Showing papers in "Journal of Engineering for Gas Turbines and Power-transactions of The Asme in 2013"

Gas Turbine Engine Health Management: Past, Present and Future Trends

Abstract: Engine diagnostic practices are as old as the gas turbine itself. Monitoring and analysis methods have progressed in sophistication over the past 6 decades as the gas turbine evolved in form and complexity. While much of what will be presented here may equally apply to both stationary power plants and aero-engines, the emphasis will be on aero propulsion.Beginning with primarily empirical methods centering around monitoring the mechanical integrity of the machine, the evolution of engine diagnostics has benefited from advances in sensing, electronic monitoring devices, increased fidelity in engine modeling and analytical methods. The primary motivation in this development is, not surprisingly, cost. The ever increasing cost of fuel, engine prices, spare parts, maintenance and overhaul, all contribute to the cost of an engine over its entire life cycle. Diagnostics can be viewed as a means to mitigate risk in decisions that impact operational integrity. This can have a profound impact on safety, such as In-Flight Shut Downs (IFSD) for aero applications, (outages for land based applications) and economic impact caused by Unscheduled Engine Removals (UERs), part life, maintenance and overhaul and the overall logistics of maintaining an aircraft fleet or power generation plants.This paper will review some of the methods used in the preceding decades to address these issues, their evolution to current practices and some future trends. While several different monitoring and diagnostic systems will be addressed, the emphasis in this paper will be centered on those dealing with the aero-thermodynamic performance of the engine.© 2013 ASME

Effect of Nanosecond Repetitively Pulsed Discharges on the Dynamics of a Swirl-Stabilized Lean Premixed Flame

Abstract: The effects of Nanosecond Repetitively Pulsed (NRP) plasma discharges on the dynamics of a swirl-stabilized lean premixed flame are investigated experimentally. Voltage pulses of 8-kV amplitude and 10-ns duration are applied at a repetition rate of 30 kHz. The average electric power deposited by the plasma is limited to 40 W, corresponding to less than 1 % of the thermal power of 4 kW released by the flame. The investigation is carried out with a dedicated experimental setup that allows for studies of the flame dynamics with applied plasma discharges. A loudspeaker is used to perturb the flame acoustically, and the discharges are generated between a central pin electrode and the rim of the injection tube. Velocity and CH* chemiluminescence signals are used to determine the flame transfer function assuming that plasma discharges do not affect the correlation between CH* emission and heat release rate fluctuations. Phase-locked images of the CH* emission were recorded to assess the effect of the plasma on the oscillation of the flame. The results show a strong influence of the NRP discharges on the flame response to acoustic perturbations, thus opening interesting perspectives for combustion control. An interpretation of the modifications observed in the transfer function of the flame is proposed by taking into account the thermal and chemical effects of the discharges. It is then demonstrated that by applying NRP discharges at unstable conditions, the oscillation amplitudes can be reduced by an order of magnitude, thus effectively stabilizing the system.Copyright © 2013 by ASME

Preliminary Design of a Centrifugal Turbine for Organic Rankine Cycle Applications

Abstract: Organic rankine cycles (ORC) are renowned to be attractive energy conversion systems for the thermal energy sources in the small-to-medium power range. A critical component in the ORC technology is the turbo-expander; the difficulties involved in the accurate thermodynamic modeling of organic fluids and, especially, the complex gasdynamic phenomena that are commonly found in ORC turbines may result in relatively low efficiency and in performance reduction at partial loads. In this perspective, a relevant path of development can be outlined in the evaluation of nonconventional turbine architectures, such as the radial-outward or centrifugal turbine. In the present work, a critical evaluation of the feasibility of multistage transonic centrifugal turbines for ORC systems is presented. To support this study, a two-step design procedure, specifically oriented to ORC turbines, was developed. The methodology includes a 1D mean-line code coupled to an external optimizer to perform a preliminary design of the machine. The selected configurations are then verified with a CFD (computational fluid dynamics)-based throughflow solver, able to deal with any flow regime and to treat fluids described by arbitrary equations of state. The overall procedure is applied to the design of two different turbines of the same target power of about 1 MW, the former representing a transonic six-stage turbine and the latter a supersonic three-stage turbine. The two machines are characterized by very different shape and comparable performances. The results are extensively discussed in terms of both overall data and detailed flow fields.

Modelling and Validation of the Nonlinear Dynamic Behaviour of Bolted Flange Joints

Abstract: Linear dynamic finite element analysis can be considered very reliable today for the design of aircraft engine components. Unfortunately, when theses individual components are built into assemblies, the level of confidence in the results is reduced, since the joints in the real structure introduce nonlinearity that cannot be reproduced with a linear model. Certain types of nonlinear joints in an aircraft engine, such as underplatform dampers and blade roots, have been investigated in great detail in the past, and their design and impact on the dynamic response of the engine is now well understood. With this increased confidence in the nonlinear analysis, the focus of research now moves towards other joint types of the engine which must be included in an analysis to allow an accurate prediction of the engine behaviour.One such joint is the bolted flange, which is present in many forms on an aircraft engine. Its main use is the connection of different casing components to provide the structural support and gas tightness to the engine. This flange type is known to have a strong influence on the dynamics of the engine carcase. A detailed understanding of the nonlinear mechanisms at the contact is required to generate reliable models and this has been achieved through a combination of an existing non-linear analysis capability and an experimental technique to accurately measure the nonlinear damping behaviour of the flange. Initial results showed that the model could reproduce the correct characteristics of flange behaviour, but the quantitative comparison was poor. From further experimental and analytical investigations it was identified that the quality of the flange model is critically dependent on two aspects: the steady stress/load distribution across the joint and the number and distribution of non-linear elements. An improved modelling approach was developed which led to a good correlation with the experimental results and a good understanding of the underlying nonlinear mechanisms at the flange interface.Copyright © 2013 by Rolls-Royce plc

Startup and Operation of a Supercritical Carbon Dioxide Brayton Cycle

Abstract: Bechtel Marine Propulsion Corporation (BMPC) is testing a supercritical carbon dioxide (S-CO2) Brayton system at the Bettis Atomic Power Laboratory. The 100 kWe Integrated System Test (IST) is a two shaft recuperated closed Brayton cycle with a variable speed turbine driven compressor and a constant speed turbine driven generator using S-CO2 as the working fluid. The IST was designed to demonstrate operational, control and performance characteristics of an S-CO2 Brayton power cycle over a wide range of conditions.Initial operation of the IST has proven a reliable method for startup of the Brayton loop and heatup to normal operating temperature (570°F). An overview of the startup process, including initial loop fill and charging, and heatup to normal operating temperature is presented. Additionally, aspects of the IST startup process which are related to the loop size and component design which may be different for larger systems are discussed.Copyright © 2013 by ASME

Overall Effectiveness of a Blade Endwall With Jet Impingement and Film Cooling

Abstract: Ever increasing thermal loads on gas turbine components require improved cooling schemes to extend component life. Engine designers often rely on multiple thermal protection techniques, including internal cooling and external film cooling. A conjugate heat transfer model for the endwall of a seven blade cascade was developed to examine the impact of both convective cooling and solid conduction through the endwall. Appropriate parameters were scaled to ensure engine relevant temperatures were reported. External film cooling and internal jet impingement cooling were tested separately and together for their combined effects. Experiments with only film cooling showed high effectiveness around film cooling holes due to convective cooling within the holes. Internal impingement cooling provided more uniform effectiveness than film cooling, and impingement effectiveness improved markedly with increasing blowing ratio. Combining internal impingement and external film cooling produced overall effectiveness values as high as 0.4. A simplified one-dimensional heat transfer analysis was used to develop a prediction of the combined overall effectiveness using results from impingement only and film cooling only cases. The analysis resulted in relatively good predictions, which served to reinforce the consistency of the experimental data.Copyright © 2013 by ASME

High Load (21 Bar IMEP) Dual Fuel RCCI Combustion Using Dual Direct Injection

Abstract: Dual-fuel reactivity controlled compression ignition (RCCI) combustion has shown high thermal efficiency and superior controllability with low NOx and soot emissions. However, as in other low temperature (LTC) combustion strategies, the combustion control using low exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) or high compression ratio at high load conditions has been a challenge. The objective of this work was to examine the efficacy of using dual direct injectors for combustion phasing control of high load RCCI combustion. The present computational work demonstrates that 21bar gross indicated mean effective pressure (IMEP) RCCI is achievable using dual direct injection. The simulations were done using the KIVA3V-Release 2 code with a discrete multi-component fuel evaporation model, coupled with sparse analytical Jacobian solver for describing the chemistry of the two fuels (iso-octane and n-heptane). In order to identify an optimum injection strategy a Nondominated Sorting Genetic Algorithm II (NSGA II), which is a multi-objective genetic algorithm, was used. The goal of the optimization was to find injection timings and mass splits among the multiple injections that simultaneously minimize the six objectives: soot, nitrogen oxide (NOx), carbon monoxide (CO), unburned hydrocarbon (UHC), indicated specific fuel consumption (ISFC), and ringing intensity. The simulations were performed for a 2.44 liter, heavy-duty engine with 15:1 compression ratio. The speed was 1800 rev/min and the intake valve closure (IVC) conditions were maintained at 3.42bar, 90°C, and 46% EGR. The resulting optimum condition has 12.6bar/deg peak pressure rise rate, 158bar maximum pressure, and 48.7% gross indicated thermal efficiency. NOx, CO, and soot emissions are very low.Copyright © 2013 by ASME

Why Nonuniform Density Suppresses the Precessing Vortex Core

Abstract: Linear stability analysis is applied to a swirl-stabilized combustor flow with the aim to understand how the flame shape and associated density field affects the manifestation of self-excited flow instabilities. In isothermal swirling jets, self-excited flow oscillations typically manifest in a precessing vortex core and synchronized growth of large-scale spiral-shaped vortical structures. Recent theoretical studies relate these dynamics to a hydrodynamic global instability. These global modes also emerge in reacting flows, thereby crucially affecting the mixing characteristics and the flame dynamics. It is, however, observed that these self-excited flow oscillations are often suppressed in the reacting flow, while they are clearly present at isothermal conditions. This study provides strong evidence that the suppression of the precessing vortex core is caused by density inhomogeneities created by the flame. This mechanism is revealed by considering two reacting flow configurations: The first configuration represents a perfectly premixed steam-diluted detached flame featuring a strong precessing vortex core. The second represents a perfectly premixed dry flame anchoring near the combustor inlet, which does not exhibit self-excited oscillations. Experiments are conducted in a generic combustor test rig and the flow dynamics are captured using PIV and LDA. The corresponding density fields are approximated from the seeding density using a quantitative light sheet technique. The experimental results are compared to the global instability properties derived from hydrodynamic linear stability theory. Excellent agreement between the theoretically derived global mode frequency and measured precession frequency provide sufficient evidence to conclude that the self-excited oscillations are, indeed, driven by a global hydrodynamic instability. The effect of the density field on the global instability is studied explicitly by performing the analysis with and without density stratification. It turns out that the significant change in instability is caused by the radial density gradients in the inner recirculation zone and not by the change of the mean velocity field. The present work provides a theoretical framework to analyze the global hydrodynamic instability of realistic combustion configurations. It allows for relating the flame position and the resulting density field to the emergence of a precessing vortex core.

Soot Formation and Flame Characterization of an Aero-Engine Model Combustor Burning Ethylene at Elevated Pressure

Abstract: Swirl-stabilized, non-premixed ethylene/air flames were investigated at pressures up to 5 bars to study the effect of different operating parameters on soot formation and oxidation. Focus of the experiments was the establishment of a data base describing well defined flames, serving for validation of numerical simulation. Good optical access via pressure chamber windows and combustion chamber windows enables application of laser-induced incandescence to derive soot volume fractions after suitable calibration. This results in ensemble averaged as well as instantaneous soot distributions. Beyond pressure, parameters under study were the equivalence ratio, thermal power and amount of oxidation air. Latter could be injected radially into the combustor downstream of the main reaction zone through holes in the combustion chamber posts. Combustion air was introduced through a dual swirl injector whose two flow rates were controlled separately. The split of those air flows provided an additional parameter variation. Nominal power of the operating points was approximately 10 kW/bar leading to a maximum power of roughly 50 kW, not including oxidation air.Copyright © 2013 by ASME

Artificial Neural Network–Based System Identification for a Single-Shaft Gas Turbine

Abstract: —During recent decades, artificial intelligence has been employed as a powerful tool for identification of complex industrial systems with nonlinear dynamics, such as gas turbines (GT). In this study, a methodology based on artificial neural network (ANN) techniques was developed for offline system identification of a low-power gas turbine. The processed data was obtained from a SIMULINK model of a gas turbine in MATLAB environment. A comprehensive computer program code was generated and run in MATLAB environment for creating and training different ANN models with two-layer feed-forward multi-layer perceptron (MLP) structure. The code consisted of various training functions, different number of neurons as well as a variety of transfer (activation) functions for hidden and output layers of the network. It was shown that the optimal model for a two-layer network with MLP structure, consisted of 20 neurons in its hidden layer and used trainlm as its training function, as well as tansig and logsid as its transfer functions for the hidden and output layers. It was also observed that trainlm has a superior performance in terms of minimum MSE, compared with each of the other training functions. The resulting model could predict performance of the system with high accuracy. The methodology provides a comprehensive view of the performance of over 18720 ANN models for system identification of single shaft GT. One can use the optimal ANN model from this study when training from real data obtained from this type of GT. This is particularly useful when real data is only available over a limited operational range.

Investigation of Physical and Chemical Delay Periods of Different Fuels in the Ignition Quality Tester

Abstract: : This paper investigates the physical and chemical ignition delay (ID) periods in the constant volume combustion chamber of the Ignition Quality Tester (IQT). IQT was used to determine the Derived Cetane Number (DCN) according to ASTM D6890-10a standards. The fuels tested were ultra low sulfur diesel (ULSD), jet propellant-8 (JP-8), two synthetic fuels of Sasol IPK and F-T SPK (S-8). A comparison was made between the DCN and cetane number (CN) determined according to ASTM-D613 standards. Tests were conducted under steady state conditions at a constant pressure of 21 bar, and various air temperatures ranging from 778 K to 848 K. The rate of heat release (RHR) was calculated from the measured pressure trace and a detailed analysis of the RHR trace was made particularly for the autoignition process. Tests were conducted to determine the physical and chemical delay periods by comparing results obtained from two tests. In the first test, the fuel was injected into air according to ASTM standards. In the second test, the fuel was injected into nitrogen. The point at which the two resultant pressure traces separated was considered to be the end of the physical delay period. The effects of the charge temperature on the total ID as defined in ASTM D6890-10a standards, as well as on the physical and chemical delays were determined. It was noticed that the physical delay represented a significant part of the total ID over all the air temperatures covered in this investigation. Arrhenius plots were developed to determine the apparent activation energy for each fuel using different IDs. The first was based on the total ID measured according to ASTM standards. The second was the chemical delay determined in this investigation. The activation energy calculated from the total ID showed higher values for lower CN fuels except Sasol IPK.

Assessment of Waste Heat Recovery From a Heavy-Duty Truck Engine by Means of an ORC Turbogenerator

Abstract: This paper documents a feasibility study on a waste heat recovery system for heavy-duty truck engines based on an organic Rankine cycle (ORC) turbogenerator. The study addresses many of the challenges of a mobile automotive application: The system must be simple, efficient, relatively small, lightweight, and the working fluid must satisfy the many technical, environmental, and toxicological requirements typical of the automotive sector. The choice of a siloxane as the working fluid allows for the preliminary design of an efficient radial turbine, whose shaft can be lubricated by the working fluid itself. The system's heat exchangers, though more voluminous than desirable, are within acceptable limits. The simulated ORC system would add approximately 9.6 kW at the design point, corresponding to a truck engine power output of 150 kW at 1500 rpm. Future work will be devoted to further system and components optimization by means of simulations, to the study of dynamic operation and control, and will be followed by the design and construction of a laboratory test bench for mini-ORC systems and components.

The Role of Dense Gas Dynamics on Organic Rankine Cycle Turbine Performance

Abstract: In this paper we investigate the real gas flows which occur within Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC) turbines. A new method for the design of nozzles operating with dense gases is discussed, and applied to the case of a high pressure ratio turbine vane. A Navier-Stokes method which uses equations of states for a variety of working fluids typical of ORC turbines is then applied to the turbine vanes to determine the vane performance. The results suggest that the choice of working fluid has a significant influence on the turbine efficiency.

Control of a Supercritical CO2 Recompression Brayton Cycle Demonstration Loop

Abstract: The US Department of Energy is currently focused on the development of next-generation nuclear power reactors, with an eye towards improved efficiency and reduced capital cost. To this end, reactors using a closed-Brayton power conversion cycle have been proposed as an attractive alternative to steam turbines. The supercritical-CO2 recompression cycle has been identified as a leading candidate for this application as it can achieve high efficiency at relatively low operating temperatures with extremely compact turbomachinery.Sandia National Laboratories has been a leader in hardware and component development for the supercritical-CO2 cycle. With contractor Barber-Nichols Inc, Sandia has constructed a megawatt-class S-CO2 cycle test-loop to investigate the key areas of technological uncertainty for this power cycle, and to confirm model estimates of advantageous thermodynamic performance. Until recently, much of the work has centered on the simple S-CO2 cycle — a recuperated Brayton loop with a single turbine and compressor. However work has recently progressed to a recompression cycle with split-shaft turbo-alternator-compressors, unlocking the potential for much greater efficiency power conversion, but introducing greater complexity in control operations.The following sections use testing experience to frame control actions made by test loop operators in bringing the recompression cycle from cold startup conditions through transition to power generation on both turbines, to the desired test conditions, and finally to a safe shutdown. During this process, considerations regarding turbocompressor thrust state, CO2 thermodynamic state at the compressor inlet, compressor surge and stall, turbine u/c ratio, and numerous other factors must be taken into account. The development of these procedures on the Sandia test facility has greatly reduced the risk to industry in commercial development of the S-CO2 power cycle.Copyright © 2013 by ASME

Using Hydrogen as Gas Turbine Fuel: Premixed Versus Diffusive Flame Combustors

Abstract: This work aims at estimating the efficiency gain resulting from using lean premixed combustors in hydrogen fired combined cycles with respect to diffusive flame combustors with significant inert dilution to limit NOX emissions. The analysis is carried out by considering a hydrogen fired, specifically tailored gas turbine whose features are representative of a state-of-art natural gas fired F-class gas turbine.The comparison between diffusion flame and lean premixed combustion is carried out considering nitrogen and steam as diluents, as well as different stoichiometric flame temperatures and pressure drops. Results show that the adoption of lean premixed combustors allows to significantly reduce the efficiency decay resulting from inert dilution. Combined cycle efficiency slightly reduces from 58.5–57.9% when combustor pressure drops vary in the range 3 to 10%. Such efficiency values are comparatively higher than those achieved by diffusive flame combustor with inert dilution.Finally, the study investigated the effects of decreasing the maximum operating blade temperature so as to cope with possible degradation mechanisms induced by hydrogen combustion.© 2013 ASME

Reduced Order Modeling Based on Complex Nonlinear Modal Analysis and its Application to Bladed Disks With Shroud Contact

Abstract: The design of bladed disks with contact interfaces typically requires analyses of the resonant forced response and flutter-induced limit cycle oscillations. The steady-state vibration behavior can efficiently be calculated using the Multi-Harmonic Balance method. The dimension of the arising algebraic systems of equations is essentially proportional to the number of harmonics and the number of degrees of freedom (DOFs) retained in the model. Extensive parametric studies necessary e.g. for robust design optimization are often not possible in practice due to the resulting computational effort.In this paper, a two-step nonlinear reduced order modeling approach is proposed. First, the autonomous nonlinear system is analyzed using a Complex Nonlinear Modal Analysis technique based on the work of Laxalde and Thouverez [1]. The methodology in [1] was refined by an exact condensation approach as well as analytical calculation of gradients in order to efficiently study localized nonlinearities in large-scale systems. Moreover, a continuation method was employed in order to predict nonlinear modal interactions. Modal properties such as eigenfrequency and modal damping are directly calculated with respect to the kinetic energy in the system. In a second step, a reduced order model is built based on the Single Nonlinear Resonant Mode theory. It is shown that linear damping and harmonic forcing can be superimposed. Moreover, similarity properties can be exploited to vary normal preload or gap values in contact interfaces. Thus, a large parameter space can be covered without the need for re-computation of nonlinear modal properties. The computational effort for evaluating the reduced order model is almost negligible since it contains a single DOF only, independent of the original system.The methodology is applied to both a simplified and a large-scale model of a bladed disk with shroud contact interfaces. In contrast to [1], the contact constraints account for variable normal load and lift-off in addition to dry friction. Forced response functions, backbone curves for varying normal preload and excitation level as well as flutter-induced limit cycle oscillations are analysed and compared to conventional methods. The limits of the proposed methodology are indicated and discussed.Copyright © 2013 by ASME and Siemens Energy, Inc.

Squealer Tip Leakage Flow Characteristics in Transonic Condition

Abstract: The Over-Tip-Leakage (OTL) flow characteristics for a typical squealer tip of high pressure turbine blade, which consists of subsonic and transonic flow, have been numerically investigated in the present study, in comparison with the corresponding flat tip results. For the squealer tip employed, flow choking behavior still exists above the tip surface, even though the Mach number is lower and the transonic region is smaller than that for the flat tip. Detailed flow structure analysis shows that most of the fluid entering the squealer cavity is from the frontal leading edge region. The fluid migrates along the cavity and is ejected at various locations near the suction side rim. These fluid forms a large subsonic flow zone under the supersonic flow passing over the tip gap which reduces the OTL flow flux. The squealer design works even in the presence of choked OTL flow. Comparisons between results from two different cavity depths with and without relative casing motion suggest that the over tip leakage flow flux has much dependence upon the cavity depth for subsonic region, but is less sensitive to the depth for transonic tip flow region. Such behavior has been confirmed with and without the existence of relative casing motion.Copyright © 2013 by ASME

Large-Eddy Simulation of Turbulent Spray Combustion in a Subscale Aircraft Jet Engine Combustor—Predictions of NO and Soot Concentrations

Abstract: Large-eddy simulation (LES) is applied to turbulent spray combustion fields in a subscale (1/2) aircraft jet engine combustor with an air-blast type swirl fuel nozzle and validity is examined by comparing with measurements. In the LES, Jet-A is used as liquid fuel, and individual droplet motion is tracked in a Lagrangian manner with a parcel model. As a turbulent combustion model, the extended flamelet/progress-variable approach, in which heat transfer between droplets and ambient gas including radiation and heat loss from walls can be taken into account, is employed. A detailed chemistry mechanism of Jet-A with 1537 reactions and 274 chemical species is used. The radiative heat transfer is computed by the discrete ordinate (DO) method. The equivalence ratio ranges from 0.91 to 1.29. The comparisons of the predicted droplet velocity and size, gaseous temperature, NO, and soot emissions with the measurements show that the present LES is capable of capturing the general features of the turbulent spray combustion fields in the subscale (1/2) aircraft jet engine combustor.

Micro Gas-Turbine Design for Small-Scale Hybrid Solar Power Plants

Abstract: Hybrid solar micro gas-turbines are a promising technology for supplying controllable low-carbon electricity in off-grid regions. A thermoeconomic model of three different hybrid micro gas-turbine ...

Validation of a Three-Dimensional Internal Nozzle Flow Model Including Automatic Mesh Generation and Cavitation Effects

Abstract: Fuel injectors often experience cavitation due to regions of extremely low pressure. In this work, a cavitation modeling method is implemented in the CONVERGE CFD code to model the flow in fuel injectors. CONVERGE includes a Cartesian mesh based flow solver. In this solver, a Volume Of Fluid (VOF) method is used to simulate the multiphase flow. The cavitation model is based on a flash-boiling method with rapid heat transfer between the liquid and vapor phases. In this method, a homogeneous relaxation model is used to describe the rate at which the instantaneous quality, the mass fraction of vapor in a two-phase mixture, will tend towards its equilibrium value. The model is first validated with the nozzle flow case of Winklhofer by comparing the mass flow rate with experimentally measured values at different outlet pressures. The cavitation contour shape is also compared with the experimental observations. Flow in the Engine Combustion Network Spray-A nozzle configuration is simulated. The mesh dependency is also studied in this work followed by validation against discharge coefficient data. Finally, calculations of a five-hole injector, including moving needle effects, are compared to experimental measurements.Copyright © 2013 by ASME

Siloxanes as Working Fluids for Mini-ORC Systems Based on High-Speed Turbogenerator Technology

Abstract: This paper presents a study aimed at evaluating the use of siloxanes as the working fluid of a small-capacity (≈10kWe) ORC turbogenerator based on the “high-speed technology” concept, combining the turbine, the pump, and the electrical generator on one shaft, whereby the whole assembly is hermetically sealed, and the bearings are lubricated by the working fluid. The effects of adopting different siloxane working fluids on the thermodynamic cycle configuration, power output, and on the turbine and component design are studied by means of simulations. Toluene is included into the analysis as a reference fluid in order to make comparisons between siloxanes and a suitable low molecular weight hydrocarbon. The most influential working fluid parameters are the critical temperature and pressure, molecular complexity and weight, and, related to them, the condensation pressure, density and specific enthalpy over the expansion, which affect the optimal design of the turbine. The fluid thermal stability is also extremely relevant in the considered applications. Exhaust gas heat recovery from a 120 kW diesel engine is considered in this study. The highest power output, 13.1 kW, is achieved with toluene as the working fluid, while, among siloxanes, D4 provides the best simulated performance, namely 10.9 kW. The high molecular weight of siloxanes is beneficial in low power capacity applications, because it leads to larger turbines with larger blade heights at the turbine rotor outlet, and lower rotational speed if compares, for instance, to toluene.

Analysis of Rotor Dynamic by One-Dimensional Variable Kinematic Theories

Abstract: In this paper, Carrera's unified formulation (CUF) is used to perform free-vibrational analyses of rotating structures. The CUF is a hierarchical formulation which offers a procedure to obtain refined structural theories that account for variable kinematic description. These theories are obtained by expanding the unknown displacement variables over the beam section axes by adopting Taylor's polynomials of N-order, in which N is a free parameter. Linear case (N = 1) permits us to obtain classical beam theories while higher order expansions could lead to three-dimensional description of dynamic response of rotors. The finite element method is used to derive the governing equations in weak form. These equations are written in terms of few fundamental nuclei, whose forms do not depend on the approximation used (N). In order to assess the new theory, several analyses are carried out and the results are compared with solutions presented in the literature in graphical and numerical form. Among the considered test cases, a rotor with deformable disk is considered and the results show the convenience of using refined models since that are able to include the in plane deformability of disks.

Multidisciplinary Analysis of a Geared Fan Intercooled Core Aero-Engine

Abstract: The reduction of CO2 emissions is strongly linked with the improvement of engine specific fuel consumption, along with the reduction of engine nacelle drag and weight. One alternative design approach to improving specific fuel consumption is to consider a geared fan combined with an increased overall pressure ratio intercooled core performance cycle. The thermal benefits from intercooling have been well documented in the literature. Nevertheless, there is very little information available in the public domain with respect to design space exploration of such an engine concept when combined with a geared fan. The present work uses a multidisciplinary conceptual design tool to analyze the option of an intercooled core geared fan aero engine for long haul applications with a 2020 entry into service technology level assumption. With minimum mission fuel in mind, the results indicate as optimal values a pressure ratio split exponent of 0.38 and an intercooler mass flow ratio of 1.18 at hot-day top of climb conditions. At ISA midcruise conditions a specific thrust of 86 m/s, a jet velocity ratio of 0.83, an intercooler effectiveness of 56%, and an overall pressure ratio value of 76 are likely to be a good choice. A 70,000 lbf intercooled turbofan engine is large enough to make efficient use of an all-axial compression system, particularly within a geared fan configuration, but intercooling is perhaps more likely to be applied to even larger engines. The proposed optimal jet velocity ratio is actually higher than the value one would expect by using standard analytical expressions, primarily because this design variable affects core efficiency at midcruise due to a combination of several different subtle changes to the core cycle and core component efficiencies at this condition. The analytical expressions do not consider changes in core efficiency and the beneficial effect of intercooling on transfer efficiency, nor do they account for losses in the bypass duct and jet pipe, while a relatively detailed engine performance model, such as the one utilized in this study, does. Mission fuel results from a surrogate model are in good agreement with the results obtained from a rubberized-wing aircraft model for some of the design parameters. This indicates that it is possible to replace an aircraft model with specific fuel consumption and weight penalty exchange rates. Nevertheless, drag count exchange rates have to be utilized to properly assess changes in mission fuel for those design parameters that affect nacelle diameter.

Investigation of Combustion Phasing Control Strategy During Reactivity Controlled Compression Ignition (RCCI) Multicylinder Engine Load Transitions

Abstract: The dual fuel reactivity controlled compression ignition (RCCI) concept has been successfully demonstrated to be a promising, more controllable, high efficiency and cleaner combustion mode. A multi-dimensional computational fluid dynamics (CFD) code coupled with detailed chemistry, KIVA-CHEMKIN, was applied to develop a strategy for phasing control during load transitions. Steady-state operating points at 1500 rev/min were calibrated from 0 to 5 bar brake mean effective pressure (BMEP). The load transitions considered in this study included a load-up and a load-down load change transient between 1 bar and 4 bar BMEP at 1500 rev/min. The experimental results showed that during the load transitions, the diesel injection timing responded in 2 cycles while around 5 cycles were needed for the diesel common-rail pressure to reach the target value. However, the intake manifold pressure lagged behind the pedal change for about 50 cycles due to the slower response of the turbocharger.The effect of these transients on RCCI engine combustion phasing was studied. The CFD model was first validated against steady-state experimental data at 1 bar and 4 bar BMEP. Then the model was used to develop strategies for phasing control by changing the direct port fuel injection (PFI) amount during load transitions. Specific engine operating cycles during the load transitions (6 cycles for the load-up transition and 7 cycles for the load-down transition) were selected based on the change of intake manifold pressure to represent the transition processes. Each cycle was studied separately to find the correct PFI to diesel fuel ratio for the desired CA50 (the crank angle at which 50 % of total heat release occurs). The simulation results showed that CA50 was delayed by 7 to 15 degrees for the load-up transition and advanced by around 5 degrees during the load-down transition if the pre-calibrated steady-state PFI table was used. By decreasing the PFI ratio by 10 % to 15 % during the load-up transition and increasing the PFI ratio by around 40 % during the load-down transition, the CA50 could be controlled at a reasonable value during transitions. The control strategy can be used for closed-loop control during engine transient operating conditions. Combustion and emission results during load transitions are also discussed.Copyright © 2013 by ASME