Guoqiang Yue

Numerical Simulation on Turbine Blade Leading-Edge High-Efficiency Film Cooling by the Application of Water Mist

Numerical simulation is performed to explore leading film cooling enhancement by the application of injecting water mist into the air. The accuracy of numerical simulation program for conjugate heat transfer methodology is verified with the C3X gas turbine vanes cooled with leading edge films. The effect of various parameters including mist concentration, mist diameter, different particle wall interactions conditions, and different forces on the improvement of cooling performance is investigated in this paper. It indicates that mist film cooling can decrease the temperature of boundary layer without impact on the temperature of the mainstream and the thickness of boundary layer.

Numerical investigation on blade leading edge high-efficiency swirl and impingement phase transfer cooling mechanism

ABSTRACT A comparative study of the flow field and heat transfer characteristics between swirl and impingement of mist/air cooling on blade leading edge is carried out to find a better cooling configuration for phase transition cooling. The Eulerian–Lagrangian particle tracking technique is used to investigate mist/air cooling. Comparisons are made between these two cooling forms in such aspects as vortex structure, heat transfer enhancement, pressure loss, and thermal uniformity with and without mist injection. The influences of mist ratio and Reynolds numbers on these parameters are studied in this paper. Results show that heat transfer is enhanced while pressure loss and thermal uniformity are improved by the swirl flow created by vortex impingement. The heat transfer performance increases by about 46.2 and 51.9%, respectively, for impingement and swirl cooling with 8% mist injection, and the pressure loss coefficient increases by 19%. The difference of heat transfer coefficient between swirl and impingement cooling with and without mist injection at high Reynolds number is larger than that at low Reynolds number. In addition, the heat transfer nonuniform coefficient of swirl cooling is about 15% lower than for impingement cooling.

Conjugate heat transfer simulation of turbine blade high efficiency cooling method with mist injection

The idea of utilizing a finely dispersed water-in-air mixture has been proven to be a feasible technique to produce very high cooling rates. The accuracy of numerical simulation program for conjugate heat transfer methodology is verified with the Mark II transonic high pressure turbine stator which is cooled by internal convection through radial round pipes, and different turbulence models and transition models are employed to analyze the influence on results. On the basis of it, the mist cooling is simulated under typical gas turbine operating conditions for internal convective cooling to discuss the improvement of cooling performance. Though the results indicate that mist cooling can decrease the temperature of boundary layer without impact on the temperature of the mainstream and the thickness of boundary layer, the cooling capacity is limited by inadequate evaporation of mist. Considering the distribution of thermal stress and mist evaporation, a compound cooling blade of film cooling with trailing edge ejection is acquired which is modified from the blade of Mark II internal convective cooling; the effects of various parameters including mist concentration and mist diameter on the improvement of cooling performance are investigated, meanwhile the impact of curvature on cooling efficiency and mist trajectory is analyzed finally.

Numerical analysis of flows and aerodynamic forces in honeycomb and labyrinth seals

Rotor dynamics and flow characteristics are computed for a honeycomb seal and a corresponding labyrinth seal. Firstly, rotor dynamic parameters, such as amplitude and frequency of vibration are calculated. Then these parameters are used for unsteady fluid flow computation. Numerical results indicate that the rotor vibration can reduce sealing performance and result in additional aerodynamic force on rotor. Further, the aerodynamic forces tend to reduce the self-excited vibration of rotor, and this effect becomes more apparent with the increase of pressure difference. Vortex in seal cavities is deemed to be the primary cause of the above mentioned results. The differences between the two types of seals are presented in this article. Finally, authors conclude that suitable structure design of honeycomb and labyrinth seals, or their combination can minimize rotor vibration.

Variable Geometry Design of a High Endwall Angle Power Turbine for Marine Gas Turbines

Variable geometry turbines are widely used to improve the part-load performance of gas turbine engines. However, there is a performance penalty associated with the vane-end clearance required for the movement of variable vanes. Especially for variable geometry turbines with high casing-endwall angles, greater vane-end clearances are necessary due to annulus slope, and then high endwall leakages would occur, which further deteriorates turbine efficiency.The variable geometry design of the first stage stator vane in a four-stage power turbine featuring very high endwall angles has been carried out by proposed stepped spherical endwall concept. The vane endwalls are spherically shaped so as to maintain constant endwall clearance at all turning angles. And, downstream of the spherical endwall an endwall step is introduced, in order to match the original S-shaped endwall contour and to reduce the leakage loss. Meantime, the rotating shaft is inclined upstream to further match the original endwall contour, and cavity tip design has been used to further reduce the leakage loss. An efficient numerical method has been employed to validate the variable geometry design as mentioned, and the effect of a rotating shaft has been included in the calculations. Then, the four-stage variable geometry power turbine characteristics are evaluated.Results show that the proposed stepped spherical endwall concept can be applied to the variable geometry design of the power turbine featuring very high endwall angles, and compared to the fixed geometry turbine, the efficiency of the new-designed variable geometry power turbine keeps nearly unchanged. Detailed results from this investigation are well presented and discussed in this paper.Copyright

Numerical Investigation of Swirl Cooling Heat Transfer Enhancement on Blade Leading Edge by Adding Water Mist

In this paper, the idea of utilizing finely dispersed water-in-air mixture in the swirl channel to cool the leading edge of a turbine blade is proposed and investigated. The computational techniques are verified and the results are compared with dry air experimental data. Heat transfer enhancement is achieved by application of mist injection to the swirl cooling configuration that is modified from the well-known C3X airfoil. The results indicate that swirl cooling can take full advantage of mist addition. The effects of parameters, such as mist concentration, diameters, inlet temperature and inject velocity etc. are simulated and analyzed in this study.Copyright

Improved clearance designs to minimize aerodynamic losses in a variable geometry turbine vane cascade

Variable geometry turbine exists in small mobile gas turbines or some marine gas turbines to enhance the part-load performance. However, there are efficiency penalties associated with the vane partial gap, which is needed for the movement of variable vanes. This paper investigates the vane-end clearance leakage flow for a flat tip, a cavity tip, a winglet tip, a tip with passive injection, and a cavity-winglet tip to assess the possibility of minimizing vane-end clearance losses in a variable geometry turbine cascade. First, calculations were done at the test rig conditions for comparison with measured data, and they were used for validation of computational fluid dynamics model. Then, numerical calculations were done for turbine typical conditions. Specific flow structures of the various clearance designs of variable vanes are described, and then the effects of vane turning, including exit Mach numbers of 0.34, 0.44, and 0.54 as well as turning angles of –6°, 0°, and 6° on total pressure losses and outflow yaw angle for different vane tips are shown. In addition, the sensitivity of aerodynamic losses to vane tip gap height is evaluated. Results show that the strong interactions near the tip endwall region change the near-tip loading distribution significantly. With winglet and cavity-winglet tip designs, the loading distribution becomes very similar to the typical fixed vane, and the total loading is reduced, thus reducing the vane-end losses. Among the different vane tips presented, the cavity-winglet tip achieves the best aerodynamic performance, and the cavity tip has the lowest sensitivity to vane tip gap height. Overall, the cavity-winglet tip is found to be the best choice for variable vanes. The research results can provide useful reference for the vane design in a real high endwall-angle variable geometry turbine.

Steady and unsteady numerical investigation of flow interaction between low-pressure turbine blade, intermediate turbine duct and power turbine vane

Flows in an intermediate turbine duct connecting low-pressure turbines and power turbines are very complex, affected by the upstream low-pressure turbine flow structures. Non-uniformities originating from the duct with struts also affect the power turbine inflow conditions, resulting in reduced efficiency. The present investigation is done to clarify the flow and loss mechanisms within the intermediate turbine duct and the power turbine. Steady and unsteady numerical investigations of the flow interaction between low-pressure turbine blade, intermediate turbine duct and power turbine vane were conducted. Effects of upstream low-pressure turbine blade on intermediate turbine duct flow fields and loss characteristics, and that of intermediate turbine duct with big and small struts on power turbine aerodynamics are explored. The generation and propagation of wake and secondary flows through the whole configuration are described. The fast Fourier transformation analyses of the flow in the low-pressure turbine blade, intermediate turbine duct and power turbine vane are also presented. Results from the steady and unsteady investigations show complex flow patterns resulted from blade–strut–vane flow interactions, which are not obtainable from intermediate turbine duct-only or power turbine-only simulations. The intermediate turbine duct has a great amplifying influence on the distorted inflow, and the inlet flow with upstream wakes and secondary flows introduces a high-loss area along the casing at intermediate turbine duct exit. Detailed results are presented and discussed for the flow physics and loss mechanisms as well as the unsteady flow evolution through the low-pressure turbine blade, intermediate turbine duct and power turbine vane.

Experimental and numerical investigations of tip clearance flow and loss in a variable geometry turbine cascade

Variable geometry turbines are widely employed to improve the off-design performance of gas turbine engines; however, there is a performance penalty associated with the vane-end partial gap required for the movement of variable vanes. This paper is a continuation of the previous work and aims to understand the leakage flow and loss mechanisms under the influence of the pivoting axis. Experimental investigations with a variable geometry turbine linear cascade have been conducted for tip gap heights of 1.1% and 2.2% blade spans as well as setting angles of −6°, 0°, and 6°, so as to reveal the three-dimensional clearance flow characteristics associated with partial gaps. Besides, numerical predictions are also carried out to better understand the experimental results. Pressure measurements were performed on the tip endwall as well as on the vane surface, and three-dimensional clearance flow fields downstream of the variable cascade were measured with a five-hole probe. The results show that as the vane setting angle is changed from design to closed, the vane loading increases and tends to be more aft-loaded, thus increasing the tip leakage loss, and vice versa. There are strong interactions between the flow around the pivoting axis and the leakage flow in the vane tip rear part, which leads to a low-pressure region on the tip endwall. The leakage vortex core is made up of the leakage flow in the vane tip rear part at both two tip gap heights, and the leakage vortex core formation process is different from the one in the rotor blade. The present results can provide useful references for the vane-end clearance design of variable geometry turbines.

Experimental Investigation of Aerodynamic Performance of a Turbine Cascade with Trailing-Edge Injection

AbstractTrailing-edge mixing flows associated with coolant injection are complex and result in significant aerodynamics losses. A series of tests on a high-pressure turbine vane cascade with traili...