Comparative analysis of air and water flows in simplified hydraulic turbine models

This article presents a comparative analysis of flow characteristics behind a hydraulic turbine runner in air and water. Swirling flow with a precessing vortex core (PVC) was investigated using a laser Doppler anemometer and pressure pulsation sensors. The experiments were conducted on aerodynamic and hydrodynamic test rigs over a wide range of hydraulic turbine operating conditions. Part-load modes of hydraulic turbine operation were investigated using the Fourier transform of pressure pulsations obtained from acoustic sensors. The features of the swirling flow were shown for the range of operating conditions from deep partl-load to overload.

Large-eddy simulation of a reacting swirling flow in a model combustion chamber

We perform Large-eddy simulations of a non-premixed swirling flame in a model of a combustion chamber with a swirling air bulk flow at Re = 15000 and a central pilot low-velocity jet with methane using the Flamelet-generated manifold model. The unsteady behaviour of this regime is well reproduced based on the flame dynamics. The distribution of turbulent kinetic energy suggests the presence of intensive vortical structures typical of high-swirl flows similar to the precessing vortex core.

Large-eddy simulations of a swirling flow in a model Francis turbine

We performed Large-eddy simulations of the flow in a model air Francis turbine in a range of low-load regimes with a swirler rotating at fixed frequency. All investigated regimes revealed the presence of coherent helical vortex structure in the draft tube: the precessing vortex core. We identified the frequency of this instability and obtained mean flow velocity fields to be utilized in further works.

The unsteady swirling jet in a model of radial burner

The experimental study of an isothermal swirl flow with the formation of a precessing vortex core in the radial swirler upon non-confinement and confinement conditions is carried out. Velocity profiles are obtained with varying Re and guide vane angle, changing the swirl number S. Four acoustic sensors and LDA system are used to measure Strouhal number as the function of the integral swirl number in the range from 0.5 <S <0.8. It is shown that the unsteady flow with PVC effect significantly changes upon non-confinement and confinement conditions.

Numerical study of the vortex breakdown and vortex reconnection in the flow path of high-pressure water turbine

The paper presents a study of the instability of the precessing vortex core in the model of the draft tube of a hydraulic turbine. The study was carried out using numerical modeling using various approaches: URANS, RSM, LES. The best agreement with the experimental data was shown by the RSM and LES methods with the modelling of the runner rotation by the sliding mesh method. In the regime under consideration, the precessing vortex rope is subject to instability, which leads to reconnection of its turns and the formation of an isolated vortex ring. Reconnection of the vortex core leads to aperiodic and intense pressure fluctuations recorded on the diffuser wall.

Impact of Hydrogen Addition On the Thermoacoustic Instability and Precessing Vortex Core Dynamics in a CH4/H2/Air Technically Premixed Combustor

We study the impact of H2 enrichment on the unsteady flow dynamics and thermoacoustic instability in PRECCINSTA swirl combustor. The experiments were performed at atmospheric conditions with H2/CH4 fuel mixtures at a global equivalence ratio of 0.65 and a constant thermal power of 20 kW. We analyze data with three fuel compositions: 0%, 20% and 50% H2 in two operating modes, premixed (PM) and technically premixed (TPM). A new multi-resolution modal decomposition method, using a combination of wavelet transforms and proper orthogonal decomposition (WPOD) is performed on time resolved flow velocity and OHPLIF measurements. Thermoacoustic oscillations are observed in the TPM operating mode alone, indicating that the primary heat release driving mechanism is due to fuel-air ratio oscillations. WPOD results for the 0% H2 TPM case reveals intermittent helical PVC oscillations along with axisymmetric hydrodynamic flow oscillations due to the thermoacoustic oscillations. These oscillations cause local flame extinction near the nozzle centrebody resulting in liftoff. A precessing vortex core (PVC) then develops in the flow and enables intermittent flame reattachment. In the 0% H2 premixed case, the flame remains lifted off the centrebody despite the presence of PVC oscillations. H2 enrichment results in the suppression of flame lift-off and the PVC in both operating modes. We show from flow strain rate statistics and extinction strain rate calculations that the increase of the latter with H2 addition, allows the flame to stabilize in the region near the centrebody where the pure CH4 cases show lift off.

Impact of a Centrebody On the Unsteady Flow Dynamics of a Swirl Nozzle: Intermittency of PVC Oscillations

The precessing vortex core (PVC) is a self-excited flow oscillation state occurring in swirl nozzles. This is caused by the presence of a marginally unstable hydrodynamic mode that induces precession of the vortex breakdown bubble (VBB) around the flow axis. We examine the impact of a centrebody on PVC dynamics in a non-reacting flow in a swirl nozzle combustor. Time resolved high speed stereoscopic PIV measurements are performed for two swirl numbers, S=0.67 and 1.17 and three centrebody diameters, 9.5mm, 4.73mm and 0 (i.e. no centrebody). The bulk flow velocity at the nozzle exit is kept constant as Ub=8m/s for all cases (Re~20,000). The data is analyzed using a new modal decomposition technique that combines the wavelet transform and proper orthogonal decomposition (WPOD). This gives insight into globally intermittent flow dynamics. A coherent PVC is present in the flow when there is no centrebody. Introducing a centrebody makes the PVC oscillations intermittent. The WPOD results show two qualitatively different intermittent behaviours at S=0.67 and 1.17. For S=0.67, the axial position of the VBB suggests that turbulence destabilizes the PVC mode by causing intermittent separation of the VBB and centrebody wake, resulting in PVC oscillations. For S=1.17, the VBB engulfs the centrebody and stabilizes the PVC mode. Therefore, in this case, PVC oscillations appear to be the flow response to broadband stochastic forcing of the time averaged flow by turbulence.