High-Lift Low Pressure Turbine Cascade Research Articles

Nonuniform height endwall fence optimization of a low-pressure turbine cascade

As the lift of turbine increases, the secondary flow in the endwall region seriously restricts improvement of the aerodynamic performance of low-pressure turbine. The particle swarm optimization is improved to pursue stronger optimization ability. An optimization platform is built that combines Bayesian optimization (BO), the eXtreme Gradient Boosting (XGBoost) algorithm and improved chaos particle swarm optimization. The test results show that the surrogate model optimization method proposed in this paper has more prominent application potential in the field of aerodynamic optimization. The above optimization method is used for the optimization design of the nonuniform height endwall fence (NHEF) of a high-lift low-pressure turbine cascade to achieve an efficient secondary flow control effect. The NURBS curve is used to realize the parameterization of the NHEF. The secondary flow control mechanism of traditional fences and NHEF has been compared and analysed in detail. The numerical results show that the NHEF can effectively prevent the cross migration of the boundary layer, and the fence vortex induced by the fence can suppress the development of the passage vortex. The total pressure loss at the outlet of the cascade installed NHEF is reduced by 14.82%. The secondary flow control effect of the NHEF is better than that of a traditional fence. The feature importance analysis results of input variables show that the pitchwise position of the fence has the most obvious influence on the loss of the cascade. In addition, based on the results of feature importance, a 53% length reduction fence is designed to reduce the extra weight brought by the fence. The design achieves the effect of comprehensively considering the weight and aerodynamic performance.

Integrated optimization of a high-lift low-pressure turbine cascade based on dynamic support vector regression

With the increase of the lift of turbine components, the performance of the turbine is significantly affected by the secondary flow. The combined optimization of the root modification and the profiled endwall (PEW) is investigated for more efficient secondary flow control in the endwall region of a high-lift low-pressure turbine cascade. The NURBS surface is used in this paper to perform parametric modelling. Support vector machines (SVM) and particle swarm optimization (PSO) are used to complete the optimal design of the combination of cascade root and endwall. To ensure the accuracy of the regression model, dynamic parameter adjustment and dynamic point addition strategies are introduced in the optimization process to update the regression model. The study found that when the separate profiled endwall was optimized for the cascade, the total pressure loss of the cascade decreased by 10.39%; when the cascade was optimized by the combined shape of the cascade root and the endwall, the total pressure loss of the cascade decreased by 12.88%. The detailed flow field analysis shows that both the profiled endwall and integrated optimization can effectively weaken the cross-passage pressure gradient in the endwall region of the cascade passage. Compared with only profiled endwall, the integrated optimization restrains the passage vortex and the suction side leg of horseshoe vortex from developing towards the middle of the cascade, and the secondary flow loss in the endwall region is obviously reduced.

Vortex Unsteadiness in the Endwall Region of a High-Lift Low-Pressure Turbine Passage

Abstract Three-dimensional vortical structures within the endwall region of turbine passages directly affect the aerodynamic efficiency and heat transfer characteristics of the turbine. Interactions between the vortical endwall structures and the suction surface flow have been shown to be a significant source of loss generation through passages. One dominant vortex extends from the leading-edge junction region of the blade across the passage, where it interacts with the flow along the suction surface of the adjacent blade. In high-lift low-pressure turbine cascade passages, the vortical structure intermittently loses coherence and exhibits unsteady variations of strength and position as it extends across the passage. The present paper details the temporal behavior through high-speed measurements in a low-speed linear cascade of high-lift low-pressure turbine blades. Stereoscopic particle image velocimetry measurements in the passage are used to evaluate the unsteady behavior of the vortex. Space-time iso-surface plots of Q-criterion clearly show the evolution of the vortex over time. Analysis of the data reveals the various time scales of fluctuations in strength and position. Comparisons of the temporal fluctuations in the high-lift turbine passage are made with similar phenomena found in canonical junction flow papers in the literature. Key findings support the hypothesis that in-passage vortex unsteady characteristics near the endwall are influenced by leading-edge junction flow dynamics, and provide additional insight into the unsteady endwall flow physics that is necessary to further the development of endwall loss reduction techniques.

Roughness effects on flow losses of a high-lift low-pressure turbine cascade

Laminar separation induced flow transition has been regarded as one main source of flow losses of low-pressure turbines (LPTs). The realistic roughness favors the reduction of flow losses as the separation bubble reduces and even disappears. In this paper, a detailed grid-independent study is first presented to verify and validate the numerical solutions by solving Reynolds-averaged Navier–Stokes and shear stress transport γ-Reθ̃ transition model equations for a typical high-lift LPT. The roughness elements with different heights (Ra) are uniformly imposed on the whole suction side. The effects of Ra on the flow separation and transition and, thus, flow losses are studied. The results demonstrate that there is one critical Ra value, below which the flow losses decrease, while above which the flow losses increase as Ra increases. The roughness allocations by imposing roughness elements on different blade portions of the suction side are also studied. The sensitivities of flow loss reduction to roughness allocation are evaluated and illustrated. Moreover, the effects of Reynolds numbers (Re) are investigated. As Re decreases, the critical Ra value increases and a more roughened blade is favorable for flow loss reduction. This study paves the way for finding a practicable flow control method reducing the flow losses by optimally allocating roughness on the blade of high-lift LPTs.

Unsteady wakes-secondary flow interactions in a high-lift low-pressure turbine cascade

Detailed experimental measurements were conducted to study the interactions between incoming wakes and endwall secondary flow in a high-lift Low-Pressure Turbine (LPT) cascade. All of the measurements were conducted in both the presence and absence of incoming wakes, and numerical analysis was performed to elucidate the flow mechanism. With increasing Reynolds number, the influence of the incoming wakes on suppressing the secondary flow gradually increased owing to the greater influence of incoming wakes on reducing the negative incidence angle at higher Reynolds numbers, leading to a lower blade loading near the leading edge and suppression of the Pressure Side (PS) leg of the horseshoe vortex. However, the effect of unsteady wakes on suppressing the profile losses gradually became weaker owing to the reduced size of the Suction Side (SS) separation bubble and increased mixing loss in the free-flow region at high Reynolds numbers. Incoming wakes clearly improved the aerodynamic performance of the low-pressure turbine cascade at low Reynolds numbers of 25,000 and 50,000. In contrast, at the high Reynolds number of 100,000, the profile loss at the midspan and mass-averaged total losses downstream of the cascade were higher in the presence of wakes than in the absence of wakes, and the unsteady wakes exerted a negative influence on the aerodynamic performance of the LPT cascade.

The effect of endwall boundary layer and incoming wakes on secondary flow in a high-lift low-pressure turbine cascade at low Reynolds number

The endwall flow features are heavily dependent on the incoming boundary layer. It was particularly important to increase understanding the effect of inlet boundary layer thickness on endwall secondary flow under unsteady conditions. In present study, the influences of incoming wakes and various boundary layer thickness on endwall secondary flow were studied in a typical high-lift low-pressure turbine cascade, numerical calculation and experiment measurement of seven-hole probe were adopted at Re = 25,000 (based on the inlet velocity and the axial chord). Upstream wakes were simulated through moving rods upstream of the cascade. Detailed analysis was focused on the mechanisms of periodic wake influencing on the endwall vortex structures under thick endwall boundary layer condition. Influences of two different endwall boundary layer thickness on endwall secondary vortices structures were also comparatively analyzed. Under steady condition without wake, although thick incoming boundary layer reduces the cross-passage pressure gradient near endwall, more low momentum fluid inside thick endwall boundary layer is drawn into secondary vortices, finally resulting in stronger the pressure side leg of the leading edge horseshoe vortex and passage vortex, compared to the results of thin boundary layer condition. Under unsteady condition with thick inlet boundary layer, the “negative jet” effect of incoming wakes delays intersection of pressure side leg and suction side leg of leading edge horseshoe vortex on blade suction surface. The time-averaged strength of passage vortex and counter vortex core decreases by about 32%, and the underturning and overturning of endwall secondary flow is suppressed. The instantaneous results also indicate the endwall secondary vortices are reduced periodically at the position of wakes passing.

Effect of periodic wakes and a contoured endwall on secondary flow in a high-lift low-pressure turbine cascade at low Reynolds numbers

The use of a contoured endwall has the potential to suppress endwall secondary flow. Unsteady wakes affect not only the boundary layer characteristics of blade suction surface at blade midspan but also the endwall flow structures. The lack of understanding of the flow mechanism of the combined effects of periodic wakes and contoured endwall on secondary flow limits their roles. This paper presents a experimental and numerical investigation of the endwall secondary flow in a typical high-lift low-pressure turbine cascade. Wakes were produced by moving rods upstream of cascade, and the flow fields at the exit of cascade were measured using a seven-hole pressure probe. The study focused on the combined effect of the upstream wakes and the contoured endwall on the secondary flow as well as the underlying physical mechanisms. The influences of the Reynolds numbers and the contoured endwall on the performance of high-lift low-pressure turbine endwall regions were also discussed. At steady conditions without wakes, the total losses in the turbine cascade increased with decreasing Reynolds number; the most intense passage vortex, counter vortex and corner vortex were observed at a low Reynolds number of 25,000 (based on the axial chord and the inlet velocity). The contoured endwall decreased the cross-passage pressure gradient, and suppressed the passage vortex. Under unsteady conditions, the interaction between upstream wakes and the passage vortex results in reduction of the passage vortex. The combined effect of the contoured endwall and periodic wakes redistributed the endwall pressure and further decreased the cross-passage pressure gradient. Consequently, the intensities of the passage vortex and counter vortex decreased by 17% and 11% respectively, compared with the flat endwall cascade with wakes. Contoured endwall with wakes reduced secondary kinetic energy of cascade exit by 53.8% than the result of the flat endwall no wake. Which is beneficial to improve the aerodynamic performance of the high-lift low-pressure turbine.

Effects of periodic wakes on the endwall secondary flow in high-lift low-pressure turbine cascades at low Reynolds numbers

Periodic wakes affect not only the surface boundary layer characteristics of low-pressure turbine blades and profile losses but also the vortex structures of the secondary flow and the corresponding losses. Thus, understanding the physical mechanisms of unsteady interactions and the potential to eliminate secondary losses is becoming increasingly important for improving the performance of high-lift low-pressure turbines. However, few studies have focused on the unsteady interaction mechanism between periodic wakes and endwall secondary flow in low-pressure turbines. This paper verified the accuracy of computational fluid dynamics by comparing experimental results and those of the numerical predictions by taking a high-lift low-pressure turbine cascade as the research object. Discussion was focused on the interaction mechanisms between the upstream wakes and secondary flow within the high-lift low-pressure turbine. The results indicated that upstream wakes have both positive and negative effects on the endwall flow, where the periodic wakes can decrease significantly the size of the separation bubble, prevent the formation of secondary vorticity structures at relatively high Reynolds numbers (100,000 and 150,000), and reduce the cross-passage pressure gradient of cascade. In addition, periodic wakes can improve the cascade incidence characteristic in terms of reducing the overturning and underturning of the secondary flow at downstream of the cascade all of which are beneficial for decreasing the endwall secondary losses, whereas more endwall boundary layer is involved in the main flow passage due to the wake transport, resulting in increased strength of the secondary flow at low Reynolds number of 25,000 and 50,000. Compared with the results without wakes, the total pressure loss for unsteady condition at the cascade exit decreases by 2.7% and 6.1% at high Reynolds number of 100,000 and 150,000, respectively. However, the secondary loss at unsteady flow conditions increases at low Reynolds number of 25,000 and 50,000.

Effect of Blade Profile Contouring on Endwall Flow Structure in a High-Lift Low-Pressure Turbine Cascade

Previous work has shown that low-stagger contouring near the endwall of a nominally high-lift and high-stagger angle front-loaded low-pressure turbine (LPT) airfoil is successful in reducing endwall loss by limiting the development and migration of low momentum fluid associated with secondary flow structures. The design modification that leads to loss reduction in that study was determined from an intuitive approach based on the premise that reducing flow separation near the endwall will lead to reduced loss production. Those authors also relied heavily upon Reynolds-averaged Navier–Stokes (RANS) based computational tools. Due to uncertainties inherent in computational fluid dynamics (CFD) predictions, there is little confidence that the authors actually achieved true minimum loss. Despite recent advances in computing capability, turbulence modeling remains a shortcoming of modern design tools. As a contribution to overcoming this problem, this paper offers a three-dimensional (3D) view of the developing mean flow, total pressure, and turbulence fields that gave rise to the loss reduction of the airfoil mentioned above. Experiments are conducted in a linear cascade with aspect ratio of 3.5 and Re = 100,000. The results are derived from stereoscopic particle image velocimetry (PIV) and total pressure measurements inside the passage. Overall, the loss reduction correlates strongly with reduced turbulence production. The aim of this paper is to provide readers with a realistic view of mean flow and turbulence development that include all the components of the Reynolds stress tensor to assess, at least qualitatively, the validity of high fidelity computational tools used to calculate turbine flows.

Free-stream turbulence effects on the boundary layer of a high-lift low-pressure-turbine blade

The suction side boundary layer evolution of a high-lift low-pressure turbine cascade has been experimentally investigated at low and high free-stream turbulence intensity conditions. Measurements have been carried out in order to analyze the boundary layer transition and separation processes at a low Reynolds number, under both steady and unsteady inflows. Static pressure distributions along the blade surfaces as well as total pressure distributions in a downstream tangential plane have been measured to evaluate the overall aerodynamic efficiency of the blade for the different conditions. Particle Image Velocimetry has been adopted to analyze the time-mean and time-varying velocity fields. The flow field has been surveyed in two orthogonal planes (a blade-to-blade plane and a wall-parallel one). These measurements allow the identification of the Kelvin-Helmholtz large scale coherent structures shed as a consequence of the boundary layer laminar separation under steady inflow, as well as the investigation of the three-dimensional effects induced by the intermittent passage of low and high speed streaks. A close inspection of the time-mean velocity profiles as well as of the boundary layer integral parameters helps to characterize the suction side boundary layer state, thus justifying the influence of free-stream turbulence intensity on the blade aerodynamic losses measured under steady and unsteady inflows.

Computational Study of High-Lift Low-Pressure Turbine Cascade Aerodynamics at Low Reynolds Number

This study uses a Reynolds-averaged Navier–Stokes finite volume flow solver to simulate the flowfields around a two-dimensional linear turbine cascade model at a Reynolds number of 25,000. Three blade profiles have been simulated, including the aft-loaded Pack B, which has a nominal Zweifel loading coefficient equal to 1.15, the midloaded L1M (), and the front-loaded L2F (). All three blade profiles are known to be susceptible to varying degrees of laminar flow separation along the suction surface. Turbulence models used, which to the authors’ knowledge have been applied for the first time here, are the Abe–Kondoh–Nagano linear low- as well as the Kato–Launder modification. Time-accurate simulations, including fully laminar computations, are compared with experimental data and higher-order computations to judge the accuracy of the results, where it is shown that Reynolds-averaged Navier–Stokes simulations with appropriate turbulence modeling can produce both quantitatively and qualitatively similar separation behavior as seen in experiments. However, large-scale vortical motions predicted by the turbulence models and laminar solver advect downstream and instigate flow reattachment, a result the authors believe would be attenuated to some degree by three-dimensional vortex breakdown. Results collectively show that characterization of transition to turbulence as judged by analysis of the Reynolds shear stress is not sufficient in two dimensions, and further analysis including spectral methods may be necessary to better predict transition at low Reynolds number.

205 航空エンジン用高負荷低圧タービン翼面上境界層の非定常挙動に関する実験及びCFD(流体工学II)

205 航空エンジン用高負荷低圧タービン翼面上境界層の非定常挙動に関する実験及びCFD(流体工学II)