Effect Of Tip Clearance Research Articles

Numerical investigation of bimodal tip clearance effect on the lift-drag and flow characteristics of a hydrofoil

Tip leakage flow has adverse effect on energy conversion of the hydraulic machinery. The new tip clearance structure based on Bimodal Gaussian function is designed to reduce tip leakage vortex. The effects of bimodal structure with different amplitudes and arrangement positions on lift-drag and flow characteristics are studied. The results show that the maximum rise of the lift-drag ratio reaches 5.88% when the bimodal structure amplitude is equal to the tip clearance size. The bimodal structure reduces the outflow velocity at the peak and forms a smooth streamline, which weakens the entrainment with the mainstream. The location of the bimodal structure far away from leading edge helps to produce smooth streamlines and make the flow field smoother, and reduces the area of high turbulent kinetic energy region near leading edge and in tip clearance outflow region significantly. The arrangement position of bimodal structure close to leading edge can produce a low-speed zone or a recirculation zone in the mainstream, which can block the mainstream flow and reduce the energy characteristics of the hydrofoil.

Effect of tip clearance on non-synchronous propagating flow disturbances of compressor rotors under high aerodynamic loading conditions

The complex tip flow instability and its induced non-synchronous vibration have become significant challenges, especially as aerodynamic loading continues to increase. This study investigates the effects of tip clearance on non-synchronous propagating flow disturbances of compressor rotors under high aerodynamic loading conditions by conducting full-annulus unsteady numerical simulations with three typical tip clearance values for a 1-1/2 stage transonic compressor. The non-synchronous aerodynamic excitation frequency, circumferential mode characteristics, and annular unstable flow structures are analyzed under near stall conditions. The results show that the total pressure ratio and normalized mass flow parameters first increase and then decrease as the tip clearance increases from 0.5%C (where C represents the tip chord length) to 2%C under high aerodynamic loading conditions, instead of constantly decreasing. For the 0.5%C tip clearance case, the traveling large-scale tornado-like separation vortices cause a low non-synchronous aerodynamic excitation frequency and severe pressure fluctuations. The periodic shedding and reattachment processes of the rotor blades separated by 2 – 3 pitches result in 19 dominant mode orders in the circumferential direction. As the tip clearance increases from 1%C to 2%C, the difference of tip flow structures in each blade passage is significantly weakened, and the dominant mode order of the disturbance is equal to the rotor blade-passing number. The pressure fluctuation is mainly caused by cross-channel tip leakage flow, and the aerodynamic excitation frequency exhibits evident broadband hump characteristics, which has been reported as a rotating instability phenomenon.

Effect of runner tip clearance on hydraulic performance of Kaplan turbine

Abstract Due to its structural characteristics, the Kaplan turbine has a specific tip clearance between blade and chamber of the runner. This paper simulates effect of varied runner tip clearance on hydraulic performance of Kaplan turbine by CFD, and model tests validated the results. The results show that the efficiency and cavitation level of turbine will decrease with the increase of runner tip clearance within a specific range.

Effects of tip clearance on non-synchronous aerodynamic excitation of compressor rotor blades

The unstable tip flow of compressor rotor may cause the aeroelastic problems, inducing the non-synchronous vibration with high amplitude level, which has a significant effect on blade high cycle fatigue and safety. In order to investigate the effects of tip clearance on non-synchronous aerodynamic excitation of compressor rotor blades, the full annular numerical simulations were conducted for the unsteady flow field of a 1.5-stage compressor under near stall conditions. The frequency characteristics of non-synchronous aerodynamic excitation and tip unstable flow structure were analysed for different tip clearances (0.5%C, 1.0%C, 2.0%C, and 3.0%C). The results showed that the frequency and amplitude are strongly influenced by the tip clearance size. For 0.5%C tip clearance, the main frequency of non-synchronous aerodynamic excitation is the low-frequency aerodynamic excitation frequency, which is mainly caused by tornado-like vortex in the tip suction side, the dominant aerodynamic disturbance mode number is 19. For 2.0%C and 3.0%C tip clearance, the dominant aerodynamic disturbance mode number is 47, and the main aerodynamic excitation frequency is high frequency non-synchronous aerodynamic excitation frequency, mainly caused by the shedding vortices propagating circumferentially at the blade tip, exhibiting the feature of “rotating instability”.

Effect of rotor blade tip clearance on aerodynamic performance of high-speed multi-stage axial compressor

Effect of rotor blade tip clearance on aerodynamic performance of high-speed multi-stage axial compressor

Effect of Tip Clearance on Force Characteristics of Helical Axial-Flow Blade Pumps under Cavitation Conditions

A spiral axial-flow blade pump (SABP), as the core piece of equipment in the oil and natural gas closed-gathering and transportation process, can not only transport gas–liquid mixtures with a high gas content, but can also transport gas–liquid–solid mixtures containing small amounts of sand. However, due to the complexity of the distribution of transport media groups and the uncertainty of internal flow processes, large vortices often appear in the passage of the pumps, and the existence of vortices can easily induce the occurrence of pump cavitations. In the present work, a self-developed SABP was taken as the research object, and the cavitation performance of the SABP was numerically calculated. The pressure load variation under different tip clearances and different cavitation stages was analyzed, and the characteristics of the axial and radial forces were also analyzed in detail.

Parameter Optimization and Performance Research: Radial Inflow Turbine in Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion

Combining one-dimensional parameter optimization and three-dimensional modeling optimization, a 30 kW radial inflow turbine for ocean thermal energy conversion was designed. In this paper, the effects of blade tip clearance, blade number, twist angle, and wheel–diameter ratio on the radial inflow turbine were analyzed. The results show that the model prediction method based on 3D numerical simulation data can effectively complete secondary optimization of the radial turbine rotor. The prediction model can be used to directly obtain the optimal modeling parameter of the rotor. The tip clearance, blade number, twist angle, wheel–diameter ratio, and shaft efficiency were found to be 0.273 mm, 16, 43.378°, 0.241, and 88.467%, respectively. The optimized shaft efficiency of the turbine was found to be 2.239% higher than the one-dimensional design result, which is of great significance in reducing the system’s power generation costs and promoting the application of this approach in engineering power generation using ocean thermal energy.

Effect of Tip Clearance on the Cavitation Performance of High-Speed Pump-Jet Propeller

To investigate the impact of tip clearance variation on the cavitation performance of a high-speed pump-jet propeller, Fluent software was employed for simulation calculations. The study utilized the RNG k-ε turbulence model and ZGB cavitation, conducting three-dimensional numerical simulations under both steady and transient conditions. A pump-jet propeller with a rated speed of 20,000 r/min was used to set three kinds of clearance for simulation, and the simulation proved to be reliable by comparison with the experiment. Initially, the analysis examined the effect of tip clearance on cavitation characteristics and cavitation volume under steady-state conditions, while also studying the distribution patterns of cavitation. Subsequently, the radial force and pressure pulsation of the jet propeller are analyzed by FFT processing, aiming at the influence of tip clearance on the structural strength of the pump-jet propeller. Under the design conditions, the smaller tip clearance shows better performance, while the larger tip clearance shows stronger anti-cavitation ability than the smaller clearance. In addition, the greater the tip clearance, the greater the radial force and pressure pulsation, which will adversely affect the pump-jet structure. The research results provide some references for further research on the effect of high-speed pump-jet propeller structures on performance.

The effect of tip clearance on the rotor-stator interaction and noise of marine 1.5-stage compressor

Tip-clearance (TC) noise is significant in compressors and has garnered scholarly attention for the isolated rotor. However, applying these findings to marine compressors with rotor-stator-interaction (RSI) is challenging. In this paper, a comprehensive analysis was given of a marine 1.5-stage compressor. The investigation included five different TC configurations (0, 0.25, 0.5, 0.75, and 1 mm) and the RSI was a focal point of the study. The accuracy of numerical calculations of the flow field was verified using experimental data. The results reveal a new phenomenon; the radial separation flow of the rotor’s trailing edge is mixed with the TC flow and a wake above the 90 span of the blade is formed. An understanding of this mixing mechanism is crucial for model that describes the effect of TC on the RSI. The single-tone sound source of the stator’s leading-edge tip area is the smallest when the TC is 0.25 mm. In contrast, the single-tone sound source is largest when the TC is equal to zero. Investigation of different TCs in three acoustic environments shows no obvious disparity in the single-tone acoustic power response of various TCs. There is, however, a correlation between the flow mixing mechanism and the noise.

Effect of asymmetrical tip clearances on energy performance and cavitation characteristics of NACA0009 hydrofoil in tidal energy

Effect of asymmetrical tip clearances on energy performance and cavitation characteristics of NACA0009 hydrofoil in tidal energy

A Correction Method for the Effects of Reynolds Number, Roughness, and Tip Clearance on Geometric Scaling of Axial Compressors

Abstract The geometric scaling method is often used in the design and development of axial compressors to reduce high costs. However, Reynolds number, surface roughness, and tip clearance are often difficult to satisfy all the similarity criteria, which breaks the similarity between the Prototype and the Model compressor. This study utilized a 1.5-stage axial compressor as the Prototype to investigate the effects of Reynolds number, surface roughness, and tip clearance on the geometric scaling process. First, the 0.5 scale Model compressor was simulated using RANS method with the scalable wall function. A test facility was constructed for the 0.5 scale Model compressor, and experiments of varying surface roughness and tip clearance were carried out to verify the reliability of the numerical method. Then, the Prototype and Models with scaling factors of 0.4 and 0.33 were simulated using the same numerical method. By analyzing the numerical results of the Prototype and the three Models, a novel correction method for the deviation between the performance of the Prototype and the Model was proposed. This method can be used to correct the deviation of compressors' performance curves caused by the change in Reynolds number, surface roughness, and tip clearance during the geometric scaling process. Meanwhile, both numerical and experimental results were used to validate the accuracy and the universal applicability of the method.

Large eddy simulation of tip-leakage cavitating flow around twisted hydrofoil with effects of tip clearance and skew angle

Tip-leakage cavitating flow around hydrofoils has attracted much research interest, but the complex structures of tip separation vortex (TSV) and tip-leakage vortex (TLV) have not been clearly resolved and discussed with the effects of tip clearance and skew angle yet. In the present work, large eddy simulation (LES) with multi-level octree grid refinement is used to investigate the tip-leakage flows around a series of twisted hydrofoils with various skew angle and tip clearance. High resolution is guaranteed by the normalized grid sizes of y+<1, Δx+∼50 and Δz+∼10, through which the predicted flow meets the criterion that at least 80% of the turbulent kinetic energy is resolved. The TSVs are identified to grow from the entire lower edge of the tip and twine with the TLV into a primary vortex tube, which leads to counter-rotating induced vortices (IV) strongly twisted around the primary vortex in the case of medium tip clearance but weakened for small one. Cavitation effect significantly accelerates the roll-up process of the vortices so that the primary vortex is formed earlier. The tip-leakage flow turns from wake-like to jet-like when the clearance is reduced, but the jet velocity diminishes markedly for extremely small clearance. The hydrofoil skewness barely makes a lift on the vortex tube, distinctive from the effect of tip clearance variation. The adverse pressure gradient induced by the skew angle has significant effect on the laminar–turbulent​ transition of the flow. The tip vortex flow induces strongly characterized laminar ant turbulent flow regions on the suction side, which continuously changes with the variation of the skewness.

On the Fast Prediction of the Aerodynamic Performance of Electronics Cooling Fans Considering the Effect of Tip Clearance

On the Fast Prediction of the Aerodynamic Performance of Electronics Cooling Fans Considering the Effect of Tip Clearance

Computational Investigation of Effect of Tip Clearance in an Annular Turbine Rotor Impulse Cascade

This paper describes three dimensional computational investigations of the effect of the tip clearance on the secondary and tip clearance flows in an annular turbine rotor cascade with non uniform inlet flow. In the actual turbine, the flow at inlet of the rotor is non uniform due to radial pressure gradient acting from the hub to casing. To provide non uniformity at the rotor cascade inlet, an annular nozzle cascade is provided at the upstream. The studies are carried out with the help of a commercially available CFD package. The studies have been carried out for four values of clearance, i.e. 0%, 1%, 3% and 5% of chord. Detailed comparison of the leakage flow direction, pressure gradient, and leakage vortex size, losses, location and interaction with other flow features is carried out. The results are presented in terms of static pressure coefficient distribution on the blade surfaces and total pressure loss coefficient contours in the passage. Spanwise distributions of the circumferentially averaged loss coefficient and flow angle are presented. The extent of losses in the circumferential direction is increased with the increase in the height of the tip clearance but reduced in the spanwise direction. The mass averaged loss coefficient increases rapidly from 0.24 at zero clearance to 0.42 at 1% tip clearance. As the tip clearance is further increased, the losses increase slowly (0.54 at 3% tip clearance to 0.58 at 5% tip clearance). The mass averaged flow angle decreases from 66.3° at zero clearance to 63.7° at 1% clearance to 60.1° at 3% clearance and to 57.3° at 5% clearance.

Effect of Stage Loading and Tip Clearance on Tip Clearance Flows in a Centrifugal Compressor

The present paper reports measurement of periodic static pressures on the casing over the impeller of a low speed centrifugal compressor at different stage loadings and tip clearances. The periodic pressure data is acquired employing the technique called PLEAT. Experiments are carried out in a low speed centrifugal compressor with unshrouded impeller. Twelve holes are provided on the casing in which adapters are attached. A fast response pressure transducer, Kulite XCS-062 5pisd is inserted in the adapters. The pressure transducer measures pressure in terms of voltage. The voltage output is very low. The output voltage is amplified and converted to digital values for further processing of data. Sample results are presented and interpreted. From the measured static pressure, tip clearance flows can be easily identified. Effect of tip clearance and stage loading on tip clearance flows is highlighted.

Effects of chill vent gap and sleeve-plunger tip clearance on the vacuum degree of mold cavity and mechanical properties in high vacuum diecasting

Effects of chill vent gap and sleeve-plunger tip clearance on the vacuum degree of mold cavity and mechanical properties in high vacuum diecasting

The Effect of Impeller Tip Clearance on the Performance of a MGT Mixed Flow Compressor Stage Fitted with a Crossover Diffuser

Mixed flow compressor stage designs are becoming increasingly popular for use in Micro Gas Turbine (MGT) engines. Due to manufacturing constraints and structural considerations, such compressors typically feature unshrouded impeller designs. A numeric investigation of the effect of impeller-shroud tip clearance on the performance of a MGT mixed flow compressor stage fitted with a crossover diffuser is presented. Three baseline test compressors are designed using an in-house-developed application based on one-dimensional mean line theory. These cover a wide range of design mass flow rates, design speeds, and impeller meridional exit (mixed flow) angles. The performance of each of the test compressors are evaluated at an impeller-shroud tip clearance of 0.1 mm, 0.3 mm, and 0.6 mm. Commercial CFD software is used to verify the performance results of the various test compressor configurations. It is found that an increase in impeller tip clearance negatively impacts both compressor performance (total-to-total pressure ratio and efficiency) and choke margin. Conversely, stall margin increases with an increase in impeller tip clearance.

A study into the effect of tip clearance on the performance of b-series and kaplan-series ducted propellers

A study into the effect of tip clearance on ducted propellers was carried out. Two series of propellers, namely B-series and Kaplan-series, were used. The gap between tip of propeller and ducted was varied from 2mm to 5mm. The study was conducted numerically using computational fluid dynamics (CFD) approach. The solver is based on the Reynolds-Averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) solutions and two turbulence modelling, i.e. k-ω SST by Menter and explicit algebraic stress model (EASM), were applied in order to find out the optimum results. This paper objective to discuss energy efficiency on ships by investigating variations of propeller tip clearances. Overall results showed that EASM demonstrated better score (particularly in term of thrust and efficiency) than the k-ω SST. The highest thrust, torque and efficiency were achieved at 3mm tip clearance for both series. Moreover, Kaplan-series showed better results than the B-series propeller indicating that the use of ducted propeller using Kaplan-series is more appropriate.

Effects of tip clearance on energy performance of three-stage electrical submersible pump

In order to investigate the influence of tip clearance on the energy performance of electrical submersible pump (ESP), numerical simulation and experimental study were carried out. The three-dimensional transient Reynolds-Averaged Navier–Stokes (RANS) equation is solved by using the ANSYS CFX software. The experimental results were used to verify the reliability of the numerical method. The results shown that the increase of tip clearance leads to the decrease of energy performance. The increase of tip clearance leads to a proportional drop in energy performance under part-load flow rate conditions, while the increase of tip clearance leads to a significant loss under large flow rate conditions due to increased leakage. The rotor-stator interaction between the impeller and the diffuser is the main factor for the enhanced turbulence at part-load flow rate conditions, resulting in energy losses. The maximum turbulence intensity along the axial direction in the tip clearance is 4.4 times and 4.7 times of the minimum turbulence intensity at rated flow rate 1.0Qdes and large flow rate 1.4 Qdes operating conditions, respectively. The results could be referred to predict the internal flow loss and optimize the design of ESPs.

The influence of splitter blades and meridional profiles on the performance of small-scale turbopumps for ORC applications; analysis, neural network modeling and optimization

This work presents the influence of splitters on the performance of small-scale turbopumps for organic Rankine cycle applications numerically. Different design parameters, such as impeller diameter at the outlet, number of blades, blade angle at the trailing edge, and the length and location of the splitter blades, are studied for both shrouded and unshrouded impellers at tip clearance ratios of 0.05 and 0.10 (relative to blade height). The results suggest that splitter blades can increase impeller head coefficient and slip factors up to 10%–24% depending on the blade outlet angle. At the same time, the total efficiency is not influenced significantly. The CFD calculations predict that the placement of splitters in the middle of the blade channel leads to the maximum head coefficient for shrouded impellers. In contrast, for the tip clearance ratio of 0.10, a higher head coefficient is observed for placement closer to the suction side of the main blade. After that, different meridional profiles are studied to investigate their influence on the performance characteristics and mitigation of tip clearance effects. Profiles with a sharper change of cross-section area at the inlet rather than a linear change are found more advantageous, as higher head rise, total efficiency, and static efficiency are observed. In the end, the splitter blade profiles are optimized through techniques of design of experiments, leading to a 2.43% improvement in total efficiency. In contrast, the head rise remains constant, and static efficiency decreases by 0.49% for an impeller with a tip clearance ratio of 0.05.