Hugh M. McIlroy

The Boundary Layer Over Turbine Blade Models With Realistic Rough Surfaces

Results are presented of extensive boundary layer measurements taken over a flat, smooth plate model of the front one-third of a turbine blade and over the model with an embedded strip of realistic rough surface. The turbine blade model also included elevated freestream turbulence and an accelerating freestream in order to simulate conditions on the suction side of a high-pressure turbine blade. The realistic rough surface was developed by scaling actual turbine blade surface data provided by U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory. The rough patch can be considered to be an idealized area of distributed spalls with realistic surface roughness. The results indicate that bypass transition occurred very early in the flow over the model and that the boundary layer remained unstable (transitional) throughout the entire length of the test plate. Results from the rough patch study indicate the boundary layer thickness and momentum thickness Reynolds numbers increased over the rough patch and the shape factor increased over the rough patch but then decreased downstream of the patch. It was also found that flow downstream of the patch experienced a gradual retransition to laminar-like behavior but in less time and distance than in the smooth plate case. Additionally, the rough patch caused a significant increase in streamwise turbulence intensity and normal turbulence intensity over the rough patch and downstream of the patch. In addition, the skin friction coefficient over the rough patch increased by nearly 2.5 times the smooth plate value. Finally, the rough patch caused the Reynolds shear stresses to increase in the region close the plate surface.

Scaling of Turbine Blade Roughness for Model Studies

The purpose of this note is to provide an approach to scaling turbine blade roughness so a large-scale experiment will yield useful results despite lack of detailed knowledge about the application. In the process, an apparently new approach for scaling of actual turbine blade roughness on an experimental model of a rough turbine blade is presented. Rough surface data from a first-stage high-pressure turbine rotor, estimates of engine operating conditions representative of high-performance aircraft, and assumed matches of the Reynolds number and acceleration parameter ranges are used. A scaling factor is determined by estimating and matching the nondimensional roughness (in wall coordinates) of a typical airfoil for a model.Copyright

Idaho National Laboratory Experimental Program to Measure the Flow Phenomena in a Scaled Model of a Prismatic Gas-Cooled Reactor Lower Plenum for Validation of CFD Codes

The experimental program that is being conducted at the Matched Index-of-Refraction (MIR) Flow Facility at Idaho National Laboratory (INL) to obtain benchmark data on measurements of flow phenomena in a scaled model of a prismatic gas-cooled reactor lower plenum using 3-D Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV) is presented. A description of the scaling analysis, experimental facility, 3-D PIV system, measurement uncertainties and analysis, experimental procedures and samples of the data sets that have been obtained are included. Samples of the data set that will be presented include the mean velocity field in an approximately 1:7 scale model of a region of the lower plenum of a typical prismatic gas-cooled reactor (GCR) similar to a General Atomics Gas-Turbine-Modular Helium Reactor (GTMHR) design. This experiment has been selected as the first Standard Problem endorsed by the Generation IV International Forum. The flow in the lower plenum consists of multiple jets injected into a confined cross flow — with obstructions. The model consists of a row of full circular posts along its centerline with half-posts on the two parallel walls to approximate flow scaled to that expected from the staggered parallel rows of posts in the reactor design. The model is fabricated from clear, fused quartz to match the refractive-index of the mineral oil working fluid. The benefit of the MIR technique is that it permits high-quality measurements to be obtained without locating intrusive transducers that disturb the flow field and without distortion of the optical paths. An advantage of the INL MIR system is its large size which allows obtaining improved spatial and temporal resolution compared to similar facilities at smaller scales. Results concentrate on the region of the lower plenum near its far reflector wall (away from the outlet duct). Inlet jet Reynolds numbers (based on the jet diameter and the time-mean average flow rate) are approximately 4,300 and 12,400. The measurements reveal developing, non-uniform flow in the inlet jets and complicated flow patterns in the model lower plenum. Data include three-dimensional vector plots, data displays along the coordinate planes (slices) and charts that describe the component flows at specific regions in the model. Information on inlet velocity profiles is also presented.© 2008 ASME

CFD SIMULATION OF PROPOSED VALIDATION DATA FOR A FLOW PROBLEM RECONFIGURED TO ELIMINATE AN UNDESIRABLE FLOW INSTABILITY

The U. S. Department of Energy (DOE) is supporting the development of a next generation nuclear plant (NGNP), which will be based on a very high temperature reactor (VHTR) design. The VHTR is a single-phase helium-cooled reactor wherein the helium will be heated initially to 750 °C and later to temperatures approaching 1000 °C. The high temperatures are desired to increase reactor efficiency and to provide a heat source for the manufacture of hydrogen and other applications. While computational fluid dynamics (CFD) has not been used in the past to design or license nuclear reactors in the U. S., it is expected that CFD will be used in the design and safety analysis of forthcoming designs. This is partly because of the maturity of CFD and partly because detailed information is desired of the flow and heat transfer inside the reactor to avoid hot spots and other conditions that might compromise reactor safety. Numerical computations of turbulent flow should be validated against experimental data for flow conditions that contain some or all of the physics expected in the thermal fluid machinery of interest. To this end, a scaled model of a narrow slice of the lower plenum of the prismatic VHTR was constructed and installed in the Idaho National Laboratory’s (INL) matched index of refraction (MIR) test facility and data were taken. The data were then studied and compared to CFD calculations to help determine their suitability for validation data. One of the main findings was that the inlet data, which were measured and controlled by calibrated mass flow rotameters and were also measured using detailed stereo particle image velocimetry (PIV) showed considerable discrepancies in mass flow rate between the two methods. The other finding was that a randomly unstable recirculation zone occurs in the flow. This instability has a very significant effect on the flow field in the vicinity of the inlet jets. Because its time scale is long and because it is apparently a random instability, it was deemed undesirable for a validation data set. It was predicted using CFD that by eliminating the first of the four jets, the recirculation zone could be stabilized. The present paper reports detailed results for the three-jet case with comparisons to the four-jet data inasmuch as three-jet data are still unavailable. Hence, the present simulations are true or blind predictions.Copyright

A Non-Symmetrical Swirling Jet as an Example of a Completely Described Assessment Experiment

The standard of a completely described experiment for CFD validation is demonstrated by using experimental and numerical models of swirling jets as an example. The experiment is designed to contain relevant physics (e.g. swirl) but without regard for generality or direct scaling to realistic geometries. Also, the design allows for direct measurement of the inflow (mean and statistics). The swirling jets experience vortex breakdown, have non-symmetric inlet profiles, and have Reynolds numbers of 3650, 2560, and 550 with Rossby numbers of 0.63, 0.59, and 0.73 respectively. The two larger Re cases resulted in turbulent flow inside the jet conduit upstream. All of the jets became turbulent rapidly after leaving the exit. It is demonstrated that the numerical simulations will provide more accurate results when the inlet conditions of these non-symmetric swirling jets are fully described.© 2009 ASME

INL Experimental Program Roadmap for Thermal Hydraulic Code Validation

Advanced computer modeling and simulation tools and protocols will be heavily relied on for a wide variety of system studies, engineering design activities, and other aspects of the Next Generation Nuclear Power (NGNP) Very High Temperature Reactor (VHTR), the DOE Global Nuclear Energy Partnership (GNEP), and light-water reactors. The goal is for all modeling and simulation tools to be demonstrated accurate and reliable through a formal Verification and Validation (V&V) process, especially where such tools are to be used to establish safety margins and support regulatory compliance, or to design a system in a manner that reduces the role of expensive mockups and prototypes. Recent literature identifies specific experimental principles that must be followed in order to insure that experimental data meet the standards required for a “benchmark” database. Even for well conducted experiments, missing experimental details, such as geometrical definition, data reduction procedures, and manufacturing tolerances have led to poor Benchmark calculations. The INL has a long and deep history of research in thermal hydraulics, especially in the 1960s through 1980s when many programs such as LOFT and Semiscle were devoted to light-water reactor safety research, the EBRII fast reactor was in operation, and a strong geothermal energy program was established. The past can serve as a partial guide for reinvigorating thermal hydraulic research at the laboratory. However, new research programs need to fully incorporate modern experimental methods such as measurement techniques using the latest instrumentation, computerized data reduction, and scaling methodology. The path forward for establishing experimental research for code model validation will require benchmark experiments conducted in suitable facilities located at the INL. This document describes thermal hydraulic facility requirements and candidate buildings and presents examples of suitable validation experiments related to VHTRs, sodium-cooled fast reactors, and light-water reactors. These experiments range from relatively low-cost benchtop experiments for investigating individual phenomena to large electrically-heated integral facilities for investigating reactor accidents and transients.

The Effect of a Small Patch of Realistic Surface Roughness on the Boundary Layer of an Accelerating Flow Over a Flat Plate Model With Elevated Freestream Turbulence

Results are presented of extensive boundary layer measurements taken over a flat, smooth plate model representing the features of the front one-third of a turbine blade and over the model with a small embedded strip of realistic rough surface. The model included elevated freestream turbulence and an accelerating freestream in order to simulate conditions on the suction side of a rotor blade in the first stage of a high-pressure turbine; however, the study was limited by the relatively small size of the patch of realistic surface roughness. The realistic rough surface was developed by scaling actual turbine blade surface data provided by U. S. Air Force Research Laboratory. The results indicate that bypass transition occurred very early in the flow over the model and that the boundary layer remained unstable (transitional) throughout the entire length of the test plate. Results from the rough patch study indicate the boundary layer thickness and momentum thickness Reynolds numbers increased over the rough patch and the shape factor increased over the rough patch but then decreased downstream of the patch. It was also found that flow downstream of the patch experienced a gradual re-transition to laminar-like behavior but in less time and distance than in the smooth plate case. Additionally, the rough patch caused a significant increase in streamwise turbulence intensity and normal turbulence intensity over the rough patch and downstream of the patch. The skin friction coefficient over the rough patch increased by nearly 2.5 times the smooth plate value. Finally, the rough patch caused the Reynolds shear stresses to increase in the region close the plate surface.© 2005 ASME