Computational Fluid Dynamics Analysis of Multi-Bladed Horizontal Axis Wind Turbine Rotor

The principal objective of this work was to investigate the 3D flow field around a multi-bladed horizontal axis wind turbine (HAWT) rotor and to investigate its performance characteristics. The aerodynamic performance of this novel rotor design was evaluated by means of a Computational Fluid Dynamics commercial package. The Reynolds Averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) equations were selected to model the physics of the incompressible Newtonian fluid around the blades. The Shear Stress Transport (SST) k-ω turbulence model was chosen for the assessment of the 3D flow behavior as it had widely used in other HAWT studies. The pressure-based simulation was done on a model representing one-ninth of the rotor using a 40-degree periodicity in a single moving reference frame system. Analyzing the wake flow behavior over a wide range of wind speeds provided a clear vision of this novel rotor configuration. From the analysis, it was determined that the flow becomes accelerated in outer wake region downstream of the rotor and by placing a multi-bladed rotor with a larger diameter behind the forward rotor resulted in an acceleration of this wake flow which resulted in an increase the overall power output of the wind machine.

Multi-blade rubbing characteristics of the shaft-disk-blade-casing system with large rotation

Blade rubbing faults cause detrimental impact on the operation of aeroengines. Most of the existing studies on blade rubbing in the shaft-disk-blade-casing(SDBC) system have overlooked the elastic deformation of the blade, while some only consider the whirl of the rotor, neglecting its spin. To address these limitations, this paper proposes a dynamic model with large rotation for the SDBC system. The model incorporates the spin and whirl of the rotor, enabling the realistic reproduction of multiblade rubbing faults. To verify the accuracy of the SDBC model with large rotation and demonstrate its capability to effectively consider the rotational effects such as the centrifugal stiffening and gyroscopic effects, the natural characteristics and dynamic responses of the proposed model are compared with those obtained from reported research and experimental results. Furthermore, the effects of the rotating speed, contact stiffness,and blade number on the dynamic characteristics of the SDBC system with multi-blade rubbing are investigated. The results indicate that the phase angle between the rotor deflection and the unbalance excitation force increases with the increasing rotating speed,which significantly influences the rubbing penetration of each blade. The natural frequency of the SDBC system with rubbing constrain can be observed in the acceleration response of the casing and the torsional response of the shaft, and the frequency is related to the contact stiffness. Moreover, the vibration amplitude increases significantly with the product of the blade number under rubbing, and the rotating frequency approaches the natural frequency of the SDBC system. The proposed model can provide valuable insight for the fault diagnosis of rubbing in bladed rotating machinery.

Modeling and Validation of Diamagnetic Rotor Levitated by Permanent Magnetics

As an innovative,low-power consuming,and low-stiffness suspension approach,the diamagnetic levitation technique has attracted considerable interest because of its potential applicability in miniaturized mechanical systems.The foundation of a diamagnetic levitation system is mathematical modeling,which is essential for operating performance optimization and stability prediction.However,few studies on systematic mathematical modeling have been reported.In this study,a systematic mathematical model for a disc-shaped diamagnetically levitated rotor on a permanent magnet array is proposed.Based on the proposed model,the magnetic field distribution characteristics,diamagnetic levitation force characteristics(i.e.,levitation height and stiffness),and optimized theoretical conditions for realizing stable levitation are determined.Experiments are conducted to verify the feasibility of the proposed mathematical model.Theoretical predictions and experimental results indicate that increasing the levitation height enlarges the stable region.Moreover,with a further increase in the rotor radius,the stable regions of the rotor gradually diminish and even vanish.Thus,when the levitation height is fixed,a moderate rotor radius permits stable levitation.This study proposes a mathematical modeling method for a diamagnetic levitation system that has potential applications in miniaturized mechanical systems.

A Blade Altering Toolbox for Automating Rotor Design Optimization

The Blade Altering Toolbox(BAT)described in this paper is a tool designed for fast reconstruction of an altered blade geometry for design optimization purposes.The BAT algorithm is capable of twisting a given rotor’s angle of attack and stretching the chord length along the span of the rotor.Several test cases were run using the BAT’s algorithm.The BAT code’s twisting,stretching,and mesh reconstruction capabilities proved to be able to handle reasonably large geometric alterations to a provided input rotor geometry.The test examples showed that the toolbox’s algorithm could handle any stretching of the blade’s chord as long as the blade remained within the original bounds of the unaltered mesh.The algorithm appears to fail when the net twist angle applied the geometry exceeds approximately 30 degrees,however this limitation is dependent on the initial geometry and other input parameters.Overall,the algorithm is a very powerful tool for automating a design optimization procedure.

Electromagnetic Performance Analysis of Variable Flux Memory Machines with Series-magnetic-circuit and Different Rotor Topologies

In this paper,the electromagnetic performance of variable flux memory(VFM)machines with series-magnetic-circuit is investigated and compared for different rotor topologies.Based on a V-type VFM machine,five topologies with different interior permanent magnet(IPM)arrangements are evolved and optimized under same constrains.Based on two-dimensional(2-D)finite element(FE)method,their electromagnetic performance at magnetization and demagnetization states is evaluated.It reveals that the iron bridge and rotor lamination region between constant PM(CPM)and variable PM(VPM)play an important role in torque density and flux regulation(FR)capabilities.Besides,the global efficiency can be improved in VFM machines by adjusting magnetization state(MS)under different operating conditions.

Transient Analysis of a Reactor Coolant Pump Rotor Seizure Nuclear Accident

The reactor coolant pump(RCP)rotor seizure accident is defined as a short-time seizure of the RCP rotor.This event typically leads to an abrupt flow decrease in the corresponding loop and an ensuing reactor and turbine trip.The significant reduction of core coolant flow while the reactor is being operated at full load can have very negative consequences.This potentially dangerous event is typically characterized by a complex transient behavior in terms of flow conditions and energy transformation,which need to be analyzed and understood.This study constructed transient flow and rotational speed mathematical models under various degrees of rotor seizure using the test data collected from a dedicated transient rotor seizure test system.Then,bidirectional fluid-solid coupling simulations were conducted to investigate the flow evolution mechanism.It is found that the influence of the impeller structure size and transient braking acceleration on the unsteady head(Hu)is dominant in rotor seizure accident events.Moreover,the present results also show that the rotational acceleration additional head(Hu1)is much higher than the instantaneous head(Hu2).

A Modified Iterative Learning Control Approach for the Active Suppression of Rotor Vibration Induced by Coupled Unbalance and Misalignment

This paper proposes a modified iterative learning control(MILC)periodical feedback-feedforward algorithm to reduce the vibration of a rotor caused by coupled unbalance and parallel misalignment.The control of the vibration of the rotor is provided by an active magnetic actuator(AMA).The iterative gain of the MILC algorithm here presented has a self-adjustment based on the magnitude of the vibration.Notch filters are adopted to extract the synchronous(1×Ω)and twice rotational frequency(2×Ω)components of the rotor vibration.Both the notch frequency of the filter and the size of feedforward storage used during the experiment have a real-time adaptation to the rotational speed.The method proposed in this work can provide effective suppression of the vibration of the rotor in case of sudden changes or fluctuations of the rotor speed.Simulations and experiments using the MILC algorithm proposed here are carried out and give evidence to the feasibility and robustness of the technique proposed.

Model-free Speed Control of Single-phase Flux Switching Motor with an Asymmetrical Rotor

This paper proposes and implements a model-free open-loop iterative learning control(ILC)strategy to realize the speed control of the single-phase flux switching motor(FSM)with an asymmetrical rotor.Base on the proposed winding control method,the asymmetrical rotor enables the motor to generate continuous positive torque for positive rotation,and relatively small resistance torque for negative rotation.An initial iteration coefficient and variable iteration coefficient optimized scheme was proposed based on the characteristics of the hardware circuit,thereby forming the model-free strategy.A series of prototype experiments was carried out.Experimental results verify the effectiveness and practicability of the proposed ILC strategy.

Analysis and Research on Aerodynamic Characteristics of Quad Tilt Rotor Aircraft

For the quad tilt rotor aircraft, a computational fluid dynamics method based on multiple reference frames (MRF) was used to analyze the influence of aerodynamic layout parameters on the aerodynamic characteristics of the quad tilt rotor aircraft. Firstly, a numerical simulation method for the interference flow field of the quad tilt rotor aircraft is established. Based on this method, the aerodynamic characteristics of isolated rotors, rotor combinations at different lateral positions on the wing, and rotor rotation directions under different inflow velocities were calculated and analyzed, in order to grasp their aerodynamic interference laws and provide reference for the design and control theory research of such aircraft.

Optimization of the Gas Generator in Composite Power System with Tip-Jet Rotor

The key and bottleneck of research on the tip-jet rotor compound helicopter lies in the power system. Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) was used to numerically simulate the gas generator and rotor inner passage of the tip-jet rotor composite power system, studying the effects of intake mode, inner cavity structure, propellant components, and injection amount on the characteristics of the composite power system. The results show that when a single high-temperature exhaust gas enters, the gas generator outlet fluid is uneven and asymmetric;when two-way high-temperature exhaust gas enters, the outlet temperature of the gas generator with a tilted inlet is more uniform than that with a vertical inlet;adding an inner cavity improves the temperature and velocity distribution of the gas generator's internal flow field;increasing the energy of the propellant is beneficial for improving the available moment.

Dynamical Modeling and Dynamic Characteristics Analysisof a Coaxial Dual-Rotor System

The dual-rotor structure serves as the primary source of vibration in aero-engines. Understanding itsdynamical model and analyzing dynamic characteristics, such as critical speed and unbalanced response, arecrucial for rotor system dynamics. Previous work introduced a coaxial dual-rotor-support scheme for aeroengines,and a physical model featuring a high-speed flexible inner rotor with a substantial length-to-diameter ratiowas designed. Then a finite element (FE) dynamic model based on the Timoshenko beam elements and rigid bodykinematics of the dual-rotor system is modeled, with the Newmark method and Newton–Raphson method used forthe numerical calculation to study the dynamic characteristics of the system. Three different simulation models,including beam-based FE (1D) model, solid-based FE (3D) model, and transfer matrix model, were designed tostudy the characteristics of mode and the critical speed characteristic of the dual-rotor system. The unbalancedresponse of the dual-rotor system was analyzed to study the influence of mass unbalance on the rotor system. Theeffect of different disk unbalance phases and different speed ratios on the dynamic characteristics of the dual-rotorsystem was investigated in detail. The experimental result shows that the beam-based FE model is effective andsuitable for studying the dual-rotor system.

Numerical investigation on the flow and power of small-sized multi-bladed straight Darrieus wind turbine

Straight Darrieus wind turbine has attractive characteristics such as the ability to accept wind from random direction and easy installation and maintenance. But its aerodynamic performance is very complicated,especially for the existence of dynamic stall. How to get better aerodynamic performance arouses lots of interests in the design procedure of a straight Darrieus wind turbine. In this paper,mainly the effects of number of blades and tip speed ratio are discussed. Based on the numerical investigation,an assumed asymmetric straight Darrieus wind turbine is proposed to improve the averaged power coefficient. As to the numerical method,the flow around the turbine is simulated by solving the 2D unsteady Navier-Stokes equation combined with continuous equation. The time marching method on a body-fitted coordinate system based on MAC (Marker-and-Cell) method is used. O-type grid is generated for the whole calculation domain. The characteristics of tangential and normal force are discussed related with dynamic stall of the blade. Averaged power coefficient per period of rotating is calculated to evaluate the eligibility of the turbine.

Dynamic stiffness characteristics of aero-engine elastic support structure and its effects on rotor systems:mechanism and numerical and experimental studies

The support structure of a rotor system is subject to vibration excitation,which results in the stiffness of the support structure varying with the excitation frequency(i.e.,the dynamic stiffness).However,the dynamic stiffness and its effect mechanism have been rarely incorporated in open studies of the rotor system.Therefore,this study theoretically reveals the effect mechanism of dynamic stiffness on the rotor system.Then,the numerical study and experimental verification are conducted on the dynamic stiffness characteristics of a squirrel cage,which is a common support structure for aero-engine.Moreover,the static stiffness experiment is also performed for comparison.Finally,a rotor system model considering the dynamic stiffness of the support structure is presented.The presented rotor model is used to validate the results of the theoretical analysis.The results illustrate that the dynamic stiffness reduces the critical speed of the rotor system and may lead to a new resonance.

Crack Fault Diagnosis and Location Method for a Dual-Disk Hollow Shaft Rotor System Based on the Radial Basis Function Network and Pattern Recognition Neural Network

The crack fault is one of the most common faults in the rotor system,and researchers have paid close attention to its fault diagnosis.However,most studies focus on discussing the dynamic response characteristics caused by the crack rather than estimating the crack depth and position based on the obtained vibration signals.In this paper,a novel crack fault diagnosis and location method for a dual-disk hollow shaft rotor system based on the Radial basis function(RBF)network and Pattern recognition neural network(PRNN)is presented.Firstly,a rotor system model with a breathing crack suitable for a short-thick hollow shaft rotor is established based on the finite element method,where the crack's periodic opening and closing pattern and different degrees of crack depth are considered.Then,the dynamic response is obtained by the harmonic balance method.By adjusting the crack parameters,the dynamic characteristics related to the crack depth and position are analyzed through the amplitude-frequency responses and waterfall plots.The analysis results show that the first critical speed,first subcritical speed,first critical speed amplitude,and super-harmonic resonance peak at the first subcritical speed can be utilized for the crack fault diagnosis.Based on this,the RBF network and PRNN are adopted to determine the depth and approximate location of the crack respectively by taking the above dynamic characteristics as input.Test results show that the proposed method has high fault diagnosis accuracy.This research proposes a crack detection method adequate for the hollow shaft rotor system,where the crack depth and position are both unknown.

Investigation of Nonlinear PI Multi-loop Control Strategy for Aircraft HVDC Generator System with Wound Rotor Synchronous Machine

In order to enhance the transient performance of aircraft high voltage DC(HVDC)generation system with wound rotor synchronous machine(WRSM)under a wide speed range,the nonlinear PI multi-loop control strategy is proposed in this paper.Traditional voltage control method is hard to achieve the dynamic performance requirements of the HVDC generation system under a wide speed range,so the nonlinear PI parameter adjustment,load current feedback and speed feedback are added to the voltage and excitation current double loop control.The transfer function of the HVDC generation system is derived,and the relationship between speed,load current and PI parameters is obtained.The PI parameters corresponding to the load at certain speed are used to shorten the adjusting time when the load suddenly changes.The dynamic responses in transient processes are analyzed by experiment.The results illustrate that the WRSM HVDC generator system with this method has better dynamic performance.

Accelerator-mode islands and superdiffusion in double-kicked rotor

This paper presents a theoretical investigation of the presence of acceleration islands in the phase space of doublekicked rotor(DKR) systems, which can lead to superdiffusive behavior. We establish the conditions for the existence of period-1 acceleration centers and subsequently calculate the stability conditions for both period-1 and period-2 accelerate mode islands. A detailed analysis of local and global diffusion in the vicinity of the islands and the stickiness regions is provided. It is demonstrated that the mean stickiness time decays exponentially when the phase point is located in the interior of the island. Moreover, the phase point undergoes a power-law decay with a power equal to approximately 5when entering the sticky region. These findings offer a foundation for future exploration of quantum dynamics in the DKR system.

Rotor performance enhancement by alternating current dielectric barrier discharge plasma actuation

An experimental system was established to explore the plasma flow control effect for helicopter rotors in hover mode.With the plasma actuator applied at the leading edge of the rotor blades,alternating current dielectric barrier discharge(AC-DBD) plasma actuation was generated by a sinusoidal AC high-voltage generator.By direct force measurement,the influence of actuation parameters on the aerodynamic performance of the rotor was investigated at a tip Reynolds number of 1.7 × 105.AC-DBD actuation can delay the blade stall to more than 3° with a 20%increase of about in the thrust coefficient at the post-stall pitch.At a constant motor power driving the rotor,AC-DBD actuation could reduce the rotor’s torque at the stalled pitch and increase the rotational speed of the rotor.Also,AC-DBD actuation could maintain a relatively high hover efficiency of the rotor at large collective pitches.In a wide range of actuation parameters,AC-DBD plasma actuation could improve the rotor’s aerodynamic performance at large blade pitches.High-speed photography of the tuft motion on the blade’s upper surface showed that AC-DBD plasma actuation could promote the reattachment of the blade’s separation flow.

Numerical Study on Low-Reynolds Compressible Flows around Mars Helicopter Rotor Blade Airfoil

High-speed rotor rotation under the low-density condition creates a special low-Reynolds compressible flow around the rotor blade airfoil where the compressibility effect on the laminar separated shear layer occurs. However, the compressibility effect and shock wave generation associated with the increase in the Mach number (M) and the trend change due to their interference have not been clarified. The purpose is to clear the compressibility effect and its impact of shock wave generation on the flow field and aerodynamics. Therefore, we perform a two-dimensional unsteady calculation by Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) analysis using the CLF5605 airfoil used in the Mars helicopter Ingenuity, which succeeded in its first flight on Mars. The calculation conditions are set to the Reynolds number (Re) at 75% rotor span in hovering (Re = 15,400), and the Mach number was varied from incompressible (M = 0.2) to transonic (M = 1.2). The compressible fluid dynamics solver FaSTAR developed by the Japan aerospace exploration agency (JAXA) is used, and calculations are performed under multiple conditions in which the Mach number and angle of attack (α) are swept. The results show that a flow field is similar to that in the Earth’s atmosphere above M = 1.0, such as bow shock at the leading edge, whereas multiple λ-type shock waves are observed over the separated shear layer above α = 3° at M = 0.80. However, no significant difference is found in the Cp distribution around the airfoil between M = 0.6 and M = 0.8. From the results, it is found that multiple λ-type shock waves have no significant effect on the airfoil surface pressure distribution, the separated shear layer effect is dominant in the surface pressure change and aerodynamic characteristics.

The Advantages of Using Rotating Machines with Profiled Rotors

In order to achieve a lower consumed energy, the performance of a new type of rotating volumetric pump with two profiled rotors (variant I) which is compared with a centrifugal pump (variant II) is presented. The analysis regarding the same flow rate of transported liquid and the same pressure increases points out the conduct of the system at the variation of the key operating parameters. The actual driving power of the rotating volumetric pump is higher stating that is more advantageous in operation. The effective efficiency of the system is improved due to the original constructive solution.

Weak Fault Detection of Rotor Winding Inter-Turn Short Circuit in Excitation System Based on Residual Interval Observer

Aiming at the fact that the rotor winding inter-turn weak faults can hardly be detected due to the strong electromagnetic coupling effect in the excitation system,an interval observer based on current residual is designed.Firstly,the mechanism of the inter-turn short circuit of the rotor winding in the excitation system is modeled under the premise of stable working conditions,and electromagnetic decoupling and system simplification are carried out through Park Transform.An interval observer is designed based on the current residual in the two-phase coordinate system,and the sensitive and stable conditions of the observer is preset.The fault diagnosis process based on the interval observer is formulated,and the observer gain matrix is convexly optimized by linear matrix inequality.The numerical simulation and experimental results show that the inter-turn short circuit weak fault is hardly detected directly through the current signal,but the fault is quickly and accurately diagnosed through the residual internal observer.Compared with the traditional fault diagnosis method based on excitation current,the diagnosis speed and accuracy are greatly improved,and the probability of misdiagnosis also decreases.This method provides a theoretical basis for weak fault identification of excitation systems,and is of great significance for the operation and maintenance of excitation systems.