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.

This research is concerned with a single crystal nickel-base superalloy which has been developed for application as a high pressure turbine blade material in jet aircraft engines. The microstructures and mechanical properties of superalloys, including the effects of heat-treatments, have been reviewed. The effects of heat-treatments on the γ' precipitate distributions have been investigated. During ageing at 900°C or 800°C, the precipitates adopt an irregular, rounded and highly interconnected microstructure, indicative of precipitate coalescence, whilst at higher ageing temperatures a regular cuboidal precipitate morphology is formed. The kinetics of precipitate coarsening have been investigated, and slight deviations from the power-law predicted by a number of theoretical models were observed. These deviations have been discussed in terms of a progressive transition in the dominant coarsening mechanism. Constant load creep tests were carried out, and although the tensile axis was nominally parallel to [001], the degree and direction of misorientation were found to be critical to the extent of the primary creep strain. Primary creep was shown to proceed by slip on a single (111)[112] system, until the activation of intersecting slip systems brings about the onset of the secondary creep stage. The extent of primary creep has been shown to be reduced by application of a final ageing treatment at 870°C. Precipitate shear by paired dislocations in intense slip bands occurs during high strain-rate deformation at both ambient temperature and at 750°C. Application of a final ageing treatment at 870°C was found to increase the 0.2% proof stress and to bring about the activation of an alternative mode of precipitate shear by dissociated dislocations. The 870°C ageing treatment was shown to cause slight chemical changes at the γ/γ' interfaces, and these are believed to have caused the observed changes in mechanical properties.

In current design methods for gas turbines there are important features of the flow which are not yet within the scope of the available prediction methods for both the calculation of surface pressures and heat transfer rates. Such features include the prediction of three-dimensional viscous flowfields, the accurate location and strengths of the secondary flow regimes in a turbine passage, and allowance for time-dependent variations. It is the understanding of the time-varying phenomena which is the subject of this study. Such phenomena occur due to the periodic interaction between stages in a turbine, either that of a nozzle guide vane on a rotor downstream or vice-versa. In most contemporary designs of turbines the effects are due primarily to the wakes from the trailing-edge of the upstream airfoil, and to any associated shock structures resulting from transonic exit flow Mach numbers. The present investigation is concerned with furthering knowedge of these wake and shock interactions, using a method of simulation established in the Isentropic Light Piston Tunnel and Oxford. Measurements of heat transfer rates and pressures are presented, supported by flow visualisation methods such as surface oil-dots and schlieren photography, for two examples of high-pressure turbine rotor blades. The majority of analysis deals with the first of these (a highty-loaded transonic profile) whilst the second blade (designed for use in a large civil engine) is included for investigation of the effects of flow unsteadiness on the film cooling process The transition process is examined in detail by use of wide bandwith heat transfer measurements, and a new method derived for modelling this process. It has been possible to observe the effect of the enhanced turbulence in the simulated nozzle guide vane wake and effects due a shock-boundary layer interaction. The reaction of the blade boundary layers to these disturbances is identified, and trajectories of disturbed events tracked along the blade surfaces. The measurements which have been taken allow for some aspects of wake and shock interactions to be included in the design process for turbine blading. A better understanding has been obtained of how these types of transient flow regimes affect the boundary layers on the blade surfaces.

Flutter is an aeroelastic instability phenomenon that can result either in serious damage or complete destruction of a gas turbine blade structure due to high cycle fatigue. Although 90% of potential high cycle fatigue occurrences are uncovered during engine development, the remaining 10% stand for one third of the total engine development costs. Field experience has shown that during the last decades as much as 46% of fighter aircrafts were not mission-capable in certain periods due to high cycle fatigue related mishaps. To assure a reliable and safe operation, potential for blade flutter must be eliminated from the turbomachinery stages. However, even the most computationally intensive higher order models of today are not able to predict flutter accurately. Moreover, there are uncertainties in the operational environment, and gas turbine parts degrade over time due to fouling, erosion and corrosion resulting in parametric uncertainties. Therefore, it is essential to design engines that are robust with respect to the possible uncertainties. In this thesis, the robustness of an axial compressor blade design is studied with respect to parametric uncertainties through the Mu analysis. The nominal flutter model is adopted from [9]. This model was derived by matching a two dimensional incompressible flow field across the flexible rotor and the rigid stator. The aerodynamic load on the blade is derived via the control volume analysis. For use in the Mu analysis, first the model originally described by a set of partial differential equations is reduced to ordinary differential equations by the Fourier series based collocation method. After that, the nominal model is obtained by linearizing the achieved non-linear ordinary differential equations. The uncertainties coming from the modeling assumptions and imperfectly known parameters and coefficients are all modeled as parametric uncertainties through the Monte Carlo simulation. As iv compared with other robustness analysis tools, such as Hinf, the Mu analysis is less conservative and can handle both structured and unstructured perturbations. Finally, Genetic Algorithm is used as an optimization tool to find ideal parameters that will ensure best performance in terms of damping out flutter. Simulation results show that the procedure described in this thesis can be effective in studying the flutter stability margin and can be used to guide the gas turbine blade design.

Turbine blade surface temperatures were studied during transient operation in a turbofan engine test rig. A single fiber radiation pyrometer was used to view the suction side of the blades from approximately 60 percent axial chord to the trailing edge at an average radial location of 70 percent blade height. A single ceramic-coated blade produced a once-per-revolution signal that allowed for the tracking of individual blades during the transients. The investigation concentrated on the light-off starting transient and the transients obtained during accelerating and decelerating between power settings. During starting and acceleration transients, the blade surface temperature gradient was observed to reverse. This phenomenon was most apparent during starting when the trailing edge was initially much hotter than the 60 percent chord location, resulting in large temperature gradients. In steady operation the trailing edge temperature was lower than the 60 percent chord location, and the gradients were less severe. During deceleration transients, the trailing edge cooled more rapidly than the 60 percent chord location. This resulted in larger temperature gradients than were seen in steady operation, but no profile inversion was observed. These temperature gradients and profile inversions represent a cycling of thermally-induced stresses which may contribute to low cycle fatigue damage. A simple one-dimensional heat transfer model is presented as a means of explaining the different heating rates observed during the transients. / Master of Science

The purpose of this thesis is to develop a method to estimate local blade temperatures in a gas turbine for comparison with the output signal of an experimental pyrometer. The goal of the method is to provide a temperature measurement benchmark based on a knowledge of blade geometry and engine operating conditions. A survey of currently available methods is discussed including both experimental and analytical techniques.The purpose of this thesis is to develop a method to estimate local blade temperatures in a gas turbine for comparison with the output signal of an experimental pyrometer. The goal of the method is to provide a temperature measurement benchmark based on a knowledge of blade geometry and engine operating conditions. A survey of currently available methods is discussed including both experimental and analytical techniques. An analytical approach is presented as an example, using the output from a cascade flow solver to estimate local blade temperatures from local flow conditions. With the local blade temperatures, a grid is constructed which maps the temperatures onto the blade. A predicted pyrometer trace path is then used to interpolate temperature values from the grid, predicting the temperature history a pyrometer would record as the blade rotates through the pyrometer line of sight. Plotting the temperature history models a pyrometer input signal. An analytical approach is presented as an example, using the output from a cascade flow solver to estimate local blade temperatures from local flow conditions. With the local blade temperatures, a grid is constructed which maps the temperatures onto the blade. A predicted pyrometer trace path is then used to interpolate temperature values from the grid, predicting the temperature history a pyrometer would record as the blade rotates through the pyrometer line of sight. Plotting the temperature history models a pyrometer input signal. / Master of Science

This thesis documents an experimental investigation of the base (trailing edge) pressure and its approximate distribution on a transonic turbine blade. Since the base pressure plays an important role in determining the profile loss on blades with thick trailing edges, both the base pressure and the blade losses are presented for a range of transonic exit Mach numbers. The overall objective of this work is to provide experimental data for improving current computer-based models used in designing turbine blades. The two-dimensional cascade was tested in the VPI&SU Transonic Cascade Wind Tunnel, a blow-down type of tunnel facility. The blade design for the cascade was based on the pitchline profile of the high-pressure turbine in a commercial jet engine with a design exit Mach number of approximately 1.2. In order to carefully instrument the thin trailing edge, the blades used in the experiment were made five times the size of the actual engine blade. With this large-scale blade, five static pressure taps were placed around the trailing edge. In addition to these taps, the rearward portion of the suction surface was also instrumented with five static pressure taps. The aerodynamic losses were quantified by a loss coefficient: the mass-averaged total pressure drop divided by the total pressure upstream of the blade row. These measured pressures were taken with a fixed total pressure probe upstream of the cascade and a pitchwise traversing probe in the downstream position. The cascade was tested for an exit Mach number ranging from 0.70 to 1.40. The results of the experiments indicate a decreasing normalized base pressure (p_B/p_t1) with increasing downstream Mach number (M₂) until the minimum value of p_B/p_t1 = 0.30 at M₂ = 1.30. The approximate base pressure distributions for all transonic downstream Mach numbers indicate nearly uniform pressure around the central 90° of the trailing edge. Results for the profile loss are displayed for exit Mach numbers between 0.70 and 1.35; the trend of increasing loss with decreasing base pressure is shown. The shadowgraph pictures taken reveal the trailing edge region of the flow for several downstream transonic Mach numbers. / Master of Science

Tip leakage losses were studied in a linear turbine cascade with a tip clearance gap equal to 2.1 percent of blade height. The blades of the cascade have a turning angle of 109.4 degrees, an aspect ratio of 1.0, and an axial chord length of 235.2 mm. The cascade was located at the exit of a low speed wind tunnel; the blade exit Reynolds number based upon blade axial chord was 4.5x10⁵. The flow was measured at a plane 0.96 axial chords downstream from the blade leading edge. Barlier studies performed at the tip gap exit and at a downstream plane 1.4 axial chords from the blade leading edge were utilized with the present study to understand loss development better. The effect of tip leakage and the corresponding loss production mechanisms involved as the flow mixes out were analyzed. As part of the objective of the study, a computerized data acquisition system was developed which acquires pressure data and controls movement of a five hole pressure probe. The flow properties at the measurement plane were numerically integrated. To estimate the maximum potential loss of the cascade, the flow was mixed-out through a momentum analysis. The loss at the measurement plane due to tip leakage was found to be equal to the sum of the total pressure loss within the tip gap and the dissipated tip gap secondary kinetic energy. As the flow proceeded downstream, losses were attributed to dissipation of secondary kinetic energy, trailing edge wake mixing, endwall losses, and primary flow mixing. / Master of Science

An investigation of tip leakage flow and its effects on loss production was performed on a large-scale linear turbine cascade having a tip gap measuring 2.1% of the blade height. The Reynolds number based on axial chord and cascade exit velocity was 4.5x10⁵. The experimental work began with a visualization study of the flow in and around the tip gap. The actual flow measurements consisted of two phases, the tip gap exit plane measurements for determination of the losses incurred within the tip gap, and the downstream measurements for determination of the overall cascade losses. The downstream measurements made 140% of an axial chord downstream of the blade leading edges show the development of the leakage flow and its associated losses. Numerical analyses of the data were used to evaluate various flow properties at both the tip gap exit plane and the downstream measurement plane. Using the measured downstream flow, a mixing analysis was performed to estimate the maximum loss of the cascade. Models of the flow were developed to explain and quantify the various factors contributing to the cascade's overall loss. At a particular downstream location, the additional loss due to tip leakage was found to be the sum of the measured loss at the tip gap exit plane and the amount of tip gap secondary kinetic energy which had been dissipated by that downstream location. / M.S.

An experimental investigation was performed to study the details of flow in the tip clearance gap of a linear turbine blade cascade. The cascade was designed and built to be geometrically similar to the earlier VPI&SU cascade; however, the new cascade also had a tip gap (2.1 percent of blade height) and two endwall boundary layer bleeds upstream of the blade row. The boundary layer bleeds were designed to reduce secondary flow other than the tip gap leakage flow in the cascade, and they performed well. The cascade flow had an exit Reynolds number based on the axial chord of 4.5 x 10⁵. Static pressure measurements were made on the blades and on the endwall with particular attention given to the tip gap. Also, flow visualizations on the endwall and on the suction surface of the middle blade were performed. From the pressure measurements, a minimum static pressure coefficient of -6.85 (based on the freestream velocity head) was obtained along the bottom of the blade, near the tip gap inlet. Avena contracta was evident, also in the tip gap entrance region, and a contraction coefficient of 0.61 was calculated from measured data. Mixing occurred after the vena contracta with the static pressure across the tip gap exit being fairly uniform. The flow visualizations showed a separation and reattachment on the endwall under the blade and a tip gap leakage vortex in the passage. Models of the tip gap flow, based on potential flow theory and potential flow theory with mixing were discussed and developed. Potential flow theory accurately models the unloading along the pressure surface of the blade, and the endwall static pressure distribution of the tip gap, up to the vena contracta. It also predicts a contraction coefficient of 0.61. The combined potential flow and mixing model accounts for the pressure rise in the tip gap due to mixing. It predicts a minimum static pressure coefficient under the blade of -6.81, which agrees well with measured data. / M.S.