Blade optimization design and performance investigations of an ultra-low specific speed centrifugal blower

The ultra-low specific speed centrifugal blower is widely used in energy industries due to its features such as low flow rate,high pressure and low manufacturing cost. However,the width-to-diameter ratio of the above blower becomes relatively small to satisfy the needed operation condition and its performances are considerably degraded as a result of relatively high leakage,disc friction and passage friction loss consequently. The purpose of this paper is to improve its performance through the optimization design of the blade’s profile properly. Based on artificial neural networks (ANN) and hierarchical fair competition genetic algorithms with dynamic niche (HFCDN-GAs),the optimization design approach is established. By conjoining Bezier parameterization and FINE/TURBO solver,the optimized blade is designed by adjusting the profile gradually. An industrial ultra-low specific speed centrifugal blower with parallel hub and shroud has been selected as a reference case for optimization design. The performance investigations of the centrifugal blowers with different types of blades are conducted. The conclusions of the performance improvement of the optimized blade provide positive evidences in the application of the optimization design of the above blower blade.

Enhancement of Performance by Blade Optimization in Two-Stage Ring Blower

This paper describes the shape optimization of an impeller used for two-stage high pressure ring blower.Two shape variables,which are used to define an impeller shape,are introduced to increase the blower performance.The pressure of a blower is selected as an object function,and the blade optimization is performed by a response surface method.Three-dimensional Navier-Stokes equations are introduced to analyze the internal flow of the blower and to find the value of object function for the training data.Relatively good agreement between experimental measurements and numerical simulation is obtained in the present study.Throughout the shape optimization,it is found that a hub height is effective to increase pressure in the ring blower.The pressure rise for the optimal two-stage ring blower is successfully increased up to 1.86% compared with that of reference at the design flow rate.Local recirculation flow having low velocity is formed in both sides of the impeller outlet by different flow direction of the inlet and outlet of the impeller.Detailed flow field inside the ring blower is also analyzed and discussed.

Optimization of Blade Motion of Vertical Axis Turbine

In this paper,a method is proposed to improve the energy efficiency of the vertical axis turbine.First of all,a single disk multiple stream-tube model is used to calculate individual fitness.Genetic algorithm is adopted to optimize blade pitch motion of vertical axis turbine with the maximum energy efficiency being selected as the optimization objective.Then,a particular data processing method is proposed,fitting the result data into a cosine-like curve.After that,a general formula calculating the blade motion is developed.Finally,CFD simulation is used to validate the blade pitch motion formula.The results show that the turbine＇s energy efficiency becomes higher after the optimization of blade pitch motion;compared with the fixed pitch turbine,the efficiency of variable-pitch turbine is significantly improved by the active blade pitch control;the energy efficiency declines gradually with the growth of speed ratio;besides,compactness has lager effect on the blade motion while the number of blades has little effect on it.

Numerical Study of A Generic Tidal Turbine Using BEM Optimization Methods

Three blade-geometry optimization models derived along with assumptions from the blade element momentum(BEM)approach are studied by using a steady BEM code to improve a small horizontal-axis rotor of three blades that has been previously used in experiments.The base rotor blade has linear-radially varying chord length and pitch angle,while the other three models noted as Burton,Implicit and Hansen due to their references and characteristics yield blades of non-linearly varying chord length and pitch angle.The aim is to compare these rapid models and study how assumptions embedded in them affect performance and induction factors.It is found that the model that has the least assumptions(Hansen)and which considers the blade-profile drag in its optimization procedure yields the highest power coefficient,C_(P),at the optimal tip speed ratio(TSR),about 7%higher than the base one and also higher C_(P) at high TSR.It produces an axial induction factor distribution along the blade that is closest to the 1 D optimal value of 1/3.All optimized tangential induction-factor distributions along the blade closely vary as inverse to the square of the radial distance,while being mildly higher than the base distribution.It shows that sufficient swirl is necessary to increase power but at a level causing not too much energy loss in unnecessary swirl of the wake.At high TSR,all optimized rotors adversely produce higher thrust than the base one,but the one with most embedded assumptions(Burton)produces the highest thrust.Details of all three optimization models are given along with the distributions of the power,thrust,blade hydrodynamic efficiency and induction factors.

Blade Parameterization and Aerodynamic Design Optimization for a 3D Transonic Compressor Rotor

The present paper describes an optimization methodology for aerodynamic design of turbomachinery combined with a rapid 3D blade and grid generator （RAPID3DGRID）, a N.S. solver, a blade parameterization method （BPM）, a gradient-based parameterization-analyzing method （GPAM）, a response surface method （RSM） with zooming algorithm and a simple gradient method. By the use of blade parameterization method a transonic com- pressor rotor can be expressed by a set of polynomials, and then it enables us to transform coordinate-expressed blade data to parameter-expressed and then to reduce the number of parameters. With changing any one of the parameters and by applying grid generator and N.S. solver, we can obtain several groups of samples. Here only ten parameters were considered to search an optimized compressor rotor. As a result of optimization, the adiabatic efficiency was increased by 1.73%.

Corner Flow Control in High Through-Flow Axial Commercial Fan/Booster Using Blade 3-D Optimization

This study is aimed at using blade 3-D optimization to control corner flows in the high through-flow fan/booster of a high bypass ratio commercial turbofan engine. Two kinds of blade 3-D optimization, end-bending and bow, are focused on. On account of the respective operation mode and environment, the approach to 3-D aerodynamic modeling of rotor blades is different from stator vanes. Based on the understanding of the mechanism of the corner flow and the consideration of intensity problem for rotors, this paper uses a variety of blade 3-D optimization approaches, such as loading distribution optimization, perturbation of departure angles and stacking-axis manipulation, which are suitable for rotors and stators respectively. The obtained 3-D blades and vanes can improve the corner flow features by end-bending and bow effects. The results of this study show that flows in corners of the fan/booster, such as the fan hub region, the tip and hub of the vanes of the booster, are very complex and dominated by 3-D effects. The secondary flows there are found to have a strong detrimental effect on the compressor performance. The effects of both end-bending and bow can improve the flow separation in corners, but the specific ways they work and application scope are somewhat different. Redesigning the blades via blade 3-D optimization to control the corner flow has effectively reduced the loss generation and improved the stall margin by a large amount.

Ice-Class Propeller Strength and Integrity Evaluation Using Unified Polar ClassURI3 Rules

A systematic method was developed for ice-class propeller modeling,performance estimation,strength and integrity evaluation and optimization.To estimate the impact of sea ice on the propeller structure,URI3 rules,established by the International Association of Classification Societies in 2007,were applied for ice loading calculations.An R-class propeller(a type of ice-class propeller)was utilized for subsequent investigations.The propeller modeling was simplified based on a conventional method,which expedited the model building process.The propeller performance was simulated using the computational fluid dynamics(CFD)method.The simulation results were validated by comparison with experimental data.Furthermore,the hydrodynamic pressure was transferred into a finite element analysis(FEA)module for strength assessment of ice-class propellers.According to URI3 rules,the ice loading was estimated based on different polar classes and working cases.Then,the FEA method was utilized to evaluate the propeller strength.The validation showed that the simulation results accorded with recent research results.Finally,an improved optimization method was developed to save the propeller constituent materials.The optimized propeller example had a minimum safety factor of 1.55,satisfying the safety factor requirement of≥1.5,and reduced the design volume to 88.2%of the original.

An Improvement on the Efficiency of a Single Rotor Transonic Compressor by Reducing the Shock Wave Strength on the Blade Suction Surfaces

It is well known that increasing the rotational velocity is an effective way to increase the total pressure ratio. With increasing flow velocity especially under the condition of transonic flow in the supersonic region, where exist strong shock waves, the shock wave loss becomes main and important. Simultaneously, there occurs boundary layer separation due to the shock wave / boundary layer interaction. In the present paper the transonic compressor blades were studied and analyzed to find a proper and simple way to reduce the shock wave loss by optimizing the suction surface configuration or controlling the gradient of isentropic Mach number on the suction surface. A Navier-Stokes solver combined with a modified design algorithm was developed and used. The NASA single rotor for transonic flow compressor was served as a numerical example to show the effectiveness of this method. Two cases for both original and modified rotors were analyzed and compared.

Design of Wind Turbine Blade for Solar Chimney Power Plant

Aiming at the global efficiency of solar chimney power plant(SCPP), we design a wind turbine generation device to elevate its electricity generating efficiency. Based on wind power utilization theory, a new method is proposed to design a type of wind turbine blade for SCPP. The lift and resistance coefficients on different Reynolds numbers of NACA4418 airfoil, which is suitable for experimental solar electricity generation system, are determined by Profili-V2.0 airfoil design software, a program written in Matlab to calculate chord length of the airfoil. The optimization is conducted by class-shape-transformation(CST) parameterization method and Xfoil software. An airfoil design program is designed on the basis of blade element theory and attack angle with the highest lift coefficient to iteratively determine the inflow angle and setting angle. Prandtl's tip-loss factor is applied to correct the setting angle, after the airfoil data are input into AutoCAD to build an airfoil model which is then imported into Solidworks to draw blades. A new way is put forward to design wind turbine blades in SCPP.