Blade Tip Configurations Research Articles

Turbine blade tip aerothermal characteristics considering the influences of cavity tip shaping

The presence of turbine blade tip clearance can cause tip leakage losses and enhance the thermal load on the tip region. The continuously increasing inlet temperature of the turbine poses a tremendous challenge for turbine blade tip design. Reasonable turbine blade tip configurations can effectively reduce the thermal load on the tip region and enhance aerodynamic characteristics. Here, surface Nu distributions of flat, cavity, and five modified tip configurations are obtained through transient liquid crystal measurement technology. Furthermore, a numerical study combined with experimental results is conducted to investigate the aerothermal characteristics of the tip regions for each configuration. The results indicate that the flat tip (FT) has the highest tip surface thermal load and maximum aerodynamic loss, and the cavity structure can effectively reduce the average Nu on the tip surface. Among the five modified configurations, the SS ribbed configuration (SRT) and the lateral ribs configuration (SLCT) exhibit relatively optimal aerothermal performance. Specifically, compared to FT, the SRT tip configuration shows an average Nu reduction of 27.4 % on the tip surface and a 16.3 % decrease in tip clearance leakage compared to FT; the average Nu on the SLCT tip surface and the tip clearance leakage relative to the FT are reduced by 27.2 and 17.3 %, respectively.

Investigation of Helicopter Blade Tip Configuration during Hover Flight Employing Computational Fluid Dynamics

Investigation of Helicopter Blade Tip Configuration during Hover Flight Employing Computational Fluid Dynamics

Effect of Blade Tip Configurations on the Performance and Vibration of a Lift-Offset Coaxial Rotor

This present study investigates the effect of blade tip configurations, such as the sweepback angle and anhedral angle, on the performance and hub vibratory loads for the lift-offset coaxial rotor of a 30,000-pound-class high-speed long-range utility helicopter. The rotorcraft comprehensive analysis code, CAMRAD II, is utilized to conduct the performance and hub vibratory load analyses for the present lift-offset coaxial rotor. The total rotor thrust, torque, and individual rotor’s hub pitch moment and hub roll moment are considered the trim targets. The general properties for the lift-offset coaxial rotor are designed from the X2TD, S-97 Raider, and SB > 1 Defiant, which are lift-offset compound helicopters. The rotor performance and hub vibratory loads are studied with the various blade tip configurations including the sweepback angle and anhedral angle. The rotor power when the rotor blade tip considers only the sweepback angle (20°) is lower than the baseline rotor model by 41.25% at 170 knots. The maximum rotor effective lift-to-drag ratio (L/De) for the lift-offset coaxial rotor using only the sweepback angle and the rotor with both sweepback (20°) and anhedral angles (10°) at 170 knots increase by 10.82% and 5.02%, respectively, compared with the baseline rotor model without both sweepback and anhedral angles. The vibration index (VI) for the rotor with only the sweepback angle is higher than that for the baseline rotor model without both sweepback and anhedral angles by 37.14%. Furthermore, when the rotor blade tip has the anhedral angle, the magnitude of the Blade Vortex Interaction (BVI) decreases compared with the rotor without the sweepback and anhedral angles.

A novel approach for suppressing leakage flow through turbine blade tip gaps

Tip clearance leakage flow of the turbine bade is an important factor limiting the augment of the high pressure turbine efficiency, which should be suppressed utilizing certain methods. However, the passive control method with the traditional structure is more and more difficult to satisfy the suppressing ability of the advanced turbine demand. In the present paper, a synergetic suppressing method by combining the approach of blade shape modification and spontaneous injection is adopted, to construct a novel tip structure. The aerodynamic characteristics of the tip leakage flow (TLF) with different blade tip configurations, such as the squealer, squealer-winglet (SW) and squealer-winglet-spontaneous injection holes (SWS) composite configurations, are numerically investigated. The impacts of several key geometric parameters, such as the winglet width and the space ng of spontaneous injection holes, are also discussed. Due to the adjustment of the winglet, the SW tip configuration can get better suppressing effect on TLF than the squealer tip. The SWS synergetic suppression tip decrease the leakage flow rate and the leakage mixing loss on the basis of the SW tip due to the blocking effect of the spontaneous injection flow. The key geometric parameters study shows that the suppressing effect of the TLF can be improved by reasonably increasing the winglet width and reducing the spacing between spontaneous injection holes.

Effect of shelf squealer tip configuration on aerothermal performance of gas turbine blade

The tip leakage flow between rotating turbine blades and the stationary turbine casing causes aerodynamic losses and high thermal loads. Numerous novel tip geometries have been proposed for reducing both of these effects, one of them is a shelf squealer tip. The objective of this study is to investigate the aerothermal performance of three squealer blade tip configurations: conventional, vertical shelf and inclined shelf. Heat transfer was measured to analyze heat transfer features on the blade tip using transient IR thermography method. Also, computational fluid dynamics simulation and particle image velocimetry were conducted to visualize the flow characteristics around the blade tip. The experiment was conducted under conditions of a Reynolds number of 140,000 which was based on the inlet velocity in a wind tunnel. Thermal loads with vertical and inclined shelf squealer tip configurations are lower than with the conventional squealer tip. Due to the recessed pressure side rim of the vertical shelf squealer tip, the tip leakage flow was less reattached comparing to conventional squealer tips. This resulted in reduced thermal load on the tip surface and a larger tip leakage vortex around the blade suction side, which increased aerodynamic losses. Especially in the inclined shelf squealer tip, a separation bubble was generated on its inclined pressure side rim, which reduced the tip leakage flow due to the vena contracta effect. Consequentially, the reduced tip leakage flow decreased both heat loads and aerodynamic losses for the inclined shelf squealer tip. Therefore, the inclined shelf squealer tip demonstrated a good performance with respect to both aerodynamic loss and heat transfer.

An experimental study on the effects of winglets on the tip vortex interaction in the near wake of a model wind turbine

AbstractAn experimental study of the near wake up to four rotor diameters behind a model wind turbine rotor with two different wing tip configurations is performed. A straight‐cut wing tip and a downstream‐facing winglet shape are compared on the same two‐bladed rotor operated at its design tip speed ratio. Phase‐averaged measurements of the velocity vector are synchronized with the rotor position, visualizing the downstream location of tip vortex interaction for the two blade tip configurations. The mean streamwise velocity is found not to be strongly affected by the presence of winglet tip extensions, suggesting an insignificant effect of winglets on the time‐averaged inflow conditions of a possible downstream wind turbine. An analysis of the phase‐averaged vorticity, however, reveals a significantly earlier tip vortex interaction and breakup for the wingletted rotor. In contradistinction, the tip vortices formed behind the reference configuration are assessed to be more stable and start merging into larger turbulent structures significantly further downstream. These results indicate that an optimized winglet design can not only contribute to a higher energy extraction in a rotor's tip region but also can positively affect the wake's mean kinetic energy recovery by stimulating a faster tip vortex interaction.

Experimental and Numerical Investigation of Optimized Blade Tip Shapes—Part I: Turbine Rainbow Rotor Testing and Numerical Methods

Blade tip design and tip leakage flows are crucial aspects for the development of modern aero-engines. The inevitable clearance between stationary and rotating parts in turbine stages generates high-enthalpy unsteady leakage flows that strongly reduce the engine efficiency and can cause thermally induced blade failures. An improved understanding of the tip flow physics is essential to refine the current design strategies and achieve increased turbine aerothermal performance. However, while past studies have mainly focused on conventional tip shapes (flat tip or squealer geometries), the open literature suffers from a shortage of experimental and numerical data on advanced blade tip configurations of unshrouded rotors. This work presents a complete numerical and experimental investigation on the unsteady flow field of a high-pressure turbine, adopting three different blade tip profiles. The aerothermal characteristics of two novel high-performance tip geometries, one with a fully contoured shape and the other presenting a multicavity squealer-like tip with partially open external rims, are compared against the baseline performance of a regular squealer geometry. The turbine stage is tested at engine-representative conditions in the high-speed turbine facility of the von Karman Institute. A rainbow rotor is mounted for simultaneous aerothermal testing of multiple blade tip geometries. On the rotor disk, the blades are arranged in sectors operating at two different clearance levels. A numerical campaign of full-stage simulations was also conducted on all the investigated tip designs to model the secondary flows development and identify the tip loss and heat transfer mechanisms. In the first part of this work, we describe the experimental setup, instrumentation, and data processing techniques used to measure the unsteady aerothermal field of multiple blade tip geometries using the rainbow rotor approach. We report the time-average and time-resolved static pressure and heat transfer measured on the shroud of the turbine rotor. The experimental data are compared against numerical predictions. These numerical results are then used in the second part of the paper to analyze the tip flow physics, model the tip loss mechanisms, and quantify the aero-thermal performance of each tip geometry.

Carefree Hybrid Methodology for Rotor Hover Performance Analysis

A new, hierarchical hybrid computational fluid dynamics–free wake method has been assessed for the S-76 rotor in hover. The computational fluid dynamics–free wake-based dual-solver approach addresses the industry needs for computational fluid dynamics accuracy at reduced costs for design and analysis. This solver is capable of modeling model multiple blades, rotors, and bodies, and it is not limited to a single rotor blade as in many dual-solver hybrid approaches. Hover predictions have been evaluated with three different blade-tip configurations, along with three different tip Mach numbers for a swept and tapered tip. The computational fluid dynamics–free wake simulations produced integrated performance coefficients comparable to or more accurate than those achieved by most full computational fluid dynamics with larger meshes or other hybrid methods. The hybrid approach provides cost savings and is within four counts of the experimental figure of merit and two counts of computational fluid dynamics alone results for the collective sweep performed. The use of this hybrid method significantly decreased computational time and cost with a reduced-size mesh costing 51.3% of a computational fluid dynamics model.

Aerothermal Performance of Shroudless Turbine Blade Tips with Relative Casing Movement Effects

Qualitatively different heat transfer characteristics between a transonic blade tip and a subsonic one have recently been discovered. High-resolution experimental data can be acquired for blade-tip heat transfer research using a high-speed linear cascade. A combined experimental and computational fluid dynamics study on several high-pressure turbine blade-tip configurations is conducted to understand the flow physics in both stationary and moving casing setups. Extensive tests measuring aerodynamic loss and heat transfer have been performed on a stationary squealer tip at engine-representative aerodynamic conditions. A systematic validation of the computational fluid dynamics solver (Rolls–Royce, plc. HYDRA code) is introduced, showing good agreement with the experimental data obtained. Relative casing movement effects are then evaluated for two tip configurations at three different tip gaps. The moving casing is shown to affect the aerothermal performance considerably; the trends are consistently captured for the large and medium tip gaps, both in the stationary and moving casing instances. Presented results confirm that, even with a moving casing, the blade tips remain transonic. It is also shown that the heat transfer is not only dependent on the tip gap size but also the tip-geometry configuration. The squealer cavity is subsonic regardless of the tip gap size, whereas the local flow state over a flat tip is much more responsive to tip gap size.

An Aerodynamic Study of a Domestic Scale Horizontal Axis Wind Turbine With Varied Tip Configurations

This paper primarily aims to investigate the aerodynamic characteristics of a small Horizontal Axis Wind Turbines (HAWT) with different blade tip configurations to enhance power generation efficiency. To understand the flow behavior at the tip and to reduce the induced drag due to tip vortex, three different blade configurations (upwind winglet, downwind winglet and blade without a winglet) were designed, manufactured and tested under a range of wind speeds and yaw angles. The results show that the winglet has significant effect on the aerodynamic performance of the wind turbine blade used for domestic scale wind generator. The results indicated an increase of lift-to-drag ratio with the upwind winglet by around 26% compared to a straight blade with no winglet whereas the downwind winglet results in a decrease of lift-to-drag ratio about 27%.

Effect of winglet geometry arrangement and incidence on tip clearance control in a compressor cascade

An experimental study is conducted to investigate the influences of blade tip winglet on the flow field of a compressor cascade. The tests are performed in a low speed linear cascade with stationary endwall, with three blade tip configurations, including the baseline tip, the suction-side winglet tip and the pressure-side winglet tip. The flowfield downstream of the cascade is measured using five-hole probe, from which the three-dimensional velocity field, vorticity field and pressure field are obtained. Static pressure measurements are made on the endwall above the blade row using pressure taps embedded in the plywood endwall. All measurements are made at both design and off-design conditions for tip clearance level of about 2 percent of the blade chord. The results revealed the incidence variation significantly affects the secondary flow and the associated loss field downstream of the cascade, where the tip leakage vortex and passage vortex exist as the major contributors on the field. The winglet geometry arrangements can change the trajectory of the tip leakage vortex. The suction-side winglet tip blade provides a lower overall total pressure loss coefficient when compared to the baseline tip blade and pressure-side winglet tip blade at all incidence angles.

Impact of Wall Temperature on Turbine Blade Tip Aerothermal Performance

Currently the aerodynamics and heat transfer over a turbine blade tip tend to be analyzed separately with the assumption that the wall thermal boundary conditions do not affect the over-tip-leakage (OTL) flow field. There are some existing correlations for correcting the wall temperature effect on heat transfer when scaled to engine realistic conditions. But they were either developed to account for the temperature dependence of fluid properties largely empirically, or based on a boundary-layer model. It would be difficult (if not impossible) to define a boundary layer in many parts of a realistic blade passage with marked three-dimensional (3D) end wall and secondary flows (including those within a blade tip and around it). The questions to be asked here are: is the OTL aerodynamics significantly affected by the wall thermal condition? And if it is, how can we count this effect consistently in turbine blade tip design and analysis using modern CFD methods? In the present study the problem has been examined for typical high-pressure turbine blade tip configurations. An extensively developed RANS code (HYDRA) is employed and validated against the experimental data from a high speed linear cascade testing rig. The numerical analysis reveals that the wall–gas temperature ratio could greatly affect the transonic OTL flow field and there is a strong two-way coupling between aerodynamics and heat transfer. The feedbacks of the thermal boundary condition to aerodynamics behave differently at different flow regimes over the tip, clearly indicating a highly localized dependence of the convective heat transfer coefficient (HTC) upon wall temperatures. This implies that to use HTC for blade metal temperature predictions without resorting a fully conjugate solution, the temperature dependence needs to be corrected locally. A nonlinear correction approach has been adopted in the present work, and the results demonstrate its effectiveness for the transonic turbine tip configurations studied.

Aeroperformance Measurements for a Fully Cooled High-Pressure Turbine Stage

A detailed aero performance measurement program utilizing fully cooled engine hardware (high-pressure turbine stage) supplied by Honeywell Aerospace Advanced Technology Engines is described. The primary focus of this work was obtaining relevant aerodynamic data for a small turbine stage operating at a variety of conditions, including changes in operating conditions, geometry, and cooling parameters. The work extraction and the overall stage performance for each of these conditions can be determined using the measured acceleration rate of the turbine disk, the previously measured moment of inertia of the rotating system, and the mass flow through the turbine stage. Measurements were performed for two different values of tip/shroud clearance and two different blade tip configurations. The vane and blade cooling mass flow could be adjusted independently and set to any desired value, including totally off. A wide range of stage pressure ratios, coolant to free stream temperature ratios, and corrected speeds were used during the course of the investigation. A combustor emulator controlled the free stream inlet gas temperature, enabling variation of the temperature ratios and investigation of their effects on aero performance. The influence of the tip/shroud gap is clearly seen in this experiment. Improvements in specific work and efficiency achieved by reducing the tip/shroud clearance depend upon the specific values of stage pressure ratio and corrected speed. The maximum change of 3%–4% occurs at a stage pressure ratio and corrected speed greater than the initial design point intent. The specific work extraction and efficiency for two different blade tip sets (one damaged from a rub and one original) were compared in detail. In general, the tip damage only had a very small effect on the work extraction for comparable conditions. The specific work extraction and efficiency were influenced by the presence of cooling gas and by the temperature of the cooling gas relative to the free stream gas temperature and the metal temperature. These same parameters were influenced by the magnitude of the vane inlet gas total temperature relative to the vane metal temperature and the coolant gas temperature.

Assessment of various rotor tip geometries on a single stage gas turbine performance

Tip leakage loss introduces major part of losses of the rotor in axial gas turbines. Therefore, the rotor blade tip has a considerable effect on rotor efficiency. To understand the flow physics of the rotor tip leakage, we solve the flow field for different tip platforms (passive flow control) and by considering coolant tip injection (active flow control). Various blade tip configurations such as squealers and extensions on both pressure and suction sides, partial PS-squealer and flat tip with various tip clearances are generated. The computational domains are generated using unstructured prism layers for boundary layer resolution and unstructured, tetrahedral mesh for main flow. By using a finite volume CFD solver capable of solving RANS equations in an unstructured domain, the transonic compressible flow in the domain is solved. To capture the turbulent field in blade tip, shear stress transport (SST) k-ω model is employed. By using mixing plane approach, it is possible to couple outlet boundary of stator and inlet boundary of rotor and investigate the stator-rotor interaction in the rotor flow field and its consequence tip leakage flow. To investigate the combined effects of active and passive flow control measures in blade tip region, we simulate baseline geometry with and without tip coolant to show the effects of geometrical features of the rotor tip as well as the effect of tip coolant mass flow rate. Taking into account various rotor tip configurations and their tip leakage losses, it is possible to propose an optimum configuration.

Heat Transfer and Film Cooling of Blade Tips and Endwalls

This paper investigates the flow, heat transfer, and film cooling effectiveness of advanced high pressure turbine blade tips and endwalls. Two blade tip configurations have been studied, including a full rim squealer and a partial squealer with leading edge and trailing edge cutouts. Both blade tip configurations have pressure side film cooling and cooling air extraction through dust holes, which are positioned along the airfoil camber line on the tip cavity floor. The investigated clearance gap and the blade tip geometry are typical of that commonly found in the high pressure turbine blades of heavy-duty gas turbines. Numerical studies and experimental investigations in a linear cascade have been conducted at a blade exit isentropic Mach number of 0.8 and a Reynolds number of 9×105. The influence of the coolant flow ejected from the tip dust holes and the tip pressure side film holes has also been investigated. Both the numerical and experimental results showed that there is a complex aerothermal interaction within the tip cavity and along the endwall. This was evident for both tip configurations. Although the global heat transfer and film cooling characteristics of both blade tip configurations were similar, there were distinct local differences. The partial squealer exhibited higher local film cooling effectiveness at the trailing edge but also low values at the leading edge. For both tip configurations, the highest heat transfer coefficients were located on the suction side rim within the midchord region. However, on the endwall, the highest heat transfer rates were located close to the pressure side rim and along most of the blade chord. Additionally, the numerical results also showed that the coolant ejected from the blade tip dust holes partially impinges onto the endwall.

Casing Treatment and Blade-Tip Configuration Effects on Controlled Gas Turbine Blade Tip/Shroud Rubs at Engine Conditions

Experimental results obtained for an Inconel® compressor blade rubbing bare-steel and treated casings at engine speed are described. Since 2002 a number of experiments were conducted to generate a broad database for tip rubs, the Rotor-Blade Rub database obtained using the unique experimental facility at the The Ohio State University Gas Turbine Laboratory. As of 2007, there are seven completed groups of measurements in the database. Among them a number of blade-tip geometries and casing surface treatments have been investigated. The purpose of this paper is to provide a detailed interpretation of this database. Load cell, strain, temperature, and accelerometer measurements are discussed and then applied to analyze the interactions resulting from progressive and sudden incursions of varying severity, defined by incursion depths ranging from 13 μm to 762 μm (from 0.0005 in. to 0.030 in.). The influence of blade-tip speed on these measurements is described. The results presented describe the dynamics of rotor and casing vibro-impact response at representative operational speeds similar to those experienced in flight. Force components at the blade tip in the axial and circumferential directions are presented for rub incursions ranging in depth from very light (13 μm) to severe (406 μm). Trends of variation are observed during metal-to-metal and metal-to-abradable contacts for two airfoil tip shapes and tip speeds 390 m/s (1280 ft/s) and 180 m/s (590 ft/s). The nonlinear nature of the rub phenomena reported in earlier work is confirmed. In progressing from light rubs to higher incursion, the maximum incurred circumferential load increases significantly while the maximum incurred axial load increases much less. The manner in which casing surface treatment affects the loads is presented. Concurrently, the stress magnification on the rubbing blade at root midchord, at tip leading edge, and at tip trailing edge is discussed. Computational models to analyze the nonlinear dynamic response of a rotating beam with periodic pulse loading at the free-end are currently under development and are noted.

Experimental Aeroacoustic Studies on Improved Tip Configurations for Passive Control of Noise Signatures in Low-Speed Axial Fans

This paper presents the findings of an investigation on the use of several blade-tip configurations (modified by the addition of various end plates at the blade tip) for passive noise control in industrial fans. Utilizing an experimental technique developed to investigate noise sources along the radius of the blades, together with cross-correlation and coherence analyses of the near field and far field, the modified blade-tip configurations are shown to reduce the rotor-only aeroacoustic signature of the fan as a direct consequence of changes induced in tip-leakage flow behavior. These changes in the nature of flow mechanisms in the region of the blade tip are correlated with the spanwise noise sources, and their role in the creation of overall acoustic emissions is thus clarified. The tip-leakage flow structures are analyzed to identify their contribution to overall noise and interaction with other noise sources. Coherence spectra are also analyzed to investigate the relevance of the noise sources. The cross-correlations reveal distinctive acoustic signatures that are described in detail. The methodology has been demonstrated to be effective in identifying (i) the blade-tip configuration with the best acoustic performance, and (ii) other significant noise sources along the blade span. The modified tip configurations are shown to have a significant effect on the multiple vortex behavior of leakage flow, especially with respect to the near-wall fluid-flow paths on both blade surfaces. The reduction in fan acoustic emissions is assessed and correlated with the control of tip-leakage flows achieved by the modified blade tips.

Aerodynamic Performance of Blade Tip End-Plates Designed for Low-Noise Operation in Axial Flow Fans

This study assesses the effectiveness of modified blade-tip configurations in achieving passive noise control in industrial fans. The concepts developed here, which are based on the addition of end-plates at the fan-blade tip, are shown to have a beneficial effect on the fan aeroacoustic signature as a result of the changes they induce in tip-leakage-flow behavior. The aerodynamic merits of the proposed blade-tip concepts are investigated by experimental and computational studies in a fully ducted configuration. The flow mechanisms in the blade-tip region are correlated with the specific end-plate design features, and their role in the creation of overall acoustic emissions is clarified. The tip-leakage flows of the fans are analyzed in terms of vortex structure, chordwise leakage flow, and loading distribution. Rotor losses are also investigated. The modifications to blade-tip geometry are found to have marked effects on the multiple vortex behaviors of leakage flow as a result of changes in the near-wall fluid flow paths on both blade surfaces. The improvements in rotor efficiency are assessed and correlated with the control of tip-leakage flows produced by the modified tip end-plates.

Numerical Modeling of Heat Transfer and Pressure Losses for an Uncooled Gas Turbine Blade Tip: Effect of Tip Clearance and Tip Geometry

A computational study has been performed to predict the heat transfer distribution on the blade tip surface for a representative gas turbine first stage blade. Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) predictions of blade tip heat transfer are compared with test measurements taken in a linear cascade, when available. The blade geometry has an inlet Mach number of 0.3 and an exit Mach number of 0.75, pressure ratio of 1.5, exit Reynolds number based on axial chord of 2.57×106, and total turning of 110 deg. Three blade tip configurations were considered; a flat tip, a full perimeter squealer, and an offset squealer where the rim is offset to the interior of the tip perimeter. These three tip geometries were modeled at three tip clearances of 1.25%, 2.0%, and 2.75% of the blade span. The tip heat transfer results of the numerical models agree well with data. For the case in which side-by-side comparison with test measurements in the open literature is possible, the magnitude of the heat transfer coefficient in the “sweet spot” matches data exactly and shows 20–50% better agreement with experiment than prior CFD predictions of this same case.

Detection of aerodynamic noise sources in low-speed axial fans with tip end-plates

This article reports on the use of modified blade-tip configurations designed with a view to passive noise control in low-speed fans for compact cooling units. The addition of end-plates at the tip of a datum fan blade is shown to have a positive influence on the fan's rotor-only aero-acoustic signature. The aerodynamic effects of the modified blade tips are experimentally tested in a fully ducted configuration in the near field and far field using a correlation technique. The nature of the flow mechanisms in the blade-tip region are correlated with the specific end-plate design features and their role in the creation of overall acoustic emissions is clarified. The noise emitted by the fans is analysed in terms of coherent vortex structures, tip-leakage flow, and noise sources. Differences in human perception of the noise emitted to the environment are also investigated using a dot-pattern visualization. The study concludes that the modified tip configurations have a marked effect on tip-leakage vortex formation by altering the near-wall fluid paths on blade surfaces. The reduction in rotor noise emission is correlated with the control of tip-leakage flows produced by the tip end-plates.