Analysis of the Exit Flow Angle and Characteristics of Flow in Axial Turbine Cascades

Despite a wealth of sophisticated CFD-methods, most designs are still based on one-dimensional and two-dimensional inviscid analytical tools. In such methods, realistic loss and angle assessment are indeed critical in order to arrive at correct loading, flow coefficient and reaction. The selected values are normally retained through the detailed design sequence for each iteration. This means that the throat sizing and hence the gauge angle is largely based on the early design work within the through-flow environment. Even one-degree error in angle estimation will turn into a rather large capacity error. For most designs, the exchange rate between capacity and gauge angle is on the order of 3–5 percent, per degree exit angle. In a previous publication, a methodology and equations were presented to assess the exit flow in an axial turbine blade row by Mamaev in Russian nomenclature and the tangential coordinate system. The approach, provided a unified and flow-physics based method for assessing exit angles from the geometry features like gauge angle, uncovered turning and flow features like Laval number, etc. Analysis of those formulas showed good agreement with physical flow pattern in real cascades for sub and transonic blade cascades. In this work, the same basic principal procedure is followed by employing the more international agreed nomenclature of blades such as an axial reference plane and Mach number. In the current work, the one-dimensional analysis results were compared with the three dimensional numerical modelling of a full annulus two-stage turbine. Analysis of the results showed the inherent unsteadiness specially outside the rotor blade cascades, however, comparison of the mass averaged exit angle with the one dimensional analysis showed satisfactory agreement.

On the Development of a Synchronized Harmonic Balance Method for Multiple Frequencies and its Application to LPT Flows

The aim of this paper is to describe the development and application of a multi-frequency harmonic balance solver for GPUs, particularly suitable for the simulation of periodic unsteadiness in nonlinear turbomachinery flows comprised of a few dominant frequencies, with an unsteady multistage coupling that bolsters the flow continuity across the rotor/stator interface. The formulation is addressed with the time-domain reinterpretation, where several non-equidistant time instants conveniently selected are solved simultaneously. The set of required frequencies in each row is driven into the governing equations with the help of almost-periodic Fourier transforms for time derivatives and time shifted boundary conditions. The spatial repetitiveness inside each row can be exploited to perform single-passage simulations and the relative circumferential positioning of the rotors or stators and the different blade or vane counts is tackled by means of adding fictitious frequencies referring to non-adjacent rows therefore taking into account clocking and indexing effects. Existing multistage row coupling techniques of harmonic methods rely on the use of non-reflecting boundary conditions, based on linearizations, or time interpolation, which may lead to Runge phenomenon with the resulting numerical instabilities and non-preserving flux exchange. Different sets of time instants might be selected in each row but the interpolation in space and time across their interfaces gives rise to robustness issues due to this phenomenon. The so-called synchronized approach, developed in this work, consist of having the same time instances among the whole ensemble of rows, ensuring that flux transfer at sliding planes is applied more robustly. The combination of a set of shared non-equidistant time instances plus the use of unequal frequencies (real and fictitious) may spoil the Fourier transforms conditioning but this can be dramatically improved with the help of oversampling and instants selection optimization. The resulting multistage coupling naturally addresses typical numerical issues such as flow that might reverse locally across the row interfaces by means of not using boundary conditions but a local flux conservation scheme in the sliding planes. Some examples will be given to illustrate the ability of this new approach to preserve accuracy and robustness while resolving them. A brief analysis of results for a fan stage and a LPT multi-row case is presented to demonstrate the correctness of the method, assessing the impact in the modeling accuracy of the present approach compared with a time-domain conventional analysis. Regarding the computational performance, the speedup compared to a full annulus time-domain unsteady simulation is a factor of order 30 combining the use of single-passage rows and time spectral accuracy.

Prediction of Tip Leakage Vortex Dynamics in an Axial Compressor Cascade Using RANS Analyses

The tip leakage flow in turbine and compressor blade rows is responsible for a relevant fraction of the total loss. It contributes to unsteadiness, and have an important impact on the operability range of compressor stages. Experimental investigations and, more recently, scale-resolving CFD approaches have helped in clarifying the flow mechanism determining the dynamics of the tip leakage vortex. Due to their continuing fundamental role in design verifications, it is important to establish whether RANS/URANS approaches are able to reproduce the effects of such a flow feature, in order to correctly drive the design of the next generation of turbomachinery. Base studies are needed in order to accomplish this goal. In the present work the tip leakage flow in axial compressor rotor blade cascade have been studied. The cascade was tested experimentally in Virginia Tech Low Speed Cascade Wind Tunnel in both stationary and moving endwall configurations. Numerical analyses were performed using the TRAF code, a state-of-the-art in-house-developed 3D RANS/URANS flow solver. The impact of the numerical framework was investigated selecting different advection schemes including a central scheme with artificial dissipation and a high-resolution upwind strategy. In addition, two turbulence models have been used, the Wilcox linear k–ω model and a non-linear eddy viscosity model (Realizable Quadratic Eddy Viscosity Model), which accounts for turbulence anisotropy. The numerical results are scrutinized using the available measurements. A detailed discussion of the vortex evolution inside the blade passage and downstream of the blade trailing edge is presented in terms of streamwise velocity, streamwise vorticity, and turbulent kinetic energy contours. The purpose is to identify guidelines for obtaining the best representation of the vortex dynamics, with the methodologies usually employed in routine design iterations and, at the same time, evidence their weak aspects that need further modelling efforts.

Reynolds Number and Roughness Effects on Turbocompressor Performance: Numerical Calculations and Measurement Data Evaluation

Further validation of an analytic method to calculate the influence of changes in Reynolds number, machine size and roughness on the performance of axial and radial turbocompressors is presented. The correlation uses a dissipation coefficient as a basis for scaling the losses with changes in relative roughness and Reynolds number. The original correlation from Dietmann and Casey [6] is based on experimental data and theoretical models. Evaluations of five numerically calculated compressor stages at different flow coefficients are presented to support the trends of the correlation. It is shown that the sensitivity of the compressor performance to Reynolds and roughness effects is highest for low flow coefficient radial stages and steadily decreases as the design flow coefficient of the stage and the hydraulic diameter of the flow channels increases.

The Effect of Blade Count on Body Force Model Performance for Axial Fans

Body force models enable inexpensive numerical simulations of turbomachinery. The approach replaces the blades with sources of momentum/energy. Such models capture a “smeared out” version of the blades’ effect on the flow, reducing computational cost. The body force model used in this paper has been widely used in aircraft engine applications. Its implementation for low speed, low solidity (few blades) turbomachines, such as automotive cooling fans, enables predictions of cooling flows and component temperatures without calibrated fan curves. Automotive cooling fans tend to have less than 10 blades, which is approximately 50% of blade counts for modern jet engine fans. The effect this has on the body force model predictions is unknown and the objective of this paper is to quantify how varying blade count affects the accuracy of the predictions for both uniform and non-uniform inflow. The key findings are that reductions in blade metal blockage combined with spanwise flow redistribution drives the body force model to more accurately predict work coefficient as the blade count decreases, and that reducing the number of blades is found to have negligible impacts on upstream influence and distortion transfer in non-uniform inflow until extremely low blade counts (such as 2) are applied.

Evaluation of the Rotor Temperature Distribution of an Automotive Turbocharger Under Hot Gas Conditions Including Indirect Experimental Validation

While turbocharging is a key technology for improving the performance and efficiency of internal combustion engines, the operating behavior of the turbocharger is highly dependent on the rotor temperature distribution as it directly modifies viscosity and clearances of the fluid film bearings. Since a direct experimental identification of the rotor temperature of an automotive turbocharger is not feasible at an acceptable expense, a combination of numerical analysis and experimental identification is applied to investigate its temperature characteristic and level. On the one hand, a numerical conjugate heat transfer (CHT) model of the automotive turbocharger investigated is developed using a commercial CFD-tool and a bidirectional, thermal coupling of the CFD-model with thermohydrodynamic lubrication simulation codes is implemented. On the other hand, experimental investigations of the numerically modelled turbocharger are conducted on a hot gas turbocharger test rig for selected operating points. Here, rotor speeds range from 64.000 to 168.000 rpm. The turbine inlet temperature is set to 600°C and the lubricant is supplied at a pressure of 300 kPa with 90°C to ensure practically relevant boundary conditions. Comparisons of measured and numerically predicted local temperatures of the turbocharger components indicate a good agreement between the analyses. The calorimetrically determined frictional power loss of the bearings as well as the floating ring speed are used as additional validation parameters. Evaluation of heat flow of diabatic simulations indicates a high sensitivity of local temperatures to rotor speed and load. A cooling effect of the fluid film bearings is present. Consequently, results confirm the necessity of the diabatic approach to the heat flow analysis of turbocharger rotors.

Modelling of Partially Wetting Liquid Film Using an Enhanced Thin Film Model for Aero-Engine Bearing Chamber Applications

In the case of aero-engine, thin lubricating film servers dual purpose of lubrication and cooling. Prediction of dry patches or lubricant starved region in bearing or bearing chambers are required for safe operation of these components. In the present work thin liquid film flow is numerically investigated using the framework of the Eulerian thin film model (ETFM) for conditions which exhibit partial wetting phenomenon. This model includes a parameter that requires adjustment to account for the dynamic contact angle. Two different experimental data sets have been used for comparisons against simulations, which cover a wide range of operating conditions including varying the flow rate, inclination angle, contact angle, and liquid-gas surface tension coefficient. A new expression for the model parameter has been proposed and calibrated based on the simulated cases. This is employed to predict film thickness on a bearing chamber which is subjected to a complex multiphase flow. From this study, it is observed that the proposed approach shows good quantitative comparisons of the film thickness of flow down an inclined plate and for the representative bearing chamber. A comparison of model predictions with and without wetting and drying capabilities is also presented on the bearing chamber for shaft speed in the range of 2,500 RPM to 10,000 RPM and flow rate in the range of 0.5 liter per minute (LPM) to 2.5 LPM.

Numerical Simulation of Pressure Loss and Heat Transfer Characteristics for Additively Manufactured Channels

This body of work provides an initial study of modeling both surface roughness and heat transfer concurrently in a numerical simulation of micro-channels representative of those that might be found in a turbine cooling application. Increased use of additive manufacturing (AM) or 3D printing techniques for turbomachinery components enable the manufacture of complex features to achieve higher operational performance. Accurate modeling of flow losses and heat transfer effects are critical to designing parts which achieve optimal efficiency paired with durability. Surface finish is rougher with AM compared to more traditional manufacturing techniques; therefore enhancing the pressure loss and heat transfer effects. Proper implementation of surface roughness within the computational model and correct modeling of the near wall boundary mesh must be maintained to produce accurate results. This study focuses on the comparison of near wall mesh treatment coupled with surface roughness to determine a practice for obtaining accurate pressure loss and heat transfer within a cooling passage, as compared to measurements. Steady-state computational fluid dynamics (CFD) models consisting of a wind tunnel inlet nozzle and outlet diffuser, along with internal cooling passages represented using micro-channels, has been run for a range of Reynolds numbers and simulated roughness levels. Analysis of a baseline configuration with aerodynamically smooth walls is first compared to the measured data to verify the assumption of aerodynamically smooth walls. Surface roughness is then added to the channel walls, from published test coupon measurements, and compared to published experimental data for a range of Reynolds numbers. The metal surrounding the passages is also included as a conjugate heat transfer model providing heat addition to the fluid. Pressure loss and heat transfer is compared to the measured data as a friction factor and Nusselt number for the range of Reynolds numbers. Since surface roughness units and measurements vary, an effect of surface roughness values on pressure loss and heat transfer will also be investigated to determine the importance of using and converting to the correct units for the numerical model. This serves as a starting point for a guideline that will help when both heat transfer and surface roughness are included in a CFD model. Further study is recommended to understand the diminishing levels of increase in friction factor and Nusselt number observed as surface roughness was continually increased in the numerical simulation.

Innovative Design, Structural Optimization and Additive Manufacturing of New-Generation Turbine Blades

The need for high performances is pushing the complexity of mechanical design at very high levels, especially for turbomachinery components. In this field, structural topology optimization methods together with additive manufacturing techniques for high resistant alloys are considered very promising tools, but their potentialities have not been deeply investigated yet for critical rotating components like new-generation turbine blades. In this framework, this research work proposes a methodology for the design, the optimization and the additive manufacturing of extremely stressed turbomachinery components like turbine blade-rows. The presented procedure pays particular attention to important aspects of the problems as fluid-structure interactions (forced response and flutter phenomena) and fatigue of materials, going beyond the standard structural optimization approaches found in the literature. The new design strategy enables a substantial reduction of the component mass, limiting the maximum stress and improving the vibrational behaviour of the system in terms of eigenfrequencies, modal shapes and fatigue life. Furthermore, the numerical procedure shows robustness and efficiency, making the proposed methodology a good tool for rapid design and prototyping, and for reducing the design costs and the time-to-market typical of this kind of mechanical elements. The procedure has been applied to a low-pressure turbine rotor to improve the aeromechanical behavior while keeping the aerodynamic performance. From the original geometry, mode-shapes, forcing functions (due to rotor/stator interactions) and aerodynamic damping have been numerically evaluated and are used as input data for the following topological optimization. Finally, the optimized geometry has been verified in order to confirm the improved aeromechanical design. After the structural topology optimization, the final geometries provided by the procedure have been then properly rendered to make them suitable for additive manufacturing. Some prototypes of the new optimized turbine blade have been manufactured from aluminum to be tested mechanically and in terms of fatigue.

A State-of-the-Art CFD Setup for Axial Compressors: Details and Validation

The overall fraction of the power produced by renewable sources in the energy market has significantly increased in recent years. The power output of most of these clean sources is intrinsically variable. At present day and most likely in the upcoming future, due to the lack of inexpensive and reliable large energy storage systems, conventional power plants burning fossil fuels will still be part of the energy horizon. In particular, power generators able to promptly support the grid stability, such as gas turbines, will retain a strategic role. This new energy scenario is pushing gas turbine producers to improve the flexibility of their turbomachines, increasing the need for reliable numerical tools adopted to design and validate the new products also in operating conditions far from the nominal one. Especially when dealing with axial compressors, i.e. machines experiencing intense adverse pressure gradients, complex flow structures and severe secondary flows, CFD modelling of offdesign operation can be a real challenge. In this work, a state-of-the art CFD framework for RANS analysis of axial compressors is presented. The various aspects involved in the whole setup are discussed, including boundary conditions, meshing strategies, mixing planes modelling, tip clearance treatment, shroud leakages and turbulence modelling. Some experiences about the choice of these aspects are provided, derived from a long-date practice on this kind of turbomachines. Numerical results are reported for different full-scale compressors of the Ansaldo Energia fleet, covering a wide range of operating conditions. Furthermore, details about the capability of the setup to predict compressor performance and surge-margin have been added to the work. In particular, the setup surge-margin prediction has been evaluated in an operating condition in which the turbomachine experiences experimental stall. Finally, thanks to several on-field data available at different corrected speeds for operating conditions ranging from minimum to full load, a comprehensive validation of the presented numerical framework is also included in the paper.