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Turbine Performance and Flow Research Laboratory Heading

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RESEARCH AREAS

bullet image Unsteady Turbine Cascade Aerodynamic Research and Heat Transfer
bullet image Unsteady Boundary Layer Transition Research and Heat Transfer
bullet image Unsteady Boundary Layer Transition Modeling
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Turbine Engine Performance, Aerodynamcis, and Heat Transfer
bullet image Dynamic Simulation of Gas Turbine and Jet Engines

Research Facilities
 
TPFL has several modularly structured and multi-purpose research facilities for investigating aerodynamic and heat transfer relative to turbomachinery performance and flow physics. These are:
 
1. Three-stage research turbine for interstage aerodynamics, individual loss measurements, code validation
 
The overall layout of the test facility and the major components of the research turbine facility at TPFL as well as the composite picture of the entire facility are shown in Figs. 1, 2, and 3. The versatile design of the turbine enables investigating different turbine types and blades. Figures 4 and 5 shows two different type of blades investigated recently. Figure 4 shows a rotor with 3D-shrouded blades for a HP-turbine. On this rotor, detailed efficiency, performance, and flow research test were conducted. However, Fig. 5 exhibits, a set of fully cylindrical HP-blading with shrouds. Comprehensive efficiency, performance and flow field measurements were performed on both rotors and the results were compare with each others. The versatile turbine design allows clocking the stator rings individually and externally without opening the turbine. The clocking system is shown in Fig. 6. As the figure shows, each stator ring is connected with a pneumatic power cylinder that allows a continuous clocking of the stator ring
 
1. Three-Stage Turbine Engine Research Facility
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Figure 1 image



Fig. 1: The research turbine facility with its components, the circumferential traversing system (9) is
driven by another traversing system sitting on a frame and is perpendicular to this plane.


Three-Stage Turbine Research Turbine Facility
TPFL, Turbomachinery Performance and Flow Research Laboratory
Prof. Dr.-Ing. M.T.Schobeiri

Three-Stage Turbin Research Turbine Facility


Fig. 2. Composite picture of the research turbine facility in operation. Visible are: PSI-scanners, traversing controller (red), pneumatic clocking system, combined total temperature, total pressure rakes (top, in two protecting tubes), radial and circumferential traversing system (on top of the frame), Prof. Schobeiri and his Ph.D. students E. Johansen (middle) and Mr. P. Chakka (left).


Rotor unit and Clocking System

rotor unit
Clocking

Fig. 3: Front view of the turbine rotor with 3D-bowed, hydraulic clocking system

INTER-STAGE TRAVERSING
 

Circumferential and radial traversing occurs fully automatically by implementing a schedule file into the data acquisition system (DAS). Figure 5 shows the schematic of the traversing kinematics.

 

Figure 4a
Figure 4b

Fig 4. : Interstage traverse and prescribed kinematic schedule for traversing system. NC = umber of
points in circumferential direction, NR = Number of points in radial direction.

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Figure 5: Total pressure contours at station 4 for a rotor with 3D-bowed blades (left) and a rotor with 2D blades (right) at the same rpm. Note
the reduction of the secondary flow losses for the lade compared to the 2D-one. Operating conditions: (1) Inlet conditions the same ,
(2) Staor clocking position is the same for both cases.

 

2. Unsteady Turbine Cascade Research Facility
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Fig. 6: The facility consists of a large centrifugal fan, a large silence chamber, an inlet nozzle, unsteady test section with rods attached to two parallel translating belts to generate periodic unsteady flow. The test section incorporates 5 LPT-blades, one instrumented with 176 surface mounted hot film probes, one with static pressure tabs and two additional blades to maintain periodicity. The test section bed can move up- and downward for height adjustment. Two-dimensional periodic unsteady wake flow is simulated by the translational motion of the wake generator shown in Fig. 6. A series of cylindrical rods are attached to two parallel operating timing belts driven by an electric motor. The belts of length 5000 mm span over five shaft-pulleys arranged around
the cascade test section. The drive pulley also controls the belt tension. The use of cylinder to simulate rotor blade wake is appropriate, as shown in several studies, since the turbulence characteristics of cylinder wake flows, in terms of Reynolds stress components, are similar to those of rotor blade wakes. To simulate the wake width and spacing that stem from the trailing edge of rotor blades, the diameter and number of rods can be varied. The rod spacing can be changed by attaching or detaching the rods to or from the belts.

3. Unsteady Boundary Layer and Heat Transfer Research Facility
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Figure 7 image

Fig. 7: 1)Plexiglass side wall, 2) Concave wall, 3) Curved plate instrumented with static pressure taps for static pressure measurements and surface liquid crystal for heat transfer measurements, 4) Hotwire probes, 5) Guidance for bottom traversing system, 6) Top and bottom traversing systems, 7) Wake generator units, 8) Gear, 9) Electric motor to drive the wake generator, 10, 11) Vernier for angular and longitudinal adjustment of the curved plate.

RESEARCH CAPABILITIES
 
1. Turbine Efficiency, Performance, and Flow Research Relative to Gas Turbine , Steam Turbine Blades:
 
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 Development of new generation of high efficiency turbine blades. This task includes:
 

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 Secondary flow, tip leakage aerodynamics and heat transfer.
     Stator hub and rotor tip secondary flow and heat transfer
     Efficiency and interstage flow measurement
 
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 Total to static, total to total efficiency test of new turbine blades
 
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 Efficiency, performance, and flow measurement of blades with particular surface roughness
 

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 Clocking, its effect on efficiency and turbine flow field
     Partial admission efficiency and performance measurements
     Interstage flow measurements
     Rotor-stator interaction for code validation
     Surface shear stress measurement on stationary blades with hot films
 
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 Cooled Gas Turbine Blades: Heat Transfer, Aerodynamics, Performance using PSP and TSP-Technology
     Stator blade heat transfer measurement
     Staror film cooled aerodynamic measurements
     Rotor film cooled aerodynamic measurements
     Stator ring, shroud heat transfer measurements
     Rotor cylinder heat transfer measurements
     Rotor-stator interaction, by applying hot film on stator and rotor blades.
     Total to static, total to total efficiency test of new cooled turbine blades
 

2.  Turbine and Compressor Cascade Aerodynamics and Heat Transfer
     Experimental study of the wake effect on unsteady boundary layer flow and heat transfer of low pressure turbine (LPT)      blade
     Experimental study of the wake effect on unsteady boundary layer flow and heat transfer of high pressure turbine      (HPT)blade

3.  Gas turbine Engine Nonlinear Dynamic Simulation Capabilities
     Code: G E T R A N© : a Generic Modular Structured Non-Linear Computer Code for the Simulation of Dynamic      Behavior of Single- and Multi-
     Spool High Pressure Core Engines, Turbofan Engines and Power Generation Gas Turbine Engines


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