Three-dimensional Blade Design Research Articles

Study on the combined influence of aerodynamic sweep and casing treatment in a transonic compressor rotor

Casing treatment and three-dimensional blade design are effective techniques to remedy the deficiency of compressor stability margin, yet their combined effects on compressor performance are seldom studied. With the help of URANS simulations, this paper explored the combined influence of aerodynamic sweep and casing treatment in a transonic compressor rotor. Compared with the configurations of single sweep and single casing treatment, the combined configuration presented an outstanding advantage for improving compressor performance. For compressor overall performance, the stall margin improvement of combined configuration was up to 11.8%, larger than single forward sweep and single casing treatment. Meanwhile, peak efficiency penalty of combined configuration (−1.02%) was significantly lower than that of single casing treatment. Under the effect of casing treatment, the results showed that the pulsating axial velocity could effectively delay the interface of the tip leakage flow and main flow, preventing the overflow of tip leakage flow. The distributions of blockage coefficient and loading coefficient indicated that combined configuration was more effective due to tip unload by casing treatment and blockage resistance ability by forward sweep. Furthermore, the spatial and temporal evolutions of axial velocity at slot opening surface were discussed in detail. Compared with the single casing treatment, higher positive axial velocity excitation and smaller range of negative axial velocity were introduced by combined configuration, which contributed to better stability enhancement.

Aerodynamic and Aeroelastic Effects of Design-Based Geometry Variations on a Low-Pressure Compressor

In modern aircraft engines, the low-pressure compressor (LPC) is subjected to a flow characterized by strong wakes and secondary flows from the upstream fan. This concerns ultra-high bypass ratio (UHBR) turbofan engines, in particular. This paper presents the aerodynamic and aeroelastic sensitivities of parametric variations on the LPC, driven by the design considerations in the upstream fan. The goal of this investigation was to determine the influence of design-based geometry parameter variations on the LPC performance under realistic inlet flow distributions and the presence of an s-duct. Aerodynamic simulations are conducted at the design and off-design operating points with the fan outflow as the inlet boundary conditions. Based on the aerodynamic results, time-linearized unsteady simulations are conducted to evaluate the vibration amplitude at the resonance operating points. First, the bypass ratio is varied by reducing the channel height of the LPC. The LPC efficiency decreases by up to 1.7% due to the increase in blockage of the core flow. The forced response amplitude of the rotor decreases with increasing bypass ratio due to increased aerodynamic damping. Secondly, the fan cavity leakage flow is considered as it directly affects the near hub fan flow and thus the inflow of the LPC. This results in an increased total-pressure loss for the s-duct due to mixing losses. The additional mixing redistributes the flow at the s-duct exit leading to a total-pressure loss reduction of 4.3% in the first rotor at design point. This effect is altered at off-design conditions. The vibration amplitude at low speed resonance points is increased by 19% for the first torsion and 26% for second bending. Thirdly, sweep and lean are applied to the inlet guide vane (IGV) upstream of the LPC. Despite the s-duct and the variable inlet guide vane (VIGV) affecting the flow, the three-dimensional blade design achieves aerodynamic and aeroelastic improvements of rotor 1 at off-design. The total-pressure loss reduces by up to 18% and the resonance amplitude more than 10%. Only negligible improvements for rotor 1 are present at the design point. In a fourth step, the influence of axial gap size between the stator and the rotor rows in the LPC is examined in the range of small variations which shows no distinct aerodynamic and aeroelastic sensitivities. This finding not only supports previous studies, but it also suggests a correlation between mode shapes and locally increased excitaion with increasing axial gap size. As a result, potential design improvements in future fan-compressor design are suggested.

Blank Unfolding Calculation for Blades of Stamping Welded Hydrodynamic Torque Converter

Based on the total content of plastic deformation theory, this paper calculated blank unfolding of stamping welded hydrodynamic torque converter blades by applying the finite element inverse approach. Through numerical calculation for stamp forming of the blade blank unfolding, the calculation results showed that the size and shape of the blank forming results were consistent with three-dimensional blade design model. Using the finite element inverse algorithm we can obtain the initial blank shape of torque converter blades more precisely and rapidly, so as to accurately cut the blank material in the blade production stage.

Preliminary Design and Performance Estimation of Radial Inflow Turbines: An Automated Approach

A comprehensive one-dimensional meanline design approach for radial inflow turbines is described in the present work. An original code was developed in Python that takes a novel approach to the automatic selection of feasible machines based on pre-defined performance or geometry characteristics for a given application. It comprises a brute-force search algorithm that traverses the entire search space based on key non-dimensional parameters and rotational speed. In this study, an in-depth analysis and subsequent implementation of relevant loss models as well as selection criteria for radial inflow turbines is addressed. Comparison with previously published designs, as well as other available codes, showed good agreement. Sample (real and theoretical) test cases were trialed and results showed good agreement when compared to other available codes. The presented approach was found to be valid and the model was found to be a useful tool with regards to the preliminary design and performance estimation of radial inflow turbines, enabling its integration with other thermodynamic cycle analysis and three-dimensional blade design codes.

Blade Lean and Shroud Leakage Flows in Low Aspect Ratio Turbines

Blade lean, i.e., nonradial blade stacking, has been intensively used over the past in the design process of low aspect ratio gas and steam turbines. Although its influence on turbine efficiency is not completely understood, it has been proved as an effective way of controlling blade loading and secondary flows on blade passage endwalls. Three-dimensional blade designs in modern industrial practice are usually carried out using clean endwalls. The influence of the leakage flows on three-dimensional blade design is traditionally neglected. This paper presents an experimental study where two different stator blades, with different levels of compound lean, were tested in a low speed three-stage model turbine with the shroud leakage flow geometry representative of industrial practice. The experimental measurements were compared with numerical tests, conducted on the same blade geometries. The influence of the compound lean on the stator flow field was analyzed in detail. In order to analyze the combined effects of both the stator hub and the rotor shroud leakage flow on the blade lean, in the second part of the paper a numerical study on a two stage turbine with both leakage flow paths representative of a real turbine was carried out. Performance of three different stator blade designs (two different levels of compound lean and a straight blade) was investigated. The aim of this study is to understand the mechanism and the consequence of the stator blade lean on stage performance in an environment with leakage flows and associated cavities.

축류형 흡입송풍기 설계기술에 관한 연구

Many different types of fan have been applying to various industrial fields. Fan design methods are much different depending on the types of fan, operating conditions, and connecting parts at the inlet or exit of the fan etc. In this study, design methods for an axial-type suction fan are studied. This fan discharges the air in the relative static pressure of -285Pa to the atmosphere with the flow rate of . For three-dimensional blade design, three different design methods were applied, such as the free vortex method, the exponential method, and the cascade method. In the cascade method, the blade loading along the radial direction was obtained from the lift coefficient which was necessary to obtain the pressure rise on a fan rotor. This method is different from the free vortex and the exponential method which control the strength of the vortex. The fan performance prediction was conducted using the CFD with three different inlet ducts. The best fan performance was obtained when the fan was designed by using the cascade method. The designed fan using the exponential method showed better performance compared to a fan designed using the free vortex method. However, the fan performance was changed depending on the installed inlet ducts. So, an efficient fan can be designed with the adjustment of design variables on the basis of the flow structures within the fan as well as the fan design procedure.

The design of three-dimensional turbine blades combined with profiled endwalls

This paper describes a novel design for reducing secondary flow in turbines. The design builds on previous work on non-axisymmetric profiled endwalls by combining them with three-dimensional blade design. Profiled endwalls have been shown to effectively reduce secondary flow but have often been used as a ‘retrofit’ application where the blade design is left unchanged. In the current paper reverse compound lean is used to prepare the blade row for the application of profiled endwalls. Computational fluid dynamic predictions ofthe expected performance show benefits over and above those of applying profiled endwalls to the blade row alone. The paper describes the design of the novel geometry for the so-called ‘Durham Cascade’ and gives predictions of the expected performance.

Three-Dimensional Inverse Method for Turbomachinery Blading Design

An iterative procedure for three-dimensional blade design is presented, in which the three-dimensional blade shape is modified using a physical algorithm, based on the transpiration model. The transpiration flux is computed by means of a modified Euler solver, in which the target pressure distribution is imposed along the blade surfaces. Only a small number of modifications is needed to obtain the final geometry. The method is based on a high-resolution three-dimensional Euler solver. An upwind biased evaluation of the advective fluxes allows for a very low numerical entropy generation, and sharp shock capturing. Non-reflecting boundary conditions are applied along the inlet/outlet boundaries. The capabilities of the method are illustrated by redesigning a transonic compressor rotor blade, to achieve, for the same mass flow and outlet flow angle, a shock-free deceleration along the suction side. The second example concerns the design of a low aspect ratio turbine blade, with a positive compound lean to reduce the intensity of the passage vortices. The final blade is designed for an optimized pressure distribution, taking into account the forces resulting from the blade lean angle.

Redesign and Performance Analysis of a Transonic Axial Compressor Stator and Equivalent Plane Cascades With Subsonic Controlled Diffusion Blades

In order to verify a new controlled diffusion blade design concept, the stator of an existing transonic axial compressor stage was redesigned. Stator and equivalent cascade tests revealed the potential of such blades for a considerably higher aerodynamic loading than it has been applied up to now. The design procedure is described, and the results of plane cascade and stage testing are submitted, including performance analysis of both cascade and stator blade sections, at design and off-design operating conditions. The blade profile shapes and cascade geometries were calculated by means of an inverse, two-dimensional method taking also into account the axial velocity density ratio (AVDR). This design concept is essentially based on prescribed blade pressure distributions, which are optimized with respect to the blade boundary layer development. The flow phenomena are illustrated by means of loss and flow turning investigations, blade pressure distributions, and laser velocimetry data. The test results reveal that the two-dimensional approach applied is quite promising for the three-dimensional blade design. Finally, overall and blade element performance comparisons between the original NACA 65 profiled stator and the redesigned one demonstrate the favorable flow behavior of the new stator, as well as the great potential of the controlled diffusion blade concept.