Modelling internal air systems ingas turbine engines

Nomenclaturearotor inner radiusbrotor outer radiuscpspecific heat capacity at constantpressureCDdischarge coefficientCp,maxnondi mensional pressure difference(=Δpmax/0·5ρW2)Cwnondi mensional flowrate(=m·/μb)Cw,minmini mumvalue ofCwto preventingressgc

Modelling internal air systems ingas turbine engines

Rotating-disc systems can be used to model,experimentally and computationally,the flow and heat transfer that occur inside the internal cooling-air systems of gas turbine engines.These rotating-disc systems have been used successfully to simplify and understand some of the complex flows that occur in internal-air systems,and designers have used this insight to improve the cooling effectiveness,thereby increasing the engine efficiency and reducing the emissions.In this review paper,three important cases are considered:hot-gas ingress;the pre-swirl system;and buoyancy-induced flow.Ingress,or ingestion,occurs when hot gas from the mainstream gas path is ingested into the wheel-space between the turbine disc and its adjacent casing.Rim seals are fitted at the periphery of the system,and sealing flow is used to reduce or prevent ingress.However,too much sealing air reduces the engine efficiency,and too little can cause serious overheating,resulting in damage to the turbine rim and blade roots.Although the flow is three-dimensional and unsteady,there are encouraging signs that simple 'orifice models' could be used to estimate the amount of ingress into the wheel-space.In a pre-swirl system,the cooling air for the gas-turbine blades is swirled by stationary nozzles,and the air is delivered to the blades via receiver holes in the rotating turbine disc.Swirling the air reduces its temperature relative to the rotating blades,and the designer needs to calculate the air temperature and pressure drop in the system.The designer also needs to calculate the effect of this swirling flow on the heat transfer from the turbine disc to the air,as this has a significant effect on the temperature distribution and stresses in the disc.Recent experimental and computational studies have given a better understanding of the flow and heat transfer in these systems.Buoyancy-induced flow occurs in the cavity between two co-rotating compressor discs when the temperature of the discs is higher than that of the air in the cavity.Coriolis forces create cyclonic and anti-cyclonic circulation inside the cavity and,as such flows are three-dimensional and unsteady,the heat transfer from the discs to the air is difficult either to compute or to measure.The flow also tends to be unstable and one flow structure can change quasi-randomly to another,which makes it hard for designers of aero-engines to calculate the transient temperature changes and thermal stresses in the discs during take-off,cruise and landing conditions.Although recent CFD research has been successful in computing these flows,it will be many years before the designer can rely on computations unless they have been validated on reliable experimental data.