Nonaxisymmetric Endwall Contouring Research Articles

On- and off-design performance of a model rotating turbine with non-axisymmetric endwall contouring and a comparison to cascade data

ABSTRACTNon-axisymmetric endwalls in turbine stages have shown to be a robust method to improve the performance of turbines in both power generation and aero-derivative applications. Non-axisymmetric endwalls target the control of secondary flows and are designed using detailed computational fluid dynamics coupled with a variety of optimisation algorithms and utilising a number of objective functions according to the engine company or researcher's preference. These numerical predictions are often backed up by detailed measurements in linear and annular cascades and later proven in full-scale engine tests. Relatively little literature is available describing their performance in rotating test rigs or at conditions other than design, apart from that of the authors. This study comprehensively revisits the low-speed, model turbines used in the earlier study, replacing all of the 5-hole probe data with more accurate results and additional hot-film measurements. These results together with computational fluid dynamics solutions are used to show the success of the method across a large incidence range and to compare to earlier cascade results for a similar endwall and blade profile to establish the usefulness of cascade testing in this application. In addition, a comparison to two other off-design studies is made. Results indicate that the endwalls successfully improve the rotor total isentropic efficiency at all test conditions and that the improvement increases with increased turning in the blade row, from 0.5% to 1.8% across the incidence range. The results also compare well to the estimation of isentropic efficiency improvement that can be drawn from the cascade testing which stands at 1.55%.

Perspectives on the Treatment of Secondary Flows in Axial Turbines

A review is presented of the main end-wall treatments for the secondary flows of axial turbines. This encompasses the use of axisymmetric and non-axisymmetric contoured end-walls, the use of fences, and of air injection and blowing. Experimental and numerical results show promise in all these techniques. Interest seems to be drawing towards the use of non-axisymmetric contoured end-walls, due to their good compatibility with current turbine passage designs and their appealing stage pressure loss reduction at design conditions and off design. An insight is provided into the flow changes from non-axisymmetric end walls and on their effect on secondary flow losses.

Investigation of non-axisymmetric endwall contouring in a compressor cascade

The current paper presents experimental and computational results to assess the effectiveness of non-axisymmetric endwall contouring in a compressor linear cascade. The endwall was designed by an endwall design optimization platform at 0o incidence (design condition). The optimization method is based on a genetic algorithm. The design objective was to minimize the total pressure losses. The experiments were carried out in a compressor cascade at a low-speed test facility with a Mach number of 0.15. Four nominal inlet flow angles were chosen to test the performance of non-axisymmetric Contoured Endwall (CEW). A five-hole pressure probe with a head diameter of 2 mm was used to traverse the downstream flow fields of the flat-endwall (FEW) and CEW cascades. Both the measured and predicted results indicated that the implementation of CEW results in smaller corner stall, and reduction of total pressure losses. The CEW gets 15.6% total pressure loss coefficient reduction at design condition, and 22.6% at off-design condition (+7o incidence). And the mechanism of the improvement of CEW based on both measured and calculated results is that the adverse pressure gradient (APG) has been reduced through the groove configuration near the leading edge (LE) of the suction surface (SS).

Heat Transfer Performance of a Transonic Turbine Blade Passage in the Presence of Leakage Flow Through Upstream Slot and Mateface Gap With Endwall Contouring

Comparison of heat transfer performance of a nonaxisymmetric contoured endwall to a planar baseline endwall in the presence of leakage flow through stator–rotor rim seal interface and mateface gap is reported in this paper. Heat transfer experiments were performed on a high turning turbine airfoil passage at Virginia Tech's transonic blow down cascade facility under design conditions for two leakage flow configurations—(1) mateface blowing only, (2) simultaneous coolant injection from the upstream slot and mateface gap. Coolant to mainstream mass flow ratios (MFRs) were 0.35% for mateface blowing only, whereas for combination blowing, a 1.0% MFR was chosen from upstream slot and 0.35% MFR from mateface. A common source of coolant supply to the upstream slot and mateface plenum made sure the coolant temperatures were identical at both upstream slot and mateface gap at the injection location. The contoured endwall geometry was generated to minimize secondary aerodynamic losses. Transient infrared thermography technique was used to measure endwall surface temperature and a linear regression method was developed for simultaneous calculation of heat transfer coefficient (HTC) and adiabatic cooling effectiveness, assuming a one-dimensional (1D) semi-infinite transient conduction. Results indicate reduction in local hot spot regions near suction side as well as area averaged HTC using the contoured endwall compared to baseline endwall for all coolant blowing cases. Contoured geometry also shows better coolant coverage further along the passage. Detailed interpretation of the heat transfer results along with near endwall flow physics has also been discussed.

Optimization and Knowledge Discovery of a Three-Dimensional Parameterized Vane with Nonaxisymmetric Endwall

The optimization and knowledge discovery of a low-aspect-ratio cascade was conducted. The techniques of nonaxisymmetric endwall contouring, section profiling, and compound lean were combined for cascade parameterization. Their effects on cascade performance were investigated through analysis of flow details and well-designed scatter plot. It is found that nonaxisymmetric endwall contouring is helpful to reduce the profile loss while also inhibiting the secondary flow. Section profiling is an effective technique to reduce the profile loss. And the lean structure is responsible for the multimodality of the loss function because it makes the reduction of profile loss and endwall loss in severe conflicting relation. The combination of the techniques is shown to effectively improve the cascade performance. In addition, through the analysis of self-organizing map and Pearson’s correlation, the mass flow rate and outlet flow angle are found to be linearly correlated, whereas the relation between the loss and mass flow rate is complex. Finally, because the optimal solution is sensitive to the objective function as shown by the two optimization processes, the data mining of interactions among performance functions and design variables becomes very important, which can help to achieve the desirable design performance in the prescribed design space.

Advanced Endwall Contouring for Loss Reduction and Outflow Homogenization for an Optimized Compressor Cascade

The following paper deals with the development of an optimized non-axisymmetric endwall contour for reducing the total pressure loss and for homogenizing the outflow of a highly-loaded compressor cascade. In contrast to former studies using a NACA-65 K48 cascade airfoil this study starts with the design of a new high-performance airfoil which is based on the aerodynamic boundary conditions of the NACA-65 K48 cascade. This new airfoil is then used as a basis. Optimizations of the airfoil and of the endwall contour are performed using the German Aerospace Center (DLR) in-house tool AutoOpti and the RANS (Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes)-solver TRACE (Turbomachinery Research Aerodynamic Computational Environment). Three operating points at an inflow Mach number of 0.67 with different inflow angles are used to secure a wide operating range. The optimized endwall contour changes the secondary flow in such a way that the corner stall is reduced which, in turn, significantly reduces the total pressure loss. The endwall contour in the outflow region leads to a considerable homogenization of the outflow in the near wall region. Using non-axisymmetric endwall shaping demonstrates a valuable measure to further improve highly-efficient compressor blading on the vane level.

Comparison of Two-Dimensional and Three-Dimensional Turbine Airfoils in Combination With Nonaxisymmetric Endwall Contouring

Tangential endwall contouring (TEWC) is intended to improve the turbomachinery blading efficiency. This paper summarizes the experimental and numerical investigation of a test turbine with endwall contoured vanes and blades. Constant section (2D) airfoils as well as optimized compound lean (3D) high pressure steam turbine blading in baseline and endwall contoured configurations have been examined. Brush seals (BSs) are implemented within the casing sided cavities to minimize the leakage flow near the tip endwalls, where the contouring is also applied. The pressure and temperature data that are recorded in three axial measuring planes are plotted to visualize the change in flow structure. This shows that the efficiency is increased for 2D airfoils by means of endwall contouring. However, the efficiency of the first stage suffers, and the endwall contouring is still beneficial for the overall performance of the engine. Both phenomena (an efficiency loss in stage one and an improvement of the performance in stage two) have also been measured for the optimized 3D configurations; thus, it can be expected that the endwall contouring has also a beneficial impact on the performance of multirow turbines. The numerical investigations demonstrate in detail, how the secondary flow phenomena are influenced by end-wall contouring and a description of the changes in vortex formations as well as blade loading are given for the various configurations. It has been found that for steady computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations the use of stage interfaces suppresses the positive effects of the endwall contour onto the downstream blade row.

Effects of non-axisymmetric endwall contouring and film cooling on the passage flowfield in a linear turbine cascade

The time-resolved flowfield is measured in the passage of a linear turbine cascade to show the effects of endwall film cooling and non-axisymmetric endwall contouring on the passage secondary flows. A particle image velocimetry system is used in three measurement planes: the plane at the exit of the passage and two streamwise planes along the blade suction side. In the downstream half of the passage, the passage vortex moves away from the endwall toward the midspan, but closely follows the profile of the blade suction side. The secondary velocity vectors and vorticity fields in the passage exit plane indicate the large size of the passage vortex. The measured velocities in the streamwise measurement planes reveal the trajectory of the passage vortex as well as steep gradients in the direction normal to the blade surface. The passage vortex can also be identified by elevated flow unsteadiness as reported by turbulent kinetic energy levels. When passage film cooling is added, the size of the passage vortex, secondary velocities, and exit plane turbulent kinetic energy are all increased. Endwall contouring has the opposite effect, reducing the passage vortex size, the secondary velocities, and exit plane turbulent kinetic energy.

Investigation of Nonaxisymmetric Endwall Contouring and Three-Dimensional Airfoil Design in a 1.5 Stage Axial Turbine—Part II: Experimental Validation

This paper is the second part of a two-part paper reporting on the increase in efficiency of a 1.5 stage axial test rig turbine with the use of nonaxisymmetric endwalls and 3D airfoil design. Contoured endwalls were developed for the inlet guide vane separately, as well as in combination with a bowed radial profile stacking. In addition, a contour endwall was applied to the hub of the unshrouded rotor. In Part I, the design of the profiled endwalls and 3D airfoils is presented, as well as a detailed analysis of the steady and unsteady computational fluid dynamics (CFD) results. Part II reports on the experimental validation of the numerical results. A distinct increase in mechanical efficiency for both new configurations in good agreement with the numerical results is observed. Additionally, performance map measurements demonstrate that the new designs are also beneficial under off-design conditions. Five- and three-hole-probes as well as fast-response total pressure probes are used to investigate the new designs. The main effect is the homogenization of the yaw angle behind the first stator.

Investigation of Nonaxisymmetric Endwall Contouring and Three-Dimensional Airfoil Design in a 1.5-Stage Axial Turbine—Part I: Design and Novel Numerical Analysis Method

This paper presents the results of the analysis of different 3D designs for the first stator and the rotor of a 1.5-stage turbine test rig. A tangential endwall contouring for the hub and the shroud, a bowed profile stacking, and a combination of those have been designed for the first stator. In addition, a tangential endwall contouring has been designed for the hub of the unshrouded rotor. Part I of this two-part paper deals with the design process and the numerical analysis of the results. All designs have been optimized using the stage efficiency as target function. For the design of the 3D stator vanes, the optimization led to an unexpected result: The secondary flow vortex strength increased. However, the secondary flow pattern is rearranged by the 3D-designing, leading to a smoother radial exit flow angle distribution. A subsequent reduction of the rotor losses overcompensates the higher stator losses. In order to understand how the 3D vanes affect the stator secondary flow pattern, a detailed analysis of vortex stretching and vortex dissipation is presented in this paper. With this approach, the various impacts of the 3D designs on the secondary flow vortices' strength can be quantified. In addition, the potential theory effect of the self-induced velocity is introduced here in order to explain the effects of a tangential endwall contouring on the trajectory of the pressure side leg of the horseshoe vortex (HVps). To the best of our knowledge, both approaches are new for the analysis of turbine secondary flows. The impact of the stronger but rearranged stator secondary flow on the rotor secondary loss development is analyzed by means of unsteady simulations. The results show that the rotor secondary flow can be effectively reduced through a proper stator secondary flow pattern. In Part II of this paper, the analysis of extensive experimental results validates and supplements the numerical analysis.

Optimization of endwall contouring in axial compressor S-shaped ducts

This paper presents a numerical investigation of the potential aerodynamic benefits of using endwall contouring in a fairly aggressive duct with six struts based on the platform for endwall design optimization. The platform is constructed by integrating adaptive genetic algorithm (AGA), design of experiments (DOE), response surface methodology (RSM) based on the artificial neural network (ANN), and a 3D Navier–Stokes solver. The visual analysis method based on DOE is used to define the design space and analyze the impact of the design parameters on the target function (response). Optimization of the axisymmetric and the non-axisymmetric endwall contouring in an S-shaped duct is performed and evaluated to minimize the total pressure loss. The optimal ducts are found to reduce the hub corner separation and suppress the migration of the low momentum fluid. The non-axisymmetric endwall contouring is shown to remove the separation completely and reduce the net duct loss by 32.7%.

Benefits of Nonaxisymmetric Endwall Contouring in a Compressor Cascade With a Tip Clearance

This paper describes the design of a nonaxisymmetric hub contouring in a shroudless axial flow compressor cascade operating at near stall condition. Although an optimum tip clearance (TC) reduces the total pressure loss, further reduction in the loss was achieved using hub contouring. The design methodology presented here combines an evolutionary principle with a three-dimensional (3D) computational fluid dynamics (CFD) flow solver to generate different geometric profiles of the hub systematically. The resulting configurations were preprocessed by GAMBIT© and subsequently analyzed computationally using ANSYSFluent©. The total pressure loss coefficient was used as a single objective function to guide the search process for the optimum hub geometry. The resulting three dimensionally complex hub promises considerable benefits discussed in detail in this paper. A reduction of 15.2% and 16.23% in the total pressure loss and secondary kinetic energy (SKE), respectively, is achieved in the wake region. An improvement of 4.53% in the blade loading is observed. Other complimentary benefits are also listed in the paper. The majority of the benefits are obtained away from the hub region. The contoured hub not only alters the pitchwise static pressure gradient but also acts as a vortex generator in an effort to alleviate the total pressure loss. The results confirm that nonaxisymmetric contouring is an effective method for reducing the losses and thereby improving the performance of the cascade.

An unsteady numerical analysis of a generic non-axisymmetric turbine endwall in a 1½ stage turbine test rig

AbstractAs concern for the environment increases, so does the desire to reduce emissions and improve fuel efficiency. One avenue being investigated in the aerospace industry is the reduction in losses in a gas turbine engine through endwall contouring, which has shown some promise in improving efficiency. The current investigation was aimed at investigating the unsteady effects downstream of a rotor with a non-axisymmetric endwall contour originally designed for a cascade.Previous investigations (numerical and experimental) have shown that the endwall contour improved the turbine efficiency by reducing the cross passage secondary flows. The contour however had a detrimental effect on the tip flow. The current investigation found that there were negligible unsteady differences between the annular and contoured rotor, with the average comparing well to the steady state results. It was also found that the effects at the tip were due to the experimental blades untwisting during operation.

Experimental Investigation of the Effect of Purge Flow on Film Cooling Effectiveness on a Rotating Turbine With Nonaxisymmetric End Wall Contouring

The impact of the purge flow injection on aerodynamics and film cooling effectiveness of a three-stage, high-pressure turbine with nonaxisymmetric end wall contouring has been experimentally investigated. As a continuation of the previously published work involving stator-rotor gap purge cooling, this study investigates film cooling effectiveness on the first-stage rotor contoured platform due to a coolant gas injection. Film cooling effectiveness measurements are performed on the rotor blade platform using a pressure-sensitive paint (PSP) technique. The present study examines, in particular, the film cooling effectiveness due to injection of coolant from the rotor cavity through the circumferential gap between the first stator followed by the first rotor. Effects of the presence of contouring, blowing ratios, rotational speeds, and coolant density ratio are studied and compared to a noncontouring platform. The experimental investigation is carried out in a three-stage turbine facility at the Turbomachinery Performance and Flow Research Laboratory (TPFL) at Texas A&M University. Its rotor includes nonaxisymmetric end wall contouring on the first and second rotor row. The turbine has two independent cooling loops. Film cooling effectiveness measurements are performed for three coolant-to-mainstream mass flow ratios of 0.5%, 1.0%, and 1.5%. Film cooling data is obtained for three rotational speeds, 3000 rpm (reference condition), 2550 rpm, and 2400 rpm, and compared with noncontoured end wall data. Effect of density ratio for coolant-to-mainstream density ratio (DR) = 1.0 and DR = 1.5 is also investigated. The comparisons of film effectiveness results show that contoured cases have a noticeable quantitative improvement compared to those of noncontoured ones.

The Application of 3D Blading and Non-Axisymmetric Hub Endwall Contouring in a Dual-stage Axial Flow Counter-Rotating Compressor

D blading and non-axisymmetric endwall contouring technologies are effective ways to control secondary flows in cascades. 3D blading can effectively reduce the secondary flows near the blade surface, but it has little impact on the endwall region. Non-axisymmetric endwall contouring is widely used in the control of endwall secondary flows in turbines. However, the use of non-axisymmetric endwall contouring in compressors is rarely. The effect of non- axisymmetric endwall contouring on compressors is not clear. The research object of the report is an axial flow dual-stage counter-rotating compressor. In order to further improve the performance of the compressor and to explore the method of reducing secondary flow loss, the two rotor blade rows and the hub endwall of the secondary rotor row are redesigned by 3D blading and non-axisymmetric endwall contouring technologies based on optimization algorithm. The flow fields of original compressor and redesigned compressor are also compared. After 3D blading optimization, the secondary flows near the suction surface of the rotor blades are obviously reduced and the efficiency of the optimization point increases. Nonetheless, the secondary flows at the hub endwall improve scarcely any. Based on the 3D blading optimization, the second row rotor hub endwall are parameterization designed, and non- axisymmetric endwall contouring is designed by optimization algorithm. After non-axisymmetric endwall contouring optimization, the hub endwall consist of a hill near the rotor pressure surface and a valley near the suction surface. The contouring reduces the pressure gradient at 0~40% axial chord near the hub. And the secondary flow loss is reduced effectively. This paper successfully combines the advantages of both 3D blading and non-axisymmetric endwall contouring technologies; the performance of the counter-rotating compressor is improved

Application of Nonaxisymmetric Endwall Contouring to Conventional and High-Lift Turbine Airfoils

Here, we report on the application of nonaxisymmetric endwall contouring to mitigate the endwall losses of one conventional and two high-lift low-pressure turbine airfoil designs. The design methodology presented combines a gradient-based optimization algorithm with a three-dimensional computational fluid dynamics (CFD) flow solver to systematically vary a free-form parameterization of the endwall. The ability of the CFD solver employed in this work to predict endwall loss modifications resulting from nonaxisymmetric contouring is demonstrated with previously published data. Based on the validated trend accuracy of the solver for predicting the effects of endwall contouring, the magnitude of predicted viscous losses forms the objective function for the endwall design methodology. This system has subsequently been employed to optimize contours for the conventional-lift Pack B and high-lift Pack D-F and Pack D-A low-pressure turbine airfoil designs. Comparisons between the predicted and measured loss benefits associated with the contouring for Pack D-F design are shown to be in reasonable agreement. Additionally, the predictions and data demonstrate that the Pack D-F endwall contour is effective at reducing losses primarily associated with the passage vortex. However, some deficiencies in predictive capabilities demonstrated here highlight the need for a better understanding of the physics of endwall loss-generation and improved predictive capabilities.

Toward the Expansion of Low-Pressure-Turbine Airfoil Design Space

Future engine requirements, including high-altitude flight of unmanned air vehicles as well as an impetus to reduce engine cost and weight, are challenging the current state of the art in low-pressure-turbine airfoil design. These new requirements present low-Reynolds number challenges as well as the need for high-performance, high-lift design concepts. Here, we report on an effort to expand the relatively well established aerodynamic design space for low-pressure turbine airfoils through the application of recent developments in transition modeling to airfoil design. Analytical and experimental midspan performance data and predicted loadings are presented for four high-lift airfoil designs based on the Pack B velocity triangles. The new designs represent a systematic expansion of low-pressure turbine airfoil design space through the application of high-lift design concepts for front- and aft-loaded airfoils. All four designs performed as predicted across a range of operationally representative Reynolds numbers. Full-span loss data for the new high-lift designs reveal increased endwall losses, which, with the application of nonaxisymmetric endwall contouring, have been substantially reduced. Taken holistically, the results presented here demonstrate that accurate transition modeling provides a reliable method to develop optimized, very high-lift airfoil designs. However, further improvements in endwall-loss mitigation technologies are required to enable the implementation of the very high-lift technology presented here in engine systems.

Computational Predictions of Heat Transfer and Film-Cooling for a Turbine Blade With Nonaxisymmetric Endwall Contouring

Three-dimensional contouring of the compressor and turbine endwalls in a gas turbine engine has been shown to be an effective method of reducing aerodynamic losses by mitigating the strength of the complex vortical structures generated at the endwall. Reductions in endwall heat transfer in the turbine have been also previously measured and reported in literature. In this study, computational fluid dynamics simulations of a turbine blade with and without nonaxisymmetric endwall contouring were compared to experimental measurements of the exit flowfield, endwall heat transfer, and endwall film-cooling. Secondary kinetic energy at the cascade exit was closely predicted with a simulation using the SST k-ω turbulence model. Endwall heat transfer was overpredicted in the passage for both the SST k-ω and realizable k-ε turbulence models, but heat transfer augmentation for a nonaxisymmetric contour relative to a flat endwall showed fair agreement to the experiment. Measured and predicted film-cooling results indicated that the nonaxisymmetric contouring limits the spread of film-cooling flow over the endwall depending on the interaction of the film with the contour geometry.

Advanced Nonaxisymmetric Endwall Contouring for Axial Compressors by Generating an Aerodynamic Separator—Part I: Principal Cascade Design and Compressor Application

Modern methods for axial compressor design are capable of shaping the blade surfaces in a three-dimensional way. Linking these methods with automated optimization techniques provides a major benefit to the design process. The application of nonaxisymmetric contoured endwalls is considered to be very successful in turbine rotors and vanes. Concerning axial compressors, nonaxisymmetric endwalls are still a field of research. This two-part paper presents the recent development of a novel endwall design. An aerodynamic separator, generated by a nonaxisymmetric endwall groove, interacts with the passage vortex. This major impact on the secondary flow results in a significant loss reduction because of load redistribution, reduction in recirculation areas, and suppressed corner separation. The first paper deals with the development of the initial endwall design using a linear compressor cascade application. A brief introduction of the design methods is provided, including the automated optimization and the 3D process chain with a focus on the endwall contouring tool. Hereafter, the resulting flow phenomena and physics due to the modified endwall surface are described and analyzed in detail. Additionally, the endwall design principal is transferred to an axial compressor stage. The endwall groove is applied to the hub and casing endwalls of the stator, and the initial numerical investigation is presented. For highly loaded operating points, the flow behavior at the hub region can be improved in accord with the cascade results. Obviously, the casing region is dominated by the incoming tip vortex generated by the rotor and still remains an area for further investigations concerning nonaxisymmetric endwall contouring.

Advanced Nonaxisymmetric Endwall Contouring for Axial Compressors by Generating an Aerodynamic Separator—Part II: Experimental and Numerical Cascade Investigation

Modern methods for axial compressor design are capable of shaping the blade surfaces in a three-dimensional way. Linking these methods with automated optimization techniques provides a major benefit to the design process. The application of nonaxisymmetric contoured endwalls is considered to be very successful in turbine rotors and vanes. Concerning axial compressors, nonaxisymmetric endwalls are still a field of research. This two-part paper presents the recent development of a novel endwall design. A vortex created by a nonaxisymmetric endwall groove acts as an aerodynamic separator, preventing the passage vortex from interacting with the suction side boundary layer. This major impact on the secondary flow results in a significant loss reduction by means of load redistribution, reduction in recirculation areas, and suppressed corner separation. Part I of this paper deals with the endwall design and its compressor application. The resulting flow phenomena and physics are described and analyzed in detail. The second paper presents the detailed experimental and numerical investigation of the developed endwall groove. The measurements carried out at the transonic cascade wind tunnel of DLR in Cologne, demonstrated a considerable influence on the cascade performance. A loss reduction and redistribution of the cascade loading were achieved at the aerodynamic design point, as well as near the stall condition of the cascade. This behavior is well predicted by the numerical simulation. The combined analysis of experimental and numerical flow patterns allows a detailed interpretation and description of the resulting flow phenomena. In this context, high fidelity 3D-Reynolds-averaged Navier–Stokes flow simulations are required to analyze the complex blade and endwall boundary layer interaction.