Study and experiment indicate that, with existing technology, a modified open Brayton cycle can be used to burn common municipal refuse at atmospheric pressure and produce useful power while scrubbing the combustion product gases to remove pollutants.The hot combustion gases pass from a combustor through a turbine to a region below atmospheric pressure where they are scrubbed and cooled by mixing with water spray. The water spray and gas mixture is then exhausted to atmospheric pressure through a compressor.Although current compressor designs are workable in this application, a new design is needed which will have reduced water drag power loss.Ball State UniversityMuncie, IN 47306

An experimental and numerical investigation of the flow and convective heat transfer distribution around a high turning angle gas turbine rotor blade has been carried out at the University of Kwa-Zulu, Durban campus. This study in gas turbine blade aerothermodynamics was done to meet the research and development requirements of the CSIR and ARMSCOR. The experimental results were generated using an existing continuously running supersonic cascade facility which offers realistic engine conditions at low operating costs. These results were then used to develop and validate a 2-D model created using the commercially available Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) software package, FLUENT. An initial phase of the study entailed a restoration of what was an unoperational experimental facility to a state capable of producing test simulation conditions. In the analysis, a 4-blade cascade system with provisions for an interchangeable, test blade was subjected to the steady state conditions set up by the facility. Firstly, the flow was characterised by evaluating the static pressures around the midspan of a pressure measurement test blade. This was done using two pressure transducers, a scanivalve, an upgraded data acquisition system and LABview software. The method for measuring the heat transfer distributions made use of a transient measuring technique, whereby a pre-chilled Macor test blade, instrumented with thin film heat flux gauges was rapidly introduced into the hot cascade flow conditions by displacing an aluminum dummy blade while still maintaining the flow conditions. Measurement of the heat flux and generation of the isothermal heat transfer co-efficient distributions entailed re-instrumentation of the test blade section with gauges of increased temperature sensitivity along with modifications of the associated electrical circuitry to improve on the quality of experimental data. Both the experimental flow and heat transfer data were used to validate the CFD model developed in FLUENT. An investigation into different meshing strategies and turbulence models placed emphasis on the choice of model upon correlation. The outcome of which showed the k -co model's superiority in predicting the flow at transonic conditions. A feasibility study regarding a new means of implementing a film cooled turbine test blade at the supersonic cascade facility was also successfully investigated. The study comprised of experimental facility modifications as well as cascade and blade redesigns, all of which were to account for the requirements of film cooling. The implementation of this project, however, demanded the resources of both time and money of which neither commodity was available. / Thesis (M.Sc.Eng.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2006.

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As the performance required of high pressure turbines continues to increase, there is a need to investigate many details of the flow which occur in a gas turbine stage that were previously overlooked. These include the effects of rotation and three-dimensional flow as well as unsteady effects due to the relative motion of the blade rows. In order to obtain a better understanding of the turbine flowfield a new transient facility has been commissioned in which aerodynamic and heat transfer measurements can be undertaken in a full stage turbine at engine representative conditions. The previously used technique of measuring the heat transfer rate by mounting thin film gauges on models manufactured from machineable glass ceramic was not suitable for use on the rotor blade because of the high stress levels involved. An alternative technique has been developed in which a metal turbine blade is coated with an insulating layer of enamel and thin film gauges painted on top. The developments in signal processing and calibrations which were necessary for the use of this type of thin film gauge are discussed in detail. Signal conditioning electronics have been developed which permit amplification of the thin film gauge output to a higher level within the rotating frame before transmission through a slipring. Extensive tests have been undertaken, in a purpose built spinning rig, to establish the effects of rotation on the performance and mechanical integrity of the instrumentation and associated electronics. The heat transfer measurements recorded in the rotor facility to date are presented and compared with data from a previous two-dimensional simulation of wake passing flow on the mid-height section of the same blade.