Correlations Hidden in Compressor Maps

Realistic compressor maps are the key to high quality gas turbine performance calculations. When modeling the performance of an existing engine then these maps are usually not known and must be approximated by adapting maps from literature to either measured data or to other available information. There are many publications describing map adaptation processes, simple ones and more sophisticated physically based scaling rules. There are also reports about using statistics, genetic algorithms, neural networks and even morphing techniques for re-engineering compressor maps. This type of methods does not consider the laws of physics and consequently the generated maps are valid at best in the region in which they have been calibrated. This region is frequently very narrow, especially in case of gas generator compressors which run in steady state always on a single operating line. This paper describes which physical phenomena influence the shape of speed and efficiency lines in compressor maps. For machines operating at comparatively low speeds (so that the flow into each stage is subsonic), there is usually considerable range between choke and stall corrected flow. As the speed of the machine is increased the range narrows. For high-speed stages with supersonic relative flow into the rotor the efficiency maximum is where the speed line turns over from vertical to lower than maximum corrected flow. At this operating condition the shock is about to detach from the leading edge of the blades. The flow at a certain speed can also be limited by choking in the compressor exit guide vanes. For high pressure ratio single stage centrifugal compressors this is a normal case, but it can also happen with low pressure ratio multistage boosters of turbofan engines, for example. If the compressor chokes at the exit, then the specific work remains constant along the speed line while the overall pressure ratio varies and that generates a very specific shape of the efficiency contour lines in the map. Also in other parts of the map, the efficiency varies along speed lines in a systematic manner. Peculiar shapes of specific work and corrected torque lines can reveal physically impossibilities that are difficult to see in the standard compressor map pictures. Compressor maps generated without considering the inherent physical phenomena can easily result in misleading performance calculations if used at operating conditions outside of the region where they have been calibrated. Whatever map adaptation method is used: the maps created in such a way should be checked thoroughly for violations of the underlying laws of compressor physics.

Case Studies for Biomass/Coal Co-Gasification in IGCC Applications

Employing biomass as a feedstock to generate fuels or power has the advantage of being carbon neutral or even becoming carbon negative, if carbon is captured and sequestrated. However, there are challenges facing the effective utilization of biomass wastes: (a) biomass supply is limited and varies with the seasons, (b) biomass density is low and expensive for long-distance transportation, and (c) due to a limited supply of feedstock, biomass plants are usually small, which results in higher capital and production costs. Considering these challenges, it is more economically attractive and less technically challenging to co-combust or co-gasify biomass wastes with coal. This paper focuses on discussing issues associated with coal/biomass co-gasification as well as an investigation into the effect of adding different amounts of biomass up to 50% (wt.) on a 250MW IGCC plant’s performance, although a smaller plant of 75MW using 100% biomass is also included for comparison. The Siemens SGT6-6000G and Alstom GT8C2 gas turbines are used in the larger and smaller plants respectively. The results show the plant’s efficiency increases first as 10% biomass is added; then decreases as the biomass is increased to 30%; and increases again once the biomass reaches 50%. The variation of efficiency is minor, only within one percentage between 38% and 39%. The advantage of adding biomass can be seen from the almost proportional reductions of SOx, ash, energy for H2S removal, water for scrubber, and the effective CO2 emission. The effective CO2 is calculated by subtracting the neutral CO2 that is theoretically produced by burning the added biomass.

Assessment of Scavenge Efficiency for a Helicopter Particle Separation System

The effectiveness of a typical helicopter particle separation system has been numerically assessed at practical operating conditions and sand environments for various scenarios. The particle separation mechanism and its limitation are revealed by the flow characteristics and particle trajectories in the flow-field. The separation-by-inertia concept is effective for removing large particles, but problematic for small particles of diameter (d) ≤ 36μm. The particle size, shape factor, and rebound characteristics exert substantial effects on particle scavenge efficiency. On the other hand, the effects of gravity, particle inlet velocity, inlet mass distribution, and engine operating conditions on scavenge efficiency are minor or limited for the configurations and operating conditions considered in the present study. In addition, a few suggestions for further investigation on engine particle separation systems are included.

Evaluating Complex Inlet Distortion With a Parallel Compressor Model: Part 1—Concepts, Theory, Extensions, and Limitations

Modeling compression systems using parallel compressor theory has been used for the analysis of compression system operability since the 1960s. Parallel compressor models have been traditionally designed and used for the analysis of circumferential distortion effects as a means to evaluate the impact of various inlet flow field disturbances on compressor operation. This paper (the first of two) provides a review of the parallel compressor concept and discusses extensions to the original theory. These extensions include the incorporation of dynamic response, application to complex distortions, and the application to inlet swirl. Understanding these effects and the application of parallel compressor theory extensions is required to produce analytical models and computer simulations that can be used to enhance the development testing and the understanding of the response of gas turbine compression systems. Once a computer simulation has been constructed for a particular test article, it can be exercised and results compared against test results where distortion-generator devices (such as distortion screens) have been used, generally with favorable accuracy. The usefulness of the extended parallel compressor model is derived from its ease of use, simplicity, and ability for quick turn-around of results. It is often more desirable to have an analysis capability that is easy and quick to use than to have one that is extremely accurate, especially when understanding basic physics is of primary concern during a test operation. Extreme accuracy may require large amounts of computer resources and take days or weeks to compute a single performance point. While this may be acceptable for design, the limitations of high-fidelity simulations make them impractical to use due to the time constraints imposed by the pace of testing. Applying a timely analysis capability, using a parallel compressor simulation can provide a new physical understanding of the effects of complex distortion during the testing process when comparing the analytical and test results. This concept is presented in two companion papers: the first paper, Part 1, concentrates on the parallel compressor concepts, theory and limitations of the methodology while the second paper, Part 2 [1] presents applications of the approximate methods developed and compares results with experimental data.

Analysis of Unsteady Flows Past Horizontal Axis Wind Turbine Airfoils Based on Harmonic Balance Compressible Navier-Stokes Equations With Low-Speed Preconditioning

This paper presents the numerical models underlying the implementation of a novel harmonic balance compressible Navier-Stokes solver with low-speed preconditioning for wind turbine unsteady aerodynamics. The numerical integration of the harmonic balance equations is based on a multigrid iteration, and, for the first time, a numerical instability associated with the use of such an explicit approach in this context is discussed and resolved. The harmonic balance solver with low-speed preconditioning is well suited for the analyses of several unsteady periodic low-speed flows, such as those encountered in horizontal axis wind turbines. The computational performance and the accuracy of the technology being developed are assessed by computing the flow field past two sections of a wind turbine blade in yawed wind with both the time- and frequency-domain solvers. Results highlight that the harmonic balance solver can compute these periodic flows more than 10 times faster than its time-domain counterpart, and with an accuracy comparable to that of the time-domain solver.

Effects of Core Flow Swirl on the Flow Characteristics of a Scalloped Forced Mixer

This paper presents a detailed experimental investigation of the influence of core flow swirl on the mixing and performance of a scaled turbofan mixer with 12 scalloped lobes. Measurements were made downstream of the mixer in a co-annular wind tunnel. The core-to-bypass velocity ratio was set to 2:1, temperature ratio to 1.0, and pressure ratio to 1.03, giving a Reynolds number of 5.2 × 105, based on the core flow velocity and equivalent hydraulic diameter. In the core flow, the background turbulence intensity was raised to 5% and the swirl angle was varied using five vane geometries from 0° to 30°. Seven-hole pressure probe measurements and surface oil flow visualization were used to describe the flowfield and the mixer performance. At low swirl angles, additional streamwise vortices were generated by the deformation of normal vortices due to the scalloped lobes. With increased core swirl, greater than 10°, the additional streamwise vortices were generated mainly due to radial velocity deflection, rather than stretching and deformation of normal vortices. At high swirl angles, stronger streamwise vortices and rapid interaction between various vortices promoted downstream mixing. Mixing was enhanced with minimal or no total pressure and thrust losses for the inlet swirl angles less than 10°. However, the reversed flow downstream of the center-body was a dominant contributor to the loss of thrust at the maximum core flow swirl angle of 30°.

Ultra High Bypass Ratio Engine Sizing and Cycle Selection Study for a Subsonic Commercial Aircraft in the N+2 Timeframe

This paper presents an engine sizing and cycle selection study of ultra high bypass ratio engines applied to a subsonic commercial aircraft in the N+2 (2020) timeframe. NASA has created the Environmentally Responsible Aviation (ERA) project to serve as a technology transition bridge between fundamental research (TRL 1–4) and potential users (TRL 7). Specifically, ERA is focused on subsonic transport technologies that could reach TRL 6 by 2020 and are capable of integration into an advanced vehicle concept that simultaneously meets the ERA project metrics for noise, emissions, and fuel burn. An important variable in exploring the trade space is the selection of the optimal engine cycle for use on the advanced aircraft. In this paper, two specific ultra high bypass engine cycle options will be explored: advanced direct drive and geared turbofan. The advanced direct drive turbofan is an improved version of conventional turbofans. In terms of both bypass ratio and overall pressure ratio, the advanced direct turbofan benefits from improvements in aerodynamic design of its components, as well as material stress and temperature properties. By putting a gear between the fan and the low pressure turbine, a geared turbo fan allows both components to operate at optimal speeds, thus further improving overall cycle efficiency relative to a conventional turbofan. In this study, sensitivity of cycle design with level of technology will be explored, in terms of both cycle parameters (such as specific thrust consumption (TSFC) and bypass ratio) and aircraft mission parameters (such as fuel burn and noise). To demonstrate this sensitivity, engines will be sized for optimal performance on a 300 passenger class aircraft for a 2010 level technology tube and wing airframe, a N+2 level technology tube and wing air-frame, and finally on a N+2 level technology blended wing body airframe with and without boundary layer ingestion (BLI) engines.

Optimization of Wind Turbine Blades Using Lifting Surface Method and Genetic Algorithm

This paper describes an optimization method for the design of horizontal axis wind turbines using the lifting surface method as the performance prediction model and a genetic algorithm for optimization. The aerodynamic code for the design method is based on the lifting surface method with a prescribed wake model for the description of the wake. A micro genetic algorithm handles the decision variables of the optimization problem such as the chord and twist distribution of the blade. The scope of the optimization method is to achieve the best trade off of the following objectives: maximum of annual energy production and minimum of blade loads including thrust and blade rood flap-wise moment. To illustrate how the optimization of the blade is carried out the procedure is applied to NREL Phase VI rotor. The result shows the optimization model can provide a more efficient design.

Towards a Fully Coupled Component Zooming Approach in Engine Performance Simulation

This paper presents a fully-coupled zooming approach for the performance simulation of modern very high bypass ratio turbofan engines developed by Snecma. This simulation is achieved by merging detailed 3D simulations and map component models into a unified representation of the whole engine. Today’s state-of-the-art engine cycle analysis are commonly based on component mapping models which enable component interactions to be considered, while CFD simulations are carried out separately and therefore overlook those interactions. With the methodology discussed in this paper, the detailed analysis of an engine component is no longer considered apart, but directly within the whole engine performance model. Moreover, all links between the 3D simulation and overall engine models have been automated making this zooming simulation fully-integrated. The simulation uses the PROOSIS propulsion object-oriented simulation software developed by Empresarios Agrupados for whole engine cycle analysis and the computational fluid dynamics (CFD) code CEDRE developed by ONERA for the high fidelity 3-D component simulations. The whole engine model is created by linking component models through their communication ports in a graphical user-friendly interface. CFD simulated component models have been implemented in PROOSIS libraries already providing mapped components. Simple averaging techniques have been developed to handle 3D-to-0D data exchange. Boundary conditions of the whole engine model remain the same as for the typical 0-D engine cycle analysis while those of the 3-D simulations are automatically given by PROOSIS to CEDRE. This methodology has been applied on an advanced very high bypass ratio engine developed by Price Induction. The proposed zooming approach has been performed on the fan stage when simulating Main Design Point as well as severe case of off-design conditions such as wind-milling. The results have been achieved within the same time frame of a typical CFD fully-converged calculation. A detailed comparison with upcoming test results will provide a first validation of the methodology and will be presented in a future paper.

DME as a Potential Alternative Fuel for Gas Turbines: A Numerical Approach to Combustion and Oxidation Kinetics

Many investigations are currently carried out in order to reduce CO2 emissions in power generation. Among alternative fuels to natural gas and gasoil in gas turbine applications, dimethyl ether (DME; formula: CH3-O-CH3) represents a possible candidate in the next years. This chemical compound can be produced from natural gas or coal/biomass gasification. DME is a good substitute for gasoil in diesel engine. Its Lower Heating Value is close to that of ethanol but it offers some advantages compared to alcohols in terms of stability and miscibility with hydrocarbons. While numerous studies have been devoted to the combustion of DME in diesel engines, results are scarce as far as boilers and gas turbines are concerned. Some safety aspects must be addressed before feeding a combustion device with DME because of its low flash point (as low as −83°C), its low auto-ignition temperature and large domain of explosivity in air. As far as emissions are concerned, the existing literature shows that in non premixed flames, DME produces less NOx than ethane taken as parent molecular structure, based on an equivalent heat input to the burner. During a field test performed in a gas turbine, a change-over from methane to DME led to a higher fuel nozzle temperature but to a lower exhaust gas temperature. NOx emissions decreased over the whole range of heat input studied but a dramatic increase of CO emissions was observed. This work aims to study the combustion behavior of DME in gas turbine conditions with the help of a detailed kinetic modeling. Several important combustion parameters, such as the auto-ignition temperature (AIT), ignition delay times, laminar burning velocities of premixed flames, adiabatic flame temperatures, and the formation of pollutants like CO and NOx have been investigated. These data have been compared with those calculated in the case of methane combustion. The model was built starting from a well validated mechanism taken from the literature and already used to predict the behavior of other alternative fuels. In flame conditions, DME forms formaldehyde as the major intermediate, the consumption of which leads in few steps to CO then CO2. The lower amount of CH2 radicals in comparison with methane flames seems to decrease the possibility of prompt-NO formation. This paper covers the low temperature oxidation chemistry of DME which is necessary to properly predict ignition temperatures and auto-ignition delay times that are important parameters for safety.