Inlet Blade Angle Research Articles

Flow field analysis of high-speed helium turboexpander for cryogenic refrigeration and liquefaction cycles

Turboexpander constitutes one of the vital components of Claude cycle based helium refrigerators and liquefiers that are gaining increasing technological importance. These turboexpanders which are of radial inflow in configuration are generally high-speed micro turbines, due to the low molecular weight and density of helium. Any improvement in efficiency of these machines requires a detailed understanding of the flow field. Computational Fluid Dynamics analysis (CFD) has emerged as a necessary tool for the determination of the flow fields in cryogenic turboexpanders, which is often not possible through experiments.In the present work three-dimensional transient flow analysis of a cryogenic turboexpander for helium refrigeration and liquefaction cycles were performed using Ansys CFX®, to understand the flow field of a high-speed helium turboexpander, which in turn will help in taking appropriate decisions regarding modifications of established design methodology for improved efficiency of these machines. The turboexpander is designed based on Balje's nsds diagram and the inverse design blade profile generation formalism prescribed by Hasselgruber and Balje. The analyses include the study of several losses, their origins, the increase in entropy due to these losses, quantification of losses and the effects of various geometrical parameters on these losses. Through the flow field analysis it was observed that in the nozzle, flow separation at the nozzle blade suction side and trailing edge vortices resulted in loss generation, which calls for better nozzle blade profile. The turbine wheel flow field analysis revealed that the significant geometrical parameters of the turbine wheel blade like blade inlet angle, blade profile, tip clearance height and trailing edge thickness need to be optimised for improved performance of the turboexpander. The detailed flow field analysis in this paper can be used to improve the mean line design methodology for turboexpanders used in helium refrigeration and liquefaction cycles.

An alternative approach to surrogate averaging for a centrifugal impeller shape optimisation

A major concern regarding surrogate model-based design optimisation is the modelling fidelity of the approximation functions. This issue is efficaciously addressed by utilising multiple surrogates based on the same data to offer approximations from alternative modelling perspective. The approach is introduced to optimise performance of a centrifugal impeller as a case study. The basic surrogate models adopted here include response surface approximation, radial basis neural network, Kriging, support vector machine and Shepard method. A weighted average and a new weighted average surrogate models were constructed from the basic surrogates and implemented in the present problem. A hybrid genetic algorithm was used to explore the optimal points. Design variables from the impeller inlet and exit blade angles were selected and design of experiments were used to select the sample points from the design space. The aim of the optimisation was to maximise hydraulic efficiency and head generated. The optimised centrifugal impeller yielded lower losses by altering the vane angles. It was found that the most accurate surrogate did not always lead to the best design. This manifested that using multiple surrogates can improve the robustness of the optimisation at a minimal computational cost.

Mechanism of the S-Shaped Characteristics and the Runaway Instability of Pump-Turbines

Understanding the formation mechanism of the S-shaped characteristics (SSCs) and the relationship between flow structures and the runaway instability (RI) is the prerequisite for optimizing runner design to promote operational reliability and flexibility. In this study, a new turbine equation is derived to reveal the prime cause of the SSCs, and the influence of geometric parameters on the SSCs is analyzed. Moreover, the flow patterns in three model turbines of different specific-speeds are simulated by unsteady Computational fluid dynamics (CFD), and the correlation between inverse flow vortex structures (IFVSs) and the RI in the SSCs region is identified. Theoretical analysis shows that the turbine equation can theoretically predict the change trend of the first quadrant SSCs curves of the pump-turbines; the flow losses caused by small blade inlet angle, instead of the diameter ratio, are the primary cause of the SSCs. The numerical simulation results reveal that the IFVSs at the hub side of the runner inlet are the origin of the RI; when operating points are far away from the best efficiency point (BEP), the IFVS locations change regularly. For large guide vane openings (GVOs), the IFVSs first incept at the shroud side, and then translate to the hub side, and further back to the midspan, when the discharge decreases. The inception points (IPs) of the SSCs correspond to the onset of the IFVSs at the hub side, which are in advance of the zero-torque operating points (ZTOPs); therefore, the ZTOPs are located in the positive slope region, leading to RI. For small GVOs, however, the IFVSs only locate at the midspan; the IPs of the SSCs, having no definite correlation with the IFVSs, are coincided with or are below the ZTOPs, because the ZTOPs are in the negative slope region and RI disappears. It is also found that the IPs of SSCs are the turning points of the predominant states between the turbine effect and pump effect. These results are valuable for design and optimization of pump-turbine runners.

Design methodology of a low pressure turbine for waste heat recovery via electric turbocompounding

This paper presents a design methodology of a high performance Low Pressure Turbine (LPT) for turbocompounding applications to be used in a 1.0L “cost-effective, ultra-efficient heavily downsized gasoline engine for a small and large segment passenger car”. Under this assumption, the LPT was designed to recover the latent energy of discharged exhaust gases at low pressure ratios (1.05–1.3) and to drive a small electric generator with a maximum power output of 1.0kW. The design speed was fixed at 50,000rpm with a pressure ratio, PR of 1.08. Commercially available turbines are not suitable for this purpose due to the very low efficiencies experienced when operating in these pressure ratio ranges. By fixing all the LPT requirements, the turbine loss model was combined with the geometrical model to calculate preliminary LPT geometry. The LPT features a mixed-flow turbine with a cone angle of 40° and 9 blades, with an inlet blade angle at radius mean square of +20°. The exit-to-inlet area ratio value is approximately 0.372 which is outside of the conventional range indicating the novelty of the approach. A single passage Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) model was applied to optimize the preliminary LPT design by changing the inlet absolute angle. The investigation found the optimal inlet absolute angle was 77°. Turbine off-design performance was then predicted from single passage CFD model. A rapid prototype of the LPT was manufactured and tested in Imperial College turbocharger testing facility under steady-state and pulsating flow. The steady-state testing was conducted over speed parameter ranges from 1206rpm/K0.5 to 1809rpm/K0.5. The test results showed a typical flow capacity trend as a conventional radial turbine but the LPT had higher total-to-static efficiency, ηt-s in the lower pressure ratio regions. A maximum total-to-static efficiency, ηt-s of 0.758 at pressure ratio, PR≈1.1 was found, no available turbines exist in this range as parameters. A validation of the predicted single passage CFD analysis for the off-design performance against the LPT test result found a minimum total-to-static efficiency Standard Deviation of ±0.026 points for the speed parameter of 1507rpm/K0.5. A minimum Mass Flow Parameter Standard Deviation of ±0.091kg/sK0.5bar is found at 1206rpm/K0.5.

Rotational Flow in Centrifugal Pump Meridian Using Curvilinear Coordinates

A new model for calculation of the velocity field in a pump meridian is presented in this paper. It is a parameterized rotational flow model providing the pump designer with an option to simulate various flow conditions at the blade leading edge using a single parameter, which leads to different blade designs. Despite being rotational, this flow model does not allow for creation of helical swirl structures, a feature that is usually sought to be suppressed in a pump impeller. A condition for a flow pattern suitable for a pump hydraulic design is derived using curvilinear coordinates. The variation of the meridional velocity for different choices of the parameter is demonstrated, and the meridional flow field is compared against the turbulent flow. The resulting velocity field is easy to obtain and provides a unified approach to determine the distribution of the blade inlet angles along the leading edge for a range of design requirements.

Francis Turbine Blade Design on the Basis of Port Area and Loss Analysis

In this study, a Francis turbine with specific speed of 130 m-kW was designed on the basis of the port area and loss analysis. The meridional shape of the runner was designed focusing mainly on the combination of the guide vane loss analysis and experience. The runner blade inlet and outlet angles were designed by calculation of Euler’s head, while the port area of blade was modified by keeping constant angles of the blade at inlet and outlet. The results show that the effect of the port area of runner blade on the flow exit angle from runner passage is significant. A correct flow exit angle reduces the energy loss at the draft tube, thereby improving the efficiency of the turbine. The best efficiency of 92.6% is achieved by this method, which is also similar to the design conditions by the one dimension loss analysis.

A high-dimensional design optimisation method for centrifugal impellers

The metamodel-based design optimisation (MBDO) method has been gaining increasing popularity in the field of turbomachinery design. Nevertheless, the ‘curse of dimensionality’ remains a formidable obstacle for the application of MBDO in high-dimensional design problems, which, in the context of turbomachinery design, are problems with at least 10 design variables, if expensive simulations such as computational fluid dynamics are required. To address this issue, the present study proposes to utilise a novel high-dimensional model representation (HDMR) method to support the process of MBDO and applies it to the design optimisation of a centrifugal impeller. A total of 15 geometrical design variables and three performance objectives are considered in the optimisation. In particular, the HDMR method is assisted by support vector regression (SVR) metamodels to explicitly represent the relationships between design variables and performance objectives. Apart from high metamodelling accuracy and efficiency, the SVR-HDMR metamodelling technique enables designers to refine design space as well as to identify correlations between design variables during the metamodelling process. Analysis of the final optimisation results show that a reduced hub-line curvature, a negative rake angle, a positive splitter blade lean angle and an increased splitter blade inlet angle are beneficial for enhancing efficiency of this impeller. This work provides valuable references for further high-dimensional design optimisation of turbomachine components.

CFD Simulation of the Air Flow Field in the Multi Blade Centrifugal Fan

In this paper, the multi blade centrifugal fan parameter CAD/CFD was developed. Before treatment with the traditional design method as the foundation, use AutoCAD as development of the embedded language. The work of this regulation to establish a set of more perfect design and optimization program of axial flow fan in air, improve its economy, and provided a shortcut for energy saving and noise reduction of multi blade centrifugal machine. Also in the establishment and the simplification of complex models, mesh generation, calculation and other aspects of the use of the model to do some beneficial exploration, hoping to provide reference of the similar simulation numerical type. Influence on the performance of multi blade centrifugal fan impeller is the largest parameters such as the blade outlet angle, inlet angle and blade number. As the numerical simulation application in modern design method, in order to improve the performance of pressure air fan as the optimization objective, the optimization of the fan, the fan impeller optimization parameters more reasonable flow field distribution, air pressure with better performance is obtained, and the formula to determine the recommended number of leaves.

Influence of blade angle distribution along leading edge on cavitation performance of a centrifugal pump

The influence of blade angle distribution along leading edge on cavitation performance of centrifugal pumps is analysed in the present paper. Three sets of blade angle distribution along leading edge for three blade inlet angles are chosen to design nine centrifugal pump impellers. The RNG k-ϵ turbulence model and the Zwart-Gerber-Belamri cavitation model are employed to simulate the cavitation flows in centrifugal pumps with different impellers and the same volute. The numerical results are compared with the experimental data, and the comparison proves that the numerical simulation can accurately predict the cavitation performance of centrifugal pumps. On the basis of the numerical simulations, the pump head variations with pump inlet pressure, and the flow details in centrifugal pump are revealed to demonstrate the influence of blade angle distribution along leading edge on cavitation performances of centrifugal pumps.

Theoretical, Experimental and Numerical Investigations of the Effect of Inlet Blade Angle on the Performance of Regenerative Blowers

Regenerative machines allow high heads at small flow rates and present performance curves with very stable features. This research includes a study of the effect of four inlet flow angles (90°, 115°, 125° and 135°) of the blade at outlet flow angle of 90° on the performance of regenerative blower at rotation speed of 3000 rpm and at different flow rates. Investigation and comparison of the experimental results with both one-dimensional theoretical model and numerical CFD technique using CFX-ANSYS 16.1 are done. The numerical CFD analysis show that the flow enters the impeller from the blade side (about 65% of the blade side area) and leaves from the blade tip and blade side (the remaining 35% from the blade side area). According to this observation, a mathematical model that is based on momentum exchange theory to handle one inlet angle and two exit angles for the regenerative blower impeller blades is proposed. Consequently, the experimental work is carried out by two steps. The first step is done by studying the effect of inlet blade angle of 90° and analyzing the results by using the CFD analysis. The CFD results show shock losses and vortices behind each blade at the inlet flow regions. To reduce these losses, an increase of the inlet blade angle in a range between 25° to 45° is proposed. The second step is the splitting of this angle range to three inlet blade angles of 115°, 125° and 135° in order to study and analyze the CFD results for these angels. The CFD analysis shows the disappearance of the shock losses and vortices that are formed behind the blade of angle 90°. The experimental results show that the pressure head and the efficiency depend strongly on the blade inlet and outlet flow angles as well as on the blade geometry. The results also show that the best blower performance can be obtained at an inlet flow angle of 125°, and this is confirmed by CFD simulation analysis. Finally, it is shown that the proposed one-dimensional model yield results that are in a good agreement with the experimental results.

Investigation of Blade Angle of an Open Cross-Flow Runner

AbstractThe aim of this study was to develop a nano-hydraulic turbine utilizing drop structure in irrigation channels or industrial waterways. This study was focused on an open-type cross-flow turbine without any attached equipment for cost reduction and easy maintenance. In this study, the authors used an artificial indoor waterfall as lab model. Test runner which is a simple structure of 20 circular arc-shaped blades sandwiched by two circular plates was used The optimum inlet blade angle and the relationship between the power performance and the flow rate approaching theoretically and experimentally were investigated. As a result, the optimum inlet blade angle due to the flow rate was changed. Additionally, allocation rate of power output in 1st stage and 2nd stage is changed by the blade inlet angle.

임펠러 입출구각에 따른 양흡입 원심송풍기 성능특성

Effects of design variables on the performance of a double-inlet centrifugal blower have been analyzed based on the three-dimensional flow analysis. Two design variables, blade inlet and outlet angles, are introduced to enhance a blower performance. General analysis code, ANSYS-CFX13, is employed to analyze internal flow and a blower performance. SST turbulence model is employed to estimate the eddy viscosity. Throughout the shape optimization of an impeller at the design flow condition, the blower efficiency and pressure are successfully increased by 4.7 and 1.02 percent compared to reference one. It is noted that separated flow observed near cut-off region can be reduced by optimal design of blade angles, which results in stable flow pattern in the blade passage and increase of a blower performance. The stable flow at the impeller also makes good effects at the outlet of a volute casing.

The Impeller Improvement of the Centrifugal Pump Based on BVF Diagnostic Method

Selecting one IS 150-125-250 centrifugal pump as reference model, impeller with 3D blades has been designed using two-dimensional theory. Numerical simulations using Reynolds averaged N-S equations with a RNG k-ε two-equation turbulence model and log-law wall function are used to estimate the hydraulic performance of pump and obtain BVF distributions on impeller blade pressure surfaces and suction surfaces. The results show that, compared with IS150-125-250 pump, the designed one shows better performance in a wide operation range with the maximal efficiency 2.8% increase. With the help of boundary vorticity flux diagnostic, further improvement is realized. Local defect areas on blade surfaces are identified and inlet blade angle distribution modification and wrapping angle change of designed impeller are carried out on local defect areas. The vortices that exist in designed impeller disappear after modification and it flows more smoothly in the modified impeller with slight hydraulic performance improvement than in the original designed one. BVF diagnostic can be further embedded in optimal design method to perform an automatic optimal design without manual trial-and-error procedures.

Multi-point optimization on the diffuser of an axial flow pump

For many pump applications, it is necessary to satisfy the performance requirements in more than one operating point. The conventional single-point design method which would cause a sharp decrease in the off-design point cannot fully meet such requirement. In this paper, an approach of the pump diffuser optimization is used to satisfy the performance in two points simultaneously. The three coefficient of the quadratic polynomial which is used to control the three inlet blade angles corresponding to the hub, shroud and the stream surface between (span wise=0.5) are selected as design parameters. Head, efficiency and power of the pump in the two selected point are selected as objective functions. The objective functions in the two selected points are in relations of trade-off. Design of experiments (DOE), steady CFD simulation, response surface method (RSM), Neighborhood Cultivation Genetic Algorisms (NCGA) are used to solve this problem. The DOE theory is applied to reduce the number of tests, three-dimensional simulations are performed to predict the pump performance, the RSM (response surface method) is used to correlate the pump performance to the intermediate variable, NCGA is used to search the pareto solutions along the response surface. The multipoint design optimization method is proved effective in searching the pareto solutions to satisfy the given requirements.

A numerical study of automotive turbocharger mixed flow turbine inlet geometry for off design performance

Mixed flow turbines represent a potential solution to the increasing requirement for high pressure, low velocity ratio operation in turbocharger applications. While literature exists for the use of these turbines at such operating conditions, there is a lack of detailed design guidance for defining the basic geometry of the turbine, in particular, the cone angle – the angle at which the inlet of the mixed flow turbine is inclined to the axis. This investigates the effect and interaction of such mixed flow turbine design parameters. Computational Fluids Dynamics was initially used to investigate the performance of a modern radial turbine to create a baseline for subsequent mixed flow designs. Existing experimental data was used to validate this model. Using the CFD model, a number of mixed flow turbine designs were investigated. These included studies varying the cone angle and the associated inlet blade angle. The results of this analysis provide insight into the performance of a mixed flow turbine with respect to cone and inlet blade angle.

Design and optimization of a single stage centrifugal compressor for a solar dish-Brayton system

According to the requirements of a solar dish-Brayton system, a centrifugal compressor stage with a minimum total pressure ratio of 5, an adiabatic efficiency above 75% and a surge margin more than 12% needs to be designed. A single stage, which consists of impeller, radial vaned diffuser, 90° crossover and two rows of axial stators, was chosen to satisfy this system. To achieve the stage performance, an impeller with a 6:1 total pressure ratio and an adiabatic efficiency of 90% was designed and its preliminary geometry came from an in-house one-dimensional program. Radial vaned diffuser was applied downstream of the impeller. Two rows of axial stators after 90° crossover were added to guide the flow into axial direction. Since jet-wake flow, shockwave and boundary layer separation coexisted in the impeller-diffuser region, optimization on the radius ratio of radial diffuser vane inlet to impeller exit, diffuser vane inlet blade angle and number of diffuser vanes was carried out at design point. Finally, an optimized centrifugal compressor stage fulfilled the high expectations and presented proper performance. Numerical simulation showed that at design point the stage adiabatic efficiency was 79.93% and the total pressure ratio was 5.6. The surge margin was 15%. The performance map including 80%, 90% and 100% design speed was also presented.

Numerical Optimization of Impeller for Backward-Curved Centrifugal Fan by Response Surface Methodology (RSM)

A numerical optimum study on three-dimensional unsteady viscous flow in a centrifugal fan with backward-curved blades was performed. The influence of the inlet angle, the outlet blade angle and blade number on aerodynamic performance of the centrifugal fan was analyzed concerning the whole impeller-volute configuration. Response Surface Methodology (RSM) based on a three-level, three -variable Box-Behnken Design (BBD) was used to evaluate the interactive effects of factors such as inlet blade angle (37°-41°), outlet blade angle (61°-65°) and number of blade (10-14) on the efficiency. The optimum factors deriving via RSM were: inlet blade angle 37°, outlet blade angle 61.7° and blade number 14. The maximum efficiency was 93.7%, under optimum conditions. The method of reliable CFD technique in combination with RSM can be effectively applied to the improvement and experiment design of centrifugal fans.

The CFD Analysis of JQ40A Gasoline Turbocharger Compressor

As a core component of a turbocharger, the efficiency of compressor directly affects its overall efficiency. The finite element model and mesh model of JQ40A turbocharger impeller is built by using Software Numeca in this paper. The compressor efficiency and the flow field with different inlet blade angle, the pressure surface boundary layer with different blade thickness are simulated in the case of the same outlet angle, throat area of and number of the blades. The result of the simulation and research shows that it is the inlet blade angle of 51.40 degrees and the average blade thickness of 0.5mm that make it the best design with highest efficiency .

Design and Numeric Evaluation of a Novel Axial-Flow Left Ventricular Assist Device

Virtual design characteristics and performance of the first Turkish axial-flow left ventricular assist device (LVAD) are presented, with emphasis on rotor geometry. The patented rotor design includes a central flow channel carved inside the main block, which carries permanent magnets. A concentric rotor-stator gap minimizes the distance between respective magnets, improving electromagnetic efficiency and creating a second blood pathway. Dual sets of three helical blades, placed on the shaft and external surface of the rotor block, ensure unidirectionality. Hemodynamic performance was tested with computational fluid dynamics (CFD); and rotor-blade geometry was optimized, to maximize overall efficiency d and minimize backflow and wall shear stresses. For a shaft radius of 4.5 mm, rotor blade height of 2.5 mm, and blade inlet and exit metal angles of 67° and 32°, pump operation at the nominal head-flow combination (5 L/min and 100.4 mm Hg) was achieved at a rotor speed of 10,313 rpm. At the nominal point, backflow as percent of total flow was 7.29 and 29.87% at rotor inlet and exit, respectively; overall hydraulic efficiency reached 21.59%; and maximum area-averaged shroud shear was 520 Pa. Overall efficiency peaked at 24.07% for a pump flow of 6.90 L/min, and averaged at 22.57% within the flow range of 4-8 L/min. We concluded that the design satisfies initial rotor design criteria, and that continued studies with diffuser optimization and transient flow analysis are warranted.

Cavitating flow investigation inside centrifugal impellers for a condensate pump

In order to investigate the effect of blade inlet angle on centrifugal pump cavitation performance, numerical simulation of cavitating turbulent flow is conducted for a condensate pump with different impellers based on SST k−ω turbulence model and a mixture cavitation model. The results indicate that for a condensate pump having meridional section with larger area at blade leading edge compared with conventional pumps, the reverse flows inside the blade-to-blade channels are not negligible. It is noted that large incidence at blade leading edge is helpful to improve the cavitation performance for the pump. The possible reason may be the growth of cavities inside the impeller has less influence on the flow in the channel between two neighboring blades. Further, uniform incidence angle along the blade leading edge is preferable for the improvement of cavitation performance.