The Design of a Steady Aero Thermal Research Turbine (START) for Studying Secondary Flow Leakages and Airfoil Heat Transfer

Abstract

This paper describes a new gas turbine research facility that was designed and is currently being constructed with a number of unique features that allow experiments which aim at developing and improving sealing and cooling technologies at a reasonable cost. Experiments will include engine-representative rotating turbine hardware in a continuous, steady-state, high-pressure flow environment. The facility includes a 1.5 stage turbine that will simulate the aerodynamic flow and thermal field interactions in the engine between the hot mainstream gas path and the secondary air flows at relevant corrected operating conditions and scaling parameters. Testing in the new facility is planned to begin in 2014 and will take place in two phases. The first phase is focused on understanding the behavior of inner-stage gap flow leakages in the presence of the main gas path and the rotating blade platform. The second phase is focused on developing and testing novel cooling methods for turbine airfoils, platforms, and disks, ultimately leading to an integrated approach for more effective use of the secondary cooling flow. The uniqueness of this facility includes a continuous duration facility with engine-relevant rotational and axial Reynolds and Mach numbers at the blade inlet.

Effects of Purge Flow Configuration on Sealing Effectiveness in a Rotor–Stator Cavity

“…The experiments presented in this paper were performed in the Steady Thermal Aero Research Turbine (START) facility, the design of which was previously described by Barringer et al [16]. The previous papers by Clark et al [17,18] also described the facility commissioning, the half-stage turbine configuration, and instrumentation.…”

Effects of Purge Jet Momentum on Sealing Effectiveness

“…The experiments presented in this paper were performed in a steady-state, turbine research facility, the full design of which was described by Barringer et al [16]. A detailed description of the test turbine and instrumentation used in these experiments was given by Clark et al [17].…”

Analytical Modelling of the Effects of Different Gas Turbine Cooling Techniques on Engine Performance = Analytische Modellierung der Wirkungen von verschiedenen Kuhlungskonfigurationen der Turbinenschaufeln auf der Gasturbinenleistung

“…) and using Equation (28) for each cooled turbine stage (i.e. using from the outputs of "Cooling Analysis" sub-system), high pressure turbine pressure ratio, that will be used in performance cycle calculations, can then be expressed as in Equation (63).…”

“…The configurations are determined here with a similar methodology in a study that determines advanced cooling configurations for aero-engines and gas turbines from Town et al [62]; in which a baseline configuration is determined and other configurations were generated by changing one cooling technology at a time to see the relative impact of a certain cooling technology in a test rig that can measure the impacts of different cooling techniques on the turbine performance [63].…”

“…This type of ribs is proposed in the study by Town et al [62] within one of the advanced blade configurations that will be analyzed in the START facilities [63]. The ribs are shaped in this concept forms a W shape, as shown schematically in Figure E.7.…”