Formation Process of Water Film and Performance Effect on Compressor Stage

Abstract

In process of wet compression, gas turbine engine will ingest a certain amount of water, which can influence the overall performance of the engine. This phenomenon is particularly significant in the cleaning process of industrial gas turbine and water injection of aero-engine. When the quantity of water ingestion is quite large, the performance of gas turbine will appear deterioration and may lead to flameout, power reduce or even shutdown of the engine, causing accidents. Water droplets will be accumulated on the blade surface where water films could be formed on pressure surface in the wet compression process. The effects of water film on gas turbine engines are aerodynamic, thermodynamic and mechanical. The above-mentioned effects occur simultaneously and be affected by each other. Considering the above effects and the fact that they are time dependent, there are few gas turbine performance researches, which take into account the water film phenomenon. This study is a new research of investigating theoretically the water film effects on a gas turbine performance. It focuses on the aerodynamic and thermodynamic effects of the phenomenon on the compressor stage. The computation of water film thickness, which frequently be formed on the surface of compressor blade, its movement and extra torque demand, are provided by a simulation model of the code. Considering the change in blade’s profile and the thickness feature of the water film, the compressor stage’s performance deterioration is analyzed. In addition to this, movement and the formation of the water film on a compressor stage are simulated and analyzed by using unsteady numerical methods under different water injecting conditions in this paper. The movement characteristics of water droplets in compressor passage are investigated to understand the flow mechanisms responsible for water film formation process. The forming and the tearing process of water film on blade surface are analyzed at different injection conditions. For simulating the real situation, The maximum quantity of injected water can reach 12%. The results indicate that continuity and region of the water film on the blade surface will be developed with the increment of droplet size and injection rate. It is also found that the flow losses near blade surface increases with the tearing process of water film due to the increment of surface roughness.