86,550 research outputs found

    Development of a turning mid turbine frame with embedded design-part II: Unsteady measurements

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    This paper, the second of two parts, presents a new setup for the two-stage two-spool facility located at the Institute for Thermal Turbomachinery and Machine Dynamics (ITTM) of Graz University of Technology. The rig was designed to reproduce the flow behavior of a transonic turbine followed by a counter-rotating low pressure stage such as those in high bypass aero-engines. The meridional flow path of the machine is characterized by a diffusing S-shaped duct between the two rotors. The role of wide chord vanes placed into the mid turbine frame is to lead the flow towards the low pressure (LP) rotor with appropriate swirl. Experimental and numerical investigations performed on this setup showed that the wide chord struts induce large wakes and extended secondary flows at the LP inlet flow. Moreover, large deterministic fluctuations of pressure, which may cause noise and blade vibrations, were observed downstream of the LP rotor. In order to minimize secondary vortices and to damp the unsteady interactions, the mid turbine frame was redesigned to locate two zero-lift splitters into each vane passage. While in the first part of the paper the design process of the splitters and the time-averaged flow field were presented, in this second part the measurements performed by means of a fast response probe will support the explanation of the time-resolved field. The discussion will focus on the comparison between the baseline case (without splitters) and the embedded design

    Development of a turning mid turbine frame with embedded design-part I: Design and steady measurements

    No full text
    The paper presents a new setup for the two-stage two-spool facility located at the Institute for Thermal Turbomachinery and Machine Dynamics (ITTM) of Graz University of Technology. The rig was designed in order to simulate the flow behavior of a transonic turbine followed by a counter-rotating low pressure (LP) stage like the spools of a modern high bypass aeroengine. The meridional flow path of the machine is characterized by a diffusing S-shaped duct between the two rotors. The role of turning struts placed into the mid turbine frame is to lead the flow towards the LP rotor with appropriate swirl. Experimental and numerical investigations performed on the setup over the last years, which were used as baseline for this paper, showed that wide chord vanes induce large wakes and extended secondary flows at the LP rotor inlet flow. Moreover, unsteady interactions between the two turbines were observed downstream of the LP rotor. In order to increase the uniformity and to decrease the unsteady content of the flow at the inlet of the LP rotor, the mid turbine frame was redesigned with two zero-lifting splitters embedded into the strut passage. In this first part of the paper the design process of the splitters and its critical points are presented, while the time-averaged field is discussed by means of five-hole probe measurements and oil flow visualizations. The comparison between the baseline case and the embedded design configuration shows that the new design is able to reduce the flow gradients downstream of the turning struts, providing a more suitable inlet condition for the low pressure rotor. The improvement in the flow field uniformity is also observed downstream of the turbine and it is, consequently, reflected in an enhancement of the LP turbine performance. In the second part of this paper the influence of the embedded design on the time-resolved field is investigated

    Unsteady effects due to rotor purge flow variations in a dual-spool turbine setup

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    The paper discusses the impact of rotor purge flows on the unsteady flow field downstream of a two-stage, two-spool test turbine. The analyzed setup is representative of the second high-pressure turbine (HPT) and the first low-pressure turbine (LPT) stage in a modern turbofan aero-engine, with a turbine center frame (TCF) with non-turning struts in-between the two turbines. All measurements were carried out for an engine-representative test vehicle setup at the Transonic Test Turbine Facility at Graz University of Technology. The test rig features a secondary air system delivering five purge flows with independent temperature and mass flow control to the HPT and LPT cavities. This work extends the results shown in two recent publications analyzing the time-resolved flow through the same two-stage setup at fixed purge flow rates. The paper aims to provide additional input about the driving sources of unsteadiness in gas turbines for aeronautic applications, by isolating the HPT and LPT purge air contributions. The time-resolved flow field at the LPT exit was acquired with a Fast Response Aerodynamic Pressure Probe (FRAPP) for three different purge conditions (reference case, no HPT purge case, no LPT purge case), to separate and quantify the impact of HPT and LPT purge contributions on the main flow field. The so-called Rotor Synchronic Averaging (RSA) technique was used as phase-averaging approach, to account for the unsteadiness due to both rotors. Proper Orthogonal Decomposition (POD) was then applied to isolate the most important structures and identify their origins. The comparison of the three data-sets shows a significant influence of the HPT purge on the entire flow field at the LPT exit, even though the HPT is located far upstream, while the LPT purge impact appears to mostly affect the end-wall region

    Unsteady flow interactions between a high- And low-pressure turbine

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    This paper presents the unsteady flow interactions between an engine-representative highpressure turbine (HPT) and low-pressure turbine (LPT) stage, connected by a turbine center frame (TCF) duct with nonturning struts. The setup was tested at the high-speed two-spool test turbine facility at the Institute for Thermal Turbomachinery and Machine Dynamics at Graz University of Technology and includes relevant purge and turbine rotor tip leakage flows. Due to the complexity of such a test, the unsteady component interactions in an HPT-TCF-LPT module have not received much attention in the past and require additional analysis to determine new approaches for further performance improvements on the system level. The flow downstream of an HPT is highly unsteady and dominated by stator-rotor interactions, which affect the flow behavior through the downstream TCF and LPT. To capture the unsteady flow structures, time-resolved aerodynamic measurements were carried out with a fast-response aerodynamic pressure probe (FRAPP) at three different measurement planes. In this paper, the time-resolved and phase-averaged flow fields with respect to the HPT and LPT trigger are studied. Since the two rotors are uncorrelated, the applied method allows the identification of the flow structures induced by either of them. Upstream of the LPT stage, the HPT flow structures evolving through the TCF duct dominate the flow fields. Downstream of the LPT stage, the flow is affected by both the HPT and the LPT secondary flow structures. The interactions between the various stator rows and the two rotors are detected by means of time-space plots and modal decomposition. To describe the fluctuations induced by both rotors, particularly the rotor-rotor interaction, the rotor synchronic averaging (RSA) is used to analyze the flow field downstream of the LPT. This paper highlights the need to account for the HPTinduced unsteady mechanisms in addition to the LPT flow structures and the interaction of both to arrive at improved LPT designs

    Variations on the Author

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    “Variations on the Author” discusses two of Eduardo Coutinho’s recent films (Um Dia na Vida, from 2010, and Últimas Conversas, posthumously released in 2015) and their contribution to the general question of documentary authorship. The director’s filmography is characterized by a consistent yet self-effacing form of authorial self-inscription: Coutinho often features as an interviewer that rather than express opinions propels discourses; an interviewer that is good at listening. This mode of self-inscription characterizes him as an author who is not expressive but who is nonetheless markedly present on the screen. In Um Dia na Vida, however, Coutinho is completely absent form the image, while Últimas Conversas, on the contrary, includes a confessional prologue that moves the director from the margins to the center of his films. This article examines the ways in which these works stand out in the filmography of a director who offers new insights into the notion of cinematic authorship

    Impact of varying high- and low-pressure turbine purge flows on a turbine center frame and low-pressure turbine system

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    This paper presents the experimental and numerical evaluation and comparison of the different flow fields downstream of a turbine center frame duct and a low-pressure turbine (LPT) stage, generated by varying the inlet flow conditions to the turbine center frame (TCF) duct. The measurements were carried out in an engine-representative two-stage two-spool test turbine facility at the Institute for Thermal Turbomachinery and Machine Dynamics at Graz University of Technology. The rig consists of a high-pressure turbine (HPT) and a LPT turbine stage, connected via a TCF with non-turning struts. Four individual high-pressure turbine purge flowrates and two low-pressure turbine purge flowrates were varied to achieve different engine-relevant TCF and LPT inlet flow conditions. The experimental data were acquired by means of five-hole-probe (5HP) area traverses upstream and downstream of the TCF and downstream of the LPT. A steady Reynolds-averaged Navier–Stokes (RANS) simulation taking all purge flows in account was used for comparison, and additional insights are gained from a numerical variation of the HPT and LPT purge flowrates. The focus of this study is on the impact of the variations in TCF inlet conditions on the secondary flow generation through the TCF duct and the carryover effects on the exit flow field and performance of the LPT stage. Existing work is limited by either investigating multistage LPT configurations with generally very few measurements behind the first stage or by not including relevant HPT secondary flow structures in setting up the LPT inflow conditions. This work addresses both of these shortcomings and presents new insight into the TCF and LPT aerodynamic behavior at varying the HPT and LPT purge flows. The results demonstrate the importance of the HPT flow structures and their evolution through the TCF duct for setting up the LPT inflow conditions and ultimately for assessing the performance of the first LPT stage
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