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Chipping has emerged as a significant issue in semiconductor manufacturing, particularly during the dicing process. The existing conventional single-sided wafer mounting technique does not have sufficient holding capability which contributes to instability during dicing and causes higher chipping performance. The objective of the study is to develop a novel wafer mounting technique that can hold the wafer firmly during dicing and improve the chipping performance. In the experiment, chipping and vibration performance during the dicing process on novel double-sided semi and full-sandwich wafer mounting were investigated and compared with the conventional single-sided wafer mounting technique. Chipping was measured using high power scope and ImageJ software while the vibration was initiated using the NI 9234 Sound-Vibration Module and SDT1-028K Piezoelectric film. Implementing extended surface tape coverage on double-sided UV mounting tape for the full sandwich wafer mounting technique resulted in superior wafer gripping during dicing and produced the lowest topside and backside wafer chipping performance. The novel double-sided full sandwich wafer mounting technique has demonstrated higher wafer holding capability, resulting in lower vibration during dicing and improved overall chipping performance [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ultramicrogas turbines (UMGTs) for electric power generation up to 1 kW are a viable replacement technology for lithium batteries in drones due to their high energy density. Previous research has shown that small-scale effects disqualify conceptual design practices applied to larger gas turbines owing to highly coupled, nonlinear component interactions. To fill this gap, we propose an interdisciplinary conceptual design and analysis framework based on reduced order models. To this end, the current work is divided into two parts covering component design and system integration, analysis, and optimization. In Part I, automated conceptual design of all engine subcomponents is elaborated facilitating interdependent reduced order models for compressor, turbine, combustor and high-speed generator while also considering additive manufacturing constraints. In a second step, the reduced order performance models are compared to computational fluid dynamics (CFD) Reynolds-averaged-Navier-Stokes (RANS) simulations of various turbomachinery geometries as well as experimental data of combustor and high-speed generator prototypes, showing good agreement and thus validating the component modules. In conclusion, the first part of this work elaborates an automated and efficient method to conceptual design of all components required for a functional UMGT. Since the strategy is applicable independent of component arrangement and engine layout, the proposed methods offer a universal framework for small gas turbine generators. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The primary purpose of this study is the reduction of local entropy production in a contra-rotating stage. As such, the unsteady flow phenomena and the impact of radial load distribution on these phenomena and local entropy production need to be clarified. In this study, the stress-blended eddy simulation (SBES) turbulence model is utilized to capture the vortices in the flow separation zone, and the γ-Reθ transition model is employed to predict the transition phenomenon within the boundary layer. Entropy production rate models suitable for different turbulence models are constructed separately to calculate local entropy production. Vortex visualization is achieved according to the λci criterion, and the relative vorticity change rate is used to analyze the components of the tip clearance vortices. The transition phenomenon is analyzed from the perspectives of both the Euler and the Lagrange descriptions. The primary findings can be summarized as follows: the transition begins earlier and progresses more rapidly in the rear rotor. Wake propagation, occurring at double the frequency, entropy production rate within the boundary layer changes in synchrony with the wall shear stress at the same frequency. Additionally, an investigation of the tip clearance vortices concludes that the main structure of the tip clearance vortices coincides with the flow pattern of the high entropy production rate region, and the flow structure related to the high divergence area is essential for considering subsequent optimization with the aim of reducing the entropy production rate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In Part I, a companion paper of the two-part article, a subsonic turbine stage and a transonic one conditioned at the same Reynolds number, flow coefficient, loading coefficient and reaction, but two different exit Mach numbers are designed to provide a direct contrast between a high-subsonic and a transonic flow conditioning for rotor blade squealer tips. In this paper as Part II, further analyses are carried out to address the main issues of interest arising from Part I: first, to identify the driving flow physical mechanisms for the contrasting aerodynamic efficiency sensitivities of the two stages; second to seek a more suitable heat transfer objective function for the tip aerothermal design optimization, given the seemingly strong conflicts among those conventionally adopted heat transfer objective functions. Two counter-rotating tip vortical structures, the pressure side vortex (PSV) and the casing-driven cavity vortex (CCV), are shown to impact the aero-performance differently between the two stages. For the subsonic stage, the leakage flow is strongly affected by a stronger residual PSV at the squealer cavity exit. For the transonic stage however, the tip choking in limiting the over tip leakage (OTL) mass flow and favorable pressure gradient in a transonic flow over a separation bubble led to a much stronger and more persistent CCV and thus lower aero-effectiveness of squealer tip for the transonic stage. The two vortices also show major heat transfer signatures on the cavity surfaces by impingement. For the PSV, the impingement impact is mainly on the cavity floor. For the CCV, on the other hand, its impact is mainly on the inner side-wall of the suction side rim. The latter is found to be mainly responsible for the overall linear variations of the heat load with the squealer height. Again, the relative strength between PSV and CCV serves as an effective differentiator in the heat transfer performance. The stronger and more persistent CCV in the transonic stage results in a strong signature on a large portion of the suction side cavity inner sidewall, thus a much higher increment in heat transfer with the squealer height than that for the subsonic stage. In seeking to establish a more consistent heat transfer objective function for combined aerothermal design and optimization, a coolability weighted nonuniformity parameter is proposed to integrate the local heat transfer and the coolability. The proposed objective function is shown to lead to consistent Pareto fronts for the combined aerothermal performance sensitivities, particularly for the present cases with strong heat transfer nonuniformity which are particularly challenging to those conventional treatments as shown in Part I. The coolability-augmented objective function should thus serve as an enabler to help practical applications of blade tip aerothermal design optimizations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rotor blade tip has significant influence on turbine stage aerodynamics and heat transfer. Most previous efforts have been based on low-speed cascade settings. However, more recent research on transonic blade tips exhibits distinctive flow features with qualitatively different performance sensitivities. These prompt two key issues of interest on the related flow conditioning. First, the contrast between a low-speed flow and a transonic regime highlights the less studied high-subsonic flow regime, closely relevant to many realistic turbine designs. Second, the relative casing movement and upstream inflow conditions, known to have non-negligible effects, indicate the need to examine a rotor blade tip in a realistic stator-rotor stage environment, which is also lacking. To elaborate the Mach number effect in the flow regimes of practical interest, we aim to examine a high subsonic stage in a direct and consistent comparison with a transonic one. To this end, a high subsonic stage (exit Mach number of 0.7) and a transonic (exit Mach number of 1.1) are designed at the same Reynolds number with a three-dimensional parameterization and meshing system. The tip squealer height is used as a representative parameter to investigate the sensitivity of the stage aerothermal performance. The multi-objective optimization using the Kriging surrogated model is employed to identify the Pareto fronts for the stage efficiency and the heat transfer. The comparison of the optimized results between these two stages shows distinctively different trends in the performance variation with the squealer height. The efficiency of the subsonic stage increases with the squealer height reaching a plateau. In contrast, the efficiency in the transonic stage first increases and then drops to the level comparable to that of a flat tip. Significantly, the present results indicate, for the first time, that the squealer tip in a transonic stage may not be as effective as in a subsonic stage. On the other hand, for heat transfer, sensitivity variations are more complex. The overall heat load and the local nonuniformity lead to qualitatively different sensitivities with the squealer height, as well as completely incomparable Pareto fronts. These observed heat transfer sensitivities raise the question on how to effectively conduct a combined aerodynamic and heat transfer performance design optimization. The authors subsequently resort further aerothermal physics analyses described in a companion paper as Part II of the two-part article. In Part II, the physical interpretation of the contrasting aero-efficiency sensitivities for the two stages, as well as a physical understanding leveraged selection of the objective function for such combined blade tip aerothermal optimization will be presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Direct dry-cooled power plants typically operate numerous large-diameter axial flow fans in air-cooled condensers (ACCs) to facilitate the condensation of steam in the plant's thermodynamic cycle. Enhanced fan efficiency may, at scale, lead to significant parasitic power reductions and subsequent increases in plant power output. The performance of these fans may be increased by adding blade-tip modifications, which act to control blade-tip leakage flow. Previous studies have shown that manipulating the tip leakage vortex (TLV) increases the blade-to-air momentum transfer and stabilizes the air flow structures as it traverses the fan blade. This paper takes a step toward the development of improved tip vortex manipulators for an ACC fan. Three-dimensional computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations, and experimental testing of the modified and unmodified fan within an ISO test facility are performed. The results are then utilized to assess the accuracy of the simulation model, visualize the manipulated flow structures at the blade tip, and ultimately quantify the effect of the endplate designs on fan performance. Excellent correlation between numerical and test results for the unmodified fan is observed, and the benefit of blade-tip modification on fan performance is again confirmed experimentally. The simulation model, however, fails to predict improvements in fan performance under modification, and simulated tip leakage flows are investigated for clarification. It is hypothesized that deflection of tip endplates under operation account for differences between simulation and experiment, and that fluid-structure interaction analyses could potentially resolve discrepancies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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This study proposes a new global gas dynamics optimization method, which was applied to a multi-objective optimization task of centrifugal compressor performance with the aim of determining the improvement probability for achieving high efficiency across a wide operating range. Initially, the original nondominated neighbor immune algorithm (NNIA) was extended to solve constrained multi-objective optimization problems for the first time, which mainly incorporated a procedure for handling inequality and equality constraints without additional parameters. Subsequently, an adaptive topological back-propagation multilayer feed-forward artificial neural network (BP-MLFANN) was trained using the modified NNIA to quickly evaluate the fitness value of the centrifugal compressor stage performance during the optimization. The feasibility of the method was validated using the first stage of a refrigeration centrifugal compressor. The results indicated a substantial enhancement in the stage efficiency of the optimized impeller at the Near-stall, Design, and Near-choke operating points, with increasement of 1.8%, 1.9%, and 4%, respectively, as compared to the baseline stage. The flow field analysis shows that the impact loss at impeller leading edge and flow separation in the passage reduced greatly, the mixing process between the leakage flow and mainstream in the channel is significantly weakened, thus the flow field becomes more uniform after optimization. The new global gas dynamics optimization method provides a reference for the development of efficient and rapid optimization techniques for centrifugal compressor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aerodynamic instability plays an important role in compressor design and may cause performance degradation and fatigue damage. In this paper, an experimental study on the evolution of aerodynamic instability is carried out on a compressor that combines the performance benefits of an axial stage and centrifugal stage. The spatiotemporal characteristics of unsteady wall pressure were obtained using fast-responding pressure transducers over a range of operating conditions. The results show that the axial stage works on the positive slope of the performance characteristic curve from choke to stall at low-speed operating conditions, and mainly features rotating instability. Rotating stall is also observed in the impeller (IMP) and diffuser passages. At medium-speed operating conditions, the centrifugal stage suffers a high-frequency mild surge, alternating with rotating stall. With the increase in back pressure, the mild surge diminishes, and rotating stall persists. This behavior is similar to a two-regime-surge, which has been reported for centrifugal compressors. At high-speed operating conditions, the compressor directly reaches surge without other instabilities. Further analysis of the spatial pattern of the rotating stall revealed the existence of a high-pressure region near the volute tongue, resulting in obvious pressure distortion along the circumferential direction at the volute inlet. This induced the amplitude difference of stall cells in corresponding diffuser passages. The disturbance caused by stall cells propagates upstream through the blade passage, and the largest pressure disturbance induced by the stall cell propagation appears in a circumferential position 45 deg downstream of the volute tongue at the impeller inlet and the axial stage inlet. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Vibration testing of an integrally bladed rotor (IBR) is often completed through traveling wave excitation (TWE) bench tests composed of multiple, simultaneously excited inputs. Often, each blade has many output locations. For IBRs with many blades, as often found in the high pressure compressor, the total number of outputs can be several orders of magnitude. Formulation of a full output spectral density matrix from all measurements will then contain an exponential number of values at each frequency bin that can be detrimental to computational resources during the spectral density matrix formulation as well as down-stream system identification algorithms. An online algorithm is proposed for collecting and analyzing TWE data to reduce the large, computationally burdensome datasets into a manageable number of subsets for subsequent system identification. Furthermore, a frequency domain decomposition technique is also proposed for system identification that also attempts to reduce the data size through singular value decomposition. Identified system poles can be averaged from each subset, but mode shapes require stitching each subset together to identify the full mode shape at all output locations. The developed approaches are tested on synthetic TWE data and compared to baseline system identification results obtained using the full spectral density matrix. Results indicate the data subsets accurately compare to the baseline without much loss in accuracy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The structure and composition of a robotic system for adaptive superfinishing of fan and compressor blades used in gas-turbine engines are considered. Local integration of the monitoring, machining, transport, and auxiliary equipment within the system results in increased productivity, lower cost, and improved product quality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The structure and composition of a robotic system for adaptive superfinishing of fan and compressor blades for gas-turbine engines are considered. Different workpiece positions are required for different operations. Consequently, the basing elements of the blade's adaptive attachment must be removed and replaced by means of a robot manipulator. Existing adaptive attachments for use in securing blades are described. Two systems for fixing the blade's adaptive attachment by means of a robot manipulator are proposed: one is based on a clamp; the other is based on conical pins. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the cement concrete manufacturing industry, mixers are critical pieces of equipment that play an essential role. Mixers ensure, by mechanically mixing the materials that make up the concrete, the homogeneity of the mixture. Since the active elements of the mixer in the concrete industry—the mixing blades—come into permanent contact with the mineral aggregates in the mixture formed by water and cement, they are permanently subjected to a strong abrasive–erosive wear process. The authors of this article were concerned with the establishment of tribological models for studying the wear of mixing blades, in order to identify the influence of their constructive parameters on the wear intensity. A complex model (Kraghelsky–Nepomnyashchi model) was adopted for the study. The modeling results revealed that the wear intensity decreases with an increasing blade angle of attack and increases linearly with increasing speed, as well as with an increasing friction coefficient. The modeling results confirm that the wear intensity is lowest when the mixing blade is inclined at a 60° angle, while the highest value is recorded for 30°. By identifying the angle at which the greatest wear of blades occurs, interventions can be made in the design of a more durable mixer (with the optimal installation angle of the mixer blades), thus requiring fewer corrective maintenance interventions. Based on these findings, we conclude that the complex model used in the experiment can provide a convenient and efficient tool for the study of erosive–abrasive phenomena. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The method of chemical cleaning of the surface of blades of gas turbine units in a solution of orthophosphoric and sulfuric acids using a purpose-designed closed-type autoclave microwave system "Mars 5" and ultrasonic exposure in distilled water is described. The two-stage cleaning involves the chemical action of the acid solution in the autoclave and ultrasonic cleaning in the stage of washing. The effect of acid solutions of various concentrations on the degree of surface cleaning from metal oxides and microcracks in the gas turbine blades is studied. It is shown that when the samples of gas turbine blades are treated in the "Mars 5" autoclave with a solution of acids and with ultrasound in the washing stage, the residual oxygen content reflecting the presence of oxides on the surface of the samples is less than 1%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent reports indicate that the development of electricity generation using wind turbines will continue to grow. Despite the long service life of wind turbine blades, their technological life comes to an end at a certain point. Currently, there is no industrial method for recycling them, and the proposed solutions need to consider a complete and comprehensive approach to this material. In many countries, these blades are stored in special landfills and await proposals for rational recycling. It has been proposed that this recyclable yet still troublesome raw material be used in building sheathing boards. Sheathing boards used in the construction industry have a relatively long lifecycle. Three types of polymer chips and two resins, i.e., PF and MUF, were used in the study. The boards' quality was assessed per the standards specified for particle boards. The resulting boards were characterized by strengths above 20 N/mm2 and an elastic modulus close to 4000 N/mm2. Slightly better results were obtained with the MUF resin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Implicit axial flow fan models are commonly used for the numerical analysis of industrial heat exchanger systems. However, these fan models perform poorly within the often complex off-design flow environments characteristic of these systems, as their low-order formulations lose applicability under highly 3D flow conditions. At off-design flow conditions, rotation and blade solidity effects cause physical fan blade behavior to deviate from the anticipated 2D behavior characterized by the implicit models. Physical fan blade behavior at off-design flow conditions, however, remains uncertain and the specific effects of rotation and solidity are not yet widely understood. This study investigates off-design fan blade behavior by presenting explicit 3D computations of two low-pressure axial flow fans. The effects of rotation and blade solidity are then identified through a side-by-side comparison of the computed 3D fan blade data against isolated 2D airfoil data. The rotating fan blade lift characteristics are shown to be distinct from the comparative 2D airfoil trends. At low-flow (off-design) operating conditions, rotation establishes large radial flow movements, and the high blade solidities cause standing vortices to develop within the rotating blade passages. The radial outflow energizes the blades' boundary layers, and the vortices inhibit the flow from separating from the blades' surfaces. Consequently, blade stall is avoided and high lift coefficient values are realized. The presented fan blade lift characteristics are unique relative to literature on other turbomachines of lower blade solidity, highlighting the importance of considering solidity effects in implicit rotor model developments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It has been confirmed that the passive obstacles would substantially depress the leading-edge cavitation in a waterjet pump. Combined with the experiments and numerical simulations, this work revisits blade cavitation evolutions to demonstrate the stabilizing effects of obstacles on cavitation unsteadiness. The multiscale proper orthogonal decomposition (mPOD) and ensemble empirical mode decomposition (EEMD) are adopted to study the energy contributions regarding the cavitation-induced loading and thrust. The mPOD modes illuminate that the leading-edge loading oscillations of the obstacle blade are consequently eliminated where the cavitation is completely depressed and the obstacle cavitation wakes greatly contribute to loading excitation. The thrust statistics demonstrate that the thrust extremes and standard deviation in some revolutions can be well reduced as the large-scale leading-edge cavity depression. The adaptive spectra obtained by EEMD further illuminate that both the tonal and broadband components of blade thrust would be reasonably degraded to some degree. The pump with only one obstacle implementation, as an improvement strategy, is comparatively studied and indicates that single obstacle configuration presents positive effects on the leading-edge cavity depression owing to the pressure-raising effects and can reduce the un-necessary energy loss compared with two obstacles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The stabilisation capabilities of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) with bicopter underactuated swashplateless rotors are highly sensitive to motor-induced vibration. Due to the requirement of the active control of underactuated swashplateless rotors, conventional designs are limited in reducing vibration through control optimisation. A solution with customized passive spring-damping structures on a unique underactuated swashplateless rotor of a tiltrotor bicopter platform is presented. The implementation of this structure effectively reduces the self-coherent vibration in flights. As a result, a higher level of control authority has been achieved without setting excessive low-pass filtering for vibration. Experimentally obtained inertial measurement unit (IMU) data, rotor speed, rotor tilt angle, and the cyclic stator response are presented for comparison with Simulink model predictions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study focused on the expansion rate of steam; the effect on efficiency was investigated experimentally and numerically by varying the expansion rate of steam in the stage, where condensation occurs by varying the flowrate and inlet temperature using a five-stage model steam turbine. The steam expansion rate of the stator blades in each stage was evaluated from the measured wall pressure and total pressure. In addition, the turbine efficiency was evaluated from the measured torque and mass flowrate, and the effect of flowrate and condensing stage can be taken into account for losses caused by condensation. In addition, numerical calculations to account for the effects of nonequilibrium condensation were performed using ANSYS CFX. The numerical calculations were able to show the details of the nucleation situation and the resulting changes in flow patterns. Numerical evaluation of the subcooling loss showed that there was no difference in subcooling loss between different mass flow rates. The steam expansion rate was evaluated from the measurement results, and it was found that there was no difference in the steam expansion rate due to differences in mass flowrate. This corresponds to the numerical result that the subcooling loss does not vary with flowrate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cavitation in hydraulic installations is still a major concern when it comes to producing electricity. We are aware of the danger of cavitation and the damage it can cause. We have carried out a study of the behavior of the Francis de song lou lou turbines in operation, their areas of application and their various modes of degradation. The first step was to identify the nature of cavitation during operation. We used the three-dimensional Naviers Stokes equations. The pressure and velocity fields obtained are examined to observe the various fluctuations that disrupt the correct operation of the turbine, and consequently reduce production efficiency. The characteristics of the turbine at the Song Loulou hydroelectric power station in Cameroon were used. The results obtained, compared with those in the literature, are satisfactory. This modelling is an effective tool for detecting the presence of cavitation in the Francis turbine. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The next generation of ultrahigh bypass ratio civil aero-engines promises notable engine cycle benefits. However, these benefits can be significantly eroded by a possible increase in nacelle weight and drag due to the typical larger fan diameters. More compact nacelles, with shorter intakes, may be required to enable a net reduction in aero-engine fuel burn. The aim of this paper is to assess the influence of the design style of short intakes on the unsteady interaction under crosswind conditions between fan and intake, with a focus on the separation onset and characteristics of the boundary layer within the intake. Three intake designs were assessed, and a hierarchical computational fluid dynamics (CFD) approach was used to determine and quantify primary aerodynamic interactions between the fan and the intake design. Similar to previous findings for a specific intake configuration, both intake flow unsteadiness and the unsteady upstream perturbations from the fan have a detrimental effect on the separation onset for the range of intake designs. The separation of the boundary layer within the intake was shock driven for the three different design styles. The simulations also quantified the unsteady intake flows with an emphasis on the spectral characteristics and engine-order signatures of the flow distortion. Overall, this work showed that is beneficial for the intake boundary layer to delay the diffusion closer to the fan and reduce the preshock Mach number to mitigate the adverse unsteady interaction between the fan and the shock. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This work concerns the numerical modeling of geometric nonlinear vibrations of slender structures in rotation using an original reduced order model based on the use of dual modes along with the implicit condensation method. This approach is an improvement of the classical ICE method in the sense that the membrane stretching effect is taken into account in the dynamic resolution. The dynamics equations are first presented and the construction of the reduced order model (ROM) is then proposed. The second part of the paper deals with numerical applications using the finite element method, first for a three-dimensional cantilever beam, then for an Ultra-High Bypass Ratio (UHBR) fan blade subject to aerodynamic loads. In the applications considered, the proposed method predicts more accurately the geometrically nonlinear behavior than the ICE method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An unsteady Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes model on body-fitted meshes in a commercial package (SIMERICSMP+) with a mismatched grid interface is used to study fluid dynamics around a ducted wind turbine. The model is validated by studying turbulent flow past a marine propeller. The nondimensional thrust and torque coefficients are compared against experimental data and results from a large eddy simulation model. Both coefficients are found to be within 3% of experimental results. Following this validation, the impact of different tip speed ratios on the ducted wind turbine's fluid dynamics is assessed. The optimal tip speed ratio is found to be the design value of 3.93 with a maximum power coefficient of 0.465 based on the duct exit area. The corresponding thrust coefficient is found to be 1.02 based on the rotor area. Lower tip speed ratios experience larger flow separation on the duct interior. Higher tip speed ratios decrease the size of the low-velocity region behind the hub. The ducted wind turbine's performance at design conditions is compared to an open rotor. The ducted wind turbine increases the power coefficient by 96% over the open rotor. The impact of hub size on the ducted wind turbine is also studied by simulating a smaller hub with 77% diameter. At the design tip speed ratio, the smaller hub has a power coefficient of 0.417. The maximum power coefficient is found to be 0.446 at a higher tip speed ratio of 4.5. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bayesian estimation is applied to the analysis of backflow vortex instabilities in typical three- and four-bladed liquid propellant rocket engine inducers. The flow in the impeller eye is modeled as a set of equally intense and evenly spaced 2D axial vortices, located at the same radial distance from the axis and rotating at a fraction of the impeller speed. The circle theorem is used to predict the flow pressure in terms of the vortex number, intensity, rotational speed, and radial position. The theoretical spectra so obtained are frequency broadened to mimic the dispersion of the experimental results and parametrically fitted to the measured data by maximum likelihood estimation with equal and independent Gaussian errors. The method is applied to three inducers, tested in water at room temperature and different operating conditions. It successfully characterizes backflow instabilities using the signals of a single pressure transducer flush-mounted in the impeller eye, effectively bypassing the aliasing limitations and the data acquisition/reduction complexities of traditional multiple-sensor cross-correlation methods. The identification returns the estimates of the model parameters and their standard deviations, providing the information necessary for assessing the accuracy and statistical significance of the results. The flowrate is found to be the major factor affecting the backflow vortex instability, which, on the other hand, is rather insensitive to the occurrence of cavitation. The results are consistent with the data reported in the literature, as well as with those generated by the auxiliary models specifically developed for initializing the maximum likelihood searches and supporting the identification procedure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cavitation in hydraulic installations is still a major concern when it comes to producing electricity. We are aware of the danger of cavitation and the damage it can cause. We have carried out a study of the behavior of the Francis de song lou lou turbines in operation, their areas of application and their various modes of degradation. The first step was to identify the nature of cavitation during operation. We used the three-dimensional Naviers Stokes equations. The pressure and velocity fields obtained are examined to observe the various fluctuations that disrupt the correct operation of the turbine, and consequently reduce production efficiency. The characteristics of the turbine at the Song Loulou hydroelectric power station in Cameroon were used. The results obtained, compared with those in the literature, are satisfactory. This modelling is an effective tool for detecting the presence of cavitation in the Francis turbine

Modern compressor design targets require high performance and a wide operating range in order to reduce the environmental impact. To understand the fluid dynamics mechanisms that trigger instability, studying the system at the stability limit is required. In this work, a two-stage back-to-back centrifugal compressor for refrigerant applications has been simulated with computational fluid dynamics (CFD) techniques using unsteady calculations in different operating points close to surge. These models have been validated by comparing numerical performance with experimental data. An in-depth fluid dynamics analysis combined with the monitoring of several pressure signals, postprocessed with FFT, identified different flow phenomena in the two stages toward the surge limit. The key role of the volute that induces a stronger upstream counterpressure in the first stage has been highlighted. This effect causes the formation of high entropy (low momentum) rotating cells in the diffuser that involve a higher channel portion with respect to the flow structure in the second diffuser. This phenomenon affects the upstream flow conditions at the impeller. In addition, the interaction between the inlet guide vane (IGV) and the inducer has been analyzed, observing that in the second stage, due to the flow nonuniformity after the intermediate compressor pipe, non-negligible separations occur. Starting from the peaks detected in the FFT analysis of the pressure signals, all the above flow mechanisms have been detected and discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The analysis of the structural dynamics of multistage cyclic structures as linked components is required to model the interstage coupling. In turbomachinery, this can result in a collaboration between different compressor or turbine stages. This paper investigates the coupling between two rear drum blade integrated disk stages of an axial compressor to support the mechanical design process. Considering the vibration modeshapes of a multistage system, different components may coparticipate in the dynamics. For this reason, criteria to identify the modes affected by the coupling and to quantify this coupling are defined. This allows to distinguish between modes with interstage coupling, requiring the multistage system for their description, and uncoupled modes, involving a single stage. In addition, it is of interest to research methods to reduce the impact of the coupling on the vibrating system without drastically altering the geometry of the components. The vibration analyses of a two-stage compressor generalized geometry, representative of a compressor rear drum blisk, are presented as a study case. The use of a reducing method allows to describe the behavior of the nominal multistage system with a computationally efficient technique, enabling a parametric analysis of the stages' coupling. The investigation considers the effect of a set of geometrical and mechanical parameters on the dynamics, identifying the driving parameters of the coupled vibration characteristics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Low-speed axial fans must comply with a wide number of standards and normative restrictions, often related to the maximum noise emission levels. Among the noise control techniques in axial fans, skewed fan blades and leading edge serrations have been found to be effective in leading edge noise control, which represents one of the dominant phenomena in axial fan broadband emissions. However, these solutions are usually applied separately, and literature is scarce on systematic studies on the coupling of the two modifications. In this work, a campaign of experimental measurements was conducted on unskewed and forward-skewed axial fan blades with and without leading-edge serrations. The tests were performed in undisturbed inflow conditions. The flow field and the turbulence characteristics were measured using three-dimensional hot-wire anemometry. The suction-side sound radiation of the fans was measured with microphones in an anechoic chamber. In addition, the rotating beamforming method was used to localize the sound sources at the axial fans. It was found that, regardless of the blade skew, the leading edge serrations lead to a reduction of the sound pressure level, whereby the aerodynamic properties of the fan decrease. At the same operating points, which were achieved by adjusting the rotational speed, the sound radiation through the leading edge serrations could be reduced at high-volume flows. This effect was more pronounced with the unskewed rotor, which indicates that the positive effect of the serrations is reduced by the already optimized shape of the forward skewed fan blade. Based on the experimental results, the four geometries were further considered for numerical investigations to understand how the serrations affect the fan operations and the overall aerodynamics of the rotor. All four geometries were simulated with RANS approach at the duty point to derive a flow survey and better understand the dynamics driven by serrations and blade skewing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The object of research is a wind generator with counter-rotating blades. A special feature of this design is the presence of two wind wheels that rotate in opposite directions. Wind wheels are on the same axis, between them there is a certain distance, which is determined based on research data. The problem of modern wind power is the low range of operating wind speeds, weak generation at low wind speeds. The upper speed limit is 25 m/s, exceeding which leads to breakdowns of various units of the wind station, especially this affects the integrity of the blades, rupture of the wind wheel, cracking of the metal parts of the bearings and their fasteners. The wind turbine presented in the article allows to achieve an increase in the generation of electric energy by 50–70 %. This is achieved by increasing the relative rotational speed of the rotor relative to the stator. Therefore, even at low speeds, the rotor speed relative to the stator increases, which leads to an increase in power generation. The design of the device includes: two wind wheels, one transmits its rotation to the stator, the second to the rotor axis, a metal base, a current collector mechanism. For conducting the research, an experimental model and a semi-industrial installation were used. Results studies have confirmed the theoretical increase in the generation of electrical energy by this design. The peculiarity of the obtained results is connected with the determination of the distance between two wind wheels, the optimal distance between them corresponds to the maximum energy generation. A distinctive feature of the results obtained can be considered an increase in the number of blades on the second wind wheel. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rowing performance depends on the design and building materials used for competition. Recently, attempting to improve rowing performance, the Randall foil has been attached to the top edge of a rowing Big blade, making it spoon shaped. The current study aimed to analyse the differences between Big blades with and without Randall foils in force-related variables. Nineteen rowers performed two bouts of 90 s at maximal effort tethered rowing and differences were found in cycle average peak force (4.33 ± 1.46 vs. 5.26 ± 1.57 N/kg), propulsive cycle average time (1.79 ± 0.38 vs. 1.52 ± 0.24 N/kg.s) and rate of force development (8.79 ± 4.75 vs. 12.07 ± 4.60 N/kg/s) for Big blades with and without foils (respectively). Differences were also observed between the middle (4.79 ± 1.21 vs. 4.08 ± 1.48 N/kg) and final phases (4.86 ± 1.45 vs. 4.04 ± 1.47 N/kg) of the rowing effort for the cycle average peak force of Big blades with and without Randall foils. Data suggest a positive effect of these foils on the force–time curve profile. Future studies should focus on testing its influence on free on-water rowing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ceramic matrix composites (CMCs) offer great potential for developing lighter and more efficient aero-engines. Due to their high-temperature capability, CMCs are mainly used in the hot gas section in order to replace cooled metallic components and thus save cooling air. Especially CMC vanes for high-pressure turbines (HPTs) have been researched and tested in the past. A realistic design approach for cooled CMC vanes is the so-called shell and spar concept. The application of such vanes in HPTs as inlet guide vanes (IGVs) at constant rotor inlet temperature (T41) enables performance and emissions benefits which are assessed by means of a reference engine in this paper. Compared to metallic IGVs, more temperature-resistant CMC IGVs require significantly less cooling air and generate lower cooling losses. A quantitative comparison will be presented. Consequently, the redesign of the reference engine to the setting of a hybrid HPT leads to a reduction in thrust specific fuel consumption (TSFC) by 0.23% at cruise conditions. Additionally, there is potential to extract the IGV cooling air at a lower pressure level, increasing the cruise TSFC gain to 0.41%. In the course of the redesign process, the turbine inlet temperature (T4) is reduced by 50 K in order to reach the same T41 with a lower IGV coolant mass flow. Regarding emissions, this leads to a decreased production of nitrogen oxides (NOx). Hence, several NOx emissions parameters can be reduced by more than 4%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study is based on time-series data taken from the combined cycle heavy-duty utility gas turbines. For analysis, first a multistage vector autoregressive model is constructed for the nominal operation of the powerplant assuming sparsity in the association among variables and this is used as a basis for anomaly detection and prediction. This prediction is compared with the time-series data of the plant-operation containing anomalies. The comparative advantage based on prediction accuracy and applicability of the algorithms is discussed for the postprocessing. Next, the long-memory behavior of residuals is modeled, and heterogeneous variances are observed from the residuals of the generalized additive model. Autoregressive fractionally integrated moving average (ARFIMA) and generalized autoregressive conditional heteroskedasticity (GARCH) models are employed to fit the residual process, which significantly improve the prediction. Rolling one-step-ahead forecast is studied. Numerical experiments of abrupt changes and trend in the blade-path temperature are performed to evaluate the specificity and sensitivity of the prediction. The prediction is sensitive given reasonable signal-to-noise ratio and has lower false positive rate. The control chart is able to detect the simulated abrupt jump quickly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Handmade paper has been around for centuries. In Asia, Europe, and other parts of the world, the means of creating handmade paper depend largely on traditional equipment and other industrial machines. In Ghana, the means of creating handmade paper is through a tedious process of hand beating the bast fiber of the Kyenkyen tree. This resulted in the production of a proto-paper known as the bark cloth. This traditional method has almost become extinct with the influx of imported industrial papers. Therefore the purpose of this study was to seek a solution to this problem through the possible design and fabrication of a paper pulp-making machine daubed the Ada Beater. Thus getting vital tools for making art, print, and papermaking. The paper explored practice-based research methodology to fabricate a papermaking machine known as the Ada Beater. The results showed that the machine can be fabricated and made to produce improved papers of archival quality derived from various plant sources in Ghana. It is recommended that this homegrown know-how should be made available to artists and art teachers for the teaching and use of handmade paper for artistic purposes.

The application of reliability centered maintenance onrepairable equipment requires that the reliability calculation should not to be based on failure statistics, as in traditional methods, but rather on its condition. The "load vs resistance" method presumesthe comparison of process parameters with carefully selected mechanical properties of the materials. The author proposes the calculation based on parameters monitored for diagnosis purposes. Specifically, he analyzes the erosion of steam turbine bladessubject tothe action of solid particle from the superheaters, which, under certain conditions, grow to critical thicknesses and due to stress actions caused by thermal changes, fracture and detach, acquiring such energy that then impacts the surface of the blades causing theirerosion. These phenomena are analyzed and equations are established in relation withthe mechanical properties of the blade metal, with the energy requird by oxide flakes to cause their erosion. An expression has been obtained, allowing for the application of the method, whichd has not been found in analyzed research works.

A study of materials for wind turbine blades with nanotechnology—from the energy point of view—is an essential topic because resources and fossil fuels are running out. Human beings need to create alternative energies, including wind energy. This research aims to improve the mechanical properties of epoxy resin wind turbine blades by incorporating nanocelluloses obtained from pineapple residues. To determine the quality of the nanobiocomposites, materials with different epoxy resin–nanocellulose ratios were prepared. The mechanical properties of tension, compression, and bending were evaluated, and hardness tests of the material were conducted. The results indicated a general improvement in all the mechanical properties considered over the material without the nanocellulose. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hydraulic turbines are operated more frequently at no-load conditions, also known as speed-no-load (SNL), to provide a spinning reserve that can rapidly connect to the electrical grid. As intermittent energy sources gain popularity, turbines will be required to provide spinning reserves more frequently. Previous studies show vortical flow structures in the vaneless space and the draft tube and rotating stall between the runner blades of certain axial turbines operating at SNL conditions. These flow phenomena are associated with pressure pulsations and torque fluctuations which put high stress on the turbine. The origin of the instabilities is not fully understood and not extensively studied. Moreover, mitigation techniques for SNL must be designed and explored to ensure the safe operation of the turbines at off-design conditions. This study presents a mitigation technique with independent control of each guide vane. The idea is to open some of the guide vanes to the best efficiency point (BEP) angle while keeping the remaining ones closed, aiming to reduce the swirl and thus avoid the instability to develop. The restriction is to have zero net torque on the shaft. Results show that the flow structures in the vaneless space can be broken down, which decreases pressure and velocity fluctuations. Furthermore, the rotating stall between the runner blades is reduced. The time-averaged flow upstream of the runner is changed while the flow below the runner remains mainly unchanged. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the introduction of an ever-larger share of renewable but intermittent energy sources on electrical grids, hydraulic turbines are more often used as network stabilizers. In such a role, they are generally operated in off-design operations like speed-no-load (SNL). No energy is extracted from the flow at SNL operation, but the runner rotates at the synchronous speed linked to the electrical grid. The flow inside the runner of low-head turbines operating at SNL is often dominated by a columnar vortex array that may induce damaging pressure fluctuations. This paper presents the study of a control device to mitigate those vortices. At SNL, the small guide vane opening leads to a high swirl in the runner generating secondary flows such as columnar vortices and backflows. The proposed concept is to move SNL operation toward a higher guide vane opening and hence lower swirl, preventing the formation of a columnar vortex array. Lowering the input swirl of SNL is accomplished by opening up the guide vanes while using a control device to limit the discharge. The control device, like a spoiler on an aircraft wing, is introduced on the guide vanes to generate added head losses, significantly decreasing the discharge in high guide vane angles. This paper compares the hydrodynamics of the flow in a propeller turbine with different spoiler geometries. The study is based on both Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) and unsteady RANS (URANS) flow simulations. It highlights how such devices can successfully mitigate columnar vortices and their associated pressure fluctuations on runner blades. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article reviews the critical role of material selection and design in ensuring efficient performance and safe operation of gas turbine engines fuelled by ammonia–hydrogen. As these energy fuels present unique combustion characteristics in turbine combustors, the identification of suitable materials becomes imperative. Detailed material characterisation is indispensable for discerning defects and degradation routes in turbine components, thereby illuminating avenues for improvement. With elevated turbine inlet temperatures, there is an augmented susceptibility to thermal degradation and mechanical shortcomings, especially in the high-pressure turbine blade—a critical life-determining component. This review highlights challenges in turbine design for ammonia–hydrogen fuels, addressing concerns like ammonia corrosion, hydrogen embrittlement, and stress corrosion cracking. To ensure engine safety and efficacy, this article advocates for leveraging advanced analytical techniques in both material development and risk evaluation, emphasising the interplay among technological progress, equipment specifications, operational criteria, and analysis methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article discusses the construction of a dynamic model for controlling the position of the blades of a vertical-axis wind generator using an automatic approach; a method is presented that relates the rotation of the motor to the position of the blades, which allows the optimization of the operation of the control system. In the research process, an automatic approach is used, which makes it possible to carry out numerical calculations that predict the behavior of the system at various values of motor rotation. The model allows us to analyze the dependence of the position of the blades on the rotation of the motor and determine the optimal parameters of the mathematical control model. The main goal of our study is to develop a mathematical model of the mechanism for further adjustment of the wind turbine blade position control system depending on the wind speed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The blades of some airborne equipment are prone to icing under supercooled cloud conditions. In this paper, we propose an anti-deicing spray method to prevent blades from icing at low temperatures. Using computational fluid dynamics modeling and orthogonal experimental methods, we investigated the effects of the blade angle of attack, inlet wind speed, and nozzle mass flow rate on the thickness and coverage of the liquid layer of spray material and examined the use of deflectors in this study. We found the magnitude and change rule of the influence of the previously mentioned parameters on the liquid film thickness and coverage of sprayed material to be the nozzle mass flow rate is greater than the blade angle of attack and greater than the inlet wind speed. Under the optimal combination of conditions of α = 30°, u0 = 6 m/s, and Q = 0.003 kg/s, the liquid film thickness was maximized, and the liquid film thickness was 0.037 mm; under the optimal combination of conditions of α = 60°, u0 = 6 m/s, and Q = 0.003 kg/s, the liquid film coverage was maximized, and the liquid film coverage was 99.81%. The anti-deicer spraying method proposed herein for use on blades is effective when considered from a number of perspectives. It provides an innovative and feasible solution to the wind turbine blade freezing problem. However, the method must be explored and modified to maximize its chances of general application, and other factors must also be considered to fully optimize the sprinkler de-icing technique to improve the performance and reliability of blades. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the cement concrete manufacturing industry, mixers are critical pieces of equipment that play an essential role. Mixers ensure, by mechanically mixing the materials that make up the concrete, the homogeneity of the mixture. Since the active elements of the mixer in the concrete industry—the mixing blades—come into permanent contact with the mineral aggregates in the mixture formed by water and cement, they are permanently subjected to a strong abrasive–erosive wear process. The authors of this article were concerned with the establishment of tribological models for studying the wear of mixing blades, in order to identify the influence of their constructive parameters on the wear intensity. A complex model (Kraghelsky–Nepomnyashchi model) was adopted for the study. The modeling results revealed that the wear intensity decreases with an increasing blade angle of attack and increases linearly with increasing speed, as well as with an increasing friction coefficient. The modeling results confirm that the wear intensity is lowest when the mixing blade is inclined at a 60° angle, while the highest value is recorded for 30°. By identifying the angle at which the greatest wear of blades occurs, interventions can be made in the design of a more durable mixer (with the optimal installation angle of the mixer blades), thus requiring fewer corrective maintenance interventions. Based on these findings, we conclude that the complex model used in the experiment can provide a convenient and efficient tool for the study of erosive–abrasive phenomena.

The stabilisation capabilities of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) with bicopter underactuated swashplateless rotors are highly sensitive to motor-induced vibration. Due to the requirement of the active control of underactuated swashplateless rotors, conventional designs are limited in reducing vibration through control optimisation. A solution with customized passive spring-damping structures on a unique underactuated swashplateless rotor of a tiltrotor bicopter platform is presented. The implementation of this structure effectively reduces the self-coherent vibration in flights. As a result, a higher level of control authority has been achieved without setting excessive low-pass filtering for vibration. Experimentally obtained inertial measurement unit (IMU) data, rotor speed, rotor tilt angle, and the cyclic stator response are presented for comparison with Simulink model predictions.