Aerothermal Investigation of Seal Teeth Cavity Leakage Flow in Supercritical CO2 Compressor

Ghimire, Saugat; Ringheisen, Adam; Turner, Mark G.

doi:10.2514/6.2023-0114

Cited by 1 publication

(2 citation statements)

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“…The adiabatic efficiency is targeted to be 91%. Due to the limitations in the testing facility at the University of Notre Dame, the model was scaled down to a three-stage design rated at 9.0 MW operating at 19,800 rpm [1,6]. The sub-scaled design consists of a total of seven rows: one IGV, three rotors, and three stators.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In another work, Liang et al [13] developed a quasi-three-dimensional simulation tool, based on the circumferentially averaged method, to study the effect of seal cavity leakage flow on the aerodynamic performance of a multistage axial compressor, concluding that such a flow has a significant impact on the overall compressor performance. In a recent work, Ghimire et al [6] used CFD simulations to investigate the effects on aerodynamic and thermal characteristics of an axial sCO 2 compressor due to seal cavity leakage flow, employing a steady state mixing plane approach with both adiabatic and non-adiabatic walls. The authors demonstrated the presence of the hub blockage phenomenon and the worsening of the boundary layer, especially near the hub region, which resulted in some degradation of compressor performance.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Detailed Simulations of a Three-Stage Supercritical Carbon Dioxide Axial Compressor with a Focus on the Shrouded Stator Cavities Flow

Ghimire

Turner

2023

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This paper describes the findings of detailed simulations performed to investigate the impact of seal teeth cavity leakage flow on the aerodynamic and thermal performance of a three-stage supercritical CO2 axial compressor. The study compares a shrouded stator configuration (with cavities) to a cantilevered stator configuration (without cavities) to highlight their differences. High-fidelity computational fluid dynamics simulations were performed using non-linear harmonic (NLH) and mixing plane assumptions, considering various possible rotor/stator interface configurations for mixing plane calculations. The key performance parameters for each case were compared, and the best-performing configuration selected for further analysis. The individual stage performance parameters are also examined and compared between the cantilevered and shrouded configurations. It was observed that in the shrouded case, the leakage flow enters the cavity downstream of the stator trailing edge and gets entrained into the primary flow upstream of the stator, leading to boundary layer changes at the hub and degradation of stator and downstream rotor performance. Vortical flow structures were also observed in the stator wells, which tended to change the flow angles around the region, thereby affecting mixing and velocity distribution, resulting in a slight deterioration of compressor performance. Additionally, the study examines windage heating due to shear work from rotating walls, including the seal teeth surface. The amount of shear work done on the leakage flow and the corresponding rise in fluid temperature were quantified, tabulated, and further compared with a simple analytical model, showing good agreement between them and, hence, validating the numerical approach used.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%