Combining simultaneous density and velocity measurements of rotor blade tip vortices under cyclic pitch conditions

An investigation into blade tip vortices of a sub-scale rotor under cyclic pitch conditions is carried out. Background oriented schlieren (BOS), particle image velocimetry (PIV), and computational fluid dynamics (CFD) are applied to the same test cases. This approach allows to combine the velocity data from PIV in a measurement plane, the density related data from BOS in a measurement volume, and the comprehensive set of flow variables provided by unsteady detached eddy simulations. Vortices up to an age of $$\varPsi _{{\text {v}}}= {70}^\circ$$ Ψ v = 70 ∘ in case of PIV and CFD, and up to $$\varPsi _{{\text {v}}}= {200}^\circ$$ Ψ v = 200 ∘ in case of BOS are considered. The vortex locations are obtained through all three techniques. The unsteadiness of the vortices was obtained by the experimental results, whereas CFD provides an average solution. An increased position scatter was observed during the downstroke of the pitch cycle with both experimental methods and was found to be in good agreement. In the second part, the PIV velocity data are compared to common vortex models. An approach to link the density distribution and the swirl velocity is applied to the measured data. Based on the CFD results, it is shown that the assumption of isothermal flow yields better agreement between velocity and density than isentropic flow. Graphic abstract

Development and Application of a Concentration Probe for Mixing Flows Tracking in Turbomachinery Applications

Modern gas turbines present important temperature distortions in the core-engine flowpath, mainly in the form of hot and cold streaks imputed to combustor burners and components cooling systems. As they highly influence turbines performance and lifetime, the precise knowledge of the thermal field evolution through the combustor and the high-pressure turbine is fundamental. The majority of past studies investigated streaks migrations directly examining the thermal field, while a limited amount of experimental work employed approaches based on the detection of tracer gases. The latter approach provides a more detailed evaluation of the evolution and mixing of the different flows. However, the slow time response due to the employment of sampling probes and gas analysers make the investigation of a whole measurement plane extremely time consuming. To tackle this issue, in this study a commercial oxygen sensor element and its excitation/detection unit were integrated into a newly developed probe to carry out local tracer gas concentration measurements exploiting the fluorescence behaviour. The probe was provided with a Kiel-like shield, a pressure port and a thermocouple, in order to correct the readings in case of 3D flows with pressure, temperature and velocity gradients. The paper summarizes the probe development and calibration activities, with the characterization of its accuracy for different flow conditions. Finally, two probe applications are described: firstly the probe was used to detect tracer gas concentrations on a jet flow; afterwards it was traversed on the interface plane between a non-reactive, lean combustor simulator and the NGV cascade. The probe has proven to provide accurate and reliable measurements both from a quantitative and qualitative point of view even in highly 3D flow fields typical of gas turbines conditions.

Influence of Flow Disturbances behind the 90° Bend on the Indications of the Ultrasonic Flow Meter with Clamp-On Sensors on Pipelines

The subject matter of the article concerns velocities/flow rate measurements in the area of disturbed flows-behind the 90° bend. They were conducted by means of an ultrasonic flowmeter with clamp-on sensors on pipeline, for water and two different Reynolds numbers of 70,000 and 100,000, corresponding to two velocities of approximately 1.42 m/s and 2.04 m/s. The tests were carried out at 12 distances from the disturbance. Sensors on the circumference of the pipeline were mounted 30° each. The correction factor values were calculated for the given measurement geometry. The measurements have shown that the values of this coefficient are always greater than 1, which means that the ultrasonic flow meter understates the speed values. They also showed that already at a distance of 8 nominal diameters from the disturbance, the correction factor does not exceed 1.02, so the measurement errors are within the maximum permissible error (MPE) of a typical ultrasonic flow meter. For distances less than eight nominal diameters from the disturbance, not taking the correction factor value into the account can lead to systematic errors of up to 10.8%. Studies have also proved that in each measurement plane behind the disturbance there are two mounting angles for the ultrasonic sensors, 60° and 240° respectively, for which the correction factor values are minimal. Additionally, using the laser Doppler anemometry (LDA) method, velocity solids were determined at individual distances from the disturbance, and the projections of velocity blocks on the appropriate plane represented velocity profiles and indicated the distances from the disturbance at which these profiles stabilise.

Optimization of Non-axisymmetric Endwall Contours for the Rotor of a Low Speed, 112-Stage Research Turbine With Unshrouded Blades—Optimization and Experimental Validation

This paper presents the predicted, as well as final experimental results for the design of an automatically optimized non-axisymmetric endwall and as such, attempts to close the loop between design and practice, providing additional information to other groups involved in the design of endwall contours. The contours designed in this investigation were manufactured using the direct laser sintering rapid prototyping method and installed and tested in the low-speed, 112-stage turbine at the CSIR’s test turbine facility (TTF) in Pretoria, South Africa. Steady-state 5-hole pressure probe traverses were used to characterize the performance and flow profiles upstream, immediately downstream and in a quasi-“mixed-out” sense downstream of the rotor. In addition to the datum (annular) case, both the computed as well as experimental results were compared to the corresponding results generated for a “generically” contoured rotor which was originally designed for a linear cascade test case, but one which used the same blade profile to the current case. The results show that in general both sets of contours performed well, although the added emphasis on flow correction for the contours produced in this investigation resulted in slightly worse performance in terms of loss at the rotor exit (X3) but greatly improved performance in terms of the efficiency and flow angles at the “mixed-out” (X4) measurement plane.

AMPLITUDE-PHASE DISTRIBUTION MEASUREMENT PLANE DIMENSIONS INFLUENCE ON THE HOLOGRAPHIC METHOD ANTENNA ARRAY RADIATION PATTERN RECONSTRUCTION ERRORS

The article explores the holographic method of measuring the antenna pattern. A flat antenna array is used as the antenna under test, and a planar rectangular surface is used as the surface on which the amplitudephase distribution in the near field is measured. Using the example of a flat antenna array, we consider the influence of the size of the measurement surface of the amplitude-phase distribution of the field in a plane orthogonal to the reconstruction plane of the radiation pattern. Antenna emitters are excited with a combined amplitude distribution and linear phase distribution. The field in the longitudinal zone of the lattice is determined using the Kirchhoff integral. The reconstructed radiation patterns are estimated using the amplitude-phase distribution over the entire measurement plane in comparison with the array radiation pattern in the far zone. A numerical analysis of the influence on the errors in determining the parameters of the lattice radiation pattern using the holographic method is also carried out: the number of columns of the amplitude-phase distribution on the measurement plane, the position of this plane in three coordinates relative to the plane of the aperture of the lattice. It is shown that if the spacing of the points of measurement of the amplitude-phase distribution and the pitch of the lattice are equal, to restore the radiation pattern using the holographic method, it is sufficient to use one column of the amplitude-phase distribution on the measurement plane. This greatly simplifies and reduces the cost of the measurement process and the necessary equipment. Examples of determining errors in measuring the parameters of the antenna array when shifting the plane of measurement of the amplitude-phase distribution in three coordinates are given.

Transtemporal Ultrasound (US) Assessment of Third Ventricle Diameter (TVD): Comparison of US and MRI TVD in Pediatric Patients

Introduction In a retrospective magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)-based study, we showed that changes of the third ventricle diameter (TVD) are a reliable mirror of changes of the entire ventricular system. The third ventricle is easily accessible in more than 90% of children and adults using ultrasound (US) via the transtemporal bone-window; thus it can be assessed quickly and free of radiation. In order to use transtemporal US determination of TVD instead of MRI/CT in clinical practice, it is important to know if there is a correlation and bias between both methods, which is addressed in this study. Materials and Method This prospective study investigates 122 children (newborn–18 years). Diagnoses encompassed hydrocephalus (50%), tumors (14.8%), and other intracranial pathologies (35.2%). US-based TVD was measured via the transtemporal bone-window using a phased array 1 to 4MHz transducer. Results were compared with TVD measured on simultaneously acquired axial T1-weighted axial MRI or computed tomography (CT) scans. Results Overall mean values for TVD were 6.56 ± 5.84 and 6.47 ± 5.64 mm for US and MRI, respectively. There was an outstanding correlation between TVD measured by MRI and US (r = 0.991, p < 0.01). Bland–Altman analysis showed a mean bias of 0.096 mm with limits of agreement of –0.99 and 1.18 mm. Conclusion US- and MRI-based TVD measurements correlate excellently and measure almost identical TVD values. US-based TVD is in mean ∼0.096 mm larger than MRI-based TVD due to a more angulated measurement plane. US is equal to the gold-standard MRI, a fact, opening new avenues for US-based TVD as a first-line assessment tool of ventricular width.

Study of Parameter Influence on Quality on the Electromagnetic Imaging Reconstruction from the Spectrum of the Diffracted Field: Application to Reconstruction of the leakage Current of ISM Applicators

The ISM applicators generate leakage currents that can disrupt satellite TV transmission, taking into account the effects of the electromagnetic waves and those of the CEM. We are interested in these as a way to reconstitute their leakage currents, using the Micro-waves Imagery. We propose such a method of spectral analysis, which is intended to reconstruct the equivalent current distribution (position and form) to an object starting from the diffracted field spectrum by the Micro-waves Imagery. Our contribution resides in the influence of different parameters (N number of the measurement point, and the distance z0 of the measurement plane) on the reconstitution quality. This method is presented and illustrated; an algorithm of reconstructing the image of an object existing within a surrounding homogenous medium with known dielectric properties, this algorithm is developed with MATLAB. This method leads to more significant results, and quickly permits to get information about the object form.

Investigation of Multi-Plane Scheme for Compensation of Fringe Effect of Electrical Resistance Tomography Sensor

Conventional electrical resistance tomography (ERT) sensors suffer from the fringe effect, i.e., severe distortion of the electric field on both ends of the measurement electrodes, leading to a 3D sensing region for a 2D sensor. As a result, the objects outside an ERT sensor plane affect the sensing and hence image, i.e., deteriorating the image quality. To address this issue, a multiple-plane ERT sensor scheme is proposed in this paper. With this scheme, auxiliary sensor planes are used to provide references for the fringe effect of the measurement plane, for compensation by subtracting the weighed influence of the fringe effect. Simulation results show that the proposed scheme, either three-plane or two-plane sensor, can compensate for the fringe effect induced by objects outside the measurement plane with a variety of axial object distributions, i.e., several non-conductive bars or conductive bars placed at different cross-sectional and axial positions inside the sensor. Experiments were carried out. Images obtained with single-plane and multiple-plane ERT sensors are compared, and the proposed compensation scheme has been hence verified.