Stator Gap Research Articles

Characteristics of the axial compressor with different stator gaps in compressed air energy storage system

The axial compressor in compressed air energy storage (CAES) system needs to operate stably and efficiently within a wide working range. The stator gap plays a critical role in suppressing corner separation and enhancing blade throughflow. The primary objective of this study is to determine the optimal combination of stator gaps to further expand the stable working range of the compressor while ensuring high efficiency. In this study, the flow characteristics of different stator gaps of the five-stage axial compressor in a specific CAES system are researched numerically. Firstly, the impact of different stator gaps on the aerodynamic performance is analyzed. The stator gap effectively broadens the stable working range of the compressor, with the hub gap exhibiting greater potential for expansion compared to the shroud gap. Subsequently, a comparative analysis is conducted on the internal flow of the third stage stator under near-stall conditions. Different gap leakage forms different vortex structures, and the gap leakage can effectively eliminate the accumulation of low-energy fluid in the corner area, optimize the limit streamlines on the blade suction surface and the temperature distribution. The low-velocity area caused by different stator gaps is also different. Finally, energy loss and energy dissipation with different stator gaps are explored. The gap leakage flow results in high energy loss, and different stator gaps exhibit notable differences in distribution of the high energy loss regions. Different types of stator gaps exhibit consistent high energy dissipation areas, which include the leading-edge stagnation area, boundary layer area on blade surface, and wake area. It is important to note that the high energy loss area does not necessarily coincide with the high energy dissipation area. The combined application of two loss evaluation methods contributes to a more comprehensive investigation of the loss distribution characteristics of the compressor.

Investigation of Unsteady Rotor–Stator Interaction and Deterministic Correlation Analysis in a Transonic Compressor Stage

Abstract Unsteady blade row interaction (UBRI) has a large impact on performance in high-speed axial compressors. Thus, the influence of UBRI should be accurately predicted in compressor routine design. In this study, the unsteady rotor–stator interaction in a transonic single-stage compressor, NASA Stage 35, is studied by steady and unsteady Reynolds-Averaged Navier–Stokes methods. First, the UBRI is analyzed. Periodic separation bubbles on the stator suction surface induced by the rotor wake are observed. Comparisons between steady and unsteady results show that the radial distribution of flow angle near the hub and tip region of the stator is strongly influenced by UBRI. Second, deterministic correlations are analyzed based on the average-passage equation system. The distribution of deterministic stress and the relationship between spatial correlations and deterministic correlations are analyzed. Results show that a strong nonlinear interaction caused by the rotor wake and the stator potential field is found in the rotor–stator gap, which is responsible for the generation of spatial–time correlation. Then, the anisotropy of deterministic correlations is analyzed using the Lumley triangle. Results show that the deterministic stress is highly anisotropic in the stator passage, which can be considered in the modeling using a similar strategy of turbulence modeling. At last, the relationships between the harmonics and decay rate of deterministic correlations are analyzed. The decay rate of deterministic correlation is highly related to the corresponding harmonics, and the higher-order harmonic exhibits a higher decay rate. A modified exponential decay model is proposed for deterministic correlation based on harmonics, which provides improved performance.

Unsteady Pressure Pulsations in Pumps—A Review

Unsteady pressure-pulsation-induced severe vibration and high alternating stress can cause some unexpected results, including impeller crack and structural damage of the entire pumping system. In the present paper, a review on pressure pulsations in pumps is carried out based on the published studies. A comprehensive view on pressure pulsations from several aspects is discussed in detail. The contents of the studies include the mechanism of rotor–stator interaction; a prediction model and experimental and numerical investigations of pressure pulsations; unsteady rotating-stall-induced pressure pulsations at off-design flow rates; the relationship between pressure pulsation and the internal flow structure and cavitation; and the reduction in pressure pulsation caused by some effective approaches. It is concluded that unsteady pressure pulsation in pumps is closely associated with complex flow structures, for instance flow separation, cavitation, and rotating stall. The rotor–stator interaction mainly dominates pressure pulsation characterized by the discrete components in pressure spectrum. To reduce pressure pulsation, some effective approaches are proposed, such as increasing the rotor–stator gap, staggered blade, and blade modification. Finally, several suggestions for future works are given and discussed considering the current research. The review contributes to better understanding of pressure pulsations in centrifugal pumps, and may also benefit engineers in controlling pressure pulsations in some fields, such as pumps in nuclear reactor.

Numerical Studies of Batch and Inline High Shear Melt Conditioning Technology Using Different Rotors

When casting aluminum alloy billets, high shear melt conditioning (HSMC) technology refines the resulting grain size, reduces the number of defects, and improves mechanical properties without the need to add polluting and expensive chemical grain refiners. These resultant improvements spring from the high shear rates that develop in the rotor–stator gap and the stator holes facing the leading edge of the rotor. Despite the growing literature on rotor–stator mixing, it is unclear how the different rotor–stator parameters affect the performance of high shear treatment. To upscale this technology and apply it to processes that involve large melt volumes, an understanding of the performance of the rotor–stator design is crucial. In this paper, we present the results of computational fluid dynamics (CFD) studies of high shear melt conditioning in continuous and batch modes with different rotor designs. These studies build upon our earlier work by studying the effect of rotor variation in a stator design consisting of rows of small apertures at different rotor speeds spanning from 1000 to 10,000 revolutions per minute. While no clear-cut linear pattern emerges for the rotor performance (as a function of the design parameters), the rotor geometry is found to affect the distributive mixing of microparticles, but it is insignificant with regards to their disintegration.

Influence of Stator Gap on Electromagnetic Performance of 6-Slot/2-Pole Modular High Speed Permanent Magnet Motor With Toroidal Windings

The 6-slot/2-pole (6s/2p) permanent magnet motors with a diametrically magnetized PM rotor are popular for high speed application. Meanwhile, toroidal winding can not only reduce end-winding length but also eliminate unbalanced magnetic force for short axial length motors. Therefore, the electromagnetic performance of a 6s/2p high speed PM (HSPM) motor with toroidal windings is firstly analyzed, including air-gap flux density, flux linkage, back-EMF, cogging torque and electromagnetic torque. Then, considering modular design for auto-manufacturing, the influence of stator gap and misalignment on the electromagnetic performance is investigated. It shows that the stator gap results in unbalanced three phase back-EMFs, not only amplitudes, but also phase angles. The stator gap increases the equivalent air-gap length and PM flux leakage, which leads to lower air-gap flux density, back-EMF, and average torque. Moreover, the stator gap results in asymmetric air-gap length, which results in large cogging torque. Further, it shows that the misalignment of two stator parts mainly affects the uneven equivalent air-gap length and symmetry of winding configuration, which leads to unbalanced three phase back-EMFs, especially phase angles, and self- and mutual-inductances, as well as rotor PM loss. Experimental results of a prototype motor with/without stator gap and/or misalignment are given to validate the finite element predicted analyses.

LES investigation on the dependence of the flow through a centrifugal pump on the diffuser geometry

Large-Eddy Simulation is utilized to investigate the rotor–stator interaction within a centrifugal pump. Comparisons are presented across diffuser geometries for two values of the flow-rate. Decreasing the incidence angle on the diffuser blades at off-design is found the main source of higher pressure rise and lower overall values of turbulent kinetic energy within the pump, resulting in efficiency improvement. The impact on the second-order statistics of the flow is especially significant. However, the values of the pressure fluctuations acting on the diffuser blades, defining fatigue loads on them and cavitation phenomena, are found especially affected by the rotor–stator clearance. Results show that at reduced flow-rates the rotation of the diffuser blades around their mid camber is a better option than rotating them around their leading edge. They also suggest that at larger flow-rates the increased incidence on the diffuser blades causes pressure side separation and large shear layers populating the diffuser channels, not affecting substantially the region of interface between impeller and diffuser, but having detrimental effects on the performance of the latter. The rotation of the diffuser blades around their leading edge should be preferred when the pump operates at flow-rates larger than the design one, avoiding decreasing the rotor–stator gap, thus resulting in smoother rotor–stator interaction and lower pressure fluctuations.

Investigation of E-Core Modular Permanent Magnet Wind Turbine

Under the adverse trend of fossil energy attenuation and air pollution, wind power effectively alleviates the global energy crisis and environmental pollution. For wind turbines, especially large offshore wind turbines, their transportation, installation, and maintenance are very inconvenient. In order to solve this problem, this paper presents an E-core stator modular machine which inserts stator gap into the unwounded teeth of the fractional-slot concentrated winding (FSCW) permanent magnet (PM) machine. The winding factor of the new stator structure machine was derived. The electromagnetic models of 12-slot/10-pole and 12-slot/14-pole modular FSCW PM machines and traditional FSCW PM machines were established using the finite element analysis (FEA) software, and the open-circuit flux density, cogging torque, load torque, loss, and efficiency were simulated and analyzed. The results showed that the modular structure of E-core stator not only simplified the transportation, installation, and maintenance of wind turbines, but also optimized the electromagnetic performance of the 12-slot/14-pole machine, i.e., improved the output torque and operation efficiency.

Effect of the rotor–stator gap variation on the tonal noise generated by axial-flow fans

The effect of the rotor–stator axial-gap on tonal noise generated by an axial-flow fan employed for automotive cooling systems has been studied. A fan equipped with a 9 blade rotor and a 18 vane stator positioned at several axial-gaps has been tested in a hemi-anechoic chamber. The acoustic measurements have been performed during rotational speed ramps. To analyze the experimental data, the propagation function, obtained by means of the spectral decomposition, has been compared with the velocity-scaled SPL and the phase angle, evaluated at the 1st and 2nd blade passing frequency harmonics. Opposite to what is commonly observed, the SPL due to the rotor–stator aerodynamic interaction does not monotonically decrease with the axial-gap and at the shortest gaps it may not be scaled with a single power of the rotational speed. The listed quantities have been plotted versus frequency, rotational speed, and axial-gap. Their analysis provides a detailed picture of the investigated phenomena and supports the assumption that the observed behavior is due to acoustic effects and not to the aerodynamic noise generating mechanism.

The evaluation of motor characteristics of the total artificial heart by the change in the rotor to stator gap

The evaluation of motor characteristics of the total artificial heart by the change in the rotor to stator gap

Parameter Estimation and Actuator Characteristics of Hybrid Magnetic Bearings for Axial Flow Blood Pump Applications

Axial flow blood pumps are generally smaller as compared to centrifugal pumps. This is very beneficial because they can provide better anatomical fit in the chest cavity, as well as lower the risk of infection. This article discusses the design, levitated responses, and parameter estimation of the dynamic characteristics of a compact hybrid magnetic bearing (HMB) system for axial flow blood pump applications. The rotor/impeller of the pump is driven by a three-phase permanent magnet brushless and sensorless motor. It is levitated by two HMBs at both ends in five degree of freedom with proportional-integral-derivative controllers, among which four radial directions are actively controlled and one axial direction is passively controlled. The frequency domain parameter estimation technique with statistical analysis is adopted to validate the stiffness and damping coefficients of the HMB system. A specially designed test rig facilitated the estimation of the bearing's coefficients in air-in both the radial and axial directions. Experimental estimation showed that the dynamic characteristics of the HMB system are dominated by the frequency-dependent stiffness coefficients. By injecting a multifrequency excitation force signal onto the rotor through the HMBs, it is noticed in the experimental results the maximum displacement linear operating range is 20% of the static eccentricity with respect to the rotor and stator gap clearance. The actuator gain was also successfully calibrated and may potentially extend the parameter estimation technique developed in the study of identification and monitoring of the pump's dynamic properties under normal operating conditions with fluid.

A database of PIV measurements within a turbomachinery stage and sample comparisons with unsteady RANS

This paper describes an experimental database obtained using two-dimensional Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV) measurements within an axial turbomachinery stage, and presents sample unsteady Reynolds Averaged Navier–Stokes (RANS) simulations to illustrate its applicability for turbomachinery model validation. The experiments are performed in a refractive-index-matched facility that provides unobstructed view, and cover the entire second stage of a two-stage axial pump. The data were obtained at ten different rotor phases covering one rotor blade-passing period, and at mid-span. Several features of the data at selected phases have already been presented and discussed in prior publications. Here we present the complete database together with sample CFD results. Two-dimensional unsteady RANS simulations are performed using the commercial flow solver FLUENT™, with two standard turbulence models, i.e. Renormalization Group (RNG) k-ϵ and Reynolds Stress Transport Model (RSM). The spatially non-uniform inlet velocity and turbulence boundary conditions are provided from the experimental data. Detailed side-by-side comparisons of measured and computed velocity as well as turbulence fields within the entire stage are presented using line distributions within the rotor–stator gap and the stator wake regions, as well as whole-field animations. The results show that, although there is reasonable agreement, in general, between the experimental results and the computational simulations, some critical flow features are not correctly predicted. The turbulent kinetic energy levels are generally too high in the simulations, with substantial amount of unphysical turbulence generation near the blade leading edges, especially in the case of RNG k-ϵ model. Also, wake diffusion is underestimated. The results highlight the usefulness of comparisons that cover the entire unsteady flow in a passage, as afforded by the present database and side-by-side animations.

Stereo PIV measurements in an enclosed rotor–stator system with pre-swirled cooling air

In order to validate computational fluid dynamics (CFD) calculations, accurate velocity measurements were performed in a so called pre-swirl system. The objective was to determine the three-dimensional velocity field in the enclosed rotor–stator gap by using an adapted stereo particle image velocimetry (stereo PIV) setup. Particular attention was invested in the design of the optical access, thus, offering interesting possibilities to investigate various geometrical configurations of the pre-swirl system. The measurements impressively showed the spreading of the jet inside the wheelspace and the unsteady aspect of the flow, confirming that stereo PIV can successfully be applied in an enclosed rotor–stator system.

Upstream-radiated rotor–stator interaction noise in mean swirling flow

A major component of the noise in modern aeroengines is rotor–stator interaction noise generated when the wake from the rotating fan impinges on a stator row downstream. An analytically based model for the prediction of upstream-radiated rotor–stator interaction noise is described, and includes the important effect of mean swirling flow on both the rotor wake evolution and the acoustic response. The analytic nature of the model allows for the inclusion of all wake harmonics and enables the response at all blade passing frequencies to be determined.An asymptotic analysis based on large rotor blade number is used to model the evolution of the rotor wake downstream in a cylindrical duct carrying mean swirling flow. The equations governing the axial evolution of the wake simplify to three coupled first-order differential equations in the interior, while close to the duct walls, a boundary-layer correction is required in order to satisfy the impermeability conditions at the boundaries. At the stator location, the wake is used as input into a local linear cascade model at each radius. The interaction of each wake harmonic gives rise to acoustic waves of multiple azimuthal order which contribute to the pressure field radiated back upstream. This enables the total acoustic response to be determined in terms of cylindrical duct modes in mean swirling flow.The effect of stator blade geometry (thickness, camber, angle of attack) and rotor–stator separation on the total upstream-radiated noise is determined. Blade geometry is shown to have a significant effect on the noise generated, and increasing the rotor–stator gap can lead to large reductions in noise levels. Asymptotic treatment of the acoustic field, based on large azimuthal order, is also considered and used to identify the dominant contributions to the total pressure field resulting from the rotor–stator interaction. The ray structure of the acoustic modes in swirl is shown to be very different in some cases from that in uniform flow.