The present work summarizes the design process of a new continuous closed-loop hot transonic linear cascade. The facility features fully modular design which is intended to serve as a test bench for axial microturbomachinery components in independently varying Mach and Reynolds numbers ranges of 0-1.3 and 2 Â 10 4 -6 Â 10 5 , respectively. Moreover, for preserving heat transfer characteristics of the hot gas section, the gas to solid temperature ratio (up to 2) is retained. This operational environment has not been sufficiently addressed in prior art, although it is critical for the future development of ultra-efficient high power or thrust devices. In order to alleviate the dimension specific challenges associated with microturbomachinery, the facility is designed in a highly versatile manner and can easily accommodate different geometric configurations (pitch, 620 deg stagger angle, and 620 deg incidence angle), absence of any alterations to the test section. Owing to the quick swap design, the vane geometry can be easily replaced without manufacturing or re-assembly of other components. Flow periodicity is achieved by the inlet boundary layer suction and independently adjustable tailboard mechanisms. Enabling test-aided design capability for microgas turbine manufacturers, aerothermal performance of various advanced geometries can be assessed in engine relevant environments.
The present research focuses on analyzing the feasibility of manufacturing complex turbomachinery geometries in a pre-assembled manner through an uninterrupted additive manufacturing process, absent of internal support structures or post-processing. In the context of the present COVID-19 pandemic, the concept is illustrated by a 3D-printable turbine-driven blower-type medical ventilator, which solely relies on availability of high-pressure oxygen supply and a conventional plastic-printer. Forming a fully pre-assembled turbomachine in its final form, the architecture consists of two concentric parts, a static casing with an embedded hydrostatic bearing surrounding a rotating monolithic shell structure that includes a radial turbine mechanically driving a centrifugal blower, which in turn supplies the oxygen enriched air to the lungs of the patient. Although the component level turbomachinery design of the described architecture relies on well-established guidelines and computational fluid dynamics methods, this approach has the capability to shift the focus of additive manufacturing methods to design for preassembled turbomachinery systems. Upon finalizing the topology, the geometry is manufactured from PETG plastic using a simple tabletop extrusion-based machine and its performance is evaluated in a test facility. The findings of the experimental campaign are reported in terms of flow and loading coefficients and are compared with simulation results. A good agreement is observed between the two data sets, thereby fully corroborating the applied design approach and the viability of additively manufactured pre-assembled turbomachines. Eliminating long and costly processes due to presence of numerous parts, different manufacturing methods, logistics of various subcontractors and complex assembly procedures, the proposed concept has the potential to reduce the cost of a turbomachine to capital equipment depreciation and raw material.
The present work summarizes the design process of a new continuous closed-loop hot transonic linear cascade. The facility features fully modular design which is intended to serve as a test bench for axial micro-turbomachinery components in independently varying Mach and Reynolds numbers ranges of 0 – 1.3 and 2·104 – 6·105 respectively. Moreover, for preserving heat transfer characteristics of the hot gas section, the gas to solid temperature ratio (up to 2) is retained. This operational environment has not been sufficiently addressed in prior art, although it is critical for the future development of ultra-efficient high power or thrust devices. In order to alleviate the dimension specific challenges associated with micro-turbomachinery, the facility is designed in a highly versatile manner, and can easily accommodate different geometric configurations (pitch, ±20° stagger angle, ±20° incidence angle), absent of any alterations to the test section. Owing to the quick swap design, the vane geometry can be easily replaced without manufacturing or re-assembly of other components. Flow periodicity is achieved by the inlet boundary layer suction and independently adjustable tailboard mechanisms. Enabling test-aided design capability for micro gas turbine manufacturers, aero-thermal performance of various advanced geometries can be assessed in engine relevant environments.
Present research focuses on analyzing feasibility of manufacturing complex turbomachinery geometries in a preassembled manner through an uninterrupted additive manufacturing process, absent of internal support structures or post-processing. In the context of the present COVID19 pandemic, the concept is illustrated by printable turbine-driven blower-type medical ventilator, which solely relies on availability of pressurized oxygen supply and conventional plastic printer. Forming a fully preassembled turbomachine in its final form, the architecture consists of two concentric parts - static casing with embedded hydrostatic bearing surrounding a rotating monolithic shell structure that includes radial turbine mechanically driving centrifugal blower, which in turn supplies oxygen enriched air to the patient. Although the component level turbomachinery design of the described architecture relies on established guidelines and computational fluid dynamics methods, this approach has the capability to shift the focus of additive manufacturing methods to design for preassembled turbomachines. Upon finalizing the topology, the geometry is manufactured from PETG using simple tabletop extrusion machine and its performance is evaluated. The findings of the experimental campaign are reported in terms of flow and loading coefficients and are compared with simulation results. Good agreement is observed between the two data sets, thereby fully corroborating the applied design approach and the viability of additively manufactured preassembled turbomachines. Eliminating long and costly processes due to presence of numerous parts, different manufacturing methods, logistics of various subcontractors and complex assembly procedures, this concept has the potential to reduce the turbomachine cost to capital equipment depreciation and raw material.
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