One of the common failure modes of the diesel engine turbochargers is high-cycle fatigue of the turbine-wheel blades. Mistuning of the blades due to the casting process is believed to contribute to this failure mode. A laser vibrometer is used to characterize mistuning for a population of turbine wheels through the analysis of the blade-response to piezo-speaker induced noise. The turbine-wheel design under investigation is radial and is typically used in 6-12L diesel engine applications. FRFs and resonance frequencies are reviewed and summarized. The study includes test results for a paddle wheel that represents a perfectly tuned system and acts as a reference. A discrete mass-spring model is developed for the paddle wheel and the model suitability is tested against measured data. Density randomization is applied to model mistuning in the turbine wheels. Frequency mistuning and relative amplitude modelling for blade modes is found in good agreement with the data, however the mass-spring model over-predicts amplitude-amplification factors for a population of radial-turbine wheels, especially with regard to hub-dominant modes. A continuous twisted-blade model is developed in Matlab using finite-element techniques. Experimental data is shown to have good agreement with the twisted-blade model. Whitehead’s maximum amplitude-amplification prediction using RMS value for a tuned amplitude value is calculated, and the turbine-wheel response is found to fit within the theoretical limit. Different mistuning patterns are studied using the twisted-blade model. Maximum and minimum response patterns are identified and recommended.

La mutation technologique du transport en général et aéronautique en particulier, engagée au niveau européen, conduit à une évolution vers des avions plus économiques et moins consommateurs de carburant. Ceci impacte fortement les systèmes de conditionnement d’air par une électrification partielle ne nécessitant plus de prélèvement d’air sur les réacteurs. Il est alors nécessaire d’assurer une large plage de débit à travers la turbine, élément de la turbomachine constituant le cœur du « pack » de conditionnement d’air, tout en fournissant le maximum de puissance possible sur l’ensemble de la plage. L’étage turbine classique ne peut pas assurer la plage de débit spécifiée. Il est donc remplacé par un étage turbine à section d’injection variable. Cet étage turbine doit fonctionner depuis la phase de maintenance au sol (faible débit, fort taux de détente) jusqu'en phase de croisière (fort débit, faible taux de détente), tout en assurant également son rôle sur les autres phases de vol et multiples cas de panne. La problématique est alors de concevoir une turbine dont la géométrie varie en fonctionnement et qui présente de très bons rendements sur une large plage de débit. Il est ainsi primordial de comprendre au préalable la complexité des écoulements pour ce type de géométrie, et comment le dispositif assurant la variation de section va influencer la topologie de l’écoulement dans l’étage turbine. En particulier, la présence de jeux dans les parties statiques de l’étage introduit une perturbation tourbillonnaire en amont du rotor. L’impact de cette perturbation sur l’écoulement principal, son interaction avec les écoulements secondaires, doit être détaillé. L’influence de la localisation de cette perturbation, de son intensité, doit être analysée, dans un contexte rendu très complexe par la variabilité de la géométrie. La compréhension des phénomènes mis en jeu responsables de la variation des performances dans l’étage turbine, permettra de définir une stratégie de dimensionnement à adopter. L’amélioration des performances de la turbine permettra ainsi de limiter la puissance demandée sur le moteur électrique afin de limiter la masse embarquée et donc la consommation de carburant. La méthodologie retenue pour aborder cette problématique, se décline en quatre volets. Un premier volet bibliographique pour s’approprier les phénomènes physiques liés à l’écoulement dans une turbine à géométrie variable et faire un état de l’art des solutions techniques existantes de géométrie variable des distributeurs de turbines centripètes. Un volet numérique dont l’objectif sera double. D'une part, de proposer une méthodologie de calcul robuste de prévision des performances et, d’autre part, de discriminer différentes options de dimensionnement dont la pertinence doit être démontrée sur l’ensemble de sa plage d’opérabilité. Un volet expérimental représentant la part principale de la thèse, consistera à mettre en place un module spécifique pour réaliser et analyser les essais pour des points de spécification représentatifs du fonctionnement de la turbine sur avion. Cela permettra de fournir une base de données d’analyse et de validation, et de quantifier les effets d’intégration. Ces études numérique et expérimentale seront conduites conjointement, afin que l’analyse de l‘écoulement profite de la complémentarité des deux approches. La dernière étape de cette étude a pour but la restitution des résultats obtenus et le savoir-faire vers l’industrie tant du point de vue de la prédiction des performances que de la méthodologie de dimensionnement des turbines à géométrie variable. / The technological mutation of transport in general and aeronautics in particular, engaged to the European level, leads to an evolution of more economical and fuel-efficient aircrafts. It strongly impacts the environmental control systems by a partial electrification which does not need an air bleeding on the engine anymore. Then it is necessary to insure a large output range through the turbine, element of the turbomachine which forms the heart of the air conditioning « pack », while providing the maximum amount of possible power on the whole range. The classical turbine stage cannot insure the specified output range. Then it is replaced by a variable geometry radial inflow turbine. This turbine stage has to function from the maintenance phase on the ground (weak output, strong expansion ratio) to the en route phase (strong output, weak expansion ratio). It also has to guarantee its role during the others phases of flight and in case of multiple failures power. So the problematic is to design a turbine such that its geometry varies in operation and adapt itself to the changing operating with the best possible efficiency on the widest possible range. Thus it is primordial to understand beforehand the complexity of flows for this kind of geometry, and how the variable geometry device affects the flow topology in the turbine stage. In particular, the presence of clearances in the static parts of the stage creates a vortex perturbation upstream from the rotor. The impact of this perturbation on the main flow, its interaction with secondary flows, must be detailed. The influence of the perturbation localisation, its intensity, must be analysed, in the complex variable geometry context. The understanding of phenomenon involved and responsible for the downgrade of performance in the turbine stage, will allow defining a specific strategy of design. The improvement of performance for the turbine will enable to restrict the required power on the electrical engine for limiting the on board weight, and then the fuel consumption. The selected methodology to broach this problematic, is divided into four parts. Firstly, a bibliographic part in order to appropriate physics phenomenon related to the flow in a variable geometry turbine will be conducted, together with a state of art about the different existing technological solutions. Secondly, some numerical simulations will be set to propose a methodology of robust calculations for performance prediction and, to discriminate different design options. The third step consists in an experimental phase representing the main work of the thesis. It will consist in the definition of a specific module instrumented for tests representative of the turbine on aircraft functioning. It will provide a database for analysing the flow and validating the numerical simulations, and to quantify the effects of integration. These numerical and experimental studies will be led jointly, such that the general analysis takes advantage of complementarity of both approaches. The last step of this study aims at conditioning the results achieved and the know-how for industrial application.

Since the late 19th century, the average temperature on Earth has risen by approximately 1.1 °C because of the increased carbon dioxide (CO2) and other man-made emissions to the atmosphere. The transportation sector is responsible for approximately 33% of the global CO2 emissions and 14% of the overall greenhouse gas emissions. Therefore, increasingly stringent regulations in the European Union require CO2 emissions to be lower than 95 gCO₂/km by 2020. In this regard, improvements in internal combustion engines (ICEs)must be achieved in terms of fuel consumption and CO2 emissions. Given that only up to 35% of fuel energy is converted into mechanical power, the wasted energy can be reused through waste heat recovery (WHR) technologies. Consequently, organic Rankine cycle (ORC) has received significant attention as a WHR technology because of its ability to recover wasted heat in low- to medium-heat sources. The Expansion machine is the key component in ORC systems, and its performance has a direct and significant impact on overall cycle efficiency. However, the thermal efficiencies of ORC systems are typically low due to low working temperatures. Moreover, supersonic conditions at the high pressure ratios are usually encountered in the expander due to the thermal properties of the working fluids selected which are different to water. Therefore, this thesis aims to design an efficient radial-inflow turbine to avoid further efficiency reductions in the overall system. To fulfil this aim, a novel design and optimisation methodology was developed. A design of experiments technique was incorporated in the methodology toexplorethe effects of input parameters on turbine performance and overall size. Importantly, performance prediction modelling by means of 1D mean-line modelling was employed in the proposed methodology to examine the performance of ORC turbines at constant geometries. The proposed methodology was validated by three methods: computational fluid dynamics analysis, experimental work available in the literature, and experimental work in the current project. Owing to the lack of actual experimental works in ORC-ICE applications, a test rig was built around a heavy-duty diesel engine at Brunel University London and tested at partial load conditions due to the requirement for a realistic off-high representation of the performance of the system rather than its best (design) point, while taking into account the limitation of the engine dynamometer employed. Results of the design methodology developed for this projectpresented an efficient single-stage high-pressure ratio radial-inflow turbine with a total to static efficiency of 74.4% and an output power of 13.6 kW.Experimental results showed that the ORC system had a thermal efficiency of 4.3%, and the brake-specific fuel consumption of the engine was reduced by 3%. The novel meanlineoff designcode (MOC) was validated with the experimental works from three turbines. In comparison with the experimental results conducted at Brunel University London, the predicted and measured results were in good agreement with a maximum deviation of 2.8%.

The increasing use of turbochargers is leading to an outstanding research to understand the internal flow in turbomachines. In this frame, computational fluid dynamics (CFD) is one of the tools that can be applied to contribute to the analysis of the fluid-dynamic processes occurring in a turbine. The objective of this thesis is the development of a methodology for performing simulations of radial turbomachinery optimizing the available computational resources. This methodology is used for the characterization of a vaned-nozzle turbine under steady and pulsating flow conditions. An important effort has been devoted in adjusting the case configuration to maximize the accuracy achievable with a certain computational cost. Concerning the cell size, a local mesh independence analysis is proposed as a procedure to optimize the distribution of cells in the domain, thus allowing to use a finer mesh in the most suitable places. Particularly important in turbomachinery simulations is the influence of the approach for simulating rotor motion. In this thesis two models have been compared: multiple reference frame and sliding mesh. The differences obtained using both methods were found to be significant in off-design regions. Steady flow CFD results have been validated against global measurements taken on a gas-stand. The modeling of a turbine, installed either on a turbocharger test rig or an engine, requires the calculation of the flow in the ducts composing the system. Those ducts could be simulated assuming a one-dimensional (1D) approximation, and thus reducing the computational cost. In this frame of ideas, two CFD boundary conditions have been developed. The first one allows performing coupled 1D-3D simulations, communicating the flow variables from each domain through the boundary. The second boundary condition is based in a new formulation for a stand-alone anechoic end, which intends to represent the flow behavior of an infinite duct. Finally, the turbine was simulat / Fajardo Peña, P. (2012). Methodology for the Numerical Characterization of a Radial Turbine under Steady and Pulsating Flow [Tesis doctoral no publicada]. Universitat Politècnica de València. https://doi.org/10.4995/Thesis/10251/16878 / Palancia

This master’s thesis deals with topological optimization of the impeller of a radial turbocharger turbine. It focuses on reducing the moment of inertia with unchanged aerodynamic properties. The optimization was carried out using CFD, thermal and structural analysis. The computational modeling was performed using the finite element analysis in ANSYS. The work proposes models of the impeller with the topological modification of the internal structure. Based on the values of moment of inertia, the stress and the strain the most suitable model was selected.

Turbochargers are becoming an essential device in internal combustion engines as they boost the intake air with more pressure in order to increase the power output. These devices are normally designed for a single steady design point but the pulsating flow delivered from the internal combustion engine is everything but steady. The efficiency drop experienced in the off-design points by the fixed geometry turbochargers have made some research groups to look into new variable geometry solutions for turbocharging. A nozzle ring is a device which normally achieves a higher performance under design conditions, but the efficiency rapidly drops at off-design conditions. In this paper, a variable angle nozzle ring is designed and implemented in the model of a radial turbine of a turbocharger in order to study its potential when working under real internal combustion engine cycles. To understand the profit margin the turbine performance is compared with two turbines with the same impeller geometry: one without nozzle ring and one with a nozzle ring with a fixed angle. The results show that the maximum efficiency angle function calculated for the variable angle nozzle ring achieves an improvement in the total efficiency of 5 % when comparing with a turbine with a fixed angle and 18 % when comparing with a vaneless turbine. The improved guidance achieved due to the variable blade angle leads to less turbine losses and therefore more mechanical energy can be extracted from the exhaust mass flow throughout all the combustion cycle but a further study should be made in order to match all the engine operations points. Notably, taking the pulsating boundary conditions into consideration, a remarkable improvement is achieved already for the fixed angle nozzle ring.

[ES] En los turbocompresores con turbina de geometría variable (VGT por sus siglas en inglés) los vanos del estator se mueven a una posición cerrada para generar una contrapresión durante el modo de frenado del motor. De este modo, se generan ondas de choque en el estator. Además, en otras aplicaciones donde se utilizan turbinas radiales como en ciclos reversos de Brayton para refrigeración, ciclos orgánicos Rankine, y en las turbinas para la unidad de potencia auxiliar, dependiendo de las condiciones de operación, pueden aparecer condiciones sónicas y ondas de choque. El presente trabajo se centra en el estudio del comportamiento del flujo a través de una turbina de geometría variable de un turbocompresor comercial en condiciones fuera de diseño alcanzando condiciones de choque. Se ha realizado un análisis detallado del patrón de flujo dentro de la turbine usando simulaciones CFD, identificando y cuantificando los fenómenos más importantes bajo diferentes condiciones de operación. Se han llevado a cabo simulaciones estacionarias usando Reynolds Averaged Navier Stokes (RANS) y no estacionarias (unsteady RANS) para obtener las características del flujo en el estator y en el rotor, además de obtener el mapa de la turbina. Los resultados CFD muestran que la región del dominio computacional donde aparecen las condiciones sónicas depende de la posición de los vanos del estator y la relación de presiones. Cuando los vanos del estator están en una posición cerrada (10% VGT), el fluido se acelera y, dependiendo de la relación de presiones, la presión estática en el lado de succión disminuye hasta cierto punto donde un incremento repentino revela la presencia de una onda de choque, la cual se expande por el espacio sin vanos. La intensidad de la onda de choque bajo la relación de presiones más altas varia con la velocidad de giro. Para analizar la interacción entre el rotor y el estator se llevaron a cabo simulaciones numéricas con los vanos del estator en una posición cerrada, 10% VGT, y en una posición más abierta, 30% VGT. El número de choques que una partícula del fluido experimenta aguas arriba del rotor está correlacionado con las pérdidas por choque del fluido. Cerca de los vanos del estator, las pérdidas de presión son altas, hacia el centro del espacio sin vanos las pérdidas disminuyen y cerca del rotor empiezan a incrementar. La interacción entre el rotor y el estator crea ondas de choque cuya intensidad depende de la posición del borde de ataque del rotor y de la velocidad de giro. A la velocidad de giro más alta, ocurren fluctuaciones en la carga cerca del borde de ataque, las cuales pueden comprometer la integridad de la pala. Cuando la turbina tiene los vanos del estator abiertos (80% VGT) y opera a la relación de presión más alta seleccionada, las condiciones de choque aparecen en el plano del borde de fuga del rotor. Además, el desarrollo del área chocada depende de la velocidad de giro y de las fugas en la punta del álabe. Así, se investigó los efectos de las fugas en la punta del alabe sobre el flujo principal bajo condiciones sónicas disminuyendo e incrementando el intersticio entre la punta del álabe y la carcasa hasta un 50% en base a la geometría dada por el fabricante. El flujo a través de este espacio se acelera para posteriormente mezclarse con el flujo principal y generar un vórtice. Los efectos del vórtice sobre el flujo en el plano ubicado en el borde de fuga del rotor cuando el intersticio varía son más significativos a altas velocidades que a bajas velocidades. El vórtice permanece más cerca del lado de succión a altas velocidades generando una región subsónica que incrementa con la altura del intersticio. Las fugas en la punta del álabe no afectan al flujo principal cerca del cubo cuando la turbina opera a altas y bajas velocidades. / [CA] En turbocompressors amb turbina de geometria variable (VGT per les seues sigles en anglès), les paletes de l'estàtor es mouen a una posició tancada per generar una contrapressió durant el mode de frenada del motor. D'aquesta forma, es generen unes ones de xoc en l'estàtor. A més, en altres aplicacions on s'utilitzen turbines radials com els cicles inversos de Brayton per a refrigeració, cicles orgànics de Rankine o en turbines per a la unitat de potencia auxiliar, depenent de les condicions d'operació poden aparéixer condicions sòniques i d'ones de xoc. El present treball es centra en l'estudi del comportament del flux en una turbina radial de geometria variable d'un turbocompressor comercial en condicions fora de disseny, arribant a condicions de xoc. S'ha realitzat un anàlisi detallat del patró de flux dins d'aquestes turbines utilitzant simulacions CFD, identificant i quantificant els fenòmens més importants a diferents condicions d'operació. S'han realitzat simulacions estacionàries utilitzant Reynolds Averaged Navier Stokes (RANS) i no estacionàries (Unsteady-RANS) per a obtenir les característiques del flux en l'estàtor i en el rotor, a més d'obtenir el mapa de la turbina. Els resultats CFD mostren que la regió del domini computacional on apareixen les condicions sòniques depenen de la posició de les paletes de l'estàtor i de la relació de pressions. Quan les paletes de l'estàtor estan en una posició tancada (10% VGT), el flux s'accelera i, depenent de la relació de pressions, la pressió estàtica en el costat de succió disminueix fins a cert punt on un increment brusc denota la presència d'una ona de xoc que s'expandix per l'espai sense paletes. L'intensitat de la ona de xoc a relacions de pressions elevades varia amb la velocitat de rotació. Per analitzar l'interacció entre rotor i estàtor es van realitzar simulacions numèriques amb les paletes de l'estàtor en una posició tancada, 10% VGT, i en una posició més oberta, 30% VGT. El nombre de xocs que una partícula del fluid experimenta aigües amunt del rotor està correlacionat amb les pèrdues per xoc del fluid. Prop de les paletes de l'estàtor, les pèrdues de pressión són elevades, cap al centre de l'espai sense paletes les pèrdues disminueixen i prop del rotor comencen a incrementarse. L'interacción entre rotor i estàtor crea ones de xoc amb una intensitat que depèn de la posició de la vora d'atac del rotor i de la velocitat de rotació. A la velocitat de rotació més elevada, prop de de la vora d'atac ocorren fluctuacions en la càrrega que poden comprometre la integritat de la pala. Quan la turbina té les paletes de l'estàtor obertes (80% VGT) i opera a la relació de pressió més elevada de les seleccionades, les condicions de xoc apareixen en el pla de la vora de fuga del rotor. A més, el desenvolupament de l'àrea xocada depèn de la velocitat de rotació i de les fugues en la punta de les paletes. Així, s'ha investigat els efectes de les fugues en la punta de les paletes sobre el flux principal sota condicions sòniques, disminuint i incrementant l'interstici entre la punta de la paleta i la carcasa fins un 50\% en base a la geometria donada pel fabricant. El flux en aquest espai s'accelera per a posteriorment mesclar-se amb el flux principal i generar un vòrtex. Els efectes del vòrtex sobre el flux en el pla ubicat a la vora de fuga del rotor quan l'interstici varia són més significatives a velocitats altes que a velocitats baixes. El vòrtex roman més prop del costat de succió a velocitats elevades generant una regió subsònica que incrementa amb l'altura de l'interstici. Les fugues en la punta de les paletes no afecten al flux principal prop del cub quan la turbina opera tant a altes com baixes velocitats. / [EN] In turbochargers with variable geometry turbine (VGT), the stator vanes move to a closed position to drive high exhaust back pressure during the engine braking mode. Thus, shock waves are generated at the stator. Furthermore, depending on the operational conditions in the use of radial turbines in other applications like reverse Brayton cycle for refrigeration, Organic Rankine Cycles, and gas turbine auxiliary power unit (GTAPU), sonic flow and shock waves can appear. The current work focuses on studying the flow behavior of a commercial turbocharger turbine of variable geometry at off-design conditions reaching choked flow. A detailed examination of the flow patterns within the turbine has been carried out using CFD simulations, identifying and quantifying the most important phenomena under different operational points. Reynolds Averaged Navier Stokes (RANS) and unsteady RANS simulations have been performed to obtain the flow structures in stator and rotor as well as the turbine map. The CFD results show that the region of the computational domain where the sonic conditions appear depends on the stator vanes position and the pressure ratio. When the stator vanes are in the closed position (10% VGT) the flow through the stator accelerates and, depending on pressure ratio, the static pressure on the suction side decreases until a certain point where a sudden increase reveals the presence of a shock wave that expands through the vaneless space. The intensity of the shock wave at higher pressure ratio varies with the rotational speed. To analyze the rotor-stator interaction, numerical simulations were carried out with the stator vanes at the closed position, 10% VGT, and at wider position, 30% VGT. The number of shocks a fluid particle experiences upstream of the rotor is correlated with the fluid shock losses. Close to the stator vanes, the pressure losses are high; toward the center of the vaneless space, they start to decrease, and close to the rotor they start to increase. The rotor-stator interaction creates shock waves, whose intensity depends on the position of the rotor leading edge and the blade speed. At higher rotational speed, load fluctuation occurs close to the leading edge, which may compromise the blade's integrity. When the turbine has the stator vanes open (80% VGT) and operates at the selected higher pressure ratio, the choking condition appears in a plane at the rotor trailing edge. Furthermore, the development of the choked area depends on the rotational speed and tip leakage. Thus, the effect of the tip leakage flow on the main flow under sonic conditions was investigated decreasing and increasing the tip gap up to 50% of the original geometry given by the manufacturer. The flow through the gap accelerates and then mixes with the main flow, generating a vortex. The effects of the vortex on the flow at the rotor trailing edge plane when the tip gap varies are more significant at higher speed than at lower speed. The vortex stays closer to the tip suction side at higher speed, generating a subsonic region that increases with the tip gap height. At higher and lower rotational speeds, the tip leakage flow does not affect the main flow close to the hub. / I would like to acknowledge the financial support received through the "Subprograma de Formación de Profesorado Universitario (FPU)". Ministerio de Universidades. FPU18/02628 and by the "FPI Subprograma 2". Universitat Politècnica de València. PAID-10-18. / Echavarría Olaya, JD. (2023). Numerical Study of a Radial Turbine of Variable Geometry at Off-Design Conditions Reaching Choked Flow [Tesis doctoral]. Universitat Politècnica de València. https://doi.org/10.4995/Thesis/10251/196861

La diminution de la cylindrée ou le downsizing du moteur est potentiellement l'une des stratégies les plus efficaces pour améliorer la consommation de carburant et diminuer les émissions polluantes. Dans le domaine de la suralimentation, la simulation est limitée par les caractéristiques de fonctionnement des turbines fournies par les constructeurs. Une extrapolation précise et fiable des cartographies turbine est donc l’objectif de cette thèse. Une étude expérimentale sur une turbine radiale d’un turbocompresseur est effectuée avec différentes techniques pour mesurer la cartographie turbine la plus large possible. Les mesures sont effectuées sur un banc turbocompresseur classique avec différentes températures d'entrée turbine. Puis une technique de gavage en entrée et en sortie compresseur est testée. Le compresseur est ensuite remplacé par un autre compresseur à roue inversée qui peut aider la turbine à tourner et même l’entrainer. Les débits les plus faibles et même les débits négatifs sont mesurés. Un banc turbine électromécanique a également été développé, mais n’a pas pu donner de résultats satisfaisants à cause de problèmes techniques mais des évolutions à venir restent prometteuses. Les diverses techniques expérimentales testées ont aussi permis de mesurer le rendement isentropique de la turbine et le rendement mécanique du turbocompresseur. Finalement, plusieurs modèles d’extrapolation des courbes caractéristiques turbine ont été testés et confrontés aux résultats expérimentaux. / Engine downsizing is potentially one of the most effective strategies being explored to improve fuel economy and reduce emissions. In the field of turbocharging,simulation is limited by the operating characteristics of turbines supplied by the manufacturers. An accurate and precise extrapolation of the turbine performance maps is the main aim of this study. An experimental study was done on a radial turbine of a turbocharger with different techniques to measure the wider turbine performance map possible. Measurements were done on a classic turbocharger test bench with different turbine inlet temperatures. Then air was blown to the compressor inlet and exit: it is the compressor “gavage”. The compressor is then replaced with another one with are versed rotor: this compressor can help the turbine turn and even drive it itself. The lowest mass flow rates are measured even the negative ones. An electromechanical turbine test bench was developed but did not work correctly because of technical problems but future developments are promising. The various experimental techniques used allowed also the measurement of the turbine isentropic efficiency and the turbocharger mechanical efficiency. Finally, many extrapolation models of the turbine performance maps were tested and compared to the experimental results.

This thesis deals with technologies for gas liquefaction and storage. The first section summarizes the development of liquefaction technology using expanders and throttling valves, followed by current technology. This is especially a rotary expanders. The storage technology is the above-ground storage of cryogenic tanks. The thesis includes proposals turbine wheels for liquefaction lines and included two proposals liquefaction cycles.

In the past decades, stricter legislation has been imposed to improve fuel economy and to reduce tail-end emissions of automotive vehicles worldwide. One of the important and effective technologies adopted by the automobile manufacturers to fulfill legislation requirements is the turbocharger technology. As unavoidable large temperature gradients exists in an automotive turbocharger, heat transfer is prominent. However, the effects of heat loss on the turbocharger turbine performance is unclear, i.e. there is no consensus about its effects among researchers. Therefore, the objective of the licentiate thesis is to investigate the effects of heat transfer on an automotive turbocharger radial turbine performance. Furthermore, the thesis also aims to quantify the heat transfer related losses in a turbocharger turbine. Both gas stand (continuous flow) and engine-like (pulsating flow) conditions are considered. By using Detached Eddy Simulation (DES), the flow field of the targeted turbocharger turbine is computed under adiabatic and non-adiabatic conditions. Energy balance and exergy concept are then applied to the simulations data to study the effects of heat loss on performance and to quantify the heat transfer related losses. The main findings of the licentiate thesis are 1) Pressure ratio drop in turbine is less sensitive to heat loss as compared with turbine power. Hence there is a risk of making wrong conclusions about the heat transfer effects on the turbine performance by just comparing the measured pressure ratio under adiabatic and non-adiabatic scenarios; 2) It is possible to quantify heat transfer related losses in a turbocharger turbine. This quantification allows understanding on how well the turbine system utilizes the available energy, and assisting identification of the system component that is sensitive to heat transfer; 3) Heat loss has insignificant effect on turbine power under the investigated engine-like pulsating flow condition; and 4) Even under unavoidable non-adiabatic conditions, much of the exergy discharged out to the environment and more effort could be done to recover the wasted exergy as useful turbine work in the current turbine system. The outcomes of the licentiate thesis naturally lead to the main focus of future work, i.e. exploring different exhaust valve strategies to minimize losses and to optimize flow exergy extraction as useful turbine work for better exhaust gas exergy utilization. / Under de senaste decennierna har allt strängare lagstiftning införts för att förbättra bränsleekonomin och minska avgasutsläppen från motorfordon världen över. En av de viktigaste och mest effektiva tekniker som införts av biltillverkarna för att kunna uppfylla lagkraven är turboladdartekniken. Eftersom stora temperaturgradienter existerar i en fordonsturboladdare, spelar värmeöverföring en framträdande roll. Emellertid är effekterna av värmeförluster på turboturbinprestanda oklar, dvs det finns ingen konsensus bland forskare om dess effekter. Syftet med denna licentiatavhandling är därför att undersöka effekterna av värmeöverföring på prestanda för radialturbinen i en fordonsturboladdare. Vidare syftar avhandlingen till att kvantifiera värmeöverföringsrelaterade förluster i en turboladdares turbin. Både fall med kontinuerligt gas flöde och motorliknande, pulserande flöde beaktas. Strömningsfältet i den utvalda turboladdarens turbin beräknas med en metod kallad Detached Eddy Simulation (DES) under adiabatiska och icke adiabatiska förhållanden. Energi- och exergibalanser för simuleringsresultaten analyseras sedan för att studera effekterna av värmeförluster på prestanda och kvantifiera värmeöverföringsrelaterade förluster. De viktigaste resultaten av licentiatuppsatsen är 1) Tryckförhållandet över turbinen är mindre känsligt för värmeförluster jämfört med turbineffekten. Därmed finns det en risk för att felaktiga slutsatser dras beträffande effekterna av värmeöverföring på turbinprestanda genom att enbart jämföra det uppmätta tryckförhållandet under adiabatiska och icke adiabatiska förhållanden; 2) Det är möjligt att kvantifiera värmeöverföringsrelaterade förluster i en turboladdares turbin. Denna kvantifiering ger förståelse för hur väl turbinsystemet utnyttjar den tillgängliga energin, och bistår med identifiering av systemkomponenter som är känsliga för värmeöverföring; 3) Värmeförluster har en obetydlig inverkan på turbineffekten för det undersökta motorliknande, pulserande flödesförhållandet; och 4) Under oundvikliga, icke-adiabatiska förhållanden, släpps även en stor del av exergin ut till omgivningen och det finns utrymme för förbättringar gällande exergiutnyttjandet i det aktuella turbinsystemet. Baserat på resultaten av licentiatavhandlingen kommer det fortsatta arbetet att fokusera på att utforska olika avgasventilstrategier för att minimera förluster och optimera omvandling av flödesexergi till användbart turbinarbete för bättre avgasexergiutnyttjande. / <p>QC 20161213</p> / KTH CCGEx HOTSIDE project