An investigation of the heat transfer and static pressure on the over-tip casing wall of an axial turbine operating at engine representative flow conditions. (I). Time-mean results

The over-tip casing of the high-pressure turbine in a modern gas turbine engine is subjected to strong convective heat transfer that can lead to thermally induced failure (burnout) of this component. However, the complicated flow physics in this region is dominated by the close proximity of the moving turbine blades, which gives rise to significant temporal variations at the blade-passing frequency. The understanding of the physical processes that control the casing metal temperature is still limited and this fact has significant implications for the turbine design strategy. A series of experiments has been performed that seeks to address some of these important issues. This article reports the measurements of time-mean heat transfer and time-mean static pressure that have been made on the over-tip casing of a transonic axial-flow turbine operating at flow conditions that are representative of those found in modern gas turbine engines. Time-resolved measurements of these flow variables (that reveal the details of the blade-tip/casing interaction physics) are presented in a companion paper. The nozzle guide vane exit flow conditions in these experiments were a Mach number of 0.93 and a Reynolds number of 2.7 × 10⁶ based on nozzle guide vane mid-height axial chord. The axial and circumferential distributions of heat transfer rate, adiabatic wall temperature, Nusselt number and static pressure are presented. The data reveal large axial variations in the wall heat flux and adiabatic wall temperature that are shown to be primarily associated with the reduction in flow stagnation temperature through the blade row. The heat flux falls by a factor of 6 (from 120 to 20 kW/m²). In contrast, the Nusselt number falls by just 36% between the rotor inlet plane and 80% rotor axial chord; additionally, this drop is near to linear from 20% to 80% rotor axial chord. The circumferential variations in heat transfer rate are small, implying that the nozzle guide vanes do not produce a strong variation in casing boundary layer properties in the region measured. The casing static pressure measurements follow trends that can be expected from the blade loading distribution, with maximum values immediately upstream of the rotor inlet plane, and then a decreasing trend with axial position as the flow is turned and accelerated in the relative frame of reference. The time-mean static pressure measurements on the casing wall also reveal distinct circumferential variations that are small in comparison to the large pressure gradient in the axial direction.     

Flow and performance characteristics of an Allison 250 gas turbine S-shaped diffuser: Effects of geometry variations

The S-shaped diffuser which connects the exit of the compressor to the inlet of the combustion chamber of the Allison 250 gas turbine has been investigated using the Shear-Stress Transport turbulence model (SST) and the commercial code ANSYS-CFX. The diffuser geometry includes an initial conical diffuser which smoothly transitions into a constant cross-section S-duct. The numerical model and setup were validated using both in-house processed experimental data and experimental data from the literature on a similar geometry. The stream-wise velocity profile was observed to flatten in the initial divergent section, and then the region of the flow with the highest velocity is pushed toward the outer surface of the first bend, with a secondary-flow in the plane of the cross-section. This distortion of the stream-wise velocity intensified when the inlet turbulence intensity was decreased or when the Reynolds number was increased. An increase of the Reynolds number also translated into higher static pressure recovery potential and lower wall friction coefficients. Six variations of the diffuser geometry were considered, all having the same total cross-sectional area ratio and centreline offset. The qualitative results were the same as those of the Allison 250 diffuser, but unlike the base geometry, all the considered variants showed separated-flow regions (and reversed-flow regions in some cases) of different sizes and at different locations. The performance indicators for the Allison 250 S-shaped diffuser were the highest overall. Most interestingly, the current duct geometry outperformed its variant with a cross-sectional area expansion extending over its entire length, which is the most common inlet duct configuration.     

Short round diffuser with a high area ratio and a permeable partition

The parameters of a short round diffuser whose channel diameter increases threefold along a length equal to about half the inlet diameter, are experimentally investigated. The absence of flow separation in this diffuser is ensured by specially selecting the channel profile and mounting a hydraulic resistance in the form of a permeable partition at the diffuser outlet. The experiments were carried out at the inlet flow Mach numbers up to 0.2. When the flow at the diffuser entry is steady, an axisymmetric flow is formed immediately downstream of the entry. The static pressure in the flow that has passed through the diffuser increases by 20% of the ram pressure at the entry. There is a possibility of optimizing the diffuser parameters.     

Pulsating flow in a planar diffuser upstream of automotive catalyst monoliths

The flow distribution across automotive exhaust catalysts has a significant effect on their conversion efficiency. The exhaust gas is pulsating and flow distribution is a function of engine operating condition, namely speed (frequency) and load (flow rate). This study reports on flow measurements made across catalyst monoliths placed downstream of a wide-angled planar diffuser presented with pulsating flow. Cycle-resolved particle image velocimetry (PIV) measurements were made in the diffuser and hot wire anemometry (HWA) downstream of the monoliths. The ratio of pulse period to residence time within the diffuser (defined as the J factor) characterises the flow distribution. During acceleration the flow remained attached to the diffuser walls for some distance before separating near the diffuser inlet later in the cycle. Two cases with J ∼ 3.5 resulted in very similar flow fields with the flow able to reattach downstream of the separation bubbles. With J = 6.8 separation occurred earlier with the flow field resembling, at the time of deceleration, the steady flow field. Increasing J from 3.5 to 6.8 resulted in greater flow maldistribution within the monoliths; steady flow producing the highest maldistribution in all cases for the same Re.     

Sensitivity of an asymmetric 3D diffuser to vortex-generator induced inlet condition perturbations

Modifications of the turbulent separated flow in an asymmetric three-dimensional diffuser due to inlet condition perturbations were investigated using conventional static pressure measurements and velocity data acquired using magnetic resonance velocimetry (MRV). Previous experiments and simulations revealed a strong sensitivity of the diffuser performance to weak secondary flows in the inlet. The present, more detailed experiments were conducted to obtain a better understanding of this sensitivity. Pressure data were acquired in an airflow apparatus at an inlet Reynolds number of 10,000. The diffuser pressure recovery was strongly affected by a pair of longitudinal vortices injected along one wall of the inlet channel using either dielectric barrier discharge plasma actuators or conventional half-delta wing vortex generators. MRV measurements were obtained in a water flow apparatus at matched Reynolds number for two different cases with passive vortex generators. The first case had a pair of counter-rotating longitudinal vortices embedded in the boundary layer near the center of the expanding wall of the diffuser such that the flow on the outsides of the vortices was directed toward the wall. The MRV data showed that the three-dimensional separation bubble initially grew much slower causing a rapid early reduction in the core flow velocity and a consequent reduction of total pressure losses due to turbulent mixing. This produced a 13% increase in the overall pressure recovery. For the second case, the vortices rotated in the opposite sense, and the image vortices pushed them into the corners. This led to a very rapid initial growth of the separation bubble and formation of strong swirl at the diffuser exit. These changes resulted in a 17% reduction in the overall pressure recovery for this case. The results emphasize the extreme sensitivity of 3D separated flows to weak perturbations.     

Computational fluid dynamics analysis of diffuser performance in gas-powered jet pumps

Jet pump diffuser performance is analyzed, both in terms of past experimental work dealing with the high inlet flow distortions involved and in the sense that this problem is amenable to predictive investigation by computational fluid dynamics techniques. In these highly nonuniform flow conditions, diffusers are seen to justify their inclusion in a jet pump design, for regaining static pressure downstream of the vacuum chamber, even though their performance in effectiveness terms is lowered by about two thirds at high inlet glow distortion levels. A satisfactory correlation has been found between outlet and inlet conditions and diffuser area ratio, extending well beyond past experimental published results for diffuser geometry and distorted inlet flows.     

An investigation of the heat transfer and static pressure on the over-tip casing wall of an axial turbine operating at engine representative flow conditions. (II). Time-resolved results

This article reports the measurements of time-resolved heat transfer rate and time-resolved static pressure that have been made on the over-tip casing of a transonic axial-flow turbine operating at flow conditions that are representative of those found in modern gas turbine engines. This data is discussed and analysed in the context of explaining the physical mechanisms that influence the casing heat flux. The physical size of the measurement domain was one nozzle guide vane-pitch and from −20% to +80% rotor axial chord. Additionally, measurements of the time-resolved adiabatic wall temperature are presented. The time-mean data from the same set of experiments is presented and discussed in Part I of this article. The nozzle guide vane exit flow conditions in these experiments were a Mach number of 0.93 and a Reynolds number of 2.7 × 10⁶ based on nozzle guide vane mid-height axial chord. The data reveal large temporal variations in heat transfer characteristics to the casing wall that are associated with blade-tip passing events and in particular the blade over-tip leakage flow. The highest instantaneous heat flux to the casing wall occurs within the blade-tip gap, and this has been found to be caused by a combination of increasing flow temperature and heat transfer coefficient. The time-resolved static pressure measurements have enabled a detailed understanding of the tip-leakage aerodynamics to be established, and the physical mechanisms influencing the casing heat load have been determined. In particular, this has focused on the role of the unsteady blade lift distribution that is produced by upstream vane effects. This has been seen to modulate the tip-leakage flow and cause subsequent variations in casing heat flux. The novel experimental techniques employed in these experiments have allowed the measurement of the time-resolved adiabatic wall temperature on the casing wall. These data clearly show the falling flow temperatures as work is extracted from the gas by the turbine. Additionally, these temperature measurements have revealed that the absolute stagnation temperature within the tip-gap flow can be above the turbine inlet total temperature, and indicates the presence of a work process that leads to high adiabatic wall temperatures as a blade-tip passes a point on the casing wall. It is shown that this phenomena can be explained by consideration of the flow vectors within the tip-gap, and that these in turn are related to the local blade loading distribution. The paper also assesses the relative importance of different time-varying phenomena to the casing heat load distribution. This analysis has indicated that up to half of the casing heat load is associated with the over-tip leakage flow. Finally, the implications of the experimental findings are discussed in relation to future shroudless turbine design, and in particular the importance of accounting for the high heat fluxes found within the tip-gap.     

A two-phase model for laminar film condensation from steam-air mixtures in vertical parallel-plate channels

Detailed results are presented for laminar film condensation from steam-air mixtures flowing downward in vertical flat-plate channels. The mixture flow is laminar and saturation conditions prevail at the inlet. A fully coupled implicit numerical approach is used that achieves excellent convergence behavior, even for high inlet gas mass fractions. The detailed results include velocity, temperature, and gas mass fraction profiles, as well as axial variations of film thickness, pressure gradient and Nusselt number. The effects of a wide range of changes in the four independent variables (the inlet-to-wall temperature difference and the inlet values of gas concentration, Reynolds number, and pressure) on the film thickness, axial pressure gradient, and the local and average Nusselt numbers are carefully examined. It was found that increases in inlet concentration of noncondensable gas caused significant decreases in the film thickness, local Nusselt number, and axial pressure gradient. An analytical solution for the film thickness and velocity field at the end of condensation path was developed and shown to be the asymptotic value of the numerical results for large distances along the channel.     

Computing axisymmetric,laminar internal flows

A simple computational scheme is developed to compute laminar flows inside axisymmetric ducts. It is based on the Keller box method where the equations are approximated at the centre of the downstream face of each computational box. The coupling between the pressure gradient and the velocities for internal flow has been observed to introduce stability problems for the Keller box method that are not present for external, boundary layer flow problems. The difference scheme for the velocities is coupled to an iterative scheme to solve for the pressure gradient at each axial step. Example results for developing flow in a pipe and in a 2° conical diffuser are presented.     

Measurements in the vaneless diffuser of a radial flow compressor

Results from an experimental study of flow behaviour at the inlet of a vaneless diffuser of a centrifugal compressor are presented. Measurements from a crossed hot-wire probe are given for operating points having inlet flow coefficients ranging from 0.006 to 0.019 at different Reynolds numbers. Instantaneous, time-averaged, and phase-averaged absolute velocity and flow angle at the diffuser inlet are deduced from the hot-wire signals after correction for mean density variations. These results show how flow behaviour varies in stable, rotating stall and surge regimes of compressor operation     

A study of pulsating flow in automotive catalyst systems

Conversion efficiency, durability and pressure drop of automotive exhaust catalysts are dependent on the flow distribution within the substrate. This study examines the effect of pulsating flow on the flow distribution within these systems. The flow distribution was measured for a range of flow rates at pulsation frequencies of 16, 32, 64 and 100 Hz. It was shown that the flow uniformity at 16 Hz was similar to the steady equivalent whereas improved uniformity was seen at the higher frequencies resulting in a reduced pressure drop. It was further found that flow maldistribution under pulsating conditions was less sensitive to increases in flow rate compared to steady-state flow. Downstream of the monolith strong pulses were observed although the pulse shapes changed across the substrate diameter. Flow maldistribution correlated well with a non-dimensional parameter derived from the inlet flow velocity, pulsation frequency and diffuser length.     

旋风分离器减阻杆结构及减阻前后流场的测定与分析

报告了在旋风分离器内安装不同断面形状及尺寸的细杆（简称减阻杆）后对流动阻力降低及安装减阻杆前后旋风分离器内流场变化的测定结果，得出了减阻幅度与减阻杆插入长度和迎风面积及背风面曲率半径成正比、减阻杆使切向速度及轴向速度梯度减小、径向上静压梯度减小和轴向上逆压梯度减小等结论．本文同时对减阻杆的减阻机理及减阻时保证分离效率或提高分离效率的原因进行了分析．     

Flow field analysis inside a gas turbine trailing edge cooling channel under static and rotating conditions

The flow field inside a modern internal cooling channel specifically designed for the trailing edge of gas turbine blades has been experimentally investigated under static and rotating conditions. The passage is characterized by a trapezoidal cross-section of high aspect-ratio and coolant discharge at the blade tip and along the wedge-shaped trailing edge, where seven elongated pedestals are also installed. The tests were performed under engine similar conditions with respect to both Reynolds (Re = 20,000) and Rotation (Ro = 0, 0.23) numbers, while particular care was put in the implementation of proper pressure conditions at the channel exits to allow the comparison between data under static and rotating conditions. The flow velocity was measured by means of 2D and Stereo-PIV techniques applied in the absolute frame of reference. The relative velocity fields were obtained through a pre-processing procedure of the PIV images developed on purpose.Time averaged flow fields inside the stationary and rotating channels are analyzed and compared.A substantial modification of the whole flow behavior due to rotational effects is commented, nevertheless no trace of rotation induced secondary Coriolis vortices has been found because of the progressive flow discharge along the trailing edge. For Ro = 0.23, at the channel inlet the high aspect-ratio of the cross section enhances inviscid flow effects which determine a mass flow redistribution towards the leading edge side. At the trailing edge exits, the distortion of the flow path observed in the channel central portion causes a strong reduction in the dimensions of the 3D separation structures that surround the pedestals.     

Flow in a simple swirl chamber with and without controlled inlet forcing

Results are presented from a swirl chamber with and without controlled inlet forcing. The controlled inlet forcing is induced using arrays of vortex generators placed along one wall of the swirl chamber inlet duct. Flow visualization results are given, along with surveys of circumferential mean velocity, static pressure, and total pressure, at Reynolds numbers (based on inlet duct characteristics) as high as 8000. The controlled inlet forcing provides means to alter and control: (i) the spacing and number of Görtler vortices across the span of the swirl chamber, (ii) the amount of vortex development at a particular Reynolds number and circumferential location, (iii) the circumferential location and Reynolds number of initial Görtler vortex development, and (iv) the circumferential location and Reynolds number of Görtler vortex breakup into more chaotic flow.     

Experimental study of the effects of spanwise rotation on the flow in a low aspect ratio diffuser for turbomachinery applications

Two dimensional time accurate PIV measurements of the flow between pressure and suction side at different spanwise positions of a rotating channel are presented. The Reynolds and Rotation numbers are representative for the flow in radial impellers of micro gas turbines. Superposition of the 2D results at the different spanwise positions provides a quasi-3D view of the flow and illustrates the impact of Coriolis forces on the 3D flow structure. It is shown that the inlet flow is little affected by rotation. An increasing/decreasing boundary layer thickness is reported on the suction/pressure side wall halfway between the channel inlet and outlet. The turbulence intensity moves away from the suction side wall and remains close to the pressure side wall. The instantaneous measurements at mid-height of the rotating channel reveal the presence of hairpin vortices in the pressure side boundary layer and symmetric vortices near the suction side. Hairpin vortices occur in rotation in the pressure and in the suction side, for the measurement plane close to the channel bottom wall.     

Exit-flow velocity survey of two single-tangential-inlet vaneless turbine volutes

The most cited analytical technique for designing turbine volutes is to assume the throughflow is free from torque, although for this assumption to hold, the volute walls must lie near what would be streamlines in an unbounded free vortex-plus-sink flow. The single tangential inlet design, with inlet offset decreased and diameter increased to attain the weak exit swirl required by high specific speed turbines, deviates from such a shape, and the volute’s internal geometry is no longer torque-free. It is desired to know the actual time-averaged flow leaving such a volute, so that a rotor can be designed to compliment it.For two existing single tangential inlet volutes, time-averaged radial and tangential velocity and static pressure measurements of exit flow have been obtained on a cylindrical cut plane through the radial-inflow section using a three-port yawmeter in air. The Reynolds numbers based on inlet pipe mean conditions, around 10⁵, are well into the fully-turbulent regime and on the order of comparable water turbines.A comprehensive map of time-averaged exit flow of both volutes is presented. The integrated values of gross angular momentum flux change and total pressure loss coefficient are tabulated. Circumferential variation of flowrate and swirl strength highlight unexpected differences in outlet flow between the two volute designs. Results are presented alongside corresponding numerical results from the commercial package Fluent (Fluent, Inc., Lebanon, NH, USA) using Reynolds stress, k-ω, and inviscid flow models.In both volutes, measured gross exit angular momentum flux was more than 1.7 times what the zero-torque assumption would predict when blindly applied to the volute as a whole. This discrepancy is attributed to significant turning near the volute’s inlet region leading to an updated view of what an appropriate control volume is when applying the zero-torque assumption. Additionally, variation of both radial and tangential velocity in both the circumferential and axial directions on the order of 15% of the mean value reveal that volute swirl characterization by a single measurement would have a significant associated uncertainty.     

Sensitivity of an asymmetric 3D diffuser to plasma-actuator induced inlet condition perturbations

Experiments were conducted for the flow in a straight-walled 3D diffuser fed by a fully developed turbulent duct flow. Previous work found that this diffuser has a stable 3D separation bubble whose configuration is affected by the secondary flows in the upstream duct. Dielectric barrier discharge plasma actuators were used to produce low-momentum wall jets to determine if the separation behavior could be modified by weak forcing. Actuators producing a streamwise force along the wall where separation occurred in the baseline flow had a relatively small effect. However, spanwise acting plasma actuators that produced a pair of streamwise vortices in the inlet section of the diffuser had a strong effect on the diffuser pressure recovery. The diffuser performance could be either improved or degraded depending on the actuation parameters, including the actuator modulation frequency, duty cycle, and drive voltage. Velocity profile measurements in the diffuser inlet showed that the streamwise vortices affect the uniformity of the streamwise mean velocity accounting for some of the performance changes. However, phase-locked hotwire measurements at the diffuser exit indicate that the periodic nature of the forcing also plays an important role for cases with enhanced pressure recovery.     

LES study on the influence of the diffuser inlet angle of a centrifugal pump on pressure fluctuations

Large-Eddy Simulations are conducted on a centrifugal pump at design and reduced flow-rates for three diffuser geometries, to investigate the effect of changing the diffuser inlet angle on the overall performance and the pressure fields. In particular, pressure fluctuations are investigated, which affect the unsteady loads acting on the pump, as well as vibrations, noise and cavitation phenomena. The considered modification of the diffuser geometry is targeted at decreasing the incidence angle at the off-design flow-rate by rotating the stationary blades of the pump around their leading edge. Results are compared against those of an earlier study, where the same modification of the diffuser inlet angle was achieved by increasing also the radial gap between impeller and diffuser, whose blades were rotated relative to their mid camber location. The comparisons across cases demonstrate that the radial gap between the trailing edge of the impeller blades and the leading edge of the diffuser blades has a more profound influence on pressure fluctuations, compared to the angle of incidence on the diffuser blades of the flow coming from the impeller.     

Lift enhancement of airfoil and tip flow control for wind turbine

Two techniques that improve the aerodynamic performance of wind turbine airfoils are described. The airfoil S809, designed specially for wind turbine blades, and the airfoil FX60-100, having a higher lift-drag ratio, are selected to verify the flow control techniques. The flow deflector, fixed at the leading edge, is employed to control the boundary layer separation on the airfoil at a high angle of attack. The multi-island genetic algorithm is used to optimize the parameters of the flow deflector. The results indicate that the flow deflector can suppress the flow separation, delay the stall, and enhance the lift. The characteristics of the blade tip vortex, the wake vortex, and the surface pressure distributions of the blades are analyzed. The vortex diffuser, set up at the blade tip, is employed to control the blade tip vortex. The results show that the vortex diffuser can increase the total pressure coefficient of the core of the vortex, decrease the strength of the blade tip vortex, lower the noise, and improve the efficiency of the blade.     

Experimental study and numerical simulation of the characteristics of a percussive gas–solid separator

The presence of solid particles in the flow of hypersonic wind tunnels damages the appearance of the experiment models in the wind tunnel and influences the accuracy of experimental results. The design of a highly efficient gas–solid separator was therefore undertaken. Particle trajectory imaging methods were used to measure trajectories under different conditions. The flow field and particle movement characteristics for different head angles (HAs) and separation tooth angles (STAs), inlet velocities, and the exhaust gas outlet pressures in the separator, were calculated using simulations based on the discrete phase model. The particle separation efficiency, pressure loss, and flow loss resulting from different structural parameters were also studied. In line with experimental observations, the characteristic angle of particle movements in the separator and the separation efficiency of the separator were found to increase with decreasing HA and with increasing STA. Separation efficiency improves with increasing inlet velocity and with increasing negative pressure of the exhaust gas outlet; however, the corresponding pressure loss and the flow rate of the waste gas also increased.