Browsing by Subject "Gas turbine"
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Item CFD predictions of heat transfer coefficient augmentation on a simulated film cooled turbine blade leading edge(2011-05) Beirnaert-Chartrel, Gwennaël; Bogard, David G.; Moser, Robert D.Computations were run to study heat transfer coefficient augmentation with film cooling for a simulated gas turbine blade leading edge. The realizable k-[epsilon] turbulence model (RKE) and Shear Stress Transport k-[omega] turbulence model (SST) were used for the computational simulations. RKE computations completed at a unity density ratio were confirmed to be consistent with experimental measurements conducted by Yuki et al.(1998) and Johnston et al. (1999) whereas SST computations exhibited significant discrepancies. Moreover the effect of the density ratio on heat transfer coefficient augmentation was studied because experimental measurements of heat transfer coefficient augmentation with film cooling are generally constrained to unity density ratio tests. It was shown that heat transfer coefficient augmentation can be simulated using unity density ratio jets, but only when scaled with the momentum flux ratio of the coolant jets.Item Conjugate heat transfer effects on gas turbine film cooling : including thermal fields, thermal barrier coating, and contaminant deposition(2014-05) Stewart, William Robb; Bogard, David G.The efficiency of natural gas turbines is directly linked to the turbine inlet temperature, or the combustor exit temperature. Further increasing the turbine inlet temperature damages the turbine components and limits their durability. Advances in turbine vane cooling schemes protect the turbine components. This thesis studies the conjugate effects of internal cooling, film cooling and thermal barrier coatings (TBC) on turbine vane metal temperatures. Two-dimensional thermal profiles were experimentally measured downstream of a single row of film cooling holes on both an adiabatic and a matched Biot number model turbine vane. The measurements were taken as a comparison to computational simulations of the same model and flow conditions. To improve computational models of the evolution of a film cooling jet as it propagates downstream, the thermal field above the vane, not just the footprint on the vane surface must be analyzed. This study expands these data to include 2-D thermal fields above the vane at 0, 5 and 10 hole diameters downstream of the film cooling holes. In each case the computational jets remained colder than the experimental jets because they did not disperse into the mainstream as quickly. Finally, in comparing results above adiabatic and matched Biot number models, these thermal field measurements allow for an accurate analysis of whether or not the adiabatic wall temperature was a reasonable estimate of the driving temperature for heat transfer. In some cases the adiabatic wall temperature did give a good indication of the driving temperature for heat transfer while in other cases it did not. Previous tests simulating the effects of TBC on an internally and film cooled model turbine vane showed that the insulating effects of TBC dominate over variations in film cooling geometry and blowing ratio. In this study overall and external effectiveness were measured using a matched Biot number model vane simulating a TBC of thickness 0.6d, where d is the film cooing hole diameter. This new model was a 35% reduction in thermal resistance from previous tests. Overall effectiveness measurements were taken for an internal cooling only configuration, as well as for three rows of showerhead holes with a single row of holes on the pressure side of the vane. This pressure side row of holes was tested both as round holes and as round holes embedded in a realistic trench with a depth of 0.6 hole diameters. Even in the case of this thinner TBC, the insulating effects dominate over film cooling. In addition, using measurements of the convective heat transfer coefficient above the vane surface, and the thermal conductivities of the vane wall and simulated TBC material, a prediction technique of the overall effectiveness with TBC was evaluated.Item Development of novel tapered pin fin geometries for additive manufacturing of compact heat exchangers(2016-08) Cohen, Julien Harry; Bourell, David Lee; Beaman, Joseph JPin fin arrays are widely used to enhance forced convection heat transfer across various industries, finding application in turbine blade trailing edges, electronics cooling, and broadly for compact heat exchange. Fin shape greatly affects flow separation and turbulence generation, and optimizing performance relies on a balance between increased heat transfer and increased pressure loss along the array. Straight circular pin fins are well-characterized in the literature, and recent works have proven more complex elliptical and teardrop cross-sectional shapes to exhibit performance enhancements in both parameters. There exist few studies in the public record on tapered circular pin fins, but these have also proven to exhibit performance enhancements. To date, no example of research has been identified for tapered, complex pin fin geometries, and although these represent an avenue for overall performance gains, manufacturing the intricate components is difficult and time-consuming using conventional machining processes. The unique and nascent capabilities of additive manufacturing now allow their economical fabrication in an increasing number of fully-dense engineering materials. This thesis compares 21 fin arrays of varying fin cross-section, taper angle, taper profile, and array pattern, separated into eight geometry families. Experimental testing was carried out on a prototype open-loop wind tunnel and corroborated with computational fluid dynamics simulations. Non-dimensional metrics were defined and used to holistically compare heat transfer efficiency, pressure loss characteristics, and overall balanced performance between fin arrays. Topics for future work and potential methods of investigation are suggested.Item Experimental investigation of film cooling and thermal barrier coatings on a gas turbine vane with conjugate heat transfer effects(2013-05) Kistenmacher, David Alan; Bogard, David G.In the United States, natural gas turbine generators account for approximately 7% of the total primary energy consumed. A one percent increase in gas turbine efficiency could result in savings of approximately 30 million dollars for operators and, subsequently, electricity end-users. The efficiency of a gas turbine engine is tied directly to the temperature at which the products of combustion enter the first stage, high-pressure turbine. The maximum operating temperature of the turbine components’ materials is the major limiting factor in increasing the turbine inlet temperature. In fact, current turbine inlet temperatures regularly exceed the melting temperature of the turbine vanes through advanced vane cooling techniques. These cooling techniques include vane surface film cooling, internal vane cooling, and the addition of a thermal barrier coating (TBC) to the exterior of the turbine vane. Typically, the performance of vane cooling techniques is evaluated using the adiabatic film effectiveness. However, the adiabatic film effectiveness, by definition, does not consider conjugate heat transfer effects. In order to evaluate the performance of internal vane cooling and a TBC it is necessary to consider conjugate heat transfer effects. The goal of this study was to provide insight into the conjugate heat transfer behavior of actual turbine vanes and various vane cooling techniques through experimental and analytical modeling in the pursuit of higher turbine inlet temperatures resulting in higher overall turbine efficiencies. The primary focus of this study was to experimentally characterize the combined effects of a TBC and film cooling. Vane model experiments were performed using a 10x scaled first stage inlet guide vane model that was designed using the Matched Biot Method to properly scale both the geometrical and thermal properties of an actual turbine vane. Two different TBC thicknesses were evaluated in this study. Along with the TBCs, six different film cooling configurations were evaluated which included pressure side round holes with a showerhead, round holes only, craters, a novel trench design called the modified trench, an ideal trench, and a realistic trench that takes manufacturing abilities into account. These film cooling geometries were created within the TBC layer. Each of the vane configurations was evaluated by monitoring a variety of temperatures, including the temperature of the exterior vane wall and the exterior surface of the TBC. This study found that the presence of a TBC decreased the sensitivity of the thermal barrier coating and vane wall interface temperature to changes in film coolant flow rates and changes in film cooling geometry. Therefore, research into improved film cooling geometries may not be valuable when a TBC is incorporated. This study also developed an analytical model which was used to predict the performance of the TBCs as a design tool. The analytical prediction model provided reasonable agreement with experimental data when using baseline data from an experiment with another TBC. However, the analytical prediction model performed poorly when predicting a TBC’s performance using baseline data collected from an experiment without a TBC.Item Experimental measurement of overall effectiveness and internal coolant temperatures for a film cooled gas turbine airfoil with internal impingement cooling(2012-12) Williams, Randall Paul; Bogard, David G.; Berberoglu, HalilA scaled-up gas turbine vane model was constructed in such a way to achieve a Biot number (Bi) representative of an actual engine component, and experiments were performed to collect temperature data which may be used to validate computational fluid dynamics (CFD) codes used in the design of gas turbine cooling schemes. The physical model incorporated an internal impingement plate to provide cooling on the inner wall surface, and film cooling over the external surface was provided by a single row of holes located on the suction side of the vane. A single row of holes was chosen to simplify the operating condition and test geometry for the purpose of evaluating CFD predictions. Thermocouples were used to measure internal gas temperatures and internal surface temperatures over a range of coolant flow rates, while infra-red thermography was used to measure external surface temperatures. When Bi is matched to an actual engine component, these measured temperatures may be normalized relative to the coolant temperature and mainstream gas temperature to determine the overall cooling effectiveness, which will be representative of the real engine component. Measurements were made to evaluate the overall effectiveness resulting from internal impingement cooling alone, and then with both internal impingement cooling and external film cooling as the coolant flow rate was increased. As expected, with internal impingement cooling alone, both internal and external wall surfaces became colder as the coolant flow rate was increased. The addition of film cooling further increased the overall effectiveness, particularly at the lower and intermediate flow rates tested, but provided little benefit at the highest flow rates. An optimal jet momentum flux ratio of I=1.69 resulted in a peak overall effectiveness, although the film effectiveness was shown to be low under these conditions. The effect of increasing the coolant-to-mainstream density ratio was evaluated at one coolant flow rate and resulted in higher values of overall cooling effectiveness and normalized internal temperatures, throughout the model. Finally, a 1-dimensional heat transfer analysis was performed (using a resistance analogy) in which overall effectiveness with film cooling was predicted from measurements of film effectiveness and overall effectiveness without film cooling. This analysis tended to over-predict overall effectiveness, at the lowest values of the jet momentum flux ratio, while under-predicting it at the highest values.Item Experimental measurements of conjugate heat transfer on a scaled-up gas turbine airfoil with realistic cooling configuration(2010-05) Dees, Jason Edward; Bogard, David G.; Clemens, Noel T.; da Silva, Alexandre K.; Ezekoye, Ofodike A.; Moser, Robert D.This study performed detailed measurements on and around scaled up conducting and adiabatic airfoils with and without film cooling. The conducting vane was a matched Bi airfoil, which accurately scaled the convective heat transfer and conduction through the solid, in order to produce non-dimensional surface temperatures and thermal boundary layers that were representative of an actual engine. Measurements made on all vane models included surface temperature measurements and thermal profiles above the walls. Separate measurements on non-film cooled and film cooled conducting models allowed for the individual contributions of the internal convective cooling and external film cooling to the overall cooling scheme to be quantified. Surface temperature and thermal field measurements above the wall were also performed on a film cooled adiabatic model. For the conducting model with internal cooling only, strong streamwise temperature variations were seen. The surface temperature variations were highly dependent on the local external and internal heat transfer coefficients. Spanwise temperature variations also existed, but were modest in comparison to streamwise variations. Comparing the thermal fields above the film cooled adiabatic and conducting walls allowed for the assumption that the conducting wall would not significantly affect the thermal field in the film cooling jet to be tested. Near the edge of the film cooling jet the developing thermal boundary layer had a clear effect on the overlying gas temperature, suggesting that the common assumption that the adiabatic wall temperature is the appropriate driving temperature for heat transfer to a film cooled wall was invalid. On the jet centerline thermal boundary layer effects were less influential, due to the development of a new, thin boundary layer. This suggested that the adiabatic wall temperature as driving temperature for heat transfer was a reasonable assumption on the jet centerline for most cases tested. As film cooling momentum flux ratio increase, thermal boundary layer effects became more influential on the jet centerline. Additionally, the high resolution surface temperature measurements and thermal field measurements above the wall presented in the current study represent a significant improvement in the data available for validation of computational simulations of conducting turbine airfoils.Item Hybrid powertrain performance analysis for naval and commercial ocean-going vessels(2012-08) Gully, Benjamin Houston; Seepersad, Carolyn C.; Webber, Michael E., 1971-; Hebner, Robert E.; Kiehne, Thomas M.; Chen, DongmeiThe need for a reduced dependence on fossil fuels is motivated by a wide range of factors: from increasing fuel costs, to national security implications of supply, to rising concern for environmental impact. Although much focus is given to terrestrial systems, over 90% of the world's freight is transported by ship. Likewise, naval warfighting systems are critical in supporting U.S. national interests abroad. Yet the vast majority of these vessels rely on fossil fuels for operation. The results of this thesis illustrate a common theme that hybrid mechanical-electrical marine propulsion systems produce substantially better fuel efficiency than other technologies that are typically emphasized to reduce fuel consumption. Naval and commercial powertrains in the 60-70 MW range are shown to benefit substantially from the utilization of mechanical drive for high speed propulsion; complemented by an efficient electric drive system for low speed operations. This hybrid architecture proves to be able to best meet the wide range of performance requirements for each of these systems, while also being the most easily integrated technology option. Naval analyses evaluate powertrain options for the DDG-51 Flight III. Simulation results using actual operational profile data show a CODLAG system produces a net fuel savings of up to 12% more than a comparable all-electric system, corresponding to a savings of 37% relative the existing DDG-51 powertrain. These results prove that a mechanical linkage for the main propulsion engine greatly reduces fuel consumption and that for power generation systems requiring redundancy, diesel generators represent a vastly superior option to gas turbines. For the commercial application it is shown that an augmented PTO/PTI hybrid system can better reduce cruise fuel consumption than modern sail systems, while also producing significant benefit with regard to CO2 emissions. In addition, using such a shaft mounted hybrid system for low speed electric drive in ports reduces NOx emissions by 29-43%, while CO is reduced 57-66% and PM may be reduced up to 25%, depending on the specific operating mode. As an added benefit, fuel consumption rates under these conditions are reduced 20-29%.Item Superposition in the leading edge region of a film cooled gas turbine vane(2013-12) Anderson, Joshua Brian; Bogard, David G.The leading edge of a turbine vane is subject to some of the highest temperature loading within an engine, and an accurate understanding of leading edge film coolant behavior is essential to efficient engine design. Although there have been many investigations of the adiabatic effectiveness for showerhead film cooling within the leading edge region, there have been no previous studies in which individual rows of the showerhead were tested with the explicit intent of validating superposition models. For the current investigation, a series of adiabatic effectiveness experiments were performed with a five-row showerhead, wherein each row of holes was operated in isolation. This allowed evaluation of superposition on both the suction side of the vane, which was moderately convex, and the pressure side of the vane, which was mildly concave. Superposition was found to accurately predict performance on the suction side of the vane at lower momentum flux ratios, but not for higher momentum flux ratios. On the pressure side of the vane, the superposition predictions were consistently lower than measured values, with significant under-prediction of adiabatic effectiveness occurring at the higher mass flow rates. Possible reasons for the under-prediction of effectiveness by the superposition model are presented.