Variable Inlet Guide Vane Research Articles

Variable Guide Vane Scheduling Method Based on the Kinematic Model and Dual Schedule Curves

The variable guide vanes (VGV) of gas turbine engines are commonly utilized to expand operating range and to improve efficiency of the compressor. Guiding air flow using the VGVs in the compressor prevents aerodynamic instability by making proper incidence angle to the blades. In this study, we dealt with rig-type three-stages VGVs for developed engine tests. The three link mechanism of VGVs are linked to each other with two hydraulic actuators, and inevitably, induced hysteresis exists between vane rotations and actuators strokes, due to links with non-fully constrained degree of freedoms for easy installation and instrumentation, as well. Therefore, the adjustment of each VGVs link mechanism is required to satisfy vane angle demands. To adjust coupled three-stages VGVs link mechanism, an analytical VGV-link kinematic model was derived, and effects of two adjusting parameters (lengths of bell cranks and vertical links) were discovered. Lastly, we obtained two vane angle schedule curves from the experiments according to link moving directions, and applied them to the engine controller to minimize hysteresis of the variable inlet guide vane (VIGV). The proposed VGV adjusting and controlling method can be simply applied to the pre-designed or pre-manufactured VGVs system without mechanical compensation or additional cost.

Combined effect of inlet air cooling and fouling on performance of variable geometry industrial gas turbines

The performance of industrial gas turbines is closely tied to the intake air temperature and component performance degradation caused by fouling, erosion, and foreign object damage (FOD). Generally, under hot and humid conditions an increase in the ambient intake air temperature induces a decline in gas turbines performance. With this regard, inlet air cooling (IAC) is an established technique that has been applied to reverse the deteriorating effects of high air temperatures. In this study, a steady-state off-design model for a single-shaft industrial gas turbine (Taurus 70) with a variable geometry has been developed to analyze a cumulative effect of fouling and variable ambient conditions on gas turbines performance. The validation of GasTurb 12, simulations was achieved by comparing the results with the Solar Turbines product catalog. The study has been segregated into four different scenarios: (i) with inlet air cooling, (ii) without inlet air cooling, (iii) with Variable Inlet Guide Vane (VIGV) schedule, and (iv) without VIGV schedule. With an increase in fouling severity level, thermal efficiency and specific fuel consumption (SFC) showed clear deterioration. However, with the integration of the IAC technique, the thermal efficiency and SFC improved that translate into economic gain. A novel idea has also been explored to investigate the effect of VIGV scheduling on performance improvement. It is observed that the deployment of the VIGV schedule improves the thermal efficiency and SFC that were previously deteriorating due to fouling. Hence, it is concluded that the integration of inlet air cooling with variable geometry engine can improve the performance of industrial gas turbines especially in hot climate regions such as the Middle East and Southeast Asian countries.

Investigation of the Combined Effect of Variable Inlet Guide Vane Drift, Fouling, and Inlet Air Cooling on Gas Turbine Performance

Variable geometry gas turbines are susceptible to various malfunctions and performance deterioration phenomena, such as variable inlet guide vane (VIGV) drift, compressor fouling, and high inlet air temperatures. The present study investigates the combined effect of these performance deterioration phenomena on the health and overall performance of a three-shaft gas turbine engine (GE LM1600). For this purpose, a steady-state simulation model of the turbine was developed using a commercial software named GasTurb 12. In addition, the effect of an inlet air cooling (IAC) technique on the gas turbine performance was examined. The design point results were validated using literature results and data from the manufacturer’s catalog. The gas turbine exhibited significant deterioration in power output and thermal efficiency by 21.09% and 7.92%, respectively, due to the augmented high inlet air temperature and fouling. However, the integration of the inlet air cooling technique helped in improving the power output, thermal efficiency, and surge margin by 29.67%, 7.38%, 32.84%, respectively. Additionally, the specific fuel consumption (SFC) was reduced by 6.88%. The VIGV down-drift schedule has also resulted in improved power output, thermal efficiency, and the surge margin by 14.53%, 5.55%, and 32.08%, respectively, while the SFC decreased by 5.23%. The current model can assist in troubleshooting the root cause of performance degradation and surging in an engine faced with VIGV drift and fouling simultaneously. Moreover, the combined study also indicated the optimum schedule during VIGV drift and fouling for performance improvement via the IAC technique.

Off-design performance of CAES systems with low-temperature thermal storage under optimized operation strategy

Compressed air energy storage (CAES) systems usually operate under off-design conditions due to load fluctuations, environmental factors, and performance characteristics of the system. However, the current research on off-design performance of CAES systems, especially in the aspects of advanced compressed air energy storage systems and operation strategies, is deeply insufficient. The complete off-design model of a compressed air energy storage system with thermal storage (TS-CAES) and optimal regulations by adjusting variable inlet guide vane (VIGV) and variable stator vane (VSV) is established for the first time. Using this model, we uncover the off-design characteristics common in TS-CAES systems caused by changes in load, ambient temperature, and operation type (constant pressure operation and sliding-pressure operation), and which is conducted under the optimal regulation strategy for the compression and expansion sections. It is found that system parameters fluctuate around a balance position with load fluctuation. But under the optimal operation, the fluctuation of the system efficiency and energy density is relatively small. System efficiency and energy density increase marginally with the decrease of ambient temperature, and thermal storage temperature increases linearly and markedly with rise in ambient temperature. We also found that system efficiency under constant pressure operation is decreased by 1.74 percent compared to that under sliding-pressure. This study will provide theoretical support for the design, operation, and control of TS-CAES systems.

Criteria for designing low-loss and wide operation range variable inlet guide vanes

Critical factors influencing the variable inlet guide vane (VIGV) profile loss at high incidence condition were studied by using numerical methods and a practical design criterion for designing wide low-loss operation range VIGVs in axial-flow compressor was proposed. At first, to acquire research samples, a series of airfoils with different shapes were generated for two selected representative VIGV cascade cases. Steady simulations based on Reynolds-Averaged Navier–Stokes method, carried out by commercial software CFX and validated with experimental data after grid independent study, were first conducted to predict the aerodynamic performances, the surface velocity distributions and the boundary-layer behaviors of the generated airfoils. Based on the simulated results, the influences of geometric parameters on airfoil performances were analyzed and the geometric features of low-loss VIGV airfoil were revealed. Further analysis indicated that the magnitude of airfoil loss at high incidence condition were mainly influenced by the scales of two boundary-layer separation regions: one at the leading edge caused by the high adverse pressure gradient induced by the suction spike and the other one caused by the adverse pressure gradient induced by the re-acceleration flow. To reveal the influence of the suction spike and the re-acceleration flow on the scales of separation regions, two practical parameters Dspike and Are were defined. It was found that there exists an optimized range of the Dspike and Are which could keep the separation flow to a small scale at high incidence condition and can be used as a surface velocity design criterion for designing wide low-loss operation range VIGVs. Moreover, the methods for choosing the airfoil geometric parameters to achieve the preferred surface velocity distribution were discussed. Finally, the developed design criterion was used to guide the airfoil modification of an axial-flow compressor VIGV and achieved an average of 19%, 52% and 73% loss coefficient reduction at three high stagger angle operating points, which confirms the applicability and effectiveness of the design criterion in three-dimensional environment.

A Propeller Model for Steady-State and Transient Performance Prediction of Turboprop and Counter-Rotating Open Rotor Engines

This paper describes a methodology used for propeller performance estimation, which was implemented in an in-house modular program for gas turbine performance prediction. A model based on subsonic generic propeller maps and corrected for compressibility effects, under high subsonic speeds, was proposed and implemented. Considering this methodology, it is possible to simulate conventional turboprop architectures and counter-rotating open rotor (CROR) engines in both steady-state and transient operating conditions. Two simulation scenarios are available: variable pitch angle propeller with constant speed; or variable speed propeller with constant pitch angle. The simulations results were compared with test bench data and two gas turbine performance commercial software packages were used to fulfill the model validation for conventional turboprop configurations. Furthermore, a direct drive CROR engine was simulated using a variable inlet guide vanes (VIGV) control strategy during transient operation. The model has shown to be able to provide several information about propeller-based engine performance using few input data, and a comprehensive understanding on steady-state and transient performance behavior was achieved in the obtained results.

Study of High Efficiency Flow Regulation of VIGV in Centrifugal Compressor

Variable inlet guide vane (VIGV) is used to control the mass flow and generate prewhirl in centrifugal compressors. Due to the tip clearance of the guide vanes and the defect of the traditional guide vane profiles, the mass flow regulation of VIGV is limited, resulting in a large waste of compressed gas. Two kinds of inlet flow channels were proposed to eliminate the influence of tip clearance. These structures were numerically investigated at different setting angles. The results show that the improved channels not only expand the range of mass flow regulation, but also reduce the power and increase the efficiency of the compressor. Ten kinds of guide vane profiles, including different thickness distribution, camber line profile, were selected to compare with the original one and with each other. In the premise of ensuring the performance of compressor, the best guide vane profile was selected. The results show that reducing the guide vane thickness, increasing the guide vane camber angle, and increasing the distance between the maximum camber position and the leading edge of guide vane can help expand the range of mass flow regulation. The achievement of this research can effectively improve the flow regulation ability of VIGV and the performance of compressor.

Self-Excited Blade Vibration Experimentally Investigated in Transonic Compressors: Acoustic Resonance

This paper investigates the acoustically induced rotor blade vibration that occurred in a state-of-the-art 1.5-stage transonic research compressor. The compressor was designed with the unconventional goal to encounter self-excited blade vibration within its regular operating domain. Despite the design target to have the rotor blades reach negative aerodamping in the near stall region for high speeds and open inlet guide vane, no vibration occurred in that area prior to the onset of rotating stall. Self-excited vibrations were finally initiated when the compressor was operated at part speed with fully open inlet guide vane along nominal and low operating line. The mechanism of the fluid–structure interaction behind the self-excited vibration is identified by means of unsteady compressor instrumentation data. Experimental findings point toward an acoustic resonance originating from separated flow in the variable inlet guide vanes (VIGV). A detailed investigation based on highly resolved wall-pressure data confirms this conclusion. This paper documents the spread in aerodynamic damping calculated by various partners with their respective aeroelastic tools for a single geometry and speed line. This significant spread proves the need for calibration of aeroelastic tools to reliably predict blade vibration. This paper contains a concise categorization of flow-induced blade vibration and defines criteria to quickly distinguish the different types of blade vibration. It further gives a detailed description of a novel test compressor and thoroughly investigates the encountered rotor blade vibration.

가변 안내익을 이용한 터보팬 엔진 제어시스템

항공기용 터보팬 엔진의 성능이 이륙과 같이 급격하게 변하는 상황일 때 압축기에서 서지현상이 발생할 수 있는데, 본 논문에서는 이를 방지하는 것을 목적으로 한다. 제안된 시스템은 연료유량을 개루프 명령으로 생성하고, 가변 안내익을 폐루프로 설계하여 터보팬 엔진에 대한 제어시스템을 고전적인 PID제어기와 퍼지 추론 기법을 적용하여 설계하였다. 시뮬레이션은 SIMULINK를 이용하였는데, 제어로직 구성을 위한 동역학적 모델링은 NPSS(엔진해석프로그램)와 SIMULINK를 연동시켜주는 SIMUNLINK BLOCK인 NPSS S-function을 설계하여 이용하였다. 그리고 시뮬레이션 결과로 PID와 Fuzzy 모든 방법에 있어 VIGV의 제어결과로 서지현상을 방지할 수 있음을 증명하였다. Surge phenomenon can be occurred in a compressor when the performance of turbofan engine for an aircraft is changed considerably such as take-off phase. This study is aimed to avoid surge phenomenon. This paper propose the PID and Fuzzy control System for the turbofan engine with control inputs, the VIGV(Variable Inlet Guide Vane) in closed loop, and the fuel mass flow in open loop. We design the Dynamic modeling, NPSS S-function, which is connection block of simulink between NPSS(Engine analysis program) and Simulink. Finally, we certify the performance to prevent a serge phenomenon in the VIGV control system using the both methods, PID and fuzzy.

The Effect of Inlet Guide Vanes on Inlet Flow Distortion Transfer and Transonic Fan Stability

An investigation was carried out into the effects of variable inlet guide vanes (VIGVs) on the performance and stability margin of a transonic fan in the presence of inlet flow distortion. The study was carried out using computational fluid dynamics (CFD) and validated with experimental data. The capability of CFD to predict the changes in performance with or without VIGVs in the presence of an inlet flow distortion is assessed. Results show that the VIGVs improve the performance and stability margin and do so by reducing the amount of swirl at inlet to the rotor component of the fan.

가변 안내익을 이용한 터보팬 엔진 압축기의 서지 제어

Surge phenomenon can be occurred in a compressor when compressor performance of turbofan engine for an aircraft is changed considerably in a short time on the cases like take-off phase and changing of RPM from idle to maximum, because performance of aircraft engine is changed suddenly. This study is aimed to avoid surge in a compressor. Dynamic simulation in a compressor is modeled by simulink in specific condition. Fuel flow is control input, rpm and air mass flow are expressed in terms of transfer function. Surge margin is obtained by using compressor performance map from NPSS. VIGV(Variable Inlet Guide Vane) is controlled by PD controller with difference between surge margin and reference. Finally this paper verifies IGV can prevent surge phenomenon in a compressor.

가변 안내익 및 정익을 가지는 소형 터보팬 엔진의 성능예측을 위한 통합 해석법 연구

본 연구에서는 가변 안내익과 가변 정익을 가진 압축기가 적용된 소형 터보팬엔진의 통합성능해석법에 대한 연구를 수행하였다. 통합해석을 위해 Isight를 이용하여 엔진성능해석프로그램(NPSS)과 압축기탈 설계점 성능프로그램(STGSTK)을 연계하여 해석할 수 있는 절차 및 연계프로그램을 구축하였다. 각각의 해석프로그램은 실험데이터와 비교하여 타당성을 검증하였다. 이러한 통합 해석법을 적용한 결과 탈설계점에서 요구되는 서지마진을 가지는 가변시스템의 작동 조건을 예측할 수 있었다. The present study is aimed to develop an integrated performance analysis approach for the application of a compressor with variable inlet guide vane (VIGV) and vairable stator vane (VSV) in a small turbofan engine. For the integrated analysis approach, an engine performance analysis program, NPSS and a computer program used for predicting of axial flow compressor performance based on stage stacking method, STGSTK were linked with an optimisation package, Isight. This enables off-design performance analysis for the turbofan engine with VIGV and VSV hence provides the capability to predict stable operation condition of the engine with acceptable surge margin.

The effects of radial inlet with splitters on the performance of variable inlet guide vanes in a centrifugal compressor stage

Variable inlet guide vanes (VIGVs) can regulate pressure ratio and mass flow at constant rotational speed in centrifugal compressors as a result of inducing a controlled prewhirl in front of impellers. Radial inlets and VIGVs are typical upstream components in front of the first-stage impellers in many industrial centrifugal compressors. However, previous investigations on VIGVs in centrifugal compressors were mostly conducted under the condition of axial inlets, and this study aims to focus on the effects of radial inlet on the VIGVs performance of a centrifugal compressor stage. The axial inlet stage model is compared with the radial inlet stage model with splitters using numerical flow simulation. The flow from the radial inlet was non-uniform in both circumferential and radial directions; thus, the VIGVs, the impeller, the vaneless diffuser, and the return vane channel are modelled with fully 360° passages. The three-dimensional (3D) flow field is numerically simulated at VIGVs setting angles ranging from - 20° to 60°. The overall stage performance parameters are obtained by integrating the field quantities. Though the splitters are equipped in the radial inlet, the overall stage polytropic efficiency decreases by an average of 4 per cent and total pressure ratio decreases by an average of 3.3per cent in comparison with the axial stage model. This can be attributed to the effect of both flow non-uniformity induced by radial inlet and flow loss in the radial inlet at different VIGV setting angles. The flow loss in the radial inlet with splitters is the main reason of the stage performance decrease compared with the flow non-uniformity. The simulation results show that the performance of VIGVs is degraded by its inlet flow distortions resulting from a radial inlet. The results in this study can be applied to centrifugal compressor design and optimization.

Performance analysis of a centrifugal compressor with variable inlet guide vanes

The flow in a centrifugal compressor stage with variable inlet guide vanes (VIGVs) is investigated by numerical simulation in this paper. Analysis of the performance curves and relative velocity vectograms indicates that performance curves shift toward small flow domain when VIGVs turn positively, and toward large flow domain when VIGVs turn negatively. Stage efficiency drops quickly after work condition enters a small flow domain through the peak efficiency point. Under the circumstance of large setting angles of the guide vanes, there exist obvious flow separations in guide vane passages within wide flow ranges, and back flow regions can be located at the front of splitter suction surfaces under large flow conditions, while under the condition of small flow, flow separations occur on suction surfaces of long blades.

Performance characteristics of a solid oxide fuel cell/gas turbine hybrid system with various part-load control modes

The purpose of this study is to compare the part-load performance of a solid oxide fuel cell/gas turbine (SOFC/GT) hybrid system in three different control modes: fuel-only control, rotational speed control, and variable inlet guide vane (VIGV) control. While the first mode maintains a constant air supply and reduces the supplied fuel to achieve part-load operation, the other modes are distinguished by the simultaneous controls of the air and fuel supplied to the system. After the performance analysis of a SOFC/GT hybrid system under part-load operating conditions, it was concluded that the rotational speed control mode provided the best performance characteristics for part-load operations. In spite of worse performance than the rotational speed control mode, the VIGV control mode can be a good candidate for part-load operation in a large-scale hybrid system in which the rotational speed control is not applicable. It was also found that, in spite of a relatively small contribution to the total system power generation, the gas turbine plays an important role in part-load operation of a SOFC/GT hybrid system.

Performance of Gas Turbine Power Plants Controlled by the Multiagent Scheme

In recent years the idea of artificial intelligence has been focused around the concept of rational agent. An agent is an (software or hardware) entity that can receive signals from the environment and act upon that environment through output signals, trying to carry out an appropriate task. Seldom agents are considered as stand-alone systems; on the contrary, their main strength can be found in the interaction with other agents, constituting the so-called multiagent system. In the present work, a multiagent system was chosen as a control system of a single-shaft heavy-duty gas turbine in the multi input multi output mode. The shaft rotational speed (power frequency) and stack temperature (related to the overall gas turbine efficiency) represent the controlled variables; on the other hand, the fuel mass flow (VCE) and the variable inlet guide vanes (VIGV) have been chosen as manipulating variables. The results show that the multiagent approach to the control problem effectively counteracts the load reduction (including the load rejection condition) with limited overshoot in the controlled variables (as other control algorithms do) while showing a good level of adaptivity, readiness, precision, robustness, and stability.

Methodology for gas turbine performance improvement using variable-geometry compressors and turbines

Poor part-load performance is a well-known undesirable characteristic of gas turbines. Running off-design, both compressor and turbine lose performance. Flow misalignment at the various rows causes losses to increase sharply, thereby decreasing net output faster than decreasing fuel consumption. To bring the flow to alignment with the blade passages, it is required to restagger the blades both at the compressor and at the turbine. To avoid mechanical complexities, it is generally accepted to restagger only the stators. This work deals with a numerical approach to the simulation of a gas turbine equipped with variable stators at the compressor and at the turbine, enabling the search for better-performance operation. A computer program has been developed to simulate virtually any gas turbine having variable stators at the compressor stages and turbine nozzle guide vanes. Variable-inlet guide vanes (VIGVs), variable-stator vanes (VSVs), variable-nozzle guide vanes (VNGVs), variable-geometry compressors (VGCs) and variable-geometry turbines (VGTs) are the focus in this work, which analyses a one-shaft free power turbine for power generation in the search for performance improvement at part load.

Comparative Analysis of Off-Design Performance Characteristics of Single and Two-Shaft Industrial Gas Turbines

Off-design steady performance and operating characteristics of single and two shaft gas turbines for electric power generation have been investigated comparatively. A set of balance equations has been derived based on validated component models. A simultaneous calculation scheme has been employed, which is flexible to various engine configurations. Part-load performance analyses of two commercial gas turbines have been carried out to compare operating characteristics between single and two shaft engines. The predicted performance characteristics of both engines coincide soundly with the manufacturer data and also correspond with the inherent characteristics of each configuration. The adoption of the variable inlet guide vane (VIGV) modulation has been addressed in order to examine the possibility of leveling up the heat recovery capacity by maintaining a high turbine exhaust temperature (TET) when those gas turbines are used for combined cycle plants. Maintaining TET at its design value as far as the VIGV modulation allows has been simulated and it has been determined that the TET control is possible at up to 40% and 50% load in the single and two shaft engine, respectively. Combined cycle performances have also been investigated for two engine configurations in different operating modes. While the VIGV modulation produces a favorable influence over the combined cycle performance of the single-shaft configuration, the two-shaft engine does not appear to be effectively improved by the VIGV modulation since the degradation of gas turbine performance counteracts the advantage of the higher performance of the bottoming (steam turbine) cycle.

A114 円形翼列における不安定流れの可視化

The purpose of this investigation is to visualize the unsteady flow induced by variable inlet guide vane (VIGV) of a small turbine for automobiles. Instantaneous flow fields of the VIGV are visualized with PIV and phase averaging method. Experimental conditions of the flow around the VIGV depend on the existence of air bubbles. In order to remove these air bubbles, stabilizing core is installed at the center of the VIGV. Rotating cells of high velocity are moving from the pressure side to the suction side, which is synchronized with pressure fluctuation. A region with strong vorticity is also moving. When the leading and trailing vorticity is increasing, throat velocity of VIGV is increasing.

Performance prediction of an industrial centrifugal compressor inlet guide vane system

Variable inlet guide vanes (VIGVs) can significantly extend the stable operating range of industrial centrifugal compressors as a result of imparting swirl to the inlet flow. Typical setting angles range from −20° to +80°; therefore the vanes are normally made from flat plate. An undesirable consequence of the large setting angles required by the vanes is a pressure loss, leading to a decrease in the overall stage efficiency. An ideal inlet guide vane system will therefore induce large swirl angles in the inlet flow with a low associated pressure loss. Efforts have been made to determine the performance characteristics of an existing VIGV design using both an experimental test facility and numerical techniques. The results obtained from these techniques are far more comprehensive than earlier full-scale performance testing. Validation of the performance of the existing design using these techniques has led to the development of a new vane design and potential improvements to the inlet ducting geometry. The test techniques and resulting analyses of the existing design are presented here together with some analyses and predictions of the performance of the improved VIGV system design.