Jens Fridh

New Possibilities for Combined Cycles Through Advanced Steam Technology

In order to improve the performance of the combined cycle, much effort has been spent over the past decade on increasing gas turbine performance. As a contrast to this, the present work focuses on possibilities for combined cycle performance enhancement through present and expected future steam cycle and boiler technology. The use of various heat recovery steam generators, (single and dual pressure) with or without supplementary firing are studied, in combination with steam turbine admission temperatures of up till 973 K. Supplementary firing is applied either in the entire gas turbine exhaust duct or in part of it, in a so-called split-stream boiler (SSB). Furthermore, the flashing of pressurized water from an overdimensioned economiser in the SSB, to produce steam for gas turbine vane cooling is studied. Many of the supplementary fired cycles studied are found to have a thermal efficiency superior of the unfired cycles, based on the same gas turbines. Hence, available steam technology and expected future development mean that most of the cycles studied are realistic concepts that merit further attention in the quest for more efficient power production.© 2002 ASME

An Experimental Study on Partial Admission in a Two-Stage Axial Air Test Turbine With Numerical Comparisons

This paper presents ongoing experimental aerodynamic and efficiency measurements on a cold flow two-stage axial air test turbine with low reaction steam turbine blades at different degrees of parti ...

Measurements of Hub Flow Interaction on Film Cooled Nozzle Guide Vane in Transonic Annular Cascade

An experimental study has been performed in a transonic annular sector cascade of nozzle guide vanes (NGVs) to investigate the aerodynamic performance and the interaction between hub film cooling a ...

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.

Unsteady Forces of Rotor Blades in Full and Partial Admission Turbines

A numerical and experimental study of partial admission in a low reaction two-stage axial air test turbine is performed in this paper. In order to model one part load configuration, corresponding t ...

Numerical Study of Unsteady Flow Phenomena in a Partial Admission Axial Steam Turbine

This paper presents a numerical investigation of unsteady flow phenomena in a two-stage partial admission axial steam turbine. Results from unsteady three-dimensional computations are analyzed and ...

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.

Gas Turbine Simulations in the Computerized Educational Program CompEduHPT: Three Case Studies

Gas Turbine Simulations in the Computerized Educational Program CompEduHPT: Three Case Studies

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.