Boris I. Mamaev

The influence of a special fillet between the endwall and airfoil at the leading edge on the performance of the turbine nozzle diaphragm

It is shown from the results of experimental investigations carried out on a nozzle diaphragm’s sector that an enlarged fillet at the vane leading edge does not have an essential effect on the flow and energy losses in the nozzle diaphragm.

Suction and Pressure Side Film Cooling Influence on Vane Aero Performance in a Transonic Annular Cascade

Efficiency improvement in turbomachines is an important aspect in reducing the use of fossil-based fuel and thereby reducing carbon dioxide emissions in order to achieve a sustainable future. Gas turbines are mainly fossil-based turbomachines powering aviation and land-based power plants. In line with the present situation and the vision for the future, gas turbine engines will retain their central importance in coming decades. Though the world has made significant advancements in gas turbine technology development over past few decades, there are yet many design features remaining unexplored or worth further improvement. These features might have a great potential to increase efficiency. The high pressure turbine (HPT) stage is one of the most important elements of the engine where the increased efficiency has a significant influence on the overall efficiency as downstream losses are substantially affected by the prehistory. The overall objective of the thesis is to contribute to the development of gas turbine efficiency improvements in relation to the HPT stage. Hence, this study has been incorporated into a research project that investigates leading edge contouring near endwall by fillet and external cooling on a nozzle guide vane with a common goal to contribute to the development of the HPT stage. In the search for HPT stage efficiency gains, leading edge contouring near the endwall is one of the methods found in the published literature that showed a potential to increase the efficiency by decreasing the amount of secondary losses. However, more attention is necessary regarding the realistic use of the leading edge fillet. On the other hand, external cooling has a significant influence on the HPT stage efficiency and more attention is needed regarding the aerodynamic implication of the external cooling. Therefore, the aerodynamic influence of a leading edge fillet and external cooling, here film cooling at profile and endwall as well as TE cooling, on losses and flow field have been investigated in the present work. The keystone of this research project has been an experimental investigation of a modern nozzle guide vane using a transonic annular sector cascade. Detailed investigations of the annular sector cascade have been presented using a geometric replica of a three dimensional gas turbine nozzle guide vane. Results from this investigation have led to a number of new important findings and also confirmed some conclusions established in previous investigations to enhance the understanding of complex turbine flows and associated losses. The experimental investigations of the leading edge contouring by fillet indicate a unique outcome which is that the leading edge fillet has no significant effect on the flow and secondary losses of the investigated nozzle guide vane. The reason why the leading edge fillet does not affect the losses is due to the use of a three-dimensional vane with an existing typical fillet over the full hub and tip profile. Findings also reveal that the complex secondary flow depends heavily on the incoming boundary layer. The investigation of the external cooling indicates that a coolant discharge leads to an increase of profile losses compared to the uncooled case. Discharges on the profile suction side and through the trailing edge slot are most prone to the increase in profile losses. Results also reveal that individual film cooling rows have a weak mutual effect. A superposition principle of these influences is followed in the midspan region. An important finding is that the discharge through the trailing edge leads to an increase in the exit flow angle in line with an increase of losses and a mixture mass flow. Results also indicate that secondary losses can be reduced by the influence of the coolant discharge. In general, the exit flow angle increases considerably in the secondary flow zone compared to the midspan zone in all cases. Regarding the cooling influence, the distinct change in exit flow angle in the area of secondary flows is not noticeable at any cooling configuration compared to the uncooled case. This interesting zone requires an additional, accurate study. The investigation of a cooled vane, using a tracer gas carbon dioxide (CO2), reveals that the upstream platform film coolant is concentrated along the suction surfaces and does not reach the pressure side of the hub surface, leaving it less protected from the hot gas. This indicates a strong interaction of the secondary flow and cooling showing that the influence of the secondary flow cannot be easily influenced. The overall outcome enhances the understanding of complex turbine flows, loss behaviour of cooled blade, secondary flow and interaction of cooling and secondary flow and provides recommendations to the turbine designers regarding the leading edge contouring and external cooling. Additionally, this study has provided to a number of new significant results and a vast amount of data, especially on profile and secondary losses and exit flow angles, which are believed to be helpful for the gas turbine community and for the validation of analytical and numerical calculations.

Aerodynamic development and investigation of turbine transonic rotor blade cascades

An intricate nature of the pattern in which working fluid flows over transonic blade cascades generates the need for experimentally studying their characteristics in designing them. Three cascades having identical main geometrical parameters and differing from one another only in the suction side curvature in the outlet area between the throat and trailing edge were tested in optimizing the rotor blade cascade for the reduced flow outlet velocity λ2 ≈ 1. In initial cascade 1, its curvature decreased monotonically toward the trailing edge. In cascade 2, the suction side curvature near the trailing edge was decreased, but the section near the throat had a larger curvature. In cascade 3, a profile with inverse concavity near the trailing edge was used. The cascades were blown at λ2 = 0.7–1.2 and at different incidence angles. The distribution of pressure over the profiles, profile losses, and the outlet angle were measured. Cascade 1 showed efficient performance in the design mode and under the conditions of noticeable deviations from it with respect to the values of λ2 and incidence angle. In cascade 2, flow separation zones were observed at the trailing edge, as well as an increased level of losses. Cascade 3 was found to be the best one: it had reduced positive pressure gradients as compared with cascade 1, and the relative reduction of losses in the design mode was equal to 24%. The profiles with inverse concavity on the suction side near the trailing edge were recommended for being used in heavily loaded turbine stages.

Shower Head and Trailing Edge Cooling Influence on Transonic Vane Aero Performance

An experimental investigation on a cooled nozzle guide vane has been conducted in an annular sector to quantify aerodynamic influences of shower head and trailing edge cooling. The investigated van ...

Aerodynamic investigation of turbine cooled vane block

The vane block (VB) has been investigated and it gives several important results related to test methods and calculation procedures. The vane block is characterized by a developed film and convective cooling system. Blowing tests demonstrate that there is a weak correlation between cooling type and energy loss. Superposition of these effects is true for the central part over VB height without secondary flows. Coolant discharge increases profile loss and it rises if coolant flow rate is increased. Discharge onto profile convex side through the trailing edge slot influences the most considerably. The discharge through perforation decreases the vane flow capacity and insufficiently influences onto the flow outlet angle, but the trailing edge discharge increases this angle according to loss and mixture flow rate growth. The secondary flows reduce the effect of coolant discharge, which insufficiently changes losses distribution at turbine blades tips and even decreases the secondary losses. The flow outlet angle rises significantly and we are able to calculate it only if we correct the ordinary flow model. In the area of secondary flows, the outlet angle varies insufficiently under any type of cooling. This area should be investigated additionally.

Influence of Prehistory and Leading Edge Contouring on Aero Performance of a Three-Dimensional Nozzle Guide Vane

Experiments are conducted to investigate the effect of the prehistory in the aerodynamic performance of a three-dimensional nozzle guide vane with a hub leading edge contouring. The performance is ...

Experimental Studies of Leading Edge Contouring Influence on Secondary Losses in Transonic Turbines

Efficiency improvement in turbomachines is an important aspect in reducing the use of fossil-based fuel and thereby reducing carbon dioxide emissions in order to achieve a sustainable future. Gas turbines are mainly fossil-based turbomachines powering aviation and land-based power plants. In line with the present situation and the vision for the future, gas turbine engines will retain their central importance in coming decades. Though the world has made significant advancements in gas turbine technology development over past few decades, there are yet many design features remaining unexplored or worth further improvement. These features might have a great potential to increase efficiency. The high pressure turbine (HPT) stage is one of the most important elements of the engine where the increased efficiency has a significant influence on the overall efficiency as downstream losses are substantially affected by the prehistory. The overall objective of the thesis is to contribute to the development of gas turbine efficiency improvements in relation to the HPT stage. Hence, this study has been incorporated into a research project that investigates leading edge contouring near endwall by fillet and external cooling on a nozzle guide vane with a common goal to contribute to the development of the HPT stage. In the search for HPT stage efficiency gains, leading edge contouring near the endwall is one of the methods found in the published literature that showed a potential to increase the efficiency by decreasing the amount of secondary losses. However, more attention is necessary regarding the realistic use of the leading edge fillet. On the other hand, external cooling has a significant influence on the HPT stage efficiency and more attention is needed regarding the aerodynamic implication of the external cooling. Therefore, the aerodynamic influence of a leading edge fillet and external cooling, here film cooling at profile and endwall as well as TE cooling, on losses and flow field have been investigated in the present work. The keystone of this research project has been an experimental investigation of a modern nozzle guide vane using a transonic annular sector cascade. Detailed investigations of the annular sector cascade have been presented using a geometric replica of a three dimensional gas turbine nozzle guide vane. Results from this investigation have led to a number of new important findings and also confirmed some conclusions established in previous investigations to enhance the understanding of complex turbine flows and associated losses. The experimental investigations of the leading edge contouring by fillet indicate a unique outcome which is that the leading edge fillet has no significant effect on the flow and secondary losses of the investigated nozzle guide vane. The reason why the leading edge fillet does not affect the losses is due to the use of a three-dimensional vane with an existing typical fillet over the full hub and tip profile. Findings also reveal that the complex secondary flow depends heavily on the incoming boundary layer. The investigation of the external cooling indicates that a coolant discharge leads to an increase of profile losses compared to the uncooled case. Discharges on the profile suction side and through the trailing edge slot are most prone to the increase in profile losses. Results also reveal that individual film cooling rows have a weak mutual effect. A superposition principle of these influences is followed in the midspan region. An important finding is that the discharge through the trailing edge leads to an increase in the exit flow angle in line with an increase of losses and a mixture mass flow. Results also indicate that secondary losses can be reduced by the influence of the coolant discharge. In general, the exit flow angle increases considerably in the secondary flow zone compared to the midspan zone in all cases. Regarding the cooling influence, the distinct change in exit flow angle in the area of secondary flows is not noticeable at any cooling configuration compared to the uncooled case. This interesting zone requires an additional, accurate study. The investigation of a cooled vane, using a tracer gas carbon dioxide (CO2), reveals that the upstream platform film coolant is concentrated along the suction surfaces and does not reach the pressure side of the hub surface, leaving it less protected from the hot gas. This indicates a strong interaction of the secondary flow and cooling showing that the influence of the secondary flow cannot be easily influenced. The overall outcome enhances the understanding of complex turbine flows, loss behaviour of cooled blade, secondary flow and interaction of cooling and secondary flow and provides recommendations to the turbine designers regarding the leading edge contouring and external cooling. Additionally, this study has provided to a number of new significant results and a vast amount of data, especially on profile and secondary losses and exit flow angles, which are believed to be helpful for the gas turbine community and for the validation of analytical and numerical calculations.

Improving the aerodynamic efficiency of blade profile cascade used in a cooled turbine

Good effect from using rotor blade cascades, the pressure side’s profile of which has a bend near the trailing edge at an angle of no larger than 15°, is confirmed from the results of experimental studies.

Calculation of gas turbine characteristic

The reasons and regularities of vapor flow and turbine parameter variation depending on the total pressure drop rate π* and rotor rotation frequency n are studied, as exemplified by a two-stage compressor turbine of a power-generating gas turbine installation. The turbine characteristic is calculated in a wide range of mode parameters using the method in which analytical dependences provide high accuracy for the calculated flow output angle and different types of gas dynamic losses are determined with account of the influence of blade row geometry, blade surface roughness, angles, compressibility, Reynolds number, and flow turbulence. The method provides satisfactory agreement of results of calculation and turbine testing. In the design mode, the operation conditions for the blade rows are favorable, the flow output velocities are close to the optimal ones, the angles of incidence are small, and the flow “choking” modes (with respect to consumption) in the rows are absent. High performance and a nearly axial flow behind the turbine are obtained. Reduction of the rotor rotation frequency and variation of the pressure drop change the flow parameters, the parameters of the stages and the turbine, as well as the form of the characteristic. In particular, for decreased n, nonmonotonic variation of the second stage reactivity with increasing π* is observed. It is demonstrated that the turbine characteristic is mainly determined by the influence of the angles of incidence and the velocity at the output of the rows on the losses and the flow output angle. The account of the growing flow output angle due to the positive angle of incidence for decreased rotation frequencies results in a considerable change of the characteristic: poorer performance, redistribution of the pressure drop at the stages, and change of reactivities, growth of the turbine capacity, and change of the angle and flow velocity behind the turbine.

Computation of the throat area of a turbine blade ring

The throat area is a geometric parameter of the blade ring necessary to profile its blades and compute the turbine capacity. As applied to the filament flow model, the area is defined by the involute of the throat solid figure onto the plane formed by the cascade throat located on one of the cylindrical sections of the blade ring and the radius. An equation is derived for computing the area of the involute, which considers the effect of the shape of the ring’s tailing outlines and the fillets at the transition from the outlines to the blade feather. Comparison of the area values for several turbines computed by the derived equation and by a more complex method based on a search for the minimum distances from the tailing edge of the blade to the suction surface of the neighboring blade in the channel revealed slight differences. The fluid-dynamic 2D analysis determined the radial boundaries of the filament bands, the parameters of the cascade that lie on a filament’s cylindrical surfaces, and the flow velocity normal to the throat section of the filament. The proposed approach to computation of the throat area is common for problems of both designing and analyzing the turbine operation and allows for excluding, in practice, methodological differences in determination of the flow rate and the flow angles at the outlet of the blade ring.