bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Development and Atmospheric Testing of a High Hydrogen FlameSheet™ Combustor for the OP16 Gas Turbine
Authors: Bouten Thijs , Withag Jan , Axelsson Lars-Uno , Koomen Joris , Jansen Diethard , Stuttaford Peter
Published: September 2021

Gas turbines with a combustion system for hydrogen operation offer a low carbon solution to support the stability of the energy grid. This provides a solution capturing the needs for energy storage, in the form of hydrogen, and flexible power generation. Fuel flexibility is a key requirement to reduce the operational risks in case hydrogen is not available, whereby hydrogen can be combined with other conventional or alternative fuels. A key issue to achieve 100% hydrogen combustion with low emissions is to prevent flashback. To address the challenges, a project consortium was set-up consisting of gas turbine equipment manufacturers, academia and end-users. The major objective is to develop a cost-effective, ultra-low emissions (sub 9 ppm NOx and CO) combustion system for gas turbines in the 1–300 MW output range, including the 1.85 MWe OPRA OP16 gas turbine.

At the center of this innovative high-technology project is the patented and novel aerodynamic trapped vortex FlameSheet™ combustion technology platform. Burner concepts based on an aerodynamically trapped vortex flame stabilization have a higher resistance towards flame blowout than conventional swirl stabilized burners. This paper will present the results of the first phase of the project, whereby atmospheric testing of the upgraded FlameSheet™ combustor has been performed operating on natural gas, hydrogen and mixtures thereof. The optimized combustor configurations demonstrated a wide load range on 100% hydrogen, and these results will be presented.
Mathematical Model to Describe Double Circular Arc and Multiple Circular Arc Compressor Blading Profiles
Authors: Kidikian John , Badrieh Chelesty , Reggio Marcelo
Published: September 2021

For the past seven decades, a compressor aerodynamicist has developed various methodologies to design, analyze, and simulate compressor stages. In compressor design, three major subsequent steps can be identified: the one-dimensional mean-line methodology, the two-dimensional through-flow analysis, and the three dimensional computational fluid dynamics.

One of the interconnecting threads, between these various x-dimensional analysis, is the compressor blade profile shape. This shape, of known and controllable geometric parameters, is usually accompanied by, or related to, loss models and known flow physics, either defined by theory or through experimental test.

In this paper, a novel mathematical approach is described to define axial compressor airfoil profile shapes. These shapes, developed in a Cartesian coordinate system, can be used to create Double Circular Arc, Multiple Circular Arc, and a hybrid combination of the two types.

The proposed methodology, based on the mathematics of circles, can be easily applied using generalized software such as Python or MATLAB, or be embedded in specialized engineering design software. In doing so, researchers and engineers can create compressor airfoil shapes which are consistent and flexible with respect to geometric parameter manipulation. Full details of the formulas, with respect to the camber line definition and the calculation of the profile intrados and extrados, are presented. A URL link to an equivalent MATLAB code, and a specialized engineering software, has been provided for those researchers that wish to apply the formulations and review its use.
Thrust Force Measurements in an Axial Steam Turbine Test Rig: Effect of Disk Balance Holes
Authors: Narzary Diganta , Stasenko David , Rao Nikhil
Published: September 2021

A full-size, full-speed, axial flow steam turbine test rig capable of measuring turbine thrust, and static pressures in the rotor-stator disk cavity was built and commissioned. The test rig was operated in a single-stage configuration for the test results first reported in Stasenko et al. [1], and now in this paper. The stage has stationary axial face seals radially inward of the airfoils, near the rotor disk rim. The face seals divide the rotor-stator cavity into inner and outer circumferential cavities, both of which were instrumented with static pressure probes on the stator radial wall. Axial thrust was measured with load cells in every thrust bearing pad.

The test rig was operated over a range of three nominal stage pressure ratios (designated as LPR, MPR, and HPR), five nominal stage velocity ratios (0.25–0.6), and five admission fractions (0.38–0.88). This latest group of tests was conducted without rotor disk balance holes, which were mechanically plugged, and will be compared to the original block of tests with disk balance holes opened.

In the upstream disk cavity, the two disk balance hole configurations shared many similar pressure characteristics: nearly uniform pressures in the inner cavity, circumferential pressure distributions in the outer cavity that corresponded with the direction of axial thrust, and radial pressure distributions in the outer cavity that were a direct function of rotor speed.

General trends of thrust coefficients with the disk holes plugged were correlated to stage pressure ratio, stage velocity ratio, admission fraction, and leakage mass flow rate. Those trends were consistent with the first block of tests with open disk balance holes, although there was an offset toward more operating conditions with negative aggregate thrust coefficients. This suggests that the rotating disk induces a low-pressure gradient in the inner (upstream) cavity, and the opened disk balance holes tend to equalize the inner cavity static pressure toward the higher static pressure on the exit side of the disk.

Additionally, thrust coefficients tended to become less negative (or more positive) with stage pressure ratio and with velocity ratio, but tended to become more negative with admission fraction. Significant thrust coefficient reductions were realized with the open disk balance hole configuration, and were determined to be consistently speed-dependent.
Unit Health Assessment- Oil & Gas Equipment Probabilistic Case Study
Authors: Mohamat Nor Noor Azman , Findlay Andrew
Published: September 2021

The focus of this case study is the analysis of offshore Oil & Gas facilities recorded downtime data which are classified into gas turbine downtime categories and causes. Each event is then correlated with the maintenance repair records to determine the respective root cause. The key objective of this study is to establish the Critical Success Factors (CSF) for unit health after a gas turbine has been in operation for more than 10 years. The outcome is used to enhance the unit performance, efficiency, maintainability, and operability. As a first step, Content Analysis technique was employed to systematically decipher and organize the downtime causes from collected data. Over 500 data samples collected over a period of 3 years were sorted into relevant categories and causes: comprising a total downtime of 11,410 hours. The downtime data, which is interval scale in nature that is in ‘hours’, is meticulously tabulated against respective downtime categories and causes location by location for the 11 gas turbines sites and correlating this to the repair work. Within scope is downtime related to: Forced Outage Automatic Trip; Failure to Start; Forced Outage Manual Shutdown; and Maintenance Unscheduled while those out of scope are Non-Curtailing and Reserve Shutdown as these are external to gas turbine operational influence. In the second step, descriptive statistics analysis was carried out to understand the key downtime drivers by categories. Pattern recognition is used to identify whether the cause is a “One Time Event”, “Random Event” or “Recurring Event” to confirm data integrity and establish the problem statement. This approach assists in the discovery of erroneous data that could mislead the outcome of statistical analysis. Pattern recognition through data stratification and clustering classifies issue impact as reliability or availability. Simplistic analyses can miss major customer impact issues such as: frequent small shutdowns that do not accumulate a lot of hours per event but cause operational disruption; or infrequent time consuming events resulting from a lack of trained personnel, spares shortages, and difficulty in troubleshooting. In the third step, statistical correlation analysis was applied to establish the relationship between gas turbine downtime and repair works in determining the root causes. Benchmarking these analyses outcome with the actual equipment landscape provides for high probability root cause, thus facilitating solutions for improved site reliability and availability. The study identified CSF in the following areas: personnel training and competency; correct maintenance philosophy and its execution in practice; and life cycle management including obsolescence and spares management. Near term recommendations on changes to site operations or equipment based on OEM guidelines and current available best practices are summarized for each site analyzed.
Parametric Optimization of Film Cooling Hole Geometry
Authors: Jones Fraser B. , Fox Dale W. , Oliver Todd , Bogard David G.
Published: September 2021

In this study, a combination of computational simulation and experimental testing was used to evaluate a broad range of forward and lateral expansion angles for a turbine film cooling shaped holes. The study demonstrates the utilizing of RANS based CFD to quickly screen potential optimized geometries, followed by experimental determination of true performance characteristics. As a baseline, the performance of all film cooling holes was evaluated using an internal coolant channel cross-flow. Also, all hole geometries incorporated a filleted inlet-plenum interface, which presumes use of additive manufacturing to construct the turbine components. Experimental validation confirmed that the computational simulations predicted the correct relative performance of various hole geometries, even though actual performance levels were not predicted well. This investigation showed that the performance of laidback, fan shaped holes was much more sensitive to the lateral expansion angle than the forward expansion angle. The optimum shaped hole configuration was found to be a hole with a 15° lateral expansion angle and a 1° forward expansion angle (15-15-1 configuration), which had a maximum average adiabatic effectiveness 40% greater than the baseline 7-7-7 open literature hole. This study also showed that the shaped hole diffuser performance is primarily a function only three parameters: the coolant jet velocity ratio, VR, the shaped hole area ratio, AR, and the hole exit width relative to the pitch between holes, t/P.
Numerical Investigation of Unsteady Combustor Turbine Interaction For Flexible Power Generation
Authors: Lo Presti Federico , Sembritzky Marwick , Winhart Benjamin , Post Pascal , di Mare Francesca , Wiedermann Alexander , Greving Johannes , Krewinkel Robert
Published: September 2021

With the growing importance of regenerative power generation and especially of a hydrogen-based economy, the full potential of gas turbines of the smaller output class (< 10 MW) can be ideally exploited to provide peak coverage of the energy need whilst stabilising the electric grids in the mid- and low-voltage range. Such machines can be typically started in a relatively short time (similarly to aero engines) and are capable, at the same time, of delivering dispatchable power-on-demand.

A safe, stable and profitable operation under highly unsteady conditions poses renewed challenges for an optimal thermal management (especially in the HP stages) as well as control and surveillance of the machines. The understanding and hence predictability of the propagation of the temperature inhomogeneities originating at the combustor outlet remains hence a primary objective of current research, as persistent distortion patterns could be adopted at the turbine exhaust as diagnostic indications of a malfunction of the combustor, for example.

In the present study low-frequency disturbances introduced by a periodic load variation have been simulated and superimposed to the inhomogeneous, unsteady flow entering a 3-stage, high-pressure industrial gas turbine fed by a can-type combustion chamber comprising 6 silo-burners. The effects of the unsteadiness realized at the combustor exit have been investigated by means of Detached Eddy Simulations, whereby a density-based solution approach with detailed thermodynamics has been employed. The periodic disturbances at the turbine inlet have been obtained by means of an artificially generated, unsteady field, resulting from a two-dimensional snapshot of the flow field at the combustor exit. Also, a combustor failure has been mimicked by reducing (respectively increasing) the mean temperature in some of the turbine inlet regions corresponding to the outlet of two burners. The propagation and amplitude changes of temperature fluctuations have been analyzed in the frequency domain. Tracking of the temperature fluctuations’ maxima at the lowest frequencies revealed characteristic migration patterns indicating that the corresponding fluctuations persist with a non-negligible amplitude up to the last rows. A distinct footprint could also be observed at the same locations when a combustor failure was simulated, showing that, in principle, the early detection of combustor failures is indeed possible.
Jet Impingement Heat Transfer in a Rectangular Channel With Smooth and Pinned Target Walls
Authors: Alzahrani Yasser S. , Wright Lesley M. , Chen Andrew , Han Je-Chin
Published: September 2021

An experimental study was completed to quantify heat transfer enhancement, pressure loss, and crossflow effect within a channel of inline impinging jets. The jet diameter is 5.08 mm and the jet-to-jet spacing in the streamwise and spanwise directions is fixed at x/d = 11.1 and y/d = 5.9, respectively. The effect of jet-to-target surface spacing was considered with z/d = 3 and 6. For both of the jet-to-target surface spacings, a smooth surface, the reference case, and a surface roughened with partial height pins were investigated. The roughened surface has a staggered array of 120 partial height copper pin fins. The pin to jet diameter and the pin height to diameter ratios are D/d = 0.94 and H/D = 1.6, respectively. Regionally averaged heat transfer coefficient distributions were measured on the target surface, and these distributions were coupled with pressure measurements through the array. The heat transfer augmentation and pressure penalty were investigated over a range of jet Reynolds numbers (10K–70K). The results show high discharge coefficients for all the cases. The channels with the tight jet-to-target surface spacing experience double the cross-flow effect of its increased spacing counterpart. The addition of surface roughness showed a negligible effect on the crossflow. The best heat transfer performance was observed in the impingement channel with the pinned target surface at z/d = 3.
Operation and Control of a Supercritical CO2 Compressor
Authors: Neveu Joshua D. , Cich Stefan D. , Moore J. Jeffrey , Mortzheim Jason
Published: September 2021

Among the list of advanced technologies required to support the energy industry’s novel Supercritical Carbon Dioxide (sCO2) power cycle is the need for a robust and responsive control system. Recent testing has been performed on a 2.5 MWe sCO2 compressor operating near the critical temperature (31C) and critical pressure (73.8 bar), developed with funding from the US DOE Apollo program and industry partners. While sCO2 compression has been performed before, operating near the critical point has many key benefits for power generation with its low head requirements and smaller physical footprint. However, with these benefits come unique challenges, namely controlling this system to steady-state operating conditions. Operating just above the critical point (35°C [95°F] and 8.5 MPa [1,233 psi]) there can be large and rapid swings in density produced by subtle changes in temperature, leading to increased difficulty in maintaining adequate control of the compressor system. This means that proper functionality of the entire compressor system, and its usefulness to a closed loop recompression Brayton power cycle, is largely dependent on variables such as thermal sources, precision and response time of the instrumentation, proper heat soaking, and strategic filling and venting sequences. While other papers have discussed the science behind and performance of sCO2 compressors, this paper will discuss the challenges associated with steady-state control of the compressor at or near operating conditions, how the fill process was executed for optimal startup, and changes that occurred while idling during trip events.
Effect of Supercritical CO2 on Steel Ductility at 450°-650°C
Authors: Pint Bruce A. , Pillai Rishi , Keiser James R.
Published: September 2021

The compatibility of ferritic-martensitic (FM) and conventional and advanced austenitic steels with supercritical CO2 (sCO2) is being explored at 450°–650°C to determine their maximum temperature capability. In addition to measuring reaction kinetics and reaction product thickness, bulk carbon content and post-exposure room temperature tensile properties were assessed by exposing both alloy coupons and 25 mm long dogbone tensile specimens. After 1–2 kh exposures in 300 bar research grade (RG) sCO2, ∼9 and 12%Cr FM steels had similar behavior under these conditions. Consistent with the literature, higher Cr and Ni contents in alloy 316H provided lower reaction rates at 450° and 550°C, but limited benefit at 650°C with similar degradation of tensile properties and C ingress observed. An advanced austenitic Nb-modified 20Cr-25Ni alloy 709 provided the best compatibility even at 650°C with no C uptake detected after 1 kh and no significant loss in room temperature tensile properties after exposure. A clear correlation was observed under these conditions between the formation of a thin, protective Cr-rich oxide scale and the prevention of C ingress and tensile property degradation at 650°C.
A Novel Long-Duration Hydrogen Storage Concept Without Liquefaction and High Pressure Suitable for Onsite Blending
Authors: Otto Marcel , Sargunaraj Manoj P. , Riahi Adil , Kapat Jayanta
Published: September 2021

Hydrogen is typically stored as a low-pressure cryogenic liquid or as a high-pressure gas. Both approaches come with technical challenges that complicate the implementation of such systems at the actual power plant scale. Cryogenic liquids can provide high energy and volume densities but require complex storage systems to limit boil-off. That makes such liquid tanks complex, large, and heavy which in turn drives up capital cost. Furthermore, expensive liquefaction equipment is required, too. The liquefaction process is highly energy-intensive, approximately 35% of the fuel energy, hence, reduces the net performance of gas turbine power plants using such hydrogen storage approaches. Conversely, high-pressure gas storage bottles are less complex and can be kept at room temperature. However, they require a thick wall to withstand the high pressure which makes them considerably heavy as well. Furthermore, the energy densities associated with gas storage are dramatically lower than for cryogenic liquids, even at high pressures up to 700 bar.

The present study presents and discusses a novel concept for storing hydrogen to be used in gas turbine power plants. Proposed technology enables the storage of hydrogen close to cryogenic density without the need for high pressure or liquefaction and the delivery to the gas turbine asset can be at engine pressure so that no gas compression is required. It is believed that the capacity of the storage system scales easily so that hydrogen can be stored for long durations from daily to monthly cycles which correspond to 10 to 100 hours, respectively. Besides a SWOT analysis, a system will be described that would integrate into the existing OEM infrastructure and allows the blending of hydrogen and natural gas between ratios between 30% and 100%. Specifications will be provided for the storage system and analyzed for a gas turbine power plant with 100 MW.
Impingement Heat Transfer Innovations and Enhancements: a Discussion on Selected Geometrical Features
Authors: Dutta Sandip , Singh Prashant
Published: September 2021

Impingement heat transfer is considered as one of the most effective cooling technologies that yields in high localized convective heat transfer coefficient. This paper studies different configurational parameters involved in jet impingement cooling such as, exit orifice shape, crossflow regulation, target surface modification, spent air reuse, impingement channel modification, jet pulsation, and other techniques to understand what are critical and how these heat transfer enhancement concepts work. These enhancement factors have been explored in detail by many researchers, including standard parameters such as normalized distance between adjacent jets and jet-to-target spacing, and those known benefits are not repeated here. The aim of this paper is to stimulate the current scientific knowledge of this efficient cooling technique and instill some thoughts for future innovations. New orifice shapes are becoming feasible due to 3D printing technologies. However, the orifice studies show that it is hard to beat a sharp-edged round orifice. Any attempt to streamline the hole shape indicated a drop in the Nusselt number. Reduction in crossflow has been attempted with channel modifications. Use of high porosity conductive foam in the impingement space has shown marked improvement in heat transfer performance. A list of possible research topics based on this discussion are provided in conclusion.
Localized Breakup Instabilities for a Liquid Jet in Crossflow
Authors: Salauddin Sheikh , Flores Wilmer , Otero Michelle , Ahmed Kareem
Published: September 2021

Liquid fuel jet in Crossflow (LJIC) is significant to the aviation industry since it is a vital technique for atomization. The hydrodynamic instability mechanisms that drive a transverse jet’s primary breakup were investigated using modal and traveling wavelength analysis. This study highlights the primary breakup mechanisms for aviation fuel Jet-A. However, the techniques discussed are applicable to any liquid. Mathematical decomposition techniques are known as POD (Proper Orthogonal Decomposition), and MrDMD (Multi-Resolution Dynamic Mode Decomposition) are used together to identify dominant instability flow dynamics associated with the primary breakup mechanism. Implementation of the MrDMD method deconstructs the nonlinear dynamical systems into multiresolution time-scaled components that capture the intermittent coherent structures. The MrDMD, in conjunction with the POD method, is applied to data points taken across the entire spray breakup regimes, which are: enhanced capillary breakup, bag breakup, multimode breakup, and shear breakup. The dominant frequencies of both breakup regimes are extracted and identified. These coherent structures are classified with an associated time scale and Strouhal number. Characterization of the traveling column and surface wavelengths are conducted and associated with a known instability model. It is found that the Plateau-Rayleigh instability model predicts columns wavelengths similar to wavelengths found in dominant modes associated with a capillary breakup. Rayleigh Taylor’s instability model matches well with bag and multimode breakup. Small scale surface wavelengths associated with a shear breakup are correlated to a modified Rayleigh Taylor instability model founded by Wang et al. [1]. Furthermore, an atomization model that predicts the Sauter Mean Diameter associated with the dominant small-scale surface traveling wavelengths is established.
Investigation of Non-Premixed Hydrogen-Oxygen Impinged Jet Flame Under Steam Dilution
Authors: Fan Yong , Tsujimura Taku , Iki Norihiko , Kurata Osamu , Furutani Hirohide
Published: September 2021

Large-scale electric power generation with hydrogen-fired gas turbines is key to the realization of zero-emission society. One challenge of premixed hydrogen combustion is the flashback associated with high burning velocity. On the other hand, non-premixed (diffusion) hydrogen-air combustion produces high level of NOx due to the high flame temperature. In order to reduce NOx, a semi-closed gas turbine cycles employing the hydrogen-oxygen combustion has been proposed. In the present study, we developed a non-premixed hydrogen-oxygen burner with sub-millimeter nozzles to form two oxygen jets impinging on the hydrogen jet at an acute angle. Compared to conventional burners with co-flow jets, forced mixing of hydrogen and oxygen occurs due to the impingement. It is expected that the flame holding as well as the combustion efficiency can be improved. High-speed Schlieren and OH* chemiluminescence images of the hydrogen flame with/without the oxygen jet impingement in a pressure vessel were captured to examine the instantaneous flame structure. Flammability and flame structure have been investigated at various jet velocity and pressure conditions. It was found that without the oxygen jet impingement the flame becomes longer with increasing the hydrogen velocity. Lifted flames were observed at the velocity over 200 m/s. The lift position moves gradually downstream with further increasing the velocity. On the other hand, with increasing the velocity of the oxygen jet impinged to the hydrogen jet, a V-shaped flame front stabilized at the impinging position was observed. It was also found that flame holding is improved at high pressure. Based on the impinged jet flame concept, prototype multi-cluster burners with sub-millimeter nozzle arrays were designed and fabricated using the Inconel alloy 3D printing technology.
Influence of Opposing Dilution Jets on Effusion Cooling
Authors: Creer M. Riley , Thole Karen A.
Published: September 2021

The gas turbine combustion process reaches gas temperatures that exceed the melting temperature of the combustor liner materials. Cooling the liner is critical to combustor durability and is often accomplished with double-walled liners that contain both impingement and effusion holes. The liner cooling is complicated with the interruption of the effusion cooling by large dilution jets that facilitate the combustion process. Given the presence of the dilution jets, it is important to understand the effect that the dilution jet has on the opposing wall in respect to the effusion film. This research includes measurements of the local static pressure distribution for a range of dilution jet momentum flux ratios to investigate the impact that the opposing dilution jet has on the effusion film. The interactions with the effusion cooling were also evaluated by measuring the overall cooling effectiveness across the panel.

Measurements show that the opposing dilution jets did impact the liner at dilution jet momentum flux ratios that were greater than 20. The impacts at high momentum flux ratios were indicated through increased local static pressures measured on the surface of the combustor liner. Furthermore, the dilution touchdown decreased the overall cooling effectiveness of the effusion cooling. Results also indicated that the opposing dilution jets changed position on the liner as the dilution jet momentum flux ratio changes.
Turn-Down Capability of Ansaldo Energia’s GT26
Authors: Jakoby Ralf , Rinn Jörg , Appel Christoph , Studerus Adrien
Published: September 2021

The operational flexibility of heavy-duty gas turbines is of increasing importance in today’s power generation market. Fast start-up, fast loading, grid frequency support, fuel flexibility and turn-down capability are only some of the keywords that describe the challenges for GT manufacturers.

This paper reports Ansaldo Energia’s activities to further reduce the Minimum Environmental Load (MEL) of the GT26. The difficulties related to operation at very low loads and the solutions that were developed are explained. Furthermore, the results of engine validation tests of the new extended Low Load Operation (eLLO) and extended Low Part Load (eLPL) operation concepts are presented.

The enhancement of the operational flexibility of the GT26 is in the focus of Ansaldo’s development activities since many years. Its sequential combustion system is a very good basis for flexible and emission compliant operation down to very low loads. Ansaldo Energia’s Low Part Load (LPL) and Low Load Operation (LLO) concepts are standard products in the GT26 flexibility portfolio and established in the market for many years.

Low Part Load (LPL) operation extends the standard operating range down to low loads by switching off individual burners in the second combustor (SEV combustor). The compressor mass flow can be varied between idle and base load levels.

Low Load Operation is characterized by a combination of idle compressor mass flow and base load temperatures in the first Combustor (EV combustor). The SEV combustor is switched off. LLO is intended to be a “parking point”, where the plant can operate in combined cycle mode during times of low electricity demand.

Ansaldo Energia has conducted a development project in the past two years in order to further reduce the minimum simple cycle and combined cycle loads. The extension of the LLO and LPL operating ranges and their combination into one single feature are the main targets of the project.
Topological Optimization of Piezoelectric Transducers for Vibration Reduction of Bladed Disks
Authors: Fan Y. , Ma H. Y. , Wu Y. G. , Li L. , Tian K. Y. , Zhao Z. M.
Published: September 2021

In this work, we develop a numerical method to determine the best distribution of piezoelectric materials on a given bladed disk, so as to minimize the added mass of shunted piezoelectric dampers. There is no constrain on the shape of piezoelectric materials, and only the overall mass is limited. The method can be applied to a single mode or several modes from the same or different modal groups. The method is based on the fact that the modal damping is solely determined by the modal electromechanical coupling factor (MEMCF) which is related to the modal stress field and the geometric of the piezoelectric materials only. A linear weighting of stress components is proposed as the criterion to determine the priority of locations for piezoelectric materials. The piezoelectric materials are introduced to the FE model by modifying the type and materials parameters of elements if they are embedded to the bladed disks; or by creating an additional layers of elements if they are bonded to the bladed disks. Details for considering multiple modes, handling polarization direction and electrode connection are also presented. The proposed procedure is applied to an empirical bladed disk with NASA-ROTOR37 profile. Results show that 12% damping ratio can be achieved for multiple modes simultaneously, if we locate piezoelectric materials on the blade with 10% added mass. When locate the piezoelectric materials on the disk and the added mass is only 5%, up to 13% modal damping ratio for the disk dominant modes can be achieved.
GT36 Turbine Development and Full-Scale Validation
Authors: Naik S. , Stephan B. , Henze M.
Published: September 2021

This paper describes the full-scale turbine section validation of the GT36 heavy duty gas turbine, which was conducted in a test Power Plant in Birr, Switzerland.

The GT36 Test Power Plant is extensively instrumented with both standard and specialised instrumentation. In the turbine section, specialised instrumentation includes metal and gas thermocouples, thermal paint, pressure sensors, hot gas rakes, strain gauges, five-hole probes, pyrometers and tip timing sensors. Similar specialised instrumentation also exists for the compressor, combustor and the rotor sections. Three major test campaigns were conducted over an extended period, which consisted of both long and short duration tests, including a range of off-design tests.

Within the turbine section, detailed transient and steady-state measurements were obtained of the stage inlet pressures and temperatures, airfoil surface pressures and metal temperatures. These measurements indicated that both the aerodynamic and cooling performances of the turbine blades and vanes are highly consistent and repeatable over a range of operating conditions. Detailed comparisons of the measured engine pressures and temperatures with predictions also indicated that there was generally a very good match in the Mach numbers and metal temperatures for all the turbine blades and vanes.
Centrifugal Compressor Aero-Mechanical Design: A Machine Learning Approach
Authors: Barsi Dario , Perrone Andrea , Ratto Luca , Ricci Gianluca , Sanguineti Marco
Published: September 2021

The present paper presents an enhanced method for multi-disciplinary design and optimization of centrifugal compressors based on Machine Learning (ML) algorithms. The typical approach involves the preliminary design, the geometry parameterization, the generation of aero-mechanical databases and a surrogate-model based optimization. This procedure is able to provide excellent results, but it is time consuming and has to be repeated for each new design. The aim of the proposed procedure is to actively exploit the simulations performed in the past for subsequent designs thanks to the predictive capabilities of the ML surrogate model. A commercial 3D (three dimensional) computational fluid dynamics (CFD) solver for the aerodynamic computations and a commercial finite element code for the mechanical integrity calculations, coupled with scripting modules, have been adopted. Two different compressors, with different geometry and operating conditions, have been designed and two aero-mechanical databases have been developed. Then, these two databases have been joined and have been used for the training and validation of the surrogate model. To assess the performance of this approach, two new compressors have been designed, case 1 with operating conditions between those of the databases used for training and validation and case 2 with operating conditions far above.

The use of an optimizer coupled to the prediction of the surrogate model has enabled to define the “best set” of model parameters, in compliance with aero-mechanical objectives and constraints. The accuracy of the ML algorithm forecast has been evaluated through CFD and FEM simulations carried out iteratively on the optimal samples, with new simulations added to the database for further training of the surrogate model. The results have been presented with reference to cases 1 and 2 and highlight all the benefits of the proposed approach.
Evaluation of Blow-Off Dynamics in Aero-Engine Combustors Using Recurrence Quantification Analysis
Authors: Leung Ho Yin , Karlis Efstathios , Hardalupas Yannis , Giusti Andrea
Published: September 2021

The lean blow-out performance of an engine and the ability to re-ignite the flame, especially at high-altitude conditions, are important aspects for the safe operability of airplanes. The operability margins of the engine could be extended if it was possible to predict the occurrence of flame blowout from in-flight measurements and take actions to dynamically control the flame behaviour before complete extinction. In this work, the use of Re-currence Quantification Analysis (RQA), an established tool for the analysis of non-linear dynamical systems, is explored to reconstruct and study the blow-off dynamics starting from pressure measurements taken from blow-off experiments of an engine rig. It is shown that the dynamics of the combustor exhibit chaotic characteristics far away from blow-off and that the dynamics become more coherent as the blow-off condition is approached. The degree of determinism and recurrence rate are studied during the entire combustor’s dynamics, from stable flame to flame extinction. It is shown that the flame extinction is anticipated by an increase of the degree of determinism and recurrence rate at all investigated conditions, which indicates intermittent behavior of the combustor before the blow-off condition is reached. Therefore, in the configuration investigated here, the determinism and the recurrence rate of the system could be good predictors of blow-off occurrence and could potentially enable control actions to avoid flame extinction. This study opens up new possibilities for engine control and operability. The development of real-time RQA should be addressed in future research.
Fan Stability With Leading Edge Damage: Blind Prediction and Validation
Authors: Gunn E. J. , Brandvik T. , Wilson M. J. , Maxwell R.
Published: September 2021

This paper considers the impact of a damaged leading edge on the stall margin and stall inception mechanisms of a transonic, low pressure ratio fan. The damage takes the form of a squared-off leading edge over the upper half of the blade.

Full-annulus, unsteady CFD simulations are used to explain the stall inception mechanisms for the fan at low- and high-speed operating points. A combination of steady and unsteady simulations show that the fan is predicted to be sensitive to leading edge damage at low speed, but insensitive at high speed. This blind prediction aligns well with rig test data.

The difference in response is shown to be caused by the change between subsonic and supersonic flow regimes at the leading edge. Where the inlet relative flow is subsonic, rotating stall is initiated by growth and propagation of a subsonic leading edge flow separation. This separation is shown to be triggered at higher mass flow rates when the leading edge is damaged, reducing the stable flow range. Where the inlet relative flow is supersonic, the flow undergoes a supersonic expansion around the leading edge, creating a supersonic flow patch terminated by a shock on the suction surface. Rotating stall is triggered by growth of this separation, which is insensitive to leading edge shape. This creates a marked difference in sensitivity to damage at low- and high-speed operating points.
Towards a Machine Learning Based Design for Fouling of an Axial Turbine Vane
Authors: Friso Riccardo , Oliani Stefano , Casari Nicola , Pinelli Michele , Suman Alessio , Montomoli Francesco
Published: September 2021

Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) is increasingly used during the design phase of turbomachinery. Reducing the cost of such computations is one of the major challenges in the industrial field. The multi-physics phenomena and the multidisciplinary interactions needed for the design of the engine components are difficult to be faced with the classical design methods. In addition, the interest of manufacturers and operators of turbomachines in the increase in performance when degradation processes occur is growing. In the aeronautical sector degradation is among the most critical issues, as it can lead to the in-flight shutdown of the engine. In a bid to tackle these big problems, new design methods based on approximation techniques have been developed. These techniques are called surrogate models and are currently the most used design methods for the aerodynamic design of aircraft engines. In this work, the assessment of a surrogate surface built for the purpose of optimizing an HPT vane in degrading conditions is performed. Using machine learning and statistical techniques, a sensitivity analysis is conducted in order to reduce the problem dimensions. The results of the sensitivity analysis are used for a study of the surrogate, with the purpose of obtaining design guidelines when deterioration effects are considered in the design phase. The main outcome of this study is a map, that outlines the best design zone defined by the combination of the most influential parameters.
On the Use of an Inflatable Rubber Lip to Improve the Reverse Thrust Flow Field in a Variable Pitch Fan
Authors: Rajendran David John , Pachidis Vassilios
Published: September 2021

The installed Variable Pitch Fan (VPF) reverse thrust flow field is obtained from the flow solution of an integrated airframe-engine research model for the complete reverser engagement regime during the aircraft landing run from 140 knots to 40 knots. The model includes a twin-engine airframe, complete flow path representation of a future 40000 lbf high bypass ratio geared turbofan engine, and a bespoke reverse flow-capable VPF design. The reverse thrust flow field, at all speeds, indicates that the reverse flow out of the nacelle inlet is washed downstream by the freestream towards the engine exit regions. Consequently, reverse flow enters the engine through the bypass nozzle from a 180° turn of the washed-down stream. This results in a region of circumferentially varying separated flow at the nozzle lip that acts as a blockage to the reverse flow entry into the engine.

To mitigate the blockage issue, a smooth guidance of the reverse flow into the engine to avoid separation can be achieved by using an inflatable rubber lip that would define a bell-mouth like geometric feature with a round radius at the nacelle exit region. In nominal engine operation, the rubber lip would be stowed flush within the contours of the optimized nacelle surface. The design space of the rubber lip is studied by considering different rounding radii and locations of the turn radius with respect to the nacelle trailing edge. The choices of the design parameters are chosen by considering the nacelle edge thickness, inflation air volume requirement, weight, and thickness of support structures. The effect of these designs on the reverse thrust flow field is studied by incorporating the designs into the integrated model, with realistic installation related restrictions. It is observed that a rounding radius of 0.1x nacelle length is sufficient to reduce the blockage and increase the ingested reverse flow by 47% to 18% in the 140 to 40 knots landing speed range. The inflatable rubber lip represents a design modification that can aid in the improvement of VPF reverse thrust operation, in cases where an augmentation of reverse thrust capability over the baseline is desired.
Morphing of Reversible Axial Fan Blade: A FSI-FEM Study
Authors: Barnabei Valerio F. , Castorrini Alessio , Corsini Alessandro , Rispoli Franco
Published: September 2021

Reversible axial fans are widely used in industrial and tunnel ventilation systems, and a lot of research effort is spent in the design process of the blades shape and blades profile. The target is to achieve reasonable performances in both flow directions, but those are still below the levels of the corresponding non-reversible geometries. In this paper, an alternative design solution for reversible axial fan is presented by adopting flexible blades instead of the rigid ones. Such design, inspired by the boat sails, could allow the blade to change its shape by passively adapting to the flow field, from a symmetrical blade profile to a not symmetric one, and thus adapting the curvature to the flow condition. In the paper, a series of alternative materials and material distributions are analysed and compared. The analysis is conducted by performing Fluid-Structure Interaction simulations using stabilized Finite Elements formulations for both the fluid and the structure dynamics. Simulations are performed using the in-house built software FEMpar, which implements the Residual Based Variational MultiScale to model the Navier-Stokes equation, the Total Lagrangian formulation for the non-linear elastic solid and the Solid Extension Moving Mesh Technique to move the fluid mesh.
Ranking of Aircraft Fuel-Injectors Regarding Low Frequency Thermoacoustics Based on an Energy Balance Method
Authors: Fischer André , Lahiri Claus
Published: September 2021

Many modern low emission combustion systems suffer from thermoacoustic instabilities, which may lead to customer irritation (noise) or engine damages. The prediction of the frequency response of the flame is oftentimes not straightforward, so that it is common practice to measure the flame response in an experiment. The outcome of the measurement is typically a flame transfer-function (FTF), which can be used in low order acoustic network models to represent the flame. This paper applies an alternative criterion to evaluate the potential of the flame to become instable, the flame-amplification factor (FAF). It is based on an energy balance method and can be directly derived from the measured flame-transfer-matrix (FTM). In order to demonstrate this approach two different kerosene-driven aircraft fuel injectors were measured in the Rolls-Royce SCARLET rig in a single-sector RQL-combustor under realistic operating conditions. Here the multi-microphone method has been applied with acoustic forcing from up- and downstream side to determine the FTM. In contrast to the FTF-approach the full FTM data has been post-processed to derive the FAF. The FAF is then successfully used to rank the fuel injectors regarding their low frequency thermo-acoustic behaviour, because it is proportional to amplitudes of self-excited frequencies in FANN-rig (full annular) configuration.
Knowledge-Based Adaptation of Product and Process Design in Blisk Manufacturing
Authors: Ganser Philipp , Landwehr Markus , Schiller Sven , Vahl Christopher , Mayer Sebastian , Bergs Thomas
Published: September 2021

Early and efficient harmonization between product design and manufacturing represents one of the most challenging tasks in engineering. Concepts such as simultaneous engineering aim for a product creation process, which addresses both, functional requirements as well as requirements from production. However, existing concepts mostly focus on organizational tasks and heavily rely on the human factor for the exchange of complex information across different domains, organizations or systems.

Nowadays product and process design make use of advanced software tools such as computer-aided design, manufacturing and engineering systems (CAD/CAM/CAE). Modern systems already provide a seamless integration of both worlds in a single digital environment to ensure a continuous workflow. Yet, for the holistic harmonization between product and process design, the following aspects are missing:

• The digital environment does not provide a complete and data consistent digital twin of the component; this applies especially to the process design and analysis environment

• Due to the lack of process and part condition data in the manufacturing environment an adaptation of product and process design for a balanced functionality and manufacturability is hindered

• Systematic long-term data analytics across different product and process designs with the ultimate goal to transfer knowledge from one product to the next and to accelerate the entire product development process is not considered

This paper presents an exploration concept which couples product design (CAD), process design (CAM), process simulation (CAE) and process adaptation in a single software system. The approach provides insights into correlations and dependencies between input parameters of product/process design and the process output. The insights potentially allow for a knowledge-based adaptation, tackling well-known optimization issues such as parameter choice or operation sequencing. First results are demonstrated using the example of a blade integrated disk (blisk).