bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A Robust Implementation of a Reynolds Stress Model for Turbomachinery Applications in a Coupled Solver Environment
Authors: Roos Launchbury David , Mangani Luca , Casartelli Ernesto , Del Citto Francesco
Published: January 2021

In the industrial simulation of flow phenomena, turbulence modeling is of prime importance. Due to their low computational cost, Reynolds-averaged methods (RANS) are predominantly used for this purpose. However, eddy viscosity RANS models are often unable to adequately capture important flow physics, specifically when strongly anisotropic turbulence and vortex structures are present. In such cases the more costly 7-equation Reynolds stress models often lead to significantly better results. Unfortunately, these models are not widely used in the industry. The reason for this is not mainly the increased computational cost, but the stability and convergence issues such models usually exhibit.

In this paper we present a robust implementation of a Reynolds stress model that is solved in a coupled manner, increasing stability and convergence speed significantly compared to segregated implementations. In addition, the decoupling of the velocity and Reynolds stress fields is addressed for the coupled equation formulation. A special wall function is presented that conserves the anisotropic properties of the model near the walls on coarser meshes.

The presented Reynolds stress model is validated on a series of semi-academic test cases and then applied to two industrially relevant situations, namely the tip vortex of a NACA0012 profile and the Aachen Radiver radial compressor case.
Design, Flow Field and Heat Transfer Characterization of the Conjugate Aero-Thermal Test Facility at NETL
Authors: Ramesh S. , Robey E. , Lawson S. A. , Straub D. , Black J.
Published: January 2021

A new aerothermal test facility was constructed for the purpose of studying film cooling performance in an environment that accurately simulates conjugate heat transfer characteristics that exist in engine operation. This paper details the design of the facility and the plan for conducting steady-state film cooling experiments to improve the understanding of conjugate heat transfer scaling from laboratory to engine conditions. The test facility consists of two separate flow channels (hot gas/coolant) and each gas path has a flow conditioning section, a convergent nozzle and a test section/channel with viewports. Numerical simulations were conducted to predict flow field characteristics supporting the design of the flow loop facility. Preliminary experiments were conducted to characterize the flow field using velocity and temperature profile measurements. In addition, infrared (IR) thermography methods were developed to measure surface temperatures on the hot side of the test plate. The IR measurement methods including calibration of the IR camera is explained in detail. It was concluded that appropriate hot gas path flow conditioning could be achieved using a strainer-like tube, a perforated plate, and a honeycomb-mesh screen system upstream of the test section. Flow field measurements from preliminary experiments showed that the boundary layer profile follows the law of the wall.
Profile Loss Investigations With a S-CO2 Axial Turbine Aerofoil
Authors: Kumaran R. Senthil , Alone Dilipkumar B. , Kumar Pramod
Published: January 2021

Axial turbines are being extensively designed for supercritical carbon-di-oxide (S-CO2) Brayton cycle power blocks. But very little information is available in the open literature on the aerodynamics of S-CO2 axial turbines, their aerofoils and loss mechanisms. The understanding of real gas behavior of S-CO2 inside a turbine is still very far from complete. Profile losses contribute to more than 50% of overall losses in a turbine. Hence, estimation of profile losses at the outset of the design process is very important. In the present study, the mean section aerofoil of the first stage of a 5 MWe Brayton cycle high temperature turbine is investigated for profile loss characteristics. The basic aerodynamic characteristics of the aerofoil in a linear cascade were initially studied using CFD simulations and cascade test experiments with air as the fluid medium. The aerofoil cascade is then subjected to numerical simulations with S-CO2 as the fluid medium. CFD simulations were carried out using a commercial RANS solver with SST k-ω turbulence model for closure. Air was modelled as ideal gas and S-CO2 was modelled as real gas with Refrigerant Gas Property tables generated over the appropriate pressure and temperature ranges using NIST Refprop database. Losses are also calculated using Craig and Cox loss model. Experiments were carried out by testing a linear cascade model comprising 12 two dimensional blades, in a high-speed cascade wind tunnel. Cascade tests were carried out over a range of exit Mach numbers and incidence angles with air as the working medium. Losses, flow deflection and blade loading were measured during the experiments. Scaling of the profile losses between air and S-CO2 fluid mediums were examined over a range of Mach numbers, Reynolds numbers and incidence angles. Detailed analysis of data generated from numerical simulations, experiments and loss model (mainly in the transonic regime) are discussed in this paper. Losses with S-CO2 was 1.5% lower than that of air while the flow deflection roughly remained the same.
Trade-Off Assessments for Part Load Controlled Cooling Air in Stationary Gas Turbines
Authors: Woelki Dominik , Peitsch Dieter
Published: January 2021

The demand for flexible operation of stationary gas turbines, especially at part load, requires the simultaneous design for sufficient efficiency and life time. Both can be addressed by the secondary air system. The here applied concept modulates cooling air supply in off-design. Typically, a reduction of cooling air leads to higher efficiency but shorter turbine life time.

This paper presents investigations on such concepts, aiming for trade-offs between fuel burn and turbine blade life. The considered life time mechanisms are creep, which is dominant in rotor blades, and oxidation. In addition, the effects on emissions from the combustion are outlined. The reference gas turbine is a literature-based, generic gas turbine in the 300 MWpower output segment. Regarding cooling air control, the focus is on the first two stages of the four-stage turbine.

All simulations are performed by application of component zooming with an appropriate in-house tool: a previously introduced coupled model of the reference gas turbine that essentially connects gas turbine performance with a secondary air system network model. This coupled model is now extended with blade life evaluation and emission models.

The results contain trade-offs for different operating points at base and part load. For example, the combined cooling air control of stage 1 rotor blade and stage 2 vane offers several benefits regarding fuel consumption: saving up to Δwfuel,rel = 0.5% in the heat recovery’s kink point operation at 60 % of base load of a combined cycle application. This saving is at the expense of creep life. However, some operating points could even operate at higher blade temperatures in order to improve life regarding hot corrosion. Furthermore, generic sensitivities of controlled secondary air supply to cooling layers and hot gas ingestion at rim seals are discussed. Overall, the presented trades mark promising potentials of modulated secondary air system concepts from a technical point of view.
The Effects of Cooling Holes on SiC/SiC CMC Tensile Strength
Authors: Smith Craig , Presby Michael , Bhatt Ramakrishna , Kalluri Sreeramesh
Published: January 2021

Silicon Carbide fiber-reinforced Silicon Carbide (SiC/SiC) Ceramic Matrix Composites (CMCs) are currently operating in select high temperature components of turbine engines. Primary benefits of CMCs compared to metals are improved temperature capability, reduced cooling requirements and reduced component weight. High temperature materials require less cooling air to be diverted from the compressor, resulting in improved engine performance. However, some amount of film cooling may be necessary when CMCs are implemented in higher temperature applications. Film cooling requires holes to be fabricated at appropriate locations and orientations within these components. It is important to understand how such holes will affect the material properties. While previous studies have shown that CMCs are notch insensitive, the effect of multiple holes and different hole orientations on SiC/SiC CMCs is not well documented. This study examines the effect of cooling holes on SiC/SiC tensile properties. Several hole geometries fabricated in SiC/SiC samples are explored. Mechanical test data on specimens with multiple holes is reported for tensile loading at room temperature. Tools such as Digital Image Correlation (DIC) and Acoustic Emission (AE) are used to monitor strain and cracking in the CMC upon loading.
Comparison of Sodium Sulphate Deposition Rate Models Based on Operational Factors Influencing Hot Corrosion Damage in Aero-Engines
Authors: Pontika Evangelia , Laskaridis Panagiotis , Nikolaidis Theoklis , Koster Max
Published: January 2021

Hot corrosion is defined as the accelerated oxidation/sulphidation in the presence of alkali metal molten salts. It is a form of chemical attack that causes good metal loss. Current lifing models in aircraft engines focus on creep, fatigue and oxidation while hot corrosion damage has been overlooked as being of secondary importance. However, the absence of hot corrosion lifing models for aircraft engines often leads to unexpected and unexplained hot corrosion findings by aircraft engine operators and Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO) providers during inspections. Although hot corrosion does not cause failure on its own, the interaction with other damage mechanisms can reduce component life significantly, consequently, there is a requirement for including hot corrosion in the damage prediction process of aircraft engines.

In both theoretical and experimental studies in literature, deposition of molten salts is identified as one of the primary conditions for hot corrosion to occur and an increased amount of deposited liquid salts accelerates the attack. Currently, most hot corrosion studies are limited to experimental testing of superalloys which are pre-coated with a controlled layer of salts. Such experimental studies are disconnected from gas turbine operating conditions during service.

The present paper analyses two deposition rate models applicable to gas turbine operating conditions using Design of Experiments. Design space exploration is presented by taking into account gas turbine operating parameters which vary during a flight as well as temperature ranges where hot corrosion can occur. Analysis of variance is presented for 6 input parameters using Box-Behnken 3-level factorial design. Results from the Analysis of Variance indicate that the deposition rate models are sensitive to pressure and salt concentration in the gas flow. Finally, the saturation point of sodium sulphate has been investigated within the operating range of gas turbine and it was found that it can vary significantly under different conditions.
Introducing Life Cycle Cost Analysis in an Undergraduate Gas Turbine Engine Design Capstone Course
Authors: Byerley Aaron R. , Brandt Steve A.
Published: January 2021

The purpose of this paper is to introduce the basics of life cycle cost analysis for use in an undergraduate, senior-level capstone, gas turbine engine design course. This paper will support the heightened interest within the military acquisition community that now requires life cycle cost analysis to be included in the proposals submitted by defense contractors. The capstone design course includes both the gas turbine engine cycle selection and engine component design that supports a particular aircraft application. While the students have been taught how to estimate the fuel costs, engine development costs, and the time-varying production costs of engines, they have not yet been provided instruction on how to factor all three types of costs into an engineering economics, time-value-of-money, present value analysis. This paper will fill that gap and serve as a resource for the students who must now consider life cycle cost as an element in their design decision matrix along with engine performance, technical risk, and development time. The typical case compares an engine where the upfront development and production costs associated with a more advanced level of technology are high early on in the life cycle but over time has a lower fuel cost compared to an engine with a lower development and production cost but with a higher fuel cost. This paper illustrates how the aerodynamics, thermodynamics, and engineering economics can be brought together to inform and defend a decision about which of the two (or more) alternatives is best. The engineering economic analysis is spreadsheet based and uses inflation adjusted, total annual costs to calculate the present value for use in a decision matrix.
Simulation of Optimizing the Partial Load Performance of a Gas Turbine Combined Cycle Using Exhaust Heat Recuperation and Inlet Bleed Heating
Authors: Moon Seong Won , Kim Tong Seop
Published: January 2021

Extending the operating range and improving the partial load efficiency of the gas turbine combined cycle (GTCC) is becoming increasingly important. This paper proposes a novel method to achieve the two goals simultaneously. To fulfill the research objective, the combination of exhaust heat recuperation and inlet bleed heating (IBH) was adopted and evaluated. A cycle simulation was conducted to confirm whether the research goal could be achieved. A recuperator was installed between the compressor and combustor of the gas turbine, and the degree of heat recuperation was modulated during partial load operation to enhance the cycle efficiency compared to the conventional GTCC plant. In contrast to the conventional GTCC plant, the recuperation ratio was modulated before control of the variable inlet guide vane (VIGV) began. This means that the recuperation control covers the high partial load regime. The gas turbine power remained almost constant in this regime because the inlet flow rate and turbine inlet temperature were kept constant. In contrast, the power of the bottoming cycle decreased with increasing recuperation ratio due to the decrease in exhaust gas energy. After the recuperation ratio reached a limit, the load control was the same, as in conventional plants: VIGV control followed by fuel only control. The purpose of using IBH was to reduce CO emissions in the low load regime. Some of the compressor discharge air was recirculated to the compressor inlet, and the combustion temperature was maintained at a high level. The simulation showed that both IBH and recuperation are effective in extending the operating range. The predicted reduction in the turndown ratio was approximately 10%p. The partial load efficiency improvement by the recuperation was sensible. The efficiency remained higher than the full load efficiency over a wide partial load range. The efficiency of the recuperated GTCC was 4.1%p higher at 50% power than that of the conventional GTCC.
Background-Grid Based Mapping Approach to Film Cooling Meshing: Part I — Strategies and Test Cases
Authors: Wang Ruiqin , Yan Xin
Published: January 2021

Film cooling technique is commonly adopted in modern gas turbine engines to protect high-temperature components from erosion and damage caused by thermal stress. To improve film cooling effectiveness, many efficient prediction tools have been developed and have shown promising results, which are helpful for turbine aero-thermal design. For film cooling, evidence has shown that it is strongly affected by the momentum and heat transport in the boundary layer when hot gas and coolant are mixed downstream of the ejection. From the view of resolution accuracy in the boundary layer, structured grids will be the primary choice in fluid domain. However, the high-pressure gas turbine blades usually have several hundreds of cooling holes with different configurations and arrangements. Numerical simulations often face a big challenge in multi-block structured-grid generations when a large number of cooling holes are involved on curved hole-to-mainstream interfaces. Conventional block-splitting and mesh-generation for all holes are quite time-consuming and cumbersome, because the copying, translating and rotating manipulations cannot be applied on curved hole-to-mainstream interfaces directly. To solve these difficulties, this paper presents a novel mesh-generation strategy, which is a background-grid based mapping (BGBM) method, to generate multi-block structured grids for film-cooled blade efficiently without modifying the existing meshing tools and solvers, which is convenient for CFD users. It consists of three main steps: At first, the correspondence between physical space and computational space is established by two sets of background grids. Then, the sectional curves of geometry features in physical space are projected to the computational space. With these treatments, the curved hole-to-mainstream interfaces are flattened in computational space, where grids can be quickly generated with block copying, translating, rotating and merging manipulations. Thereafter, meshes in computational space are mapped back to the physical space based on the correspondence between physical and computational spaces, and high-quality structured-meshes can be obtained for numerical simulations. To demonstrate the presented meshing strategy, several typical cases with film cooling are selected for testing, including single cooling hole on curved surface, multiple rows of cooling holes on curved surface and NASA C3X vane with multiple hole arrays. In these cases, different holes, including the cylindrical holes and shaped holes with different ejection angles and arrangements, on curved interfaces are taken into consideration. The quality of generated structured grids for each test case is illustrated, which is able to meet the requirement of CFD solver. With the generated meshes, conjugate heat transfer performance in the turbine vane with different cooling arrangements is investigated and also validated with the existing experimental data.
Modelling of Partially Wetting Liquid Film Using an Enhanced Thin Film Model for Aero-Engine Bearing Chamber Applications
Authors: Singh K. , Sharabi M. , Jefferson-Loveday R. , Ambrose S. , Eastwick C. , Cao J. , Jacobs A.
Published: January 2021

In the case of aero-engine, thin lubricating film servers dual purpose of lubrication and cooling. Prediction of dry patches or lubricant starved region in bearing or bearing chambers are required for safe operation of these components. In the present work thin liquid film flow is numerically investigated using the framework of the Eulerian thin film model (ETFM) for conditions which exhibit partial wetting phenomenon. This model includes a parameter that requires adjustment to account for the dynamic contact angle. Two different experimental data sets have been used for comparisons against simulations, which cover a wide range of operating conditions including varying the flow rate, inclination angle, contact angle, and liquid-gas surface tension coefficient. A new expression for the model parameter has been proposed and calibrated based on the simulated cases. This is employed to predict film thickness on a bearing chamber which is subjected to a complex multiphase flow. From this study, it is observed that the proposed approach shows good quantitative comparisons of the film thickness of flow down an inclined plate and for the representative bearing chamber. A comparison of model predictions with and without wetting and drying capabilities is also presented on the bearing chamber for shaft speed in the range of 2,500 RPM to 10,000 RPM and flow rate in the range of 0.5 liter per minute (LPM) to 2.5 LPM.
Machine Learning for the Development of Data Driven Turbulence Closures in Coolant Systems
Authors: Hammond James , Montomoli Francesco , Pietropaoli Marco , Sandberg Richard D. , Michelassi Vittorio
Published: January 2021

This work shows the application of Gene Expression Programming to augment RANS turbulence closure modelling for flows through complex geometry, designed for additive manufacturing. Specifically, for the design of optimised internal cooling channels in turbine blades. One of the challenges in internal cooling design is the heat transfer accuracy of the RANS formulation in comparison to higher fidelity methods, which are still not used in design on account of their computational cost. However, high fidelity data can be extremely valuable for improving current lower fidelity models and this work shows the application of data driven approaches to develop turbulence closures for an internally ribbed duct. Different approaches are compared and the results of the improved model are illustrated; first on the same geometry, and then for an unseen predictive case.

The work shows the potential of using data driven models for accurate heat transfer predictions even in non-conventional configurations.
Study on Flow and Heat Transfer Characteristics of a New-Proposed Alternating Elliptical U-Channel
Authors: Xiao Kun , He Juan , Feng Zhenping
Published: January 2021

This paper proposed an alternating elliptical U-shaped internal cooling channel and investigated the flow and heat transfer characteristics, based on the optimal flow field structure deduced from the Field Synergy Principle. The channel consisted of the straight sections and the transition sections. In the straight sections, the cross section of the channel is ellipse, and in the transition sections, the long axis gradually shortened into the short axis, and the short axis gradually expanded to the long axis. However, the cross-section area of the channel remained unchanged.

Numerical simulations were performed to solve 3D steady Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes equations (RANS) with the standard k-ε turbulence model. The influence of alternating of the cross section on heat transfer and pressure drop of the channel was studied by comparing with the smooth elliptical U-shaped channel, and all the cases were conducted with the Re numbers from 10,000 to 40,000. On this basis, the investigation on alternating elliptical U-shaped internal cooling channel performance was made mainly into two parts. One was the effect of aspect ratio which was set as from 1.1 to 2.0, while the other was the effect of alternating angle θ which was set as from 10° to 90°.

The results showed that for the flow field, there was no vortex in the first pass of the smooth elliptical U-shaped channel. On the contrary, in the first pass of the alternating elliptical U-shaped channel, after the transition section, for different Re numbers, four or eight longitudinal vortices were generated. In the second pass, the flow separation in smooth elliptical U-shaped channel was serious because of the centrifugal force at the elbow, while the alternating elliptical channel restrained the flow separation to a certain extent and formed a double-vortex structure just like the vortex cooling. The average Nusselt number of the alternating elliptical U-shaped channel was significantly higher than that of the straight channel, but the pressure loss increased slightly. In addition, with the increase of aspect ratio, the thermal performance of the channel increased in the study range, and when the alternating angle is between 40° to 90°, the thermal performance nearly kept constant and the best.
Exploring the Presence of Pressure Waves in Axial Compressor Cascades
Authors: Leggett John , Sandberg Richard
Published: January 2021

The presence of pressure waves in an axial compressor cascade are ubiquitous and have been known and investigated for some time. Much of the work to date focuses on compressor acoustics and vibration, which is largely due to wake blade interactions and trailing edge shedding. However, it has been shown on free aerofoils that pressure waves can be produced from volume sources, such as separation, at non-negligible amplitudes. The work presented here highlights the presence of pressure waves emanating from the suction surface transition of a NACA 65 axial compressor cascade, and briefly investigates and details the influence different free-stream disturbances have on the frequency of the pressure waves produced.
Creation of Models of Fan Blades According to Airfoil Measurements
Authors: Arkhipov Alexandr N. , Ravikovich Yury A. , Kholobtsev Dmitry P.
Published: January 2021

One of the main parts of the engine for the regional aircraft, affecting its efficiency and reliability, is the fan blade, which is designed based on aerodynamic and mechanical integrity (MI) optimization and has a complex geometry of the airfoil. At some operating modes, the aerodynamic and MI characteristics of the blades may deteriorate due to geometric deviations from the nominal airfoil at manufacture. Thus, to increase the robustness of the fan blades, it is necessary to solve the problem of creation of the fan blade models and the arrangement of the blades in the wheel, taking into account the actual geometric parameters.

Aerodynamic and MI calculations of blades with real geometric deviations of the airfoil should be carried out using numerical three-dimensional (3D) methods. In this case, it is important to create 3D models of blades and to carry out their subsequent calculation at minimal costs.

The method of automated creation of a model of finished blades with real production deviations of the airfoil according to the data of measurement in the CAD system is presented.

Since more than 1000 measured points are used in the construction of the model of the measured blade, it is more convenient to reduce the number of initial points (parameters) for robust optimization of the fan blades.

A program has been developed, which is a macro written in the programming language PHYTON, working together with the selected CAD-system Siemens NX, which significantly reduces the time to prepare models for aerodynamic and MI calculations.
Full Flight Envelope Transient Main Control Loop Design Based on LMI Optimization
Authors: Miao Keqiang , Wang Xi , Zhu Meiyin
Published: January 2021

To solve the problem of full flight envelope transient main control loop design of turbofan engine, a design method based on linear matrix inequality (LMI) is proposed. Robust stability of the closed-loop turbofan engine system in all conditions is proved by using Lyapunov inequalities. The robust performance is ensured by gain-schedule and pole-placement. Reduced order multivariable gain-schedule and minimum trace optimization algorithm are presented to guarantee the feasibility of the design method. Full flight envelope simulations based on a nonlinear turbofan engine model were done. The results show that the maximum settling time of N1cor is 4.3s and the maximum overshoot is 1.7%. The maximum settling time of N2cor is 4.5s and the maximum overshoot is 0.1%. The robust stability and consistent performance in full flight envelope are also shown in the results.
Elimination of Numerical Damping in the Stability Analysis of Non-Compact Thermoacoustic Systems With Linearized Euler Equations
Authors: Hofmeister Thomas , Hummel Tobias , Berger Frederik , Klarmann Noah , Sattelmayer Thomas
Published: January 2021

The hybrid Computational Fluid Dynamics/Computational AeroAcoustics (CFD/CAA) approach represents an effective method to assess the stability of non-compact thermoacoustic systems. This paper summarizes the state-of-the-art of this method, which is currently applied for the stability prediction of a lab-scale configuration of a perfectly-premixed, swirl-stabilized gas turbine combustion chamber at the Thermodynamics institute of the Technical University of Munich. Specifically, 80 operational points, for which experimentally observed stability information is readily available, are numerically investigated concerning their susceptibility to develop thermoacoustically unstable oscillations at the first transversal eigenmode of the combustor. Three contributions are considered in this work: (1) flame driving due the deformation and displacement of the flame, (2) visco-thermal losses in the acoustic boundary layer and (3) damping due to acoustically induced vortex shedding. The analysis is based on eigenfrequency computations of the Linearized Euler Equations with the stabilized Finite Element Method (sFEM). One main advancement presented in this study is the elimination of the non-physical impact of artificial diffusion schemes, which is necessary to produce numerically stable solutions, but falsifies the computed stability results.
Improvement of the Inverse Finite Element Analysis Approach for Tensile and Toughness Predictions by Means of Small Punch Technique
Authors: Kulawinski Dirk , Iding Kevin , Schornstein Robin , Özdemir-Weingart Dasgin , Dumstorff Peter
Published: January 2021

This paper focuses on the inverse FEA to calculate the SPT tests and the prediction of the tensile and fracture toughness behavior. For the description of the SPT tests via FEA the hardening rule of Ramberg-Osgood and the damage model of Gursson-Tvergaard-Needleman (GTN) were used. The inverse FEA optimization process cannot provide a unique solution for the 12 parameters included in the material model. This results from a dependency between some parameters, which leads to the same solution in the optimization. Hence a novel description of the dependent parameters was developed and implemented within the optimization process. Therefore, an enhanced inverse FEA approach was proposed which provides a fast converging solution for determination of the material model parameters. Within this study the forged turbine shaft material EN: 27NiCrMoV15-6 was investigated. For comparison purposes SPT tests as well as tensile tests and fracture toughness tests were carried out. In the case of the tensile properties the test and simulation show coincidence in the curve as well as the characteristic values. For the toughness behavior the characteristic value of the test was met by the simulation.
Model-Based Analysis of a Combined Heat and Power System Featuring a Hydrogen-Fired Gas Turbine With On-Site Hydrogen Production and Storage
Authors: Bexten Thomas , Wirsum Manfred , Roscher Björn , Schelenz Ralf , Jacobs Georg
Published: January 2021

Hydrogen-fired gas turbines have the potential to play an important role in decarbonized energy sectors. However, a demand-oriented supply of CO2-neutral hydrogen for the operation of gas turbines is technically and economically challenging. These challenges mainly arise due to various interdependencies between the volatility of renewable power generation, available hydrogen production capacities, available hydrogen storage capacities and the operational demands to be met by gas turbines. The present study aims to quantify these interdependencies by conducting a detailed model-based analysis of an exemplary combined heat and power system featuring a hydrogen-fired industrial gas turbine with on-site hydrogen production via electrolysis and on-site hydrogen storage in pressure vessels. In order to identify the sought-after interdependencies, simulation runs featuring various combinations of available hydrogen production and storage capacities are analyzed. If only local power surpluses are utilized for the electrolysis, the obtained results reveal a strong non-linear impact of both the hydrogen production capacity and the storage capacity on the ability to provide hydrogen for the gas turbine. Furthermore, the results indicate that an exclusive utilization of local power surpluses leads to very limited periods of hydrogen-based gas turbine operation and low utilization rates of the available hydrogen production and storage capacities. If additional power for the operation of electrolyzers is supplied by the grid, increased utilization rates and prolonged periods of hydrogen-based gas turbine operation can be achieved. However, in order to realize an overall reduction of CO2 emissions, this mode of operation requires the supply of large quantities of renewable power by the grid. Furthermore, the results of an additional economic analysis reveal that both investigated operational modes are currently not economically viable within the considered economic framework.
Detection of Unit of Measure Inconsistency by Means of a Machine Learning Model
Authors: Manservigi Lucrezia , Murray Daniel , de la Iglesia Javier Artal , Ceschini Giuseppe Fabio , Bechini Giovanni , Losi Enzo , Venturini Mauro
Published: January 2021

The evaluation of sensor reliability is fundamental for all types of energy systems. Regardless of the environment in which a sensor is installed, only a reliable measurement can lead to optimal decisions about system operation and health state. In fact, a faulty sensor may provide misleading information for decision making, at the expense of business interruption and maintenance-related costs.

In the literature, several checks are performed in order to detect sensor faults, such as out of range, stuck signal, dithering, standard deviation, trend coherence, spike and bias.

However, process anomalies have been rarely investigated, though they often introduce errors whereby the unit of measure of a sensor is wrongly assumed. In this paper such a situation is named Unit of Measure Inconsistency (UMI).

To this aim, the authors exploit a Machine Learning model, namely a Support Vector Machine, by considering four different approaches for UMI detection and analyzing two field datasets acquired from Siemens gas turbines.

Among all tested approaches, the Radial Basis Function with One-vs-One decomposition proved to be the most effective approach, since it demonstrated its effectiveness and robustness in the majority of the analyses.

Thanks to the selected approach, the actual information regarding sensor unit of measure can be provided and further sensor and engine diagnoses can be safely performed.
Methodology for Simulation of Soak-Back in a Helicopter Engine Bay Using Lattice Boltzmann Method
Authors: Bonnal Benoît , Vanoli Emmanuel , Placko Amélie , Combébias Sébastien
Published: January 2021

Soak-back conditions are a crucial challenge for engine manufacturers to reduce the turnaround time between flights and improve engine durability and security. The natural convection conditions at stake make the numerical predictions of the flow and thermal behaviors rather difficult, when not prohibitively expensive. Consequently, the topic is still assessed with tests which can only be performed at a very late stage of the engine development and do not provide a good overview of the physics behind. Failures discovered so late are extremely expensive and complex to solve.

This paper presents the first phase of a methodology development to tackle the soak-back of an engine with the SIMULIA PowerFLOW Suite Computational Fluid Dynamics code. Comparisons for validation are made with the tests on one hand, and with ANSYS Fluent RANS (Reynolds Averaged Navier-Stokes) simulations whenever possible. The work conducted so far focuses on the engine bay only with coupled fluid-thermal simulations while the core flow is simplified into a 1D fluid nodes network.

A first simplified approach has proved to recover some of the phenomena observed in both the tests and RANS simulations. It failed however to match the initial temperatures of the soak phase, which is consistent with the choice of modelization made. Improvements to the model were therefore brought by adding more complexity and fidelity to the geometry, environment and tests scenario. The new results significantly improve the comparisons with the tests and RANS simulations. Some differences on absolute temperature levels and evolution rates remain here and there and highlight the necessity to improve the core flow modelization, which is what the next phase of the methodology development will focus on.
Operation and Maintenance Improvements of Steam Turbines Subject to Frequent Start by Rotor Stress Monitoring
Authors: Bucciarelli Federico , Checcacci Damaso , Girezzi Gabriele , Signorini Annamaria
Published: January 2021

Steam Turbines operating in Concentrated Solar Plants and Peaking Combined Cycles are subjected to daily thermal stresses, induced by start-ups and load variations, deeply affecting allowed production per day. The extent and number of such thermal stresses is largely depending on the capability, of both plant and operators, to smooth the variations in steam temperature and load resulting from both weather conditions (in CSPs) and grid demand. In this operating scenario, conservative simplified rules are normally applied to determine daily warm-up times duration at starts, to preserve critical components from Low Cycle Fatigue damage; the planned maintenance intervals, as well, have been typically defined on the basis of a specified number of starts and running hours.

In this article, the application of an online Rotor Stress Monitoring (RSM) technology, installed in the Steam Turbine User Control Panel, is used to directly determine the fatigue damage cumulated by each Start-Up and variation in operating condition. The results of application of this technology, with respect to standard formulations, are shown for a specific Concentrated Solar Plant across an operating period of four years. It is shown how, using the RSM as a basis for either startup or maintenance scheduling, can result in optimization of start-up times and maintenance intervals both for new units and retro-fit.

The applicability of rotor stress direct monitoring and life analysis to higher temperature services is also introduced.
Rolling Bearing Parametric Excitation of a Jeffcott Rotor System
Authors: Ghannad Tehrani Ghasem , Gastaldi Chiara , Berruti Teresa Maria
Published: January 2021

Rolling bearings are still widely used in aeroengines. Whenever rotors are modeled, rolling bearing components are typically modeled using springs. In simpler models, this spring is considered to have a constant mean value. However, the rolling bearing stiffness changes with time due to the positions of the balls with respect to the load on the bearing, thus giving rise to an internal excitation known as Parametric Excitation. Due to this parametric excitation, the rotor-bearings system may become unstable for specific combinations of boundary conditions (e.g. rotational speed) and system characteristics (rotor flexibility etc.). Being able to identify these instability regions at a glance is an important tool for the designer, as it allows to discard since the early design stages those configurations which may lead to catastrophic failures.

In this paper, a Jeffcott rotor supported and excited by such rolling bearings is used as a demonstrator. In the first step, the expression for the time–varying stiffness of the bearings is analytically derived by applying the Hertzian Contact Theory. Then, the equations of motion of the complete system are provided. In this study, the Harmonic Balance Method (HBM) is used to as an approximate procedure to draw a stability map, thus dividing the input parameter space, i.e. rotational speed and rotor physical characteristics, into stable and unstable regions.
Experimental Investigation of Inlet Distortion in a 4.5-Stage Axial Compressor
Authors: Reutter Oliver , Enders Gerd , Dabrock Theo , Peters Andreas
Published: January 2021

Inlet distortion is a subject of increasing interest in compressors over the last years. Circumferential inhomogeneities can significantly influence the behavior and the aeroelastic response of transonic compressors in gas turbines in the field of airplane propulsion as well as power generation. The circumferential inhomogeneities can result from boundary layer ingestion as planned in many future airplane concepts or from restrictions of the space available leading to short aerodynamically unfavorable intakes. As modern front rows of axial compressors react more and more sensitive to inhomogeneities because of the thinner profiles in the transonic flow regime, understanding the behavior is vital. Therefore, an experimental investigation of the inlet distortion effects on a 4.5 stage axial transonic compressor, Rig250, which is representative of the front stages of a modern high pressure compressor, has been investigated at DLR Cologne.

The inhomogeneity is a total pressure distortion which is applied to the inflow upstream of the strut and the swan neck. The distortion is achieved by a perforated metal plate which can be rotated by 360° at its position. Thereby traverse measurements are possible, which allow a better understanding of the effects of the flow as the sensor positions on the casing and on the blades and vanes are fixed. As these traverses take longer time for measuring only some points are measured with traverses. The compressor has been tested with and without this inlet distortion to get a direct comparison. On the compressor map the 100 % speed line up to surge has been investigated. The inlet distortion shows only a small influence on the surge margin.
Adjoint-Based Aeroelastic Design Optimization Using a Harmonic Balance Method
Authors: Anand Nitish , Rubino Antonio , Colonna Piero , Pini Matteo
Published: January 2021

Turbomachinery blades characterized by highly-loaded, slender profiles and operating under unsteady flow may suffer from aeroelastic shortcomings, like forced response and flutter. One of the ways to mitigate these aeroelastic effects is to redesign the blade profiles, so as to increase aero-damping and decrease aero-forcing. Design optimization based on high-fidelity aeroelastic analysis methods is a formidable task due to the inherent computational cost. This work presents an adjoint-based aeroelastic shape-optimization framework based on reduced order methods for flow analysis and forced response computation. The flow analysis is carried out through a multi-frequency fully-turbulent harmonic balance method, while the forced response is computed by means of the energy method. The capability of the design framework is demonstrated by optimizing two candidate cascades, namely, i) a transonic compressor cascade and, ii) a supersonic impulse turbine rotor operating with toluene as working fluid, initially designed by means of the method of waves. The outcomes of the optimization show significant improvements in terms of forced-response in both cases as a consequence of aero-damping enhancement.
Effect of Suction Side Jet on the Shock Wave Boundary Layer Interaction in Transonic Turbine
Authors: Jian Liu , Wenhua Duan , Liangji Zhang , Weiyang Qiao
Published: January 2021

In this paper, the effect of round jet with inclination angle 135° upstream the throat on the suction surface on shock wave boundary-layer interaction was investigated in a transonic turbine cascade, and the vortical structures near the jet region were analyzed. Owing to locally high concave curvature on the pressure side profile, the double shock wave structure was obtained in the turbine passage near the pressure side trailing edge. The first incident shock does not induce the boundary layer separation. The second strong incident shock transmits from the trailing edge of the pressure side and reaches the suction side of the adjacent blade. Strong interaction between the suction side boundary layer and incident shock wave exists in this region, and the separation bubble appears in the no jet case. The complex shock wave system and corresponding flow characters are analyzed.

Due to the complex vortical structures on the blade suction surface with suction side jet, the pressure distribution on the suction side changes, and the shock wave system in the transonic turbine passage is rearranged, thereby influencing the shock wave boundary layer interaction. The separation onset decays with the suction side jet, and it keeps move downstream with increasing jet velocity. Length of the separation bubble is significantly reduced with suction side jet. However, when the jet velocity is beyond a certain value, the effect of suction side jet will not improve. The complex vortical structures with suction side jet will reenergizing to the low momentum fluid within boundary layer, and the mean velocity profiles in the boundary layer near the shock wave boundary layer interaction religion with suction side jet are more solid than the no jet case, which infers stronger resistance to flow separation. Complicated vortical structures exist near jet region, the Kelvin–Helmholtz instabilities of the shear layer of the jet flow and its coherent structures dominate the unsteadiness of the suction surface. The incident shock wave enhances the pressure fluctuation in the SBLI region, whereas the effect concentrates only on the first harmonic of the K-H instability but not higher frequencies.
Numerical Study of Influence of Rotor Tip Gap Increase due to Age Deterioration in 3-Stage Gas Turbine
Authors: Yonezawa Koichi , Sakamoto Junichi , Sugiyama Kazuyasu , Ohmori Shuichi , Umezawa Shuichi
Published: January 2021

Influences of age-related deterioration on the increase in rotor tip gap width are discussed numerically. In the gas turbine examined in the present study, there are two kinds of geometries around the rotor blade tip. In the first stage, there is clearance between the blade tip and the casing without any seal structures. On the other hand, there is a shroud and seal fin on the rotor blade tip. The blade geometries were measured using a 3-D scanner in a working power plant, and the tip clearances were varied by changing the casing contour. Steady-state CFD simulations were carried out. Tip gap widths were varied by shifting the casing wall. For simplicity, the blade geometries were not changed. The influence of tip clearance was examined by changing the geometries in each stage separately. Boundary conditions were determined using the previously developed hybrid method of heat balance analysis and CFD simulation, which can simulate the operating conditions of a working gas turbine. The results showed that the turbine performance degradation could spread to the following stage. Observation of entropy fields revealed that the increase in the tip leakage flow affected the flow in the following nozzle, and the loss increased.