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Pressure gain combustors (PGCs) have demonstrated significant advantages over conventional combustors in gas turbine engines by increasing the thermal efficiency and reducing the pollution emission level. PGCs use shock waves to transfer energy which contributes to the increase in outlet total pressure. One of the major obstacles in the actual implementation of PGCs in the gas turbine cycle is the exploitation of the highly unsteady flow of the combustor outlet with the downstream turbine. Because of the higher outlet temperature from the PGCs, the turbine blade cooling becomes essential. Due to the highly fluctuating unsteady flow of PGCs, 3D CFD simulation of turbines becomes very expensive. In this work, an alternative approach of using a 1D unsteady Euler model for the turbine is proposed. One of the novel aspects of this paper is to implement the turbine blade cooling in the unsteady 1D Euler model. The main parameters required for the turbine blade cooling are the cooling air mass flow rate, temperature, and pressure. Due to the introduction of coolant flow, the blades are no longer adiabatic and the mass flow rate across the turbine is not constant. Comparing the 1D Euler results against zero-dimensional calculation and 3D CFD approach showed a very good match for both steady and unsteady simulations confirming the applicability of the 1D method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A turbine vane frame is a special type of intermediate turbine duct, and is one option to improve the efficiency and reduce the length and weight of an aero-engine. However, due to its geometry, it features a complex flow field, and therefore in-depth aerodynamic investigations are necessary. Especially for aviation, every component needs to function reliably during all operating points. To perform this study at the Institute for Thermal Turbomachinery at the Graz University of Technology, the Subsonic Test Turbine Facility for Aerodynamic, Aeroacoustic and Aeroelastic Investigations was equipped with a turbine vane frame and a low-pressure turbine located downstream. Measurements were taken with aerodynamic five-hole probes for three operating points, and were compared with steady-state and transient simulations as well as analytic solutions for the pressure drop in the TVF. Finally, the most important loss mechanisms are described. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hybrid RANS-LES is a promising method for analyzing the complex flow structure in turbomachinery due to its excellent compromise between accuracy and computational cost. However, it is challenging to employ the existing URANS and LES grid resolution evaluation approaches in a hybrid RANS-LES simulation, thus commonly the required grid resolution is unknown, increasing the risk that LES relies on overly coarse grids and leading to unreliable predictions. Hence, spurred by this deficiency and driven by the aspects of coupling grid resolution evaluation with the interest quantity during turbomachinery design and mechanism analysis, this work proposes a novel grid resolution evaluation method suitable for both LES and URANS. The suggested technique considers three grid resolution criteria: no effects on the time-averaged flow field, major unsteadiness, and minor unsteadiness. The developed method is verified employing a classic scenario, i.e. Pitz-Daily backward-facing step. Furthermore, we demonstrate our method's applicability through a T106A turbine cascade example, confirming the feasibility and reliability of the proposed scheme. When applied to hybrid RANS-LES turbomachinery simulations, the research results highlight our method's capability to reduce uncertainty and improve reliability during gridding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper researches the parametric optimization of a two-stage transonic compressor having a large air bypass at partial rotating speed according to flow analysis for a turbine-based combined cycle engine (TBCC). To obtain adequate thrust, the inlet transonic compressor of the turbofan part of the TBCC is required to have a wider frequently used corrected rotating speed range and a larger mass-flow rate at low rotating speed, which is different from a typical transonic compressor. The one-dimensional blade design parameters and flow path of the baseline two-stage transonic compressor are introduced. With the widely used CFD software Numeca, the three-dimensional flow fields of the baseline transonic compressor and effects of the flow path between Stage 1 and Stage 2 on the inlet mass flow rate are analyzed for indicating the further improvement direction. For design speed (NC = 1.0), to improve the efficiency at the design point, parametric research is carried out on Rotor 2 to optimize the shock structure and strength, resulting in enhanced efficiency at the design point due to reduced shock loss of Rotor 2. For partial speed (NC = 0.8 and 0.7), since the flow field analysis indicates that the flow blockage in S1 limits the entire mass flow rate, the parametric redesign of stator S1 aims at obtaining an increased blade throat width to enhance the flow capacity of S1. Simulation confirms the increase in the mass-flow rate and efficiency at partial speed due to the reduction in flow blockage and related viscous losses. Aerodynamic analysis at representative operation points indicates that the modifications of R2 and S1 lead to obvious aerodynamic improvement at all rotating speeds (NC = 1.0 to 0.7), while maintaining sufficient stall margin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Results from an experimental profile loss study are presented of an additive manufactured linear turbine cascade placed in the test section of a closed-loop organic vapor wind tunnel. This test facility at Muenster University of Applied Sciences allows the investigation of high subsonic and transonic organic vapor flows under ORC turbine flow conditions at elevated pressure and temperature levels. An airfoil from the open literature was chosen for the cascade, and the organic vapor was Novec 649TM. Pitot probes measured the flow field upstream and downstream of the cascade. The inflow turbulence level was 0.5%. The roughness parameters of the metal-printed blades were determined, and the first set of flow measurements was performed. Then, the blade surfaces were further finished, and the impact of roughness on profile losses was assessed in the second flow measurement set. Although the Reynolds number level was relatively high, further surface treatment reduces the profile loss noticeably in organic vapor flows through the printed cascade. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to small footprint and high efficiency, a Supercritical CO2 (S-CO2) power cycle is considered to be one of the promising next-generation power cycles. Although S-CO2 is reported as a powerful cleaning agent, the performance of a power system operating with S-CO2 will also inevitably degrade over time. Previous researchers have shown that turbomachinery deterioration could be a major subject regarding the system performance degradation. Nevertheless, no quantitative evaluation has yet been made so far. In this study, the impact of the performance degradation of the S-CO2 turbomachinery on the overall performance of the system is analyzed quantitatively. The concept of Health Parameter is used to simulate turbomachinery degradation. To quantify the impact, an S-CO2 direct-cycle small modular reactor is selected as a target system. A transient analysis platform is built using a nuclear system safety analysis code and the deep neural network (DNN)-based S-CO2 turbomachinery off-design performance model. System dynamics are evaluated for primary frequency control ability and secondary load-following capability. Results show that the control problems during the transient state can occur when the output fluctuations are large and the performance degradation is severe. It has been confirmed that even control failures of the PID controllers can occur. Therefore, the performance degradation of turbomachinery must be monitored and considered, for an operation strategy for S-CO2 systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Manufacturing techniques applied to turbomachinery components represent a challenge in the aeronautical sector. These components are commonly composed of high resistant super-alloys; in order to satisfy the extreme working conditions, they have to support during their useful life. Besides, in the particular case of Integrally Bladed Rotors (IBR), they usually present complex geometries that need to be roughed and finished by milling and grinding processes, respectively. Thermoresistant superalloys present many challenges in terms of machinability what leads to find new alternatives to conventional manufacturing processes. In order to face this issue, this work presents a review of the last advances for IBR manufacturing and repairing processes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]