Detection of Blade Mistuning in a Low Pressure Turbine Rotor Resulting from Manufacturing Tolerances and Differences in Blade Mounting

For a serious prediction of vibration characteristics of any structure, a detailed knowledge of the modal characteristic is essential. This is especially important for bladed turbine rotors. Mistuning of the blading of a turbine rotor can appear due to manufacturing tolerances or because of the blading process itself due to unequal mounting of the blades into the disk. This paper investigates the mistuning of the individual blades of a low pressure turbine with respect to the effects mentioned above. Two different rotors with different aerodynamic design of the blades were investigated. The blades were mounted to the disk with a so-called hammer head root which is especially prone to mounting irregularities. For detailed investigations, the rotor was excited with a shaker system to detect the forced response behavior of the individual blades. The measurements were done with a laser vibrometer system. As the excitation of rotor structure was held constant during measurement, it was possible to detect the line of nodes and mode shapes as well. It could be shown that the assembly process has an influence on the mistuning. The data were analyzed and compared with numerical results. For this, different contact models and boundary conditions were used. The above described characterization of modal behavior of the rotor is the basis for the upcoming aeroelastic investigations and especially for the blade vibration measurements of the rotor, turning with design and off-design speeds.

Effects of Freestream Turbulence,Reynolds Number and Mach Number on the Boundary Layer in a Low Pressure Turbine

In order to investigate the aerodynamics of a high speed low pressure turbine works in high Mach number and low Reynold number environment,the effect of freestream turbulence(FST)on the boundary layer development on the high speed low pressure turbine under different Reynolds numbers(Re)is numerically investigated.Large eddy simulation is adopted here with a subgrid scale model of Wall Adapting Local Eddy viscosity(WALE).Cases with Re ranging from 100000 to 400000 under an exit Mach number(Ma)of 0.87 have been considered at low and high FST levels.A low Ma case(0.17)under very low Re has also been studied under both low and high FST.It is found that higher Re or FST level leads to earlier transition.Re has a greater effect than FST on the development of boundary layer.The effect of FST on the boundary layer depends on the Re.The boundary layer development shows totally different behaviors under different Ma.A separation bubble could be formed under low Ma while no attachment could be detected under high Ma.The FST has a stronger effect on the separated boundary layer under low Ma,which could eliminate the separation in the present study.For all the cases under low FST,the Kelvin-Helmholtz instability is the dominate mechanism in the transition process.For the low Ma case with high FST,the streamwise streaks play a dominant role in the transition process.For the high Ma cases with high FST,both the streamwise streaks and Kelvin-Helmholtz instability work in the transition process.The streamwise streaks play a more important role when the Re increased.

Numerical Investigation of the Interaction between Mainstream and Tip Shroud Leakage Flow in a 2-Stage Low Pressure Turbine

The pressing demand for future advanced gas turbine requires to identify the losses in a turbine and to understand the physical mechanisms producing them. In low pressure turbines with shrouded blades, a large portion of these losses is generated by tip shroud leakage flow and associated interaction. For this reason, shroud leakage losses are generally grouped into the losses of leakage flow itself and the losses caused by the interaction between leakage flow and mainstream. In order to evaluate the influence of shroud leakage flow and related losses on turbine performance, computational investigations for a 2-stage low pressure turbine is presented and discussed in this paper. Three dimensional steady multistage calculations using mixing plane approach were performed including detailed tip shroud geometry. Results showed that turbines with shrouded blades have an obvious advantage over unshrouded ones in terms of aerodynamic performance. A loss mechanism breakdown analysis demonstrated that the leakage loss is the main contributor in the first stage while mixing loss dominates in the second stage. Due to the blade-to-blade pressure gradient, both inlet and exit cavity present non-uniform leakage injection and extraction. The flow in the exit cavity is filled with cavity vortex, leakage jet attached to the cavity wall and recirculation zone induced by main flow ingestion. Furthermore, radial gap and exit cavity size of tip shroud have a major effect on the yaw angle near the tip region in the main flow. Therefore, a full calculation of shroud leakage flow is necessary in turbine performance analysis and the shroud geometric features need to be considered during turbine design process.

Experimental Analysis of the Aerodynamic Performance of an Innovative Low Pressure Turbine Rotor

In the present work the aerodynamic performances of an innovative rotor blade row have been experimentally investigated. Measurements have been carried out in a large scale low speed single stage cold flow facility at a Reynolds number typical of aeroengine cruise, under nominal and off-design conditions. The time-mean blade aerodynamic loadings have been measured at three radial positions along the blade height through a pressure transducer installed inside the hollow shaft, by delivering the signal to the stationary frame with a slip ring. The time mean aerodynamic flow fields upstream and downstream of the rotor have been measured by means of a five-hole probe to investigate the losses associated with the rotor. The investigations in the single stage research turbine allow the reproduction of both wake-boundary layer interaction as well as vortex-vortex interaction. The detail of the present results clearly highlights the strong dissipative effects induced by the blade tip vortex and by the momentum defect as well as the turbulence production, which is generated during the migration of the stator wake in the rotor passage. Phase-locked hot-wire investigations have been also performed to analyze the time-varying flow during the wake passing period. In particular the interaction between stator and rotor structures has been investigated also under off-design conditions to further explain the mechanisms contributing to the loss generation for the different conditions.

High fidelity numerical simulations on the unsteady flow field of low-pressure turbine cascades with and without upstream disturbance at moderate Reynolds number

This paper numerically investigates the aerodynamic performance of the T106A low-pressure turbine based with different inflow conditions at moderate Reynolds number by using high performance computing based on high order unstructured methods.Two different inflow conditions respectively of uniform and disturbed are considered,while for the latter a small circular cylinder is placed upstream of the cascade to generate wake turbulence as a long-standing disturbance.A high order Fourier-spectral/hp element method is employed to solve the flow dynamics in the cascade of high complex geometries.Flow transition characteristics are quantified in terms of the distribution of cascade wall surface pressure and friction coefficient,the distribution of wake profile pressure loss and the evolution characteristics of boundary layer flow structures as well.The numerical results show that the current numerical simulations accurately predict the flow transition performance of low-pressure turbine cascades and capture the effects of wake-generated disturbance on the cascade,which is shown to effectively modify the flow transition performance as compared with the uniform inflow case.

A Comparison of Experimental and Numerical Studies Performed on a Low-Pressure Turbine Blade Cascade at High-Speed Conditions, Low Reynolds Numbers and Various Turbulence Intensities

This paper focuses on a comparison of experimental and numerical investigations performed on a low-pressure mid-loaded turbine blade at operating conditions comprised of a wide range of Math numbers （from 0.5 - 1.1）, Reynolds numbers （from 0.4e＋5 - 3.0e＋5）, flow incidence （-15 - 15 degrees） and three levels of free-stream tur- bulence intensities （2, 5 and 10%）. The experimental part of the work was performed in a high-speed linear cas- cade wind tunnel. The increased levels of turbulence were achieved by a passive grid placed at the cascade inlet. A two-dimensional flow field at the center of the blade was traversed pitch-wise upstream and downstream the cascade by means of a five-bole probe and a needle pressure probe, respectively. The blade loading was measured using the surface pressure taps evenly deployed at the blade mid-span along the suction and the pressure side. The inlet turbulence was investigated using the constant temperature anemometer technique with a dual sensor probe. Experimentally evaluated values of turbulent kinetic energy and its dissipation rate were then used as inputs for the numerical simulations. An in-house code based on a system of the Favre-averaged Navier-Stokes equation closed by a two-equation k-co turbulence model was adopted for the predictions. The code utilizes an algebraic model of bypass transition valid both for attached as for separated flows taking in account the effect of free-stream turbulence and pressure gradient. The resulting comparison was carried out in terms of the kinetic en- ergy loss coefficient, distributions of downstream wakes and blade velocity. Additionally a flow visualization was performed by means of the Schlieren technique in order to provide a further understanding of the studied phe- nomena. A few selected cases with a particular interest in the attached and separated flow transition are compared and discussed.

A Method for the Determination of Turbulence Intensity by Means of a Fast Response Pressure Probe and its Application in a LP Turbine

This paper describes the measurements and the post-processing procedure adopted for the determination of the turbulence intensity in a low pressure turbine (LPT) by means of a single sensor fast response aerodynamic pressure probe. The rig was designed in cooperation with MTU Aero Engines and considerable efforts were put into the adjustment of all relevant model parameters. Blade count ratio, airfoil aspect ratio, reduced massflow, reduced speed, inlet turbulence intensity and Reynolds numbers were chosen to reproduce the full scale LP turbine. Measurements were performed adopting a phase-locked acquisition technique in order to provide the time resolved flow field downstream of the turbine rotor. The total pressure random fluctuations are obtained by selectively filtering, in the frequency domain, the deterministic unsteadiness due to the rotor blades and coherent structures. The turbulence intensity is derived from the inverse Fourier transform and the correlations between total pressure and velocity fluctuations. The determination of the turbulence intensity allows the discussion of the interaction processes between the stator and rotor for engine-representative operating conditions of the turbine.

Comparison of a State of the Art and a High Stage Loading Rotor

July 25, 2014 / Accepted： August 18, 2014 / Published： November 25, 2014 Abstract： This paper presents the measurement results of a l1/2 stage LPT （low pressure turbine） test rig at Graz University of Technology incorporating two different rotor geometries： one with a regular blade loading and the other with a highly loaded blade geometry. The test rig was designed in cooperation with MTU Aero Engines and represented the last 1.5 stages of a commercial aero engine. Considerable efforts were put on the adjustment of all relevant model parameters （Mach number, blade count ratio, airfoil aspect ratio, blade loading, etc.） to reproduce the full scale LPT situation. The rig diameter is approximately half of that of a commercial aero engine LPT. The number of blades and vanes for the two investigated stages as well as the pressure ratio and power output are identical, resulting in a decrease in rotational speed of the HSL （high stage loading） rotor. Measurement data from a FRAPP （fast response pressure probe） is used to compare the flow fields of the two different stages. The effect of the different stage designs can be seen when comparing the exit flow fields. The highly loaded stage shows a more pronounced tip leakage vortex compared to the datum stage. The highly loaded stage shows wider wakes with a lower total pressure deficit. The fluctuations of total pressure within the flow field are directly related to the upstream wake. If the measurement position is located within a stator wake, the fluctuations are significantly smaller than that out of the wake.

Comparison of the Sound Power Levels of an Aerodynamically Designed EGV and a State-of-the-Art EGV

Within previous EU projects, possible modifications to the engine components have been investigated, that would allow for an optimised aerodynamic or acoustic design of the EGV （exit guide vanes） of the TEC （turbine exit casing）. However, the engine weight should not be increased and the aerodynamic performance must be at least the same. This paper compares the sound power level of a state-of-the-art TEC （reference TEC） with typical EGVs with an aerodynamically optimised TEC configuration for the engine operating point approach. It is shown that a significant weight reduction （only bladings considered） and reduction in engine length can be achieved but the sound power level for the fundamental tone （lst blade passing frequency） for this acoustically important operating point is increased. It is also shown that the losses of the aerodynamical optimised EGVs are higher for this off design point but significantly lower at the aero design point. Measurements were conducted in the STTF （subsonic test turbine facility） at the Institute for Thermal Turbo machinery and Machine Dynamics, Graz University of Technology. The inlet guide vanes, the LPT （low pressure turbine） stage, and the EGVs have been designed by MTU Aero Engines.

Numerical Study of Improving Aerodynamic Performance of Low Solidity LPT Cascade through Increasing Trailing Edge Thickness

This paper presents a new idea to reduce the solidity of low-pressure turbine(LPT) blade cascades,while remain the structural integrity of LPT blade.Aerodynamic performance of a low solidity LPT cascade was improved by increasing blade trailing edge thickness(TET).The solidity of the LPT cascade blade can be reduced by about12.5% through increasing the TET of the blade without a significant drop in energy efficiency.For the low solidity LPT cascade,increasing the TET can decrease energy loss by 23.30% and increase the flow turning angle by1.86% for Reynolds number(Re) of 25,000 and freestream turbulence intensities(FSTT) of 2.35%.The flow control mechanism governing behavior around the trailing edge of an LPT cascade is also presented.The results show that appropriate TET is important for the optimal design of high-lift load LPT blade cascades.

Unsteady experimental and numerical investigation of aerodynamic performance in ultra-high-lift LPT

Detailed experimental and numerical investigations were performed for an ultra-high-lift front-loaded low-pressure turbine cascade (Zw=1.58) with periodic wakes.The interaction mechanisms between the incoming wakes and endwall secondary flow were carefully examined.Wakes were produced by moving upstream rods,and flow field downstream of the cascade was measured using a seven-hole probe.Experimental results revealed that incoming wakes influenced not only the boundary layer development of the blade suction surface but also the complex endwall secondary vortex structures.On the suction surface:Incoming wakes clearly suppressed the suction side separation bubble at a low Reynolds number of 25000.Nevertheless,the effects of different wake passing frequencies were not significantly different at Re=100000,and the profile losses under wake passing were even greater than in the absence of wakes.At the end walls:Incoming wakes more strongly suppressed secondary flow at Re=100000 than at Re=25000,because the lowmomentum fluid inside the incoming wakes clearly increased the endwall cross-passage pressure gradient at Re=25000.The experimental results indicated that periodic wakes decreased the passage vortex and counter vortex core strength by 25% and 30%,respectively,at Re=100000.Instantaneous results also demonstrated that endwall secondary vortices decreased significantly near the position of wakes passing.