Rotor Tip Research Articles

Optimization of Tip Seal Grooves for Aerodynamic and Durability Improvements of Small-Core Turbines

Abstract While the gap between the turbine rotor tip and the outer case in a gas turbine engine is necessary for engine function, the gap is kept as small as possible due to the detrimental effect of the flow over the turbine tip. With the increased investments in ultra-high bypass turbofans, blade tip clearances are increasing in relative size to the turbine rotor, as engines move towards smaller cores. In this work, an optimization of a rotor tip seal with discrete axisymmetric grooves was explored computationally using RANS simulations. The optimization was applied at two tip clearances representing a nominal and small-core-scaled geometry, and with both flat- and squealer-tipped blades. The multi-objective optimization was designed to maximize rotor efficiency and minimize tip heat load. Several casing designs were identified for each tip configuration that both increased efficiency and reduced the heat load into the rotor tip. However, some optimal tip seal designs were composed of grooves that were demonstrated to be detrimental in prior work. Furthermore, grooves were more effective at increasing efficiency when applied to flat tipped geometries – increasing efficiency by 0.9 points over the ungrooved baseline with flat tipped blades, as opposed to 0.25 points over the ungrooved case with squealer tipped blades. Finally, optimal seal geometries that were obtained from the small-core scaled clearance gap optimizations maintained near optimal performance when evaluated at the design tip clearance, while those geometries developed at the design clearance experienced greater tip gap sensitivity.

AN AERODYNAMIC INVESTIGATION OF A HIGH-PRESSURE TURBINE USING ROTOR CASING STATIC PRESSURE MEASUREMENTS AT ENGINE REPRESENTATIVE CONDITIONS WITH DIFFERENT TIP DESIGNS, TIP GAPS AND INLET TEMPERATURE PROFILES

Abstract A rotating High-Pressure (HP) turbine, in modern aircraft engines, is subjected to high cyclic thermal and mechanical loads. Shroudless turbines experience high heat loads on the rotor tip and casing, which makes them one of the life-limiting components for an engine. If the rotor tip starts to erode, then the tip clearance increases which increases the over-tip leakage flow, resulting in reduced stage efficiency and ultimately, the engine lifetime. The Oxford Turbine Research Facility (OTRF) is a high- speed rotating transient test facility that allows unsteady aerodynamics and heat transfer measurements, at engine representative conditions. This paper presents an experimental investigation, of the HP turbine rotor casing aerodynamics, performed in the OTRF. Steady and unsteady casing static pressure measurements were acquired, using pneumatic lines and high-frequency response (∼ 100 kHz) Kulite pressure transducers respectively. The single-stage HP turbine consisted of cooled vanes (featuring film and trailing edge slot cooling), and uncooled rotor blades. Three different tip designs (two squealers and one flat) were tested, at two tip gaps, and with two inlet temperature profiles that included a spatially uniform total temperature profile and an engine representative HP turbine inlet total temperature profile. In parallel, a numerical investigation of the experimental test cases is presented using unsteady Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) predictions. The experimental results from this study provide a unique dataset to validate numerical models.

Effects of impedance-boundary-controlled casing treatment on the fan performance with eccentric inlet swirl

An eccentric inlet swirl, a source of circumferential non-uniformity in aero-engines, can compromise the stable operational range of the compression system and potentially jeopardize the safety of the entire flight vehicle. This study experimentally examined the additional effects of an eccentric inlet swirl on an axial fan in comparison with a concentric inlet condition. Then, the effectiveness of an impedance-boundary-controlled (IBC) casing treatment (CT) in extending the stable operating range of the fan under eccentric inlets is evaluated. Steady-state loading and prestall disturbance analyses were conducted using a five-hole probe and high-frequency response pressure transducers to elucidate the instability mechanisms of fans exposed to eccentric inlets. The findings indicate that the eccentric swirl generates localized over-loading regions around the circumference, where abnormal prestall disturbances amplify in amplitude across a frequency range of 0.3 to 0.5 times the blade passing frequency. These characteristics were mitigated when IBC CT was applied over the rotor tip, allowing the fan to operate under concentric inlet conditions. The IBC CT enhances the stall margin of the fan by 9.3–19.6% in response to a range of swirl inlet conditions, suggesting its potential to address the irregularity problems in fans/compressors. The mechanisms by which IBC CT extends the stall margin are discussed from the unique perspective of evaluating steady loading and system damping.

Effect of radial inlet distortion on aerodynamic stability in a high load axial flow compressor

Radial inlet distortion induced by boundary layer separation can significantly affect the aerodynamic performance of the compressor. The effect of radial inlet distortion on the flow structure is numerically investigated in a high load axial flow compressor. The inlet boundary is determined by the experimental results at the downstream of the distortion generator. The results reveal that tip distortion leads to a reduction in the stall margin, whereas hub distortion extends it. Radial distortion redistributes the main flow toward undistorted region due to the obstructive effect of lattice ring. The deficit in axial velocity with tip radial distortion causes the rotor to operate at a higher incidence angle near the casing, while hub radial distortion alleviates the tip blade loading. The detailed three-dimensional flow field analysis indicates that increased blade loading with tip distortion shifts the trajectories of both primary and secondary tip leakage flow toward the leading edge, thereby expanding the blockage region. Conversely, hub radial distortion unloads the rotor tip region, thereby reducing the blockage region induced by tip leakage flow. Additionally, with hub distortion, the location of separation line on the blade suction surface moves closer to the leading edge, and the flow separation around the trailing edge is intensified.

Application of a novel stall margin improvement indicator in optimizing casing treatment for a transonic compressor

This paper presents a multi-objective design optimization of axial slot casing treatments in a 1.5 stage transonic compressor. To perform the optimization, an in-house optimization design platform is constructed using genetic algorithm and Kriging surrogate model. The optimization objectives are the peak efficiency at the design rotating speed and the stall margin improvements at both design and off-design rotating speeds. Instead of massive unsteady simulations that are required to accurately predict the stall margin, a stall margin improvement indicator is introduced based on the time-averaged axial momentum budget analysis at the rotor tip region. With this indicator, only one steady simulation is needed to evaluate the stall margin enhancement ability of a new casing treatment design at a given rotating speed. The axial slots are parameterized with a total of eight design parameters. The meridional profiles are described with two B-spline curves to define parameters such as the size, axial position, and shape of the slots. Circumferential parameters include the open area ratio and inclination angle. When the optimization finally converges, different optimal variants are selected from the database and their effects are investigated with both experiments and numerical simulations. The detailed flow fields are analyzed in depth with results from unsteady simulations. The application of the optimal casing treatments exerts a suction and re-injection effect, pushes the interface between tip leakage flow and incoming main flow downstream and reduced flow blockage in the blade tip region. Consequently, the stability of the compressor is significantly improved.

Three-dimensional configuration tip rotor dynamics analysis

Abstract In order to analyze and study the dynamic characteristics of the 3D blade tip rotor, an aeroelastic dynamic model for a complex 3D blade tip rotor is established based on mechanics principles. The theory of medium deformation beam or large deformation beam is adopted as the blade structural dynamic model, and the quasi-steady and unsteady aerodynamic models (ONERA model) are adopted as the aerodynamic model. The rotor dynamics, aeroelastic stability and rotor loads of three-dimensional blade tip and rectangular blade tip are compared by examples. The analysis shows that both the forward and backward sweep angles have a certain effect on the rotor blade frequency, but the downward dihedral angle has little effect. The 3D tip configuration has the greatest influence on torsion mode frequency, followed by lagging mode frequency, which has little impact on flapping frequency. Reasonable design of forward and backward sweep angles and downward dihedral angles of 3D tip configuration can effectively reduce rotor loads, increase damping margin for aeroelastic stability, and improve stability.

Concurrent and sequential coupled optimization design of a transonic compressor blade with axial slot casing treatment

This paper explores the optimization of the interaction between the rotor and axial slot casing treatment (ASCT) to enhance both efficiency and stability margins. Previous studies primarily focused on rotor tip optimization, often compromising flow in non-tip regions and reducing overall rotor performance. To address these limitations, this study introduces a new optimization framework integrating full-span 3D blade design with a semicircular axial slot, utilizing both sequential and concurrent optimization strategies. The sequential approach first optimizes blade geometries, followed by ASCT adjustments, while the concurrent approach treats the blade and ASCT as a unified aerodynamic system. Compared to prior studies focusing exclusively on tip-only 3D shape optimization, results indicate that sequential coupled optimization improves the stall margin by 13.32% and efficiency by 0.05%, whereas the concurrent strategy further enhances performance, shaping the blades into an inverse S form, reducing efficiency losses from 0.12% to 0.02%, and increasing the stall margin increment from 14.88% to 21.83%. These findings demonstrate the significant performance gains achievable through coordinated rotor and ASCT design.

Inductive plasma excitation forcing configuration on reduction of tip distorted inflow effect on the aerodynamic stability of axial compressor rotor

This research delves into the mitigating impacts of dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) plasma excitation induced forcing orientation against the detrimental consequences of distinct radial tip distortions which in turn affect the axial compressor rotor performance and alters the flow structure at the tip region. Full annulus transient CFD simulation was utilized to evaluate the consequences of plasma actuation at distorted conditions with different blockage percentages. Beyond flow field and frequency analysis, the study further characterized rotor performance under different conditions by evaluating key performance metrics, including total pressure rise coefficient, stall margin variation, and span-wise rotor inlet velocity distribution. The injection of momentum caused by plasma actuators to the low-energy region behind the distortion screens proved to be effective on rotor aerodynamic stability facing radial tip distortion. In the case where 15 % of the inlet area was blocked, the stall margin varied from -8 % to -3.5 % with axial plasma actuators in action. However, the best configuration of plasma actuators for the enhancement of the stall margin and flow characteristics was identified to have opposite forcing direction with respect to the rotor rotational velocity. Additionally, these actuators suppressed frequencies caused by fluctuations in the rotor blade row tip leakage vortex, suggesting an improvement in the flow pattern within the rotor tip area.

Impact of non-axisymmetric tip clearance on the aerodynamic and aeroelastic stabilities of a transonic compressor

The aerodynamic and flutter effects caused by the circumferential non-uniform tip clearances from the non-axisymmetric casing geometry, which are more representative of real operational conditions, should receive more attention. In this paper, sensitivity analyses on clearance and non-uniformity regarding rotor performance are conducted. The isentropic efficiency, total pressure ratio and stability margin of the rotor are reduced by 1.96%, 1.06% and 6.76% for an increase of tip clearance by 1% tip chord, respectively. The non-axisymmetric configuration reconfigures the interaction between leakage flow and mainstream in each rotor passage and alters the strength and influence range of the low-speed separation region generated by shock wave. The phase lag phenomenon observed in the aerodynamics of the non-axisymmetric layout also manifests in the aeroelastic effects but requires a larger phase shift at the maximum clearance sector, owing to the longer timescales for flow adjustment relative to the local tip gap considering the flow-induced vibration. Clearance sensitivity on flutter stability varies with the direction of the traveling wave: under forward traveling conditions, damping values initially decrease and then increase with increasing rotor tip clearance; while under backward traveling condition, blade damping linearly decreases with increasing rotor tip clearance. Additionally, variations in flow conditions and nodal diameters affect flutter stability by altering the position of shock waves and their work on the suction surface of the rotors. The mechanism responsible for unsteady flows induced by non-axisymmetric clearances from the casing ovalization on flutter stability is discussed for the first time in this paper, which can guide the industry to evaluate its impact.

Aerodynamic instability evolution of a multi-stage combined compressor

Unstable operating conditions such as surge could cause damage to both aerodynamic performance and structural integrity of a compression system. This paper addresses the critical issue of aerodynamic instability in compressor design, particularly focusing on an axial-centrifugal combined compressor, a widely used yet underexplored configuration. An experimental investigation was conducted on a three-stage axial and one-stage centrifugal compressor (3A1C), using two pipe systems and employing fast-responding transducers to capture the dynamic instability process from choke condition to deep surge. Results reveal that at the design speed, 3A1C enters deep surge directly, whereas at off-design speeds, it experiences rotating stall and mild surge across a wide mass flow range. Some special instability features in the combined compressor can be found in the steady state map and dynamic process. The characteristic curve of the first axial stage keeps a positive slope during the whole mass flow range at an off-design speed. The first stage could work stably on the stall characteristic curve because the centrifugal stage has stronger pressurization and plays a dominant role in global aerodynamic instability. Besides, rotating instability occurs at the first rotor tip and disappears as the back pressure increases, which is also rarely seen in a single-axial compressor. This is also related to the strong pressurization of the centrifugal stage. The findings of this paper will contribute to the understanding of aerodynamic instabilities in combined compressors.

Energy loss evaluation of a radial inflow turbine for organic Rankine cycle application using hierarchical entropy production method

To evaluate the location and main sources of energy loss in radial inflow turbines for organic Rankine cycle application, this study proposed a hierarchical entropy production method, which is superior to the traditional pressure drop method. The method includes three levels: local entropy production, split of turbine total entropy production, and split of component entropy production. The energy loss of the radial inflow turbine under design condition and different pressure ratios is presented. The results indicate that the high-entropy production zone is primarily located at the stator trailing edge and the rotor tip clearance. The proportion of turbulent entropy production and wall entropy production in the total energy loss of the turbine is about 77% and 20%, respectively. Among the components of the radial inflow turbine, the energy loss of the rotor and diffuser is the highest, accounting for 71.9% and 13.6% of the total entropy production of the turbine, respectively. However, the stator and rotor have higher volume average entropy generation rate and area average entropy generation rate. The high-entropy production region is mainly located in the stator outlet zone and the rotor tip zone. When the pressure ratio increases from 3 to 5, the turbine efficiency decreases by 13.44%. The pressure ratio has a significant effect on the turbulent entropy production of the rotor. This method can provide insight into the energy loss characteristics of radial inflow turbines for organic Rankine cycle applications.

Tip air injection and plasma DBD actuator as active flow control in axial compressors - Review

Abstract Nowadays, flow control is extensively studied in fluid dynamic domain, and the principal aim is to manipulate the flow path that passes over a surface to reduce losses generated by turbulent flow, generated by detachment. The Flow control involves passive or active methods, and for approximately thirty years, active flow control methods have been studied and developed in axial compressors more intensively, active flow control methods are those in which energy is added to the fluid through an external source. The flow control reduces losses generated by secondary flow effects, such as flow detachment at rotor tip, flow detachment at casing and flow detachment at stator vanes hub. The present paper provides a summary of investigation of active flow control methods tip air injection and plasma actuators.

Investigation on the pressure pulsation characteristics in a twin-screw multiphase pump

A three-dimensional gas–liquid two-phase transient numerical model for a twin-screw multiphase pump based on dynamic grid technology was established and validated with experiments. The pump's simulated pressure distributions, velocity fields, and pressure pulsations were analyzed to reveal the mechanisms of pressure transmission and pressure pulsation characteristics. The results indicated that the flow rate of the pump fluctuated twice due to the discharge of the male and female rotors in one cycle. As the inlet gas volume fractions increased, the flow rate decreased, but the pressure pulsations increased. At the engaging positions of the two rotor tips, a sudden pressure drop happened due to the combined effect of both tooth-tip and tooth-flank leakage. When the discharge port opened, the backflow happened; the flow rate and the pressure in the discharge chamber decreased, but the pressure in the working and suction chambers increased. When the suction port closed, a slight compression of the fluid in the low-pressure working chamber occurred, causing a pressure increase in the working chamber. The working chambers inhaled and discharged once in one cycle, so the first harmonic of pressure pulsations at the suction and discharge chamber was two times the running speed. The transient flow due to the simultaneous closing and opening of the suction and discharge ports at both sides of the male and female rotors generated a harmonic of four times the running speed. This study would help to improve the operational stability of twin-screw multiphase pumps.

Flow stability analysis on low-speed compressor with swept rotor blades under radial inlet distortions

Flow stability enhancement for axial flow compressors under radially distorted inlet conditions through rotor sweep design is an important issue for designers. To investigate the couped effect of rotor swept and radial inlet distortion on flow stability, steady numerical simulations, theoretical model predictions, and experimental validations were conducted for a low-speed, single-stage axial compressor (TA36) under various intensities of tip total pressure distorted inlet conditions with different swept rotor configurations. The steady pressure rise significantly decreases as the intensity of the distortion increases, whereas the rotor sweep has little effect on the pressure rise characteristic. The maximum error via model prediction is 1.25 %, while for steady numerical calculation, it is 3.89 %. Higher intensities of distortion lead to worse flow stability. Under radially distorted inlet conditions, forward sweep enhances flow stability whereas backward sweep further worsens it. What's more, quantitative analysis shows that the stability enhancement of forward sweep cannot fully counteract the adverse impact of radial distortion on flow stability. Elevated rotor tip loading was identified as the primary cause of instability under tip total pressure distorted inlet conditions. Forward sweep can slightly reduce this loading, whereas backward sweep has the opposite effect. Furthermore, the impact of rotor sweep on rotor tip loading intensifies with increasing distortion intensity. Unsteady flow field analysis was conducted. Which shows that radial distortion and blade sweep both affect flow stability by altering the intensity of tip leakage flow.

Effect of double bypass conditions on the thermodynamic characteristics and internal flow mechanisms in a variable core cycle compression system

The performance of variable cycle core compression system (VCCCS) is crucial for achieving mode transition in variable cycle engine (VCE). The double bypass matching characteristics and internal flow mechanisms of the VCCCS under various conditions are investigated in this study. The results indicate that, in the low bypass ratio (LBR) mode, Under the near choke or design point conditions of external bypass, internal bypass throttling causes the excessive blockage of low-energy fluid near the suction surface of high-pressure compressor (HPC) second stator, which leading the flow instability in VCCCS. Under the near stall condition of external bypass, internal bypass throttling causes the CDFS to reach the stall boundary firstly. The flow instability is triggered by the interaction between tip leakage flow and shock waves in CDFS rotor tip. Following mode transition, the CDFS exhibits lower flow and load, resulting in changes in the matching state of HPC due to the strong coupling effects of upstream components, thereby altering the matching characteristics and flow instability mechanisms of the VCCCS. The impact of different bypass conditions on VCCCS performance is elucidated, further establishing the association between bypass exit meridian velocity and VCCCS performance, which is helpful to select key design parameters.

Numerical simulation of agricultural unmanned helicopter corn canopy spraying

Plant protection by unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) is a highly complicated process, especially considering the vast and diversified crop canopy. Furthermore, the droplet dispersal mechanism above and inside the crop canopy remains unclear. Owing to this, the authors used the lattice Boltzmann method (LBM) to simulate the application of plant protection UAV. The LBM is suitable not only to simulate the rotor tip vortex of UAV but also to model the crop canopy with detailed geometry. It is found that the streamwise and spanwise speed of the downwash flow achieve an extreme value both on top of the corn canopy and near the ground. When the droplet diameter decreased from 400 to 50 μm, its deposit region width doubled and its floating time increased from 3 s to more than 12 s. Small droplets are more likely to be lifted by the secondary flow near the ground and drift for a longer distance, while larger droplets are deposited directly. The increase in application height weakened the secondary spanwise flow near the ground and caused less droplet re-lifting and spanwise movement. The best point to initiate and terminate spraying is 2.5 m after passing the target corn canopy region. The droplet penetration rate in the canopy decreased with an increase in droplet size. This study used the LBM to model the unmanned helicopter application on a full corn canopy. Droplet deposition and distribution correspond to droplet size and canopy structure. The simulation results establish a foundation to optimize agricultural aerial spraying in an efficient and methodical manner.

Effects of rotor–rotor interaction for a small tandem rotor operating in a crosswind

This study investigates the effects of rotor–rotor interaction on the wake and thrust characteristics of a small tandem rotor operating in a crosswind. Flow velocity and force measurements were conducted in a wind tunnel with two rotors arranged parallel to a crosswind. The results show that the rotor–rotor interaction significantly influences the wake characteristics and thrust generations of the tandem rotor and its effects vary depending on the crosswind speed and distance between rotor tips. In the tandem rotor configuration, the front rotor wake prevents the crosswind flow from reaching the rear rotor wake, thereby reducing the crosswind influence on it. However, under the strong rotor–rotor interaction, such as that caused by high crosswind speeds and short distances between rotor tips, the wakes of both rotors collide with each other and rapidly break down as they proceed downward. Tip-vortex characteristics are also affected by rotor–rotor interaction, which is investigated in terms of variations in the time-averaged tip-vortex trajectory and dissipation ratio with the strength of rotor–rotor interaction. These wake variations by rotor–rotor interaction lead to a decrease in thrust coefficients of the front and rear rotors, with a more significant reduction observed for the rear rotor. The thrust of the rear rotor is more significantly reduced as the crosswind speed increases and the distance between rotor tips narrows. This is mainly attributed to the increased axially induced velocity near the leading tips on the advancing side, retreating side, and centerline.

Experimental study on the blade tip clearance sensitive effect in compressors with different loading levels

Rotor tip clearance has significant influences on both the performances and internal flow fields of compressors. To explore the relationship between these influences and compressor loading levels, four single-stage compressors, with loading levels ranging from 0.36 to 0.59, have been designed for experiments. Compressor characteristics and flow fields at blade row inlet and outlet planes were measured under two rotor tip clearance conditions: 1% and 2.2% blade height. Based on these experimental results, an analysis was conducted to examine the influence of loading levels on the sensitivity to rotor tip clearance. The experimental results indicate that increase in the loading level enhances the sensitivity of compressor stage characteristics to rotor tip clearance. At the design point, an increase of 1% in the rotor tip clearance causes reductions of 1.3% in the stage efficiency and 2.3% in the stage static pressure rise when the loading level is 0.36. However, when the loading level is 0.59, the reductions are 2.9% and 3.4% in stage efficiency and stage static pressure rise, respectively. Increasing the rotor tip clearance brings the static pressure rise at the rotor tip region closer to its limit, resulting in a rapid growth of local loss. This trend becomes increasingly pronounced with higher compressor loading level.

A high-resolution numerical investigation of unsteady wake vortices for coaxial rotors in hover

High-resolution numerical simulations for wake vortical flows have long been a challenge in rotor aerodynamics. A novel spectrum-optimized sixth-order Weighted Essentially Non-Oscillatory (WENO) scheme is proposed to discretize inviscid fluxes on moving overset grids, and the Improved Delayed Detached Eddy Simulation (IDDES) is employed to resolve turbulent vortices. The integration of these methods facilitates a comprehensive numerical investigation into the unsteady vortical flows over coaxial rotors in hover. The results highlight the substantial improvement in numerical resolution, in terms of both spatial structure and temporal evolution of unsteady multiscale wake vortices. Coaxial rotors in hover manifest three primary scales of wake vortex structures: (A) the helical evolution of primary blade tip vortices and the periodic occurrence of strong Blade-Vortex Interactions (BVI); (B) the continuous shedding of small-scale horseshoe-shaped vortices from the trailing edges of rotor blades, forming the vortex sheets; (C) the emergence of small-scale secondary vortex braids induced by interactions between rotor tip vortices and the vortex sheets. These vortex structures and their interactions cause high-frequency oscillations in rotor disk loads and induce unsteady perturbations in the local flow field. Interactions among these primary vortices, coupled with the generation of secondary vortices, result in the dissipation, distortion, and breakup of the rotor tip vortices, ultimately forming a vortex soup. Notably, a substantial quantity of seemingly weak small-scale secondary vortex braids significantly contribute to energy dissipation during the evolution of wake vortices for coaxial rotors in hover.

Research on the excitation force and vortex dynamics characteristics of pump-jet propulsor induced by shafting whirling vibration: Non-uniform blade tip clearance

The propulsion shafting whirling vibration causes non-uniform dynamic changes in the rotor tip clearance, which directly have a significant influence on the excitation force and vortex dynamic characteristics of the pump-jet propulsor. In the current study, based on improved delay detached eddy simulation, the influence of non-uniform blade tip clearance on the excitation force and vortex dynamics characteristics of the pump-jet propulsor is studied under design conditions. The results show that the application of propulsion shafting whirling vibration induces significant changes in the excitation force of the pump-jet propulsor. The rotor blades modulate the excitation forces of the stator blades and duct. The transverse and vertical excitation forces are more significant than the longitudinal excitation force. The magnitude change in the circular orbit shows a linear relationship with the excitation force magnitude. The characteristic frequency of the transverse and vertical excitation forces of each component is the shaft rotation frequency. In contrast, the characteristic frequency of the longitudinal excitation force is twice the shaft rotation frequency. In the elliptical orbit, the excitation force of each component is compressed or stretched in the time domain, and the dominant frequency is shifted in the frequency domain; there is no longer a linear relationship between the vibration magnitude change and the excitation force magnitude. Furthermore, an energy generation mechanism in the wake field of the pump-jet propulsor induces vortex frequency due to the whirling vibration of the propulsion shafting system.