged formulation, was used. The work had two major goals. The first was to develop a comprehensive understanding of the complex three-dimensional flow fields that exist in the exhaust hood at representative operating conditions. The second was to evaluate the relative benefits of a flow guide modification to optimize performance at a selected operating condition. Also, the influence of simulated turbine discharge characteristics, relative to uniform hood entrance conditions, was evaluated. The calculations show several interesting and possibly unique results. They support use of an integrated approach to the design of turbine exhaust stage blading and hood geometry for optimum efficiency.


2019 ◽  
Vol 142 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sara Biagiotti ◽  
Juri Bellucci ◽  
Michele Marconcini ◽  
Andrea Arnone ◽  
Gino Baldi ◽  
...  

Abstract In this work, the effects of turbine center frame (TCF) wakes on the aeromechanical behavior of the downstream low-pressure turbine (LPT) blades are numerically investigated and compared with the experimental data. A small industrial gas turbine has been selected as a test case, composed of a TCF followed by the two low-pressure stages and a turbine rear frame (TRF) before the exhaust plenum. Full annulus unsteady computations of the whole low-pressure module have been performed. Two operating conditions, full (100%) and partial (50%) load, have been investigated with the aim of highlighting the impact of TCF wakes convection and diffusion through the downstream rows. Attention was paid to the harmonic content of rotors’ blades. The results show a slower decay of the wakes through the downstream rows in off-design conditions compared with the design point. The analysis of the rotors’ frequency spectrum reveals that moving from design to off-design conditions, the effect of the TCF does not change significantly. The harmonic contribution of all turbine components has been extracted, highlighting the effect of statoric parts on the last LPT blade. The TCF harmonic content remains the most relevant from an aeromechanic point of view as per experimental evidence, and it is considered for an forced response analysis (FRA) on the last LPT blade itself. Finally, aerodynamic and aeromechanic predictions have been compared with the experimental data to validate the numerical approach. Some general design solutions aimed at mitigating the TCF wakes impact are discussed.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document