Numerical investigation of the effect of inlet condition on self‐excited oscillation of wet steam flow in a supersonic turbine cascade

Self‐excited oscillation can be induced due to the interaction between condensation process and local transonic condition in condensing flow, which is an important problem in wet steam turbine. With an Eulerian/Eulerian numerical model, the self‐excited oscillation of wet steam flow is investigated in a supersonic turbine cascade. Owing to supercritical heat addition to the subsonic flow in the convergent part of the cascade, the oscillation frequency decreases with increased inlet supercooling. Mass flow rate increases in the oscillating flow due to the greater supersaturation in condensation process, while the increase will be suppressed with the flow oscillation. Higher inlet supercooling leads to the fact that the condensation process moves upstream and the loss increases. Moreover, some predictions of oscillation effects on outflow angle and aerodynamic force are also presented. Finally, heterogeneous condensations with inlet wetness and periodic inlet conditions, as a result of the interference between stator and rotor, are discussed. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.