Fast aerodynamic design of a one-stage axial gas turbine in order to produce a 3D geometry ready ...

106 Pages·2014·2.65 MB·English

Fast aerodynamic design of a one-stage axial gas
turbine in order to produce a 3D geometry ready for
optimization
Artur Jo˜ao Carvalho Batista Soares de Figueiredo
Thesis to obtain the Master of Science Degree in
Aerospace Engineering
Supervisor
Professor Afzal Suleman
Examination Committee
Chairperson: Professor Fernando Jos´e Parracho Lau
Supervisor: Professor Afzal Suleman
Member of the Committee: Professor Jo˜ao Manuel Melo de Sousa
October 2014

To my Mother, for all the help given at all times
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Acknowledgements
The fulfilment of this thesis would have been impossible without the help of many people. Therefore, I
must express my thanks:
To my supervisor at Von Karman Institute for Fluid Dynamics, Professor Tony Arts, for his patience,
wisdom and guidance throughout my six months at VKI;
To my supervisor at Instituto Superior T´ecnico of Lisbon, Professor Afzal Suleman, for taking care of
thenecessaryarrangementssothatIcouldconductmyMaster’sthesisatVKI(includingarecommendation
letter) and for presenting my thesis at IST Lisbon;
To Zuyher Alsalihi, with whom I compared the results of the C program hereby developed, and hence
helped me find mistakes and make improvements in the code;
To Lasse Mu¨ller, for kindly allowing me to use his improved figures for the Craig & Cox correlation;
To Professor Filipe Cunha, for sharing his experience at VKI and for one of the recommendation
letters that allowed me to apply for this institute;
To Professor Fernando Lau, for (more than once) helping me with the documents always necessary for
conducting a period of study abroad;
To Instituto Superior T´ecnico, for preparing me as an engineering student as I wouldn’t be prepared
anywhere else;
To Von Karman Institute for Fluid Dynamics, for all the shared knowledge and the inviting and
friendly work environment;
To Technische Universiteit Delft, for the engineering insights and for my first introduction to Turbo-
machinery and engines in general;
To my friends, who have, in some way, assisted me in conducting my Master’s Thesis at VKI, Alberto
Serrano, Bruno Dias, Charline Fouchier, David Cuadrado, Joa˜o Aguiar, Jos´e Veiga, Mar´ılia Avelar, Pedro
Santos, Rui Jaulino, Tiago Barros and Valeria Andreoli;
To my Mother, Cˆandida Perp´etua Carvalho, for all the help given at all times.
Brussels, October 2014
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Abstract
The turbine plays a vital role in major industries worldwide, namely in electricity generation and the
aerospace industry. The preliminary design phase of a turbine (one of most important phases of the
overall design, since it sets the tone for all subsequent design stages and results) is nowadays often carried
out by hand. However, in any industry, reducing costs and increasing efficiency are everyday goals. The
need for an automatic, fast and reliable way to perform a preliminary design of an axial turbine in order
to produce a 3D geometry ready for optimization brings us to the purpose of this thesis.
The necessary tools for such a preliminary design are nowadays accepted knowledge for any turbine
designer. Thepurposeofthisworkistousethisknowledgeforthecreationofamethodology, codedintoa
C program, capable of delivering a feasible and realistic turbine preliminary design ready for optimization,
starting only with data from the engine this turbine belongs to.
Typical thermodynamic analysis of an engine (turboshaft), followed by the application of mean line
analysis and radial equilibrium theory (ISRE and NISRE) and subsequent airfoil selection compose the
main tools in this design. Loss calculation is included with Soderberg’s correlation in the 1D design
(MLA), and with Craig & Cox’s method in the 2D design (RET).
The objective of this thesis was therefore attained, with the development of a methodology able to
deliver a full 2D design of a turbine and consequently a 3D geometry.
Keywords: turbine design, preliminary, MLA, RET, airfoil.
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