Numerical simulations and optimizations for turbine-related configurations

Abstract

In order to accelerate the numerical simulation and optimization of gas turbine-related configurations, a source based computational fluid dynamics (SCFD) approach is developed for flow and heat transfer simulations. Different sources depending on the fluid porosity at each grid node in the computational domain are introduced to the continuity, momentum, energy and turbulence model equations, so that both the fluid and solid regions can be solved as one region. In the present paper, test cases including a ribbed channel and a winglet shrouded turbine cascade with tip injection are investigated using the SCFD and CFD with body-fitted meshes. Impacts of grid clustering and turbulence model equation sources on the SCFD precision are examined. Numerical results show that the SCFD predicts consistent aerothermal performance with the fluid dynamics with body-fitted meshes and experiments. The validated SCFD scheme is then employed in a response surface optimization of tip jet holes on the winglet shroud tip. A jet arrangement with the minimum energy loss and injection mass-flow rate is obtained, indicating that source based predictions can be applied to the preliminary aero-thermal design of turbine blades.

Study on flow and heat transfer characteristics of cooling channel filled with x-shaped truss array

“…In this work, the coupled heat transfer numerical method was used to simulate the flow and heat transfer characteristics of cooling channels filled with X-shaped truss array [30][31]. In the numerical calculations (by CFX), the cooling air was assumed as three-dimensional, steady, turbulent, incompressible and agravic.…”