Impact of Turbine-Strut Clocking on the Performance of a Turbine Center Frame

Previous studies have indicated a potential for improving the performance of a Turbine Center Frame (TCF) duct by optimizing the clocking position between the high-pressure-turbine (HPT) vanes and TCF struts. To assess the impact of clocking on the performance, a new test vehicle with a clockable ratio of HPT vanes to TCF struts, consisting of an HPT stage (aero-dynamically representative of the second-stage HPT engine), a TCF duct with non-turning struts, and a first-stage low-pressure turbine vane, was designed and tested in the transonic test turbine facility (TTTF) at Graz University of Technology. This paper quantifies the performance impact of clocking and describes the mechanisms causing TCF flow field changes, leveraging both experimental and numerical data. Other areas in the TCF duct impacted by the choice of the HPT vane circumferential position including the strength of unsteady HPT-TCF interaction modes, TCF strut incidence changes, and carry-over effects to the first LPT vane are additionally highlighted. Five-hole-probe (5HP) area traverses and kielhead-rake traverses were used to asses the flow field at the TCF-exit and calculate the pressure loss. The flow field at the TCF exit shows significant differences depending on the circumferential position of the HPT vane. A relative performance benefit of 5% was achieved. A series of unsteady RANS simulations were performed to support the measured results, understand and characterize the relevant loss mechanisms. The observed performance improvement was related to interaction between the HPT secondary -flow structures and the TCF struts. The impact of the HPT vane clocking on the unsteady flow field downstream of the TCF was investigated using Fast-Response Aerodynamic Pressure Probe (FRAPP) area traverses, analyzed by means of modal decomposition. In this way the individual azimuthal modes were ranked by their amplitude and a dependency of the clocking position was observed and quantified.

A Comprehensive Investigation of Blade Row Interaction Effects on Stator Loss Utilizing Vane Clocking

Blade row interactions drive the unsteady performance of high-pressure compressors. Vane clocking is the relative circumferential positioning of consecutive stationary vane rows with the same vane count. By altering the upstream vane wake's path with respect to the downstream vane, vane clocking changes the blade row interactions and results in a change in steady total pressure loss on the downstream vane. The open literature lacks a conclusive discussion of the flow physics governing these interactions in compressors. This paper presents the details of a comprehensive vane clocking study on the embedded stage of the Purdue three-stage axial compressor. The steady loss results, including radial total pressure profiles and surface flow visualization, suggest a shift in the stator 2 corner separations occurs between clocking configurations associated with the maximum and minimum total pressure loss. To better understand the flow mechanisms driving the vane clocking effects on the steady stator 2 performance, time-resolved interrogations of the stator 2 inlet flow field, surface pressure unsteadiness, and boundary layer response were conducted. The stator 2 surface flows, both pressure unsteadiness and boundary layer transition, are influenced by vane clocking and interactions between rotor 1 and rotor 2, but neither of these results indicate a cause for the change in steady total pressure loss. Moreover, they are a result of upstream changes in the flow field: the interaction between the stator 1 wake and rotor 2 results in a circumferentially varying pattern which alters the inlet flow field for the downstream row, including the unsteadiness and frequency content in the tip and hub regions. Therefore, under different clocking configurations, stator 2 experiences significantly different inlet blockage and unsteadiness from the rotor 2 tip leakage flow and hub corner separation, which, in turn, shifts the radial blade loading distribution and subsequent loss development of stator 2.

A Comprehensive Investigation of Blade Row Interaction Effects on Stator Loss Utilizing Vane Clocking

Blade row interactions drive the unsteady performance of high pressure compressors. Vane clocking is the relative circumferential positioning of consecutive stationary vane rows with the same vane count. By altering the upstream vane wake’s path with respect to the downstream vane, vane clocking changes the blade row interactions and results in a change in steady total pressure loss on the downstream vane. The open literature lacks a conclusive discussion of the flow physics governing these interactions in compressors. This paper presents the details of a comprehensive vane clocking study on the embedded stage of the Purdue 3-stage axial compressor. The steady loss results, including radial total pressure profiles and surface flow visualization, suggest a shift in the Stator 2 corner separations occurs between clocking configurations associated with the maximum and minimum total pressure loss. To better understand the flow mechanisms driving the vane clocking effects on the steady Stator 2 performance, time-resolved interrogations of the Stator 2 inlet flow field, surface pressure unsteadiness, and boundary layer response were conducted. The Stator 2 surface flows, both pressure unsteadiness and boundary layer transition, are influenced by vane clocking and interactions between Rotor 1 and Rotor 2, but neither of these results indicate a cause for the change in steady total pressure loss. Moreover, they are a result of upstream changes in the flow field: the interaction between the Stator 1 wake and Rotor 2 results in a circumferentially varying pattern which alters the inlet flow field for the downstream row, including the unsteadiness and frequency content in the tip and hub regions. Therefore, under different clocking configurations, Stator 2 experiences significantly different inlet blockage and unsteadiness from the Rotor 2 tip leakage flow and hub corner separation, which, in turn, shifts the radial blade loading distribution and subsequent loss development of Stator 2.

Vane Clocking Effects on Stator Suction Side Boundary Layers in a Multistage Compressor

The stator inlet flow field in a multistage compressor varies in the pitchwise direction due to upstream vane wakes and how those wakes interact with the upstream rotor tip leakage flows. If successive vane rows have the same count, then vane clocking can be used to position the downstream vane in the optimum circumferential position for minimum vane loss. This paper explores vane clocking effects on the suction side vane boundary layer development by measuring the quasi-wall shear stress on the downstream vane at three spanwise locations. Comparisons between the boundary layer transition on Stator 1 and Stator 2 are made to emphasize the impact of rotor-rotor interactions which are not present for Stator 1 and yet contribute significantly to transition on Stator 2. Vane clocking can move the boundary layer transition in the path between the wakes by up to 24% of the suction side length at midspan by altering the influence of the Rotor 1 wakes in the 3/rev modulation from rotor-rotor interactions. The boundary layer near the vane hub and tip experiences earlier transition and separation due to interactions with the secondary flows along the shrouded endwalls. Flow visualization and Stator 2 wakes support the shear stress results.

Experimental Investigation of Nozzle Vane Clocking in a 2-Stage Low Pressure Turbine

This study presents an experimental investigation on the effects of nozzle clocking in a 2-stage low pressure turbine. The objective was to incorporate the clocking test results into a new turboshaft engine. The test turbine was manufactured with the same aero geometries between the transition duct of the turbine inlet and the exit expansion duct as that of the development engine and it was tested under the same engine representative conditions. Two miniature Cobra probes were used to measure the turbine inlet and exit flow, both circumferentially for 30° and radially over the range of 2% ∼ 98% span. Furthermore, six arc-type rakes with 54 Kiel heads were used to measure the total temperature and total pressure at the exit of the second stage. The measurements were performed for four different nozzle clocking positions. The overall efficiency was evaluated in three different ways, including mechanical and thermodynamic methods. All three methods produced identical clocking positions, in order from the best position to the worst. The overall change in the mechanical and thermodynamic efficiency as measured by probe traverse, as well as the thermodynamic efficiency measured by the rakes, were 0.69%, 0.77%, and 0.42%, respectively. The distribution of efficiency across the span showed that clocking affects the efficiency differently in radial positions and a phase shift of the best clocking position to the next adjacent clocking position was observed. The efficiency change due to clocking was found to be related to the deviations in both the time-averaged velocity and in the total pressure at the exit of the second rotor. This deviation is a result of the relative location of the wake package originating from the first nozzle with respect to the leading edge of the second nozzle.

Influence of Upstream and Downstream Compressor Stators on Rotor Exit Flow Field

Measurements acquired at the rotor exit plane illuminate the interaction of the rotor with the upstream vane row and the downstream vane row. The relative phase of the upstream and downstream vane rows is adjusted using vane clocking so that the effect of the upstream propagating potential field from the downstream stator can be distinguished from the effects associated with the wakes shed from the upstream stator. Unsteady absolute flow angle information shows that the downstream potential field causes the absolute flow angle to increase in the vicinity of the downstream stator leading edge. The presence of Stator 1 wake is also detected at this measurement plane using unsteady total pressure data. The rotor wakes are measured at different circumferential locations across the vane passage, and the influence of Stator 1 wake on the suction side of the rotor wake is evident. Also, the influence of the downstream stator is detected on the pressure side of the rotor wake for a particular clocking configuration. Understanding the role of the surrounding vane rows on rotor wake development will lead to improved comparison between experimental data and results from computational models.