Characteristic Regimes of Transitional Separation Bubbles in Unsteady Flow

This experimental investigation deals with transition phenomena of a separated boundary layer under unsteady inlet flow conditions. The main purpose of this investigation is to understand the influence of the rotor-stator interaction in turbomachinery on the subsequent, highly loaded boundary layer. The research project is divided into two phases. In the first phase, which has been completed recently, only the variation of mean velocity caused by upstream blades was simulated in the experiments while the free-stream turbulence intensity was retained at a constant low level. The experiments are carried out in an Eifel-type wind tunnel to investigate the laminar separated boundary layer of a flat plate under oscillating inlet conditions. The adverse pressure gradient, similar to that of turbomachines, is generated by the contoured upper wall. The unsteadiness is produced by a rotating flap located downstream of the test section. The reduced frequency, the amplitude and the mean Reynolds number are varied to simulate the conditions prevailing in turbomachines. In addition to the Kelvin–Helmholtz instability of the separated shear layer, a lower frequency instability was observed. This is frequently referred to as `free shear layer flapping' and results in two distinctly different ways of re-attachment, depending primarily on the Reynolds number. For low momentum thickness Reynolds numbers at the separation point, large-scale vortices locked to the frequency of the unsteady main flow are identified. They originate nearly at the top of the separation bubble and are ejected downstream. A fully turbulent boundary layer develops after these vortices mix out. For higher Reynolds numbers, transition is completed within a short length of the free shear layer and there-attachment region. The characteristic momentum thickness Reynolds number separating these two regimes in unsteady flow is about 125. The Strouhal number (reduced frequency) does not appear to have any significant effect. Based on the experimental results, this behaviour is discussed in some detail. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

A computational investigation of unsteady turbulent wake–boundary-layer interaction

The relative motion of rotor and stator blade rows in a turbomachine generates periodically unsteady flow on the blades due to travelling wake perturbations. To better understand the attendant wake–boundary-layer interaction a calculation procedure was developed to model the behaviour of this complex unsteady flow. Due to nonlinear interactions with the boundary layer, the travelling discrete frequency wakes were found to decrease the velocity profile shape factor. For the range of reduced frequencies examined (=0.33–9.33) the skin-friction coefficient was found to be frequency dependent. The calculated results for both steady and unsteady velocity profiles, and for skin friction compared well with experimental data. Although the agreement between measured and calculated velocity phase shift was poor, in both experimental and model results the negative phase shift throughout the boundary layer due to the travelling-wave fluctuations has been captured.     

Numerical investigation of secondary flows in a high-lift low pressure turbine

In turbomachines, secondary flows (or endwall flows) typically originate at the junction between endwalls and the blade surface. Within the blade passage, the strength of the secondary flows is amplified by the crossflow from the pressure to the suction surface of the blade. The enhanced mixing due to secondary flows induce additional losses into the system. This decreases the overall work output and also changes the flow incidence onto the downstream blade rows. Using a series of high-fidelity eddy resolving simulations, the current study attempts to provide an improved understanding for the complex flow physics over the endwalls of a high-lift Low Pressure Turbine (LPT) blade. The effect of three different inflow conditions has been studied. These include a laminar boundary layer (LBL), a turbulent boundary layer (TBL) and wakes with secondary flow (W&S) from an upstream blade row. For the simulations with TBL and W&S, precursor eddy resolving simulations were used to prescribe realistic inflows. The loss generation mechanisms were subsequently studied both at the endwall and the midspan, which includes evaluating the mass-averaged total pressure loss coefficient (Y_p) and the loss generation rate.When compared to LBL, additional disturbances from an incoming TBL and wakes with secondary flows enhanced the mixing within the blade passage resulting in a substantial increase in the total pressure loss. Prior to flow transition, incoming wakes with secondary flows increased the local loss generation rate at both the endwall and the midspan in the front portion of the blade passage (x/C_x < 0.84). In contrast, in the aft portion of the passage (x/C_x > 0.8), the incoming wakes effectively suppressed the separation bubble at the midspan thereby decreasing the local loss generation rate. It is also demonstrated that the wakes shed from the trailing edge at the mid-span mix out rapidly when compared to the passage vortex at the endwall.     

Dynamic wind loads and wake characteristics of a wind turbine model in an atmospheric boundary layer wind

An experimental study was conducted to characterize the dynamic wind loads and evolution of the unsteady vortex and turbulent flow structures in the near wake of a horizontal axis wind turbine model placed in an atmospheric boundary layer wind tunnel. In addition to measuring dynamic wind loads (i.e., aerodynamic forces and bending moments) acting on the wind turbine model by using a high-sensitive force-moment sensor unit, a high-resolution digital particle image velocimetry (PIV) system was used to achieve flow field measurements to quantify the characteristics of the turbulent vortex flow in the near wake of the wind turbine model. Besides conducting “free-run” PIV measurements to determine the ensemble-averaged statistics of the flow quantities such as mean velocity, Reynolds stress, and turbulence kinetic energy (TKE) distributions in the wake flow, “phase-locked” PIV measurements were also performed to elucidate further details about evolution of the unsteady vortex structures in the wake flow in relation to the position of the rotating turbine blades. The effects of the tip-speed-ratio of the wind turbine model on the dynamic wind loads and wake flow characteristics were quantified in the terms of the variations of the aerodynamic thrust and bending moment coefficients of the wind turbine model, the evolution of the helical tip vortices and the unsteady vortices shedding from the blade roots and turbine nacelle, the deceleration of the incoming airflows after passing the rotation disk of the turbine blades, the TKE and Reynolds stress distributions in the near wake of the wind turbine model. The detailed flow field measurements were correlated with the dynamic wind load measurements to elucidate underlying physics in order to gain further insight into the characteristics of the dynamic wind loads and turbulent vortex flows in the wakes of wind turbines for the optimal design of the wind turbines operating in atmospheric boundary layer winds.     

Experimental study on the effect of unsteadiness on boundary layer development on a linear turbine cascade

 The results from an experimental investigation of unsteady boundary layer behavior on a linear turbine cascade are presented in this paper. To perform a detailed study on unsteady cascade aerodynamics and heat transfer, a new large-scale, high-subsonic research facility for simulating the periodic unsteady flow has been developed. It is capable of sequentially generating up to four different unsteady inlet flow conditions that lead to four different passing frequencies, wake structures, and freestream turbulence intensities. For a given Reynolds number, two different unsteady wake formations are utilized. Detailed unsteady boundary layer velocity. turbulence intensity, and pressure measurements are performed along the suction and pressure surfaces of one blade. The results display the transition and development of the boundary layer, ensemble-averaged velocity, and turbulence intensity. Received: 23 September 1996/Accepted: 19 February 1997     

Numerical Simulation of the 3D Laminar Viscous Flow on a Horizontal-axis Wind Turbine Blade

The aim of this paper is to describe the methodology followed in order to determine the viscous effects of a uniform wind on the blades of small horizontal-axis wind turbines that rotate at a constant angular speed. The numerical calculation of the development of the three-dimensional boundary layer on the surface of the blades is carried out under laminar conditions and considering flow rotation, airfoil curvature and blade twist effects. The adopted geometry for the twisted blades is given by cambered thin blade sections conformed by circular are airfoils with constant chords. The blade is working under stationary conditions at a given tip speed ratio, so that an extensive laminar boundary layer without flow separation is expected. The boundary layer growth is determined on a non-orthogonal curvilinear coordinate system related to the geometry of the blade surface. Since the thickness of the boundary layer grows from the leading edge of the blade and also from the tip to the blade root, a domain transformation is proposed in order to solve the discretized equations in a regular computational 3D domain. The non-linear system of partial differential coupled equations that governs the boundary layer development is numerically solved applying a finite difference technique using the Krause zig-zag scheme. The resulting coupled equations of motion are linearized, leading to a tridiagonal system of equations that is iteratively solved for the velocity components inside the viscous layer applying the Thomas algorithm, procedure that allows the subsequent numerical determination of the shear stress distribution on the blade surface.     

叶轮机中振动叶片非定常气动力的研究

采用“单一叶片振动方法”代替传统的“全部叶片振动方法”，用线性化的方法推导出计算振动叶片非定常气动力（引起叶片弯曲振动）及力矩（引起叶片扭转振动）方程。通过输入叶型及气流参数，它可以方便有效地估计出作用在振动叶片上的非定常气动力和力矩，以及振动叶片不稳定工况发生的条件和范围。并在氟里昂超音速风洞上进行了实验测量，结果表明，理论计算结果与实验测试结果符合较好。     

Numerical Investigation of Unsteady Transitional Flows in Turbomachinery Components Based on a RANS Approach

This paper presents results of the numerical simulation of periodically unsteady flows with focus on turbomachinery applications. The unsteady CFD solver used for the simulations is based on the Reynolds averaged Navier–Stokes equations. The numerical scheme applies an extended version of the Spalart–Allmaras one-equation turbulence model coupled with a transition correlation. The first example of validation consists of boundary layer flow with separation bubble on a flat plate, both under steady and periodically unsteady main flow conditions. The investigation includes a variation of the major parameters Strouhal number, amplitude, and Reynolds number. The second, more complex test case consists of the flow through a cascade of turbine blades which is influenced by wakes periodically passing over the cascade. The computations were carried out for two different blade loadings. The results of the numerical simulations are discussed and compared with experimental data in detail. Special emphasis is given to the investigation of boundary layers with regard to transition, separation and reattachment under the influence of main flow unsteadiness. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Transition mechanisms in laminar separation bubbles with and without incoming wakes and synthetic jet effects

Laminar separation and transition processes of the boundary layer developing under a strong adverse pressure gradient, typical of Ultra-High-Lift turbine profiles, have been experimentally investigated for a low Reynolds number case. The boundary layer development has been surveyed for different conditions: with steady inflow, with incoming wakes and with the synchronized forcing effects due to both incoming wakes and synthetic jet (zero net mass flow rate jet). In this latter case, the jet Strouhal number has been set equal to half the wake-reduced frequency to synchronize the unsteady forcing effects on the boundary layer. Measurements have been taken by means of a single-sensor hot-wire anemometer. For the steady inflow case, particle image velocimetry has been employed to visualize the large-scale vortical structures shed as a consequence of the Kelvin?CHelmholtz instability mechanism. For the unsteady inflow cases, a phase-locked ensemble averaging technique, synchronized with the wake and the synthetic jet frequencies, has been adopted to reconstruct the boundary layer space-time evolution. Results have been represented as color plots, for several time instants of the forcing effect period, in order to provide an overall view of the time-dependent transition and separation processes in terms of ensemble-averaged velocity and unresolved unsteadiness distributions. The phase-locked distributions of the unresolved unsteadiness allowed the identification of the instability mechanisms driving transition as well as the Kelvin?CHelmholtz structures that grow within the separated shear layer during the incoming wake interval and the synthetic jet operating period. Incoming wakes and synthetic jet effects in reducing and/or suppressing flow separation are investigated in depth.     

Numerical identification of mechanisms triggering 2D choke flutter in transonic fan

Blade vibration may trigger a self-induced aeroelastic instability (flutter). In turbomachinery choke flutter appears when a strong shock-wave chokes the blade passage. The aim of this study is to identify mechanisms responsible for the instability. An innovative methodology relying on the splitting of the emitter and receiver role of the blade is presented. It is successfully applied to 2D linearized RANS computations of choke flutter. The emission splitting shows that the vibration of the blades downstream of the shock-wave generates a backward traveling pressure wave triggering the aeroelastic instability. The reception splitting demonstrates the destabilising contribution of the shock-wave / separated boundary layer interaction. The source of flutter is finally a combination of inviscid (regressive waves) and viscous (unsteady separation) mechanisms.     

A numerical modelling of stator–rotor interaction in a turbine stage with oscillating blades

In real flows unsteady phenomena connected with the circumferential non-uniformity of the main flow and those caused by oscillations of blades are observed only jointly. An understanding of the physics of the mutual interaction between gas flow and oscillating blades and the development of predictive capabilities are essential for improved overall efficiency, durability and reliability. In the study presented, the algorithm proposed involves the coupled solution of 3D unsteady flow through a turbine stage and the dynamics problem for rotor-blade motion by the action of aerodynamic forces, without separating the outer and inner flow fluctuations. The partially integrated method involves the solution of the fluid and structural equations separately, but information is exchanged at each time step, so that solution from one domain is used as a boundary condition for the other domain. 3-D transonic gas flow through the stator and rotor blades in relative motion with periodicity on the whole annulus is described by the unsteady Euler conservation equations, which are integrated using the explicit monotonous finite volume difference scheme of Godunov–Kolgan. The structural analysis uses the modal approach and a 3-D finite element model of a blade. The blade motion is assumed to be constituted as a linear combination of the first natural modes of blade oscillations, with the modal coefficients depending on time. A calculation has been done for the last stage of the steam turbine, under design and off-design regimes. The numerical results for unsteady aerodynamic forces due to stator–rotor interaction are compared with results obtained while taking into account blade oscillations. The mutual influence of both outer flow non-uniformity and blade oscillations has been investigated. It is shown that the amplitude-frequency spectrum of blade oscillations contains the high-frequency harmonics, corresponding to the rotor moving past one stator blade pitch, and low-frequency harmonics caused by blade oscillations and flow non-uniformity downstream from the blade row; moreover, the spectrum involves the harmonics which are not multiples of the rotation frequency.     

低压涡轮内部流动及其气动设计研究进展

随着高空无人飞行器研究的不断升温, 高空低雷诺数条件下动力装置的研究越来越受到人们的重视.结合近年来国内外相关领域的研究工作, 对低雷诺数低压涡轮内部复杂流动机理的研究进展进行了介绍, 包括低雷诺数情况下低压涡轮内部非定常流动的特点, 叶片边界层分离及转捩现象机理, 上游周期性尾迹与下游叶片边界层相互作用机理等. 在此基础上给出了适合低雷诺数条件的低压涡轮气动设计方法:尾迹通过与边界层的相互作用, 能够抑制分离, 进而减小叶型损失, 在气动设计中有效引入非定常效应可以大幅度提高低压涡轮的气动负荷或降低气动损失, 最终达到提高性能的目的;数值及实验结果验证了这种设计方法的有效性.      

Differential infrared thermography for boundary layer transition detection on pitching rotor blade models

Differential infrared thermography (DIT) was investigated and applied for the detection of unsteady boundary layer transition locations on a pitching airfoil and on a rotating blade under cyclic pitch. DIT is based on image intensity differences between two successively recorded infrared images. The images were recorded with a high framing rate infrared camera. A pitching NACA0012 airfoil served as the first test object. The recorded images were used in order to investigate and to further improve evaluation strategies for periodically moving boundary layer transition lines. The measurement results are compared with the results of unsteady CFD simulations based on the DLR-TAU code. DIT was then used for the first time for the optical measurement of unsteady transition locations on helicopter rotor blade models under cyclic pitch and rotation. Image de-rotation for tracking the blade was employed using a rotating mirror to increase exposure time without causing motion blur. The paper describes the challenges that occurred during the recording and evaluation of the data in detail. However, the results were found to be encouraging to further improve the method toward the measurement of unsteady boundary layer transition lines on helicopter rotor models in forward flight.     

FLUID–STRUCTURE RESONANCE PRODUCED BY ONCOMING ALTERNATING VORTICES

The present investigation examines a simple fluid–structure interaction problem, which is represented by the unsteady response of an airfoil/blade to a Karman vortex street in an inviscid uniform flow. Two different cases were examined; one with a rigid airfoil/blade, where the structural stiffness is infinite, another with an elastic blade. In both cases, the flow remains attached to the airfoil/blade surface. A time-marching technique solving the Euler equations and a two-degree-of-freedom structural dynamic model is used to examine the interactions between the fluid and the structure. The interactions between the convected vortices and the structure modify the shed wake whose energy, in turn, feeds into the forces and moments acting on the structure. For a rigid airfoil/blade, it is found that the amplitude of the aerodynamic response is not proportional to the density of the oncoming vortex street, but depends on c/d , the ratio of the chord length (c) to the axial spacing (d) of the convected vortices. When the number of vortices per unit length is increased, the amplitudes of the aerodynamic response increase and then decrease even though the density of the vorticity keeps increasing and so is the energy of the excitation wake. Maxima are observed at c/d=0·5, 1·5 and 2·5. This behaviour is analogous to the structural resonance phenomenon and is labeled “aerodynamic resonance”. The existence of such an “aerodynamic resonance” is important to turbomachinery applications where the blade is elastic, the flow is unsteady and the shed vortices from the previous row are convected downstream by the mean flow. Thus, “aerodynamic resonance” alone or in conjunction with structural resonance could impact negatively on the fatigue life of turbine blades and their combined effects should be accounted for in blade design. A preliminary attempt to assess this impact has been carried out. It is found that the relative fatigue life of a blade could be reduced by four orders of magnitude as a result.     

Effect of heat flux on boundary layer flow under rotating conditions

The boundary layer flow behaviour in a smooth rotating channel with heated walls is measured by particle image velocimetry (PIV). To simulate the real operation environment of an internal coolant channel in a turbine blade, airflow is analysed in a rotating channel, whose four walls are uniformly heated by Indium Tin Oxide (ITO) glass. The flow is measured in the middle plane of the rotating channel with a Reynolds number equal to 10000 and rotation numbers ranging from 0 to 0.52. The results are presented for the boundary layer flow behaviour with and without heated thermal boundary conditions. The buoyancy force generated by the heated walls influences the flow behaviour under rotating conditions. Separated flow occurs, which substantially influences the turbulent flow behaviours. Sometimes, this buoyancy force can determine the flow behaviours. The results also showed that the displacement thickness and the momentum loss thickness present new changes at different radius positions due to the heated thermal boundary conditions. The displacement thicknesses of both the leading and trailing sides with heated walls are both thicker than those of the leading and trailing sides without heated walls. Then, the difference of the boundary layer thickness between these two cases increases with the increase of rotation number. For momentum loss thickness, a sharp drop happens when the rotation number increases to a certain value. At the large radius position, the drop in momentum loss thickness is much greater than that in the small radius position.     

Calculation of the hydrodynamic interaction of blade cascades with consideration for the diffusion of unsteady wakes

A semianalytical method was developed to calculate the hydrodynamic interaction of two blade cascades moving relative to one another. The potential perturbation of the flow by the cascades and the vortex perturbation due to blade edge wakes are taken into account. Along with the steady wakes caused by boundary layer separation from the blade cascades, allowance is made of the unsteady wakes separating from the blade trailing edges because of change in velocity circulation on them. The unsteady wakes are calculated with allowance for their diffusion in the presence of flow viscosity using approximate boundarylayer theory. The method is implemented as a program for calculating the unsteady hydrodynamic characteristics of blade cascades on a personal computer. Examples of calculation and a comparison with experiment are given.     

激波与转捩边界层干扰非定常特性数值分析

激波与边界层干扰的非定常问题是高速飞行器气动设计中基础研究内容之一.以往研究主要针对层流和湍流干扰,在分离激波低频振荡及其内在机理方面存在着上游机制和下游机制两类截然不同的理论解释.分析激波与转捩边界层干扰下非定常运动现象有助于进一步加深理解边界层状态以及分离泡结构对低频振荡特性的影响规律,为揭示其产生机理指出新的方向.采用直接数值模拟方法对来流马赫数2.9,24?压缩拐角内激波与转捩边界层干扰下激波的非定常运动特性进行了数值分析.通过在拐角上游平板特定的流向位置添加吹吸扰动激发流动转捩,使得进入拐角的边界层处于转捩初期阶段.在验证了计算程序可靠性的基础上,详细分析了转捩干扰下激波运动的间歇性和振荡特征,着重研究了分离泡展向三维结构对激波振荡特性的影响规律,最后还初步探索了转捩干扰下激波低频振荡产生的物理机制.研究结果表明:分离激波的非定常运动仍存在强间歇性和低频振荡特征,其时间尺度约为上游无干扰区内脉动信号特征尺度的10倍量级;分离泡展向三维结构不会对分离激波的低频振荡特征产生实质影响.依据瞬态脉动流场的低通滤波结果,转捩干扰下激波低频振荡的诱因来源于拐角干扰区下游,与流场中分离泡的收缩/膨胀运动存在一定的关联.     

Large Eddy Simulation of a Controlled Diffusion Compressor Cascade

In this research a Controlled Diffusion (CD) compressor cascade stator blade is simulated at a Reynolds number of ??700,000, based on inflow velocity and chord length, using Large Eddy Simulation (LES). A wide range of flow inlet angles are computed, including conditions near the design angle, and at high negative and positive incidence. At all inlet angles the surface pressure distributions are well-predicted by the LES. Near the design angle the computed suction side boundary layer thickness agrees well with experimental data, whilst the pressure side boundary layer is poorly predicted due to the inability of LES to capture natural boundary layer transition on the present grid. A good estimation of the loss is computed near the design angle, whilst at both high positive and negative incidences the loss is less well predicted owing to discrepancies between the computed and experimental boundary layer thickness. At incidences above the design angle a laminar separation bubble forms near the leading edge of the suction surface, which undergoes a transition to turbulence. Similar behaviour is noted on the pressure surface at negative incidence. At high negative incidence contra-rotating vortex pairs are found to form around the leading edge in response to an unsteady stagnation line across the span of the blade. Such structures are not apparent in time-averaged statistical data due to their highly-transient nature.     

Numerical simulation of unsteady blade row interactions induced by passing wakes

A numerical study of the unsteady phenomena resulting of periodic passing wakes is presented. An unsteady passing wake boundary condition is implemented in a three-dimensional Navier–Stokes code. Unsteady computations are performed to evaluate the capability of the code to simulate the rotor–stator interaction flow. The analysis of the flow structures shows the vortical disturbances and the migration of the incoming wakes through the blade passage. This physical analysis allows to separate the main origins of the losses.