Blade Shape Optimization of Liquid Turbine Flow Sensor

Based on the characteristic curve analysis, the method using D(K^2) square difference of meter factor at different flow rates was developed to evaluate the performance of turbine flow sensor in this study. Then according to the distribution of entrance velocity, it was supposed that reducing the blade area near the tip could decrease the linearity error of a sensor. Therefore, the influence of different blade shape parameters on the performance of the sensor was investigated by combining computational fluid dynamics(CFD)simulation with experimental test. The experimental results showed that, for the liquid turbine flow sensor with a diameter of 10 mm, the linearity error was smallest, and the performance of sensor was optimal when blade shape parameter equaled 0.25.

Passive simulation method of turbine flow sensors based on the 6-DOF model

A passive simulation method based on the six degrees of freedom(6-DOF)model and dynamic mesh is proposed according to the working principle to study the dynamic characteristics of the turbine flow sensors.This simulation method controls the six degrees of freedom of the impeller using the user-defined functions(UDF)program so that it can only rotate under the impact of fluid.The impeller speed can be calculated in real-time,and the inlet speed can be set with time to obtain the dynamic performance of the turbine flow sensors.Based on this simulation method,three turbine flow sensors with different diameters were simulated,and the reliability of the simulation method was verified by both steady-state and unsteady-state experiments.The results show that the trend of meter factor with flow rate acquired from the simulation is close to the experimental results.The deviation between the simulation and experiment results is low,with a maximum deviation of 2.88%.In the unsteady simulation study,the impeller speed changed with the inlet velocity of the turbine flow sensor,showing good tracking performance.The passive simulation method can be used to predict the dynamic performance of the turbine flow sensor.

Simulation Method of Dynamic Characteristics of Turbine Flow Sensor

Computational Fluid Dynamics(CFD)simulation is one of the important methods to study the performance and influencing factors of turbine flow sensors.According to the working characteristics of the turbine flow sensor,the passive simulation method based on the six degrees of freedom(6-DOF)model and dynamic mesh is proposed in this paper.The reliability of the simulation method is verified by steady-state experiments and unsteady-state experiments.The results show that the trend of meter factor with flow rate acquired from the simulation is close to the experimental results,and the deviation between the simulation result and the experiment result is low with a maximum deviation of 2.88%.In the unsteady simulation study,the impeller speed changes with the inlet velocity of the turbine flow sensor,which has a good follow-up.The passive simulation method can be used to predict the dynamic performance of the turbine flow sensor.

Measurement of oil-water flow via the correlation of turbine flow meter, gamma ray densitometry and drift-flux model

The flow rate of the oil-water horizontal flow is measured by the combination of the turbine flow meter and the singlebeam gamma ray densitometry. The emphasis is placed on the effects of the pipe diameter, the oil viscosity and the slip velocity on the measurement accuracy. It is shown that the mixture flow rate measured by the turbine flow meter can meet the application requirement in the water continuous pattern（ o- w flow pattern）. In addition, by introducing the developed drift-flux model into the measurement system, the relative errors of measurements for component phase flow rates can be controlled within ±5%. Although more accurate methods for the flow rate measurement are available, the method suggested in this work is advantageous over other methods due to its simplicity for practical applications in the petroleum industry.

NUMERICAL ANALYSIS ON THREE-DIMENSIONAL FLOW FIELD OF TURBINE IN TORQUE CONVERTER

Three-dimensional flow field of turbine in torque converter is simulated by numerical calculation in order to improve the performance of torque converter. Calculation model of a torque converter is presented based on the mixing-plane technology. In the calculation of flow field, the 3D N-S equations are separated by finite-volume method and solved by semi-implicit method for pressure-linked equations（SIMPLE）. Based on flow field calculation, the flow field of turbine is simulated. The velocity and pressure in the flow field of turbine are analyzed. The external performance of the torque converter is also calculated. Results of flow simulation show that there are secondary flow, off flow and velocity gradient in turbine passage. The validity of numerical simulation is verified by comparing the results of numerical simulation with experiment data.

Numerical Investigation of Flow Motion and Performance of A Horizontal Axis Tidal Turbine Subjected to A Steady Current

Horizontal axis tidal turbines have attracted more and more attentions nowadays, because of their convenience and low expense in construction and high efficiency in extracting tidal energy. The present study numerically investigates the flow motion and performance of a horizontal axis tidal turbine with a supporting vertical cylinder under steady current. In the numerical model, the continuous equation and incompressible Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes equations are solved, and the volume of fluid method is employed to track free surface motion. The RNG k-ε model is adopted to calculate turbulence transport while the fractional area/volume obstacle representation method is used to describe turbine characteristics and movement. The effects of installation elevation of tidal turbine and inlet velocity on the water elevation, and current velocity, rotating speed and resultant force on turbine are discussed. Based on the comparison of the numerical results, a better understanding of flow structure around horizontal axis tidal turbine and turbine performance is achieved.

EXPERIMENTAL INVESTIGATION FOR THE EFFECT OF ROTATION ON THREE-DIMENSIONAL FLOW FIELD IN FILM-COOLED TURBINE

An experimental investigation of three-dimensional flow field in a film-cooled turbine model is carried out by using particle image velocimeter （PIV） in a low-speed wind tunnel. The effects of different blowing ratios （M=1.5, 2） on the flow field are studied. The experimental results reveal the classical phenomena of the formation of kidney vortex pair and secondary flow in wake region behind the jet hole. And the changes of the kidney vortex pair and the wake at different locations away from the hole on the suction and pressure sides are also studied. Compared with the flow field in stationary cascade, there are centrifugal force and Coriolis force existing in the flow field of rotating turbine, and these forces bring the radial velocity in the jet flow. The effect of rotatien on the flow field of the pressure side is more distinct than that on the suction side from the measured flow fields in Y-Z plane and radial velocity contours. The increase of blowing ratio makes the kidney vortex pair and the secondary flow in the wake region stronger and makes the range of the wake region enlarged.

NUMERICAL CALCULATIONS OF GASEOUS REACTING FLOWS IN A MODEL OF GAS TURBINE COMBUSTORS

This paper describes the numerical calculations of gaseous reaction flows in a model of gas turbine combustors. The profiles of hydrodynamic and thermodynamic patterns in a three-dimensional combustor model are obtained by solving the governing differential transport equations. The well-established numerical prediction algorithm SIMPLE, the modified k-ε turbulence model and k-ε-g turbulent diffusion flame model have been adopted in computations. The β function has been selected as probability density function. The effect of combustion process on flow patterns has been investigated. The calculated results have been verified by experiments. They are in remarkably good agreement.

Numerical Analysis of Nozzle Clearance's Effect on Turbine Performance

Variable nozzle turbine （VNT） has become a popular variable geometry turbine （VGT） technology for the diesel engine application. Nozzle clearance, which can＇t be avoided on the hub and shroud side of the VNT turbine due to the pivoting stators, can lead to turbine performance deterioration. However, its mechanism is still not clear. In this paper, numerical investigation, which is validated by experiment, is carried out to study the mechanism of the nozzle clearance＇s effect on the turbine performance. Firstly, performance of the mixed flow turbine with fixed nozzle clearances tested on flow bench. Performance of the tested turbine with the same nozzle clearance is numerically simulated. The numerical result agrees well with the test data, which proves correct of the numerical method. Then the turbine performance with different nozzle clearances is numerically analyzed. The research showed that with nozzle clearance, flow loss in the nozzle increases at first and it reaches the maximum value when the clearance ratio is 5%. Flow at the exit of the nozzle becomes less uniform with nozzle clearance. The negative incidence angle of the rotor also increases with nozzle clearance and leads to more incidence angle loss in the rotor. The low energy fluid formed in the nozzle due to the nozzle clearance migrates from hub to shroud side in the rotor, which is another main reason for the rotor＇s performance degradation. The present research exposed the mechanism of the dramatically decrease of the turbine performance with nozzle clearance： （a） The loss associated with the nozzle leakage increases with the nozzle clearance; （b） The flow loss grows up quickly in the rotor due to the incidence angle loss and migration of the low energy fluid from hub to shroud side.

Transient simulation of a pump-turbine with misaligned guide vanes during turbine model start-up

Experimental studies of a model pump-turbine S-curve characteristics and its improvement by misaligned guide vanes （MGV） were extended to prototype pump turbine through 3-D transient flow simulations. The unsteady Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes equations with the SST turbulence model were used to model the transient flow within the entire flow passage of a reversible pump-turbine with and without misaligned guide vanes during turbine model start-up. The unstable S-curve and its improvement by using misaligned guide vane were verified by model test and simulation. The transient flow calculations were used to clarify the variations of pressure pulse and internal flow behavior in the entire flow passage. The use of misaligned guide vanes can eliminate the S-curve characteristics of a pump-turbine, and can significantly increase the pressure pulse amplitude in the entire flow passage and the runner radial forces during start-up. The MGV only decreased the pulse amplitude on the guide vane suction side when the rotating speed was less than 50% rated speed. The hydraulic reason is that the MGV dramatically changed the flow patterns inside the entire flow passage, and destroyed the symmetry of the flow distribution inside the guide vane and runner.

Experimental Investigation of a Hydraulic Turbine for Hydrokinetic Power Generation in Irrigation/Rainfall Channels

The development of microchannels with open flow for use in irrigation and rainy areas is challenged by electricity generation via hydrokinetic devices in shallow and low velocity flows.Conventional hydrokinetic turbines are known to be highly dependent on current speed and water depth.Another drawback of conventional turbines is their low efficiency.These shortcomings lead to the need to accelerate the flow in the channel system to enhance the extracted power.The method of deploying a novel turbine configuration in irrigation channels can help overcome the low performance of conventional hydrokinetic turbines.Therefore,this study experimentally presents a bidirectional diffuser-augmented channel that includes dual cross flow/Banki turbines.Results show that the maximum efficiency of the overall system with two turbines is nearly 55.7%.The efficiency is low relative to that of hydraulic turbines.Nevertheless,the result can be considered satisfactory given the low head of the present system.The use of this system will contribute to a highly efficient utilization of flows in rivers and channels for electrical energy generation in rural areas.

Measurements of Non-reacting and Reacting Flow Fields of a Liquid Swirl Flame Burner

The understanding of the liquid fuel spray and flow field characteristics inside a combustor is crucial for designing a fuel efficient and low emission device.Characterisation of the flow field of a model gas turbine liquid swirl burner is performed by using a2-D particle imaging velocimetry（PIV）system.The flow field pattern of an axial flow burner with a fixed swirl intensity is compared under confined and unconfined conditions,i.e.,with and without the combustor wall.The effect of temperature on the main swirling air flow is investigated under open and non-reacting conditions.The result shows that axial and radial velocities increase as a result of decreased flow density and increased flow volume.The flow field of the main swirling flow with liquid fuel spray injection is compared to non-spray swirling flow.Introduction of liquid fuel spray changes the swirl air flow field at the burner outlet,where the radial velocity components increase for both open and confined environment.Under reacting condition,the enclosure generates a corner recirculation zone that intensifies the strength of radial velocity.The reverse flow and corner recirculation zone assists in stabilizing the flame by preheating the reactants.The flow field data can be used as validation target for swirl combustion modelling.

EXPERIMENTAL MEASUREMENT AND NUMERICAL SIMULATION FOR FLOW FIELD AND FILM COOLING EFFECTIVENESS IN FILM-COOLED TURBINE

Numerical simulation of three-dimensional flow field and film cooling effectiveness in film-cooled turbine rotor and stationary turbine cascade were carried out by using the k- ε turbulence model, and the predictions of the three-dimensional velocities were compared with the measured results by Laser-Doppler Velocimetry （LDV）. Results reveal the secondary flow near the blade surface in the wake region behind the jet hole. Compared with the stationary cascade, there are the centrifugal force and Coriolis force existing in the flow field of the turbine rotor, and these forces make the three-dimensional flow field change in the turbine rotor, especially for the radial velocity. The effect of rotation on the flow field and the film cooling effectiveness on the pressure side is more apparent than that on the suction side as is shown in the computational and measured results, and the low film cooling effectiveness appears on the pressure surface of the turbine rotor blade compared with that of the stationary cascade.

燃气轮机流动大涡模拟的进展与挑战（英文）

Gas turbine flows are complex and very difficult to be predicted accurately not only due to that they are inherently unsteady but also because the presence of many complex flow phenomena such as transition,separation,substantial secondary flow,combustion and so on.Those complex flow phenomena cannot be captured accurately by the traditional Reynolds-Averaged Navier-Stokes(RANS)and Unsteady RANS(URANS)methods although they have been the main numerical tools for computing gas turbine flows in the past decades due to their computational efficiency and reasonable accuracy.Therefore,the desire for greater accuracy has led to the development and application of high fidelity numerical simulation tools for gas turbine flows.Two such tools available are Direct Numerical Simulation(DNS)which captures directly all details of turbulent flow in space and time,and Large Eddy Simulation(LES)which computes large scale motions of turbulent flow directly in space and time while the small scale motions are modelled.DNS is computationally very expensive and even with the available most powerful supercomputers today or in the foreseeable future it is still prohibitive to apply DNS for gas turbine flows.LES is the most promising simulation tool which has already reasonably widely used for gas turbine flows.This paper will very briefly review first the applications of LES in turbomachinery flows and then focus on two gas turbine combustor related flow cases,summarizing the current status of LES applications in gas turbines and pointing out the challenges that we are facing.

Effects of pulse flow and leading edge sweep on mixed flow turbines for engine exhaust heat recovery

Recovery of heat energy from internal combustion engine exhaust will achieve significant road transportation CO2 reduction. Turbocharging and turbogenerating are most commonly used technologies to recover engine exhaust heat energy.Engine exhaust pulse flow can significantly affect the turbine performance of turbocharging and turbogenerating systems,and it is necessary to consider the pulse flow effects in turbine design and performance analysis.An investigation was carried out by numerical simulation on the mixed flow turbine pulse flow performance and flow fields.Results showed that the variations of the turbine efficiency and flowfiled under pulsating flow conditions demonstrate significant unsteady effects.The effect of blade leading edge sweep on turbine pulse flow performance was studied.It is shown that increasing of the leading edge sweep angle can improve the turbine average instantaneous efficiency by about 2 percent under pulsating flow conditions.

Experimental and Numerical Analysis of Cavity/Mean-Flow Interaction in Low Pressure Axial Flow Turbines

The increasing performance of modern aeroengines led the research towards the optimization of machine components not deeply analyzed in the past.In this context,the mechanisms driving the interaction process between the secondary flows evolving at the hub of low-pressure turbines with the rotor-stator cavity systems have been poorly investigated in the literature.In this work,an experimental and numerical analysis of the interaction between the endwall near wall flow and the leakage flow of a real cavity system is presented.The experimental results were carried out in the annular low-pressure axial flow turbine of the University of Genova.Experimental blade loading and pressure distributions into the cavity,as well as the measured total pressure loss coefficient,have been used for a proper validation of CFD results.Both steady and unsteady calculations were carried out through the commercial solver Numeca.Particularly,several numerical approaches have been tested into this work:RANS,Non Linear Harmonic(NLH),and URANS.The most promising CFD techniques have been firstly identified by comparison with experimental results and then systematically employed to extend the analysis of secondary flow-cavity flow interaction to positions and quantities not available from the experiments.Losses characterizing the mean flow-cavity flow interaction process will be shown to cover a great amount of the overall stage losses and should be properly accounted for the design of future optimized cavity configurations.

Tip-leakage flow loss reduction in a two-stage turbine using axisymmetric-casing contouring

In order to reduce the losses caused by tip-leakage flow, axisymmetric contouring is applied to the casing of a two-stage unshrouded high pressure turbine（HPT） of aero-engine in this paper. This investigation focuses on the effects of contoured axisymmetric-casing on the blade tipleakage flow. While the size of tip clearance remains the same as the original design, the rotor casing and the blade tip are obtained with the same contoured arc shape. Numerical calculation results show that a promotion of 0.14% to the overall efficiency is achieved. Detailed analysis indicates that it reduces the entropy generation rate caused by the complex vortex structure in the rotor tip region, especially in the tip-leakage vortex. The low velocity region in the leading edge（LE） part of the tip gap is enlarged and the pressure side/tip junction separation bubble extends much further away from the leading edge in the clearance. So the blocking effect of pressure side/tip junction separation bubble on clearance flow prevents more flow on the tip pressure side from leaking to the suction side, which results in weaker leakage vortex and less associated losses.

Flow and Heat Transfer Characteristics in Rotating Two-pass Channels Cooled by Superheated Steam

In a modern gas turbine,using superheated steam to cool the vane and blade for internal convection cooling is a promising alternative to traditional compressor air.However,further investigations of steam cooling need to be performed.In this paper,the three-dimensional flow and heat transfer characteristics of steam are numerically investigated in two-pass square channels with 45° ribbed walls under stationary and rotating conditions.The investigated rotation numbers are 0 and 0.24.The simulation is carried out by solving the Reynolds averaged Navier-Stokes equations employing the Reynolds stress turbulence model,especially considering two additional terms for Coriolis and rotational buoyancy forces caused by the rotating effect.For comparison,calculations for the air-cooled channels are done first at a Reynolds number of 25 000 and inlet coolant-to-wall density ratio of 0.13.The results are compared with the experiment data.Then the flow and heat transfer in steam-cooled channels are analyzed under the same operating conditions.The results indicate that the superheated steam has better heat transfer performance than air.Due to the combined effect of rotation,skewed ribs and 180° sharp turn,the secondary flow pattern in steam-cooled rotating two-pass channels is quite complex.This complex secondary flow pattern leads to strong anisotropic turbulence and high level of anisotropy of Reynolds stresses,which have a significant impact on the local heat transfer coefficient distributions.

An Experimental Investigation of the Dissipation Mechanisms in the Suction Side Boundary Layer of a Turbine Blade

The present work is part of an extensive experimental activity carried out by the authors in recent years aimed at investigating the boundary layer transition phenomenon in turbine blades. The large scale of the cascade and the use of advanced LDV instrumentation and precision probe traversing mechanism resulted in high degree of spatial resolution and high accuracy of measurements. The main dissipation mechanism determining the profile losses in turbomachinery blades is the work of deformation of the mean motion within the boundary layer operated by both viscous and turbulent shear stresses. In the present paper, the local viscous and turbulent deformation works have been directly evaluated from the detailed measurements of boundary layer mean velocity and Reynolds shear stress. The results show the distributions and the relative importance of the viscous and turbulent contributions to the loss production, in relation with the boundary layer states occurring along the turbine profile.