This thesis records an investigation into the flow and heat transfer occurring in a rapidly rotating cylindrical cavity, which forms a simple model of the space between two compressor discs in a gas turbine engine. The main effort has been directed towards the development and application of a computer program for the solution of the governing equations. In addition, analytical solutions for laminar flow between two infinite rotating discs have also been derived, and some temperature data from a test engine have been analysed to obtain estimates of the rate of convective heat transfer. The computer program, which is based on a standard finite difference technique for the calculation of recirculating two-dimensional flow, incorporates two novel features. Step changes in grid size have been employed to economise on the total number of grid points required, and the solution for the pressure field is given special treatment in order to obtain convergence of the iterative method at-high rotational speeds. Laminar flow predictions are presented for radial throughflow and for the buoyancy-induced recirculation in a sealed'cavity. Comparisons with experimental and analytical results confirm the accuracy of the numerical work, and the additional information that is available from the numerical solutions has given a-useful insight into the nature of the flow. Numerical results for turbulent flow in a rotating cavity, obtained using a two equation model of turbulence, did not agree with experimental measurements. Subsequent attempts to reproduce other workers' numerical predictions for the flow between a rotating and a stationary disc, and the flow caused by a disc rotating in an infinite environment, also failed to produce agreement.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:bl.uk/oai:ethos.bl.uk:253529 |
| Date | January 1982 |
| Creators | Chew, J. W. |
| Publisher | University of Sussex |
| Source Sets | Ethos UK |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Electronic Thesis or Dissertation |
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