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### Research Papers: Gas Turbines: Combustion, Fuels, and Emissions

J. Eng. Gas Turbines Power. 2017;140(3):031501-031501-9. doi:10.1115/1.4037914.

By modeling a multicomponent gas, a new source of indirect combustion noise is identified, which is named compositional indirect noise. The advection of mixture inhomogeneities exiting the gas-turbine combustion chamber through subsonic and supersonic nozzles is shown to be an acoustic dipole source of sound. The level of mixture inhomogeneity is described by a difference in composition with the mixture fraction. An n-dodecane mixture, which is a kerosene fuel relevant to aeronautics, is used to evaluate the level of compositional noise. By relaxing the compact-nozzle assumption, the indirect noise is numerically calculated for Helmholtz numbers up to 2 in nozzles with linear velocity profile. The compact-nozzle limit is discussed. Only in this limit, it is possible to derive analytical transfer functions for (i) the noise emitted by the nozzle and (ii) the acoustics traveling back to the combustion chamber generated by accelerated compositional inhomogeneities. The former contributes to noise pollution, whereas the latter has the potential to induce thermoacoustic oscillations. It is shown that the compositional indirect noise can be at least as large as the direct noise and entropy noise in choked nozzles and lean mixtures. As the frequency with which the compositional inhomogeneities enter the nozzle increases, or as the nozzle spatial length increases, the level of compositional noise decreases, with a similar, but not equal, trend to the entropy noise. The noisiest configuration is found to be a compact supersonic nozzle.

Commentary by Dr. Valentin Fuster
J. Eng. Gas Turbines Power. 2017;140(3):031502-031502-10. doi:10.1115/1.4037918.

The use of highly reactive hydrogen-rich fuels in lean premixed combustion systems strongly affects the operability of stationary gas turbines (GT) resulting in higher autoignition and flashback risks. The present study investigates the autoignition behavior and ignition kernel evolution of hydrogen–nitrogen fuel mixtures in an inline co-flow injector configuration at relevant reheat combustor operating conditions. High-speed luminosity and particle image velocimetry (PIV) measurements in an optically accessible reheat combustor are employed. Autoignition and flame stabilization limits strongly depend on temperatures of vitiated air and carrier preheating. Higher hydrogen content significantly promotes the formation and development of different types of autoignition kernels: More autoignition kernels evolve with higher hydrogen content showing the promoting effect of equivalence ratio on local ignition events. Autoignition kernels develop downstream a certain distance from the injector, indicating the influence of ignition delay on kernel development. The development of autoignition kernels is linked to the shear layer development derived from global experimental conditions.

Commentary by Dr. Valentin Fuster
J. Eng. Gas Turbines Power. 2017;140(3):031503-031503-10. doi:10.1115/1.4037824.

This article reports experiments carried out in the MICCA-spray combustor developed at EM2C laboratory. This system comprises 16 swirl spray injectors. Liquid n-heptane is injected by simplex atomizers. The combustion chamber is formed by two cylindrical quartz tubes allowing full optical access to the flame region and it is equipped with 12 pressure sensors recording signals in the plenum and chamber. A high-speed camera provides images of the flames and photomultipliers record the light intensity from different flames. For certain operating conditions, the system exhibits well defined instabilities coupled by the first azimuthal mode of the chamber at a frequency of 750 Hz. These instabilities occur in the form of bursts. Examination of the pressure and the light intensity signals gives access to the acoustic energy source term. Analysis of the phase fluctuations between the two signals is carried out using cross-spectral analysis. At limit cycle, large pressure fluctuations of 5000 Pa are reached, and these levels persist over a finite period of time. Analysis of the signals using the spin ratio indicates that the standing mode is predominant. Flame dynamics at the pressure antinodal line reveals a strong longitudinal pulsation with heat release rate oscillations in phase and increasing linearly with the acoustic pressure for every oscillation levels. At the pressure nodal line, the flames are subjected to large transverse velocity fluctuations leading to a transverse motion of the flames and partial blow-off. Scenarios and modeling elements are developed to interpret these features.

Commentary by Dr. Valentin Fuster
J. Eng. Gas Turbines Power. 2017;140(3):031504-031504-8. doi:10.1115/1.4037925.

The effect of confinement (flame–wall interactions) on the response of a turbulent, swirl-stabilized flame is experimentally examined, with a focus on the shape and structure of these flames. A series of three cylindrical combustors of 0.11, 0.15, and 0.19 m diameter are used to vary the degree of confinement experienced by the flame. Using CH* chemiluminescence images, the shape of the flame in each combustor is described. These images are then further analyzed and reveal marked similarities in the geometry and location of these flames in a defined “flame base” region near the combustor inlet. This similarity in location of the flame base leads to a similarity in the response of this portion of the flame to imposed oscillations. In particular, the phase of the fluctuations in this region is shown to be the same in each confinement. The nature of the fluctuations in the mean flame position is also shown to be similar in each confinement. These results indicate that the geometry of the flame in the base region is not a function of confinement and that the flames are responding to the same convective mechanisms, and in the same manner, in this region of the flame.

Commentary by Dr. Valentin Fuster
J. Eng. Gas Turbines Power. 2017;140(3):031505-031505-9. doi:10.1115/1.4037928.

The objective of this study is to understand the effects of fuel volatility on soot emissions. This effect is investigated in two experimental configurations: a jet flame and a model gas turbine combustor. The jet flame provides information about the effects of fuel on the spatial development of aromatics and soot in an axisymmetric, co-flow, laminar flame. The data from the model gas turbine combustor illustrate the effect of fuel volatility on net soot production under conditions similar to an actual engine at cruise. Two fuels with different boiling points are investigated: n-heptane/n-dodecane mixture and n-hexadecane/n-dodecane mixture. The jet flames are nonpremixed and rich premixed flames in order to have fuel conditions similar to those in the primary zone of an aircraft engine combustor. The results from the jet flames indicate that the peak soot volume fraction produced in the n-hexadecane fuel is slightly higher as compared to the n-heptane fuel for both nonpremixed and premixed flames. Comparison of aromatics and soot volume fraction in nonpremixed and premixed flames shows significant differences in the spatial development of aromatics and soot along the downstream direction. The results from the model combustor indicate that, within experiment uncertainty, the net soot production is similar in both n-heptane and n-hexadecane fuel mixtures. Finally, we draw conclusions about important processes for soot formation in gas turbine combustor and what can be learned from laboratory-scale flames.

Commentary by Dr. Valentin Fuster
J. Eng. Gas Turbines Power. 2017;140(3):031506-031506-10. doi:10.1115/1.4037960.

This article focuses on combustion instabilities (CI) driven by entropy fluctuations which is of great importance in practical devices. A simplified geometry is introduced. It keeps the essential features of an aeronautical combustion chamber (swirler, dilution holes, and outlet nozzle), while it is simplified sufficiently to ease the analysis (rectangular vane, one row of holes of the same diameter, no diffuser at the inlet of the chamber, and circular nozzle at the outlet). A large eddy simulation (LES) is carried out on this geometry and the limit cycle of a strong CI involving the convection of an entropy spot is obtained. The behavior of the instability is analyzed using phenomenological description and classical signal analysis. One shows that the system can be better described by considering two reacting zones: a rich mainly premixed flame is located downstream of the swirler and an overall lean diffusion flame is stabilized next to the dilution holes. In a second step, dynamic mode decomposition (DMD) is used to visualize, analyze, and model the complex phasing between different processes affecting the reacting zones. Using these data, a zero-dimensional (0D) modeling of the premixed flame and of the diffusion flame is proposed. These models provide an extended understanding of the combustion process in an aeronautical combustor and could be used or adapted to address mixed acoustic-entropy CI in an acoustic code.

Commentary by Dr. Valentin Fuster
J. Eng. Gas Turbines Power. 2017;140(3):031507-031507-6. doi:10.1115/1.4037961.

The concept of the novel short helical combustor (SHC) was investigated in our previous work (Ariatabar et al., 2016, “Short Helical Combustor: Concept Study of an Innovative Gas Turbine Combustor With Angular Air Supply,” ASME J. Eng. Gas Turbines Power, 138(3), p. 031503 and Ariatabar et al., 2017, “Short Helical Combustor: Dynamic Flow Analysis in a Combustion System With Angular Air Supply,” ASME J. Eng. Gas Turbines Power, 139(4), p. 041505). Based on the insight gained from these previous investigations, we propose a generic design improvement to address the tremendous loss of initial angular momentum as well as inhomogeneous flow and temperature field at the outlet of the SHC. In the present paper, the main features of this design are introduced. It is shown that a three-dimensional shaping of the sidewalls, the dome, and the liners can effectively counteract the suboptimal interaction of the swirl flames with these surrounding walls. As a result, the flow at the outlet of the combustor features a high angular momentum and exhibits a uniform flow angle and temperature field. The insight gained from these generic investigations, and the resulting design optimization provides a useful framework for further industrial optimization of the SHC.

Commentary by Dr. Valentin Fuster

### Research Papers: Gas Turbines: Heat Transfer

J. Eng. Gas Turbines Power. 2017;140(3):031901-031901-13. doi:10.1115/1.4037870.

This paper presents a novel approach to real-time modeling of disk temperature distribution using proper orthogonal decomposition (POD). The method combines singular value decomposition (SVD) techniques with a series of low-order transfer functions to predict the disk's thermal response over a typical flight. The model uses only typically available full authority digital electronic control (FADEC) measurements to predict temperature with accuracy of ±30 K over the whole flight cycle. A Kalman filter has also been developed based on a single temperature measurement, and the location of the measurement has been assessed in order to select the most appropriate target for instrumentation. Points all around the front and back of the disk have been assessed, and the best practice result is found to be near the center of the disk neck. This represents a compromise between matching the fast dynamic response of the rim, with the slower dynamics of the cob. The new model has been validated against an independent flight simulation.

Commentary by Dr. Valentin Fuster

### Research Papers: Gas Turbines: Industrial and Cogeneration

J. Eng. Gas Turbines Power. 2017;140(3):032001-032001-15. doi:10.1115/1.4037962.

This paper presents the development of a simulation tool for modeling the transient behavior of micro-CHP (combined heat and power) systems, equipped with both thermal and electric storage units and connected with both electric and district heating grid (DHG). The prime mover (PM) considered in this paper is an internal combustion reciprocating engine (ICE), which is currently the only well-established micro-CHP technology. Different users, characterized by different demands of electric and thermal energy, both in terms of absolute value and electric-to-thermal energy ratio, are analyzed in this paper. Both summer and winter hourly trends of electric and thermal energy demand are simulated by using literature data. The results present a comprehensive energy analysis of all scenarios on a daily basis, in terms of both user demand met and energy share among system components. The transient response of the PM and the thermal energy storage (TES) is also analyzed for the two scenarios with the lowest and highest daily energy demand, together with the trend over time of the state of charge of both thermal and electric energy storage (EES).

Commentary by Dr. Valentin Fuster

### Research Papers: Gas Turbines: Oil and Gas Applications

J. Eng. Gas Turbines Power. 2017;140(3):032401-032401-10. doi:10.1115/1.4037963.

Statistical parametric methodologies are widely employed in the analysis of time series of gas turbine (GT) sensor readings. These methodologies identify outliers as a consequence of excessive deviation from a statistical-based model, derived from available observations. Among parametric techniques, the k–σ methodology demonstrates its effectiveness in the analysis of stationary time series. Furthermore, the simplicity and the clarity of this approach justify its direct application to industry. On the other hand, the k–σ methodology usually proves to be unable to adapt to dynamic time series since it identifies observations in a transient as outliers. As this limitation is caused by the nature of the methodology itself, two improved approaches are considered in this paper in addition to the standard k–σ methodology. The two proposed methodologies maintain the same rejection rule of the standard k–σ methodology, but differ in the portions of the time series from which statistical parameters (mean and standard deviation) are inferred. The first approach performs statistical inference by considering all observations prior to the current one, which are assumed reliable, plus a forward window containing a specified number of future observations. The second approach proposed in this paper is based on a moving window scheme. Simulated data are used to tune the parameters of the proposed improved methodologies and to prove their effectiveness in adapting to dynamic time series. The moving window approach is found to be the best on simulated data in terms of true positive rate (TPR), false negative rate (FNR), and false positive rate (FPR). Therefore, the performance of the moving window approach is further assessed toward both different simulated scenarios and field data taken on a GT.

Commentary by Dr. Valentin Fuster
J. Eng. Gas Turbines Power. 2017;140(3):032402-032402-9. doi:10.1115/1.4037964.

Anomaly detection in sensor time series is a crucial aspect for raw data cleaning in gas turbine (GT) industry. In addition to efficiency, a successful methodology for industrial applications should be also characterized by ease of implementation and operation. To this purpose, a comprehensive and straightforward approach for detection, classification, and integrated diagnostics of gas turbine sensors (named DCIDS) is proposed in this paper. The tool consists of two main algorithms, i.e., the anomaly detection algorithm (ADA) and the anomaly classification algorithm (ACA). The ADA identifies anomalies according to three different levels of filtering based on gross physics threshold application, intersensor statistical analysis (sensor voting), and single-sensor statistical analysis. Anomalies in the time series are identified by the ADA, together with their characteristics, which are analyzed by the ACA to perform their classification. Fault classes discriminate among anomalies according to their time correlation, magnitude, and number of sensors in which an anomaly is contemporarily identified. Results of anomaly identification and classification can subsequently be used for sensor diagnostic purposes. The performance of the tool is assessed in this paper by analyzing two temperature time series with redundant sensors taken on a Siemens GT in operation. The results show that the DCIDS is able to identify and classify different types of anomalies. In particular, in the first dataset, two severely incoherent sensors are identified and their anomalies are correctly classified. In the second dataset, the DCIDS tool proves to be capable of identifying and classifying clustered spikes of different magnitudes.

Commentary by Dr. Valentin Fuster

### Research Papers: Gas Turbines: Structures and Dynamics

J. Eng. Gas Turbines Power. 2017;140(3):032501-032501-8. doi:10.1115/1.4037861.

Gas turbines are fitted with rolling element bearings, which transfer loads and supports the shafts. The interaction between the rotating and stationary parts in the bearing causes a conversion of some of the power into heat, influencing the thermal behavior of the entire bearing chamber. To improve thermal modeling of bearing chambers, this work focused on modeling of the heat generated and dissipated around the bearings, in terms of magnitude and location, and the interaction with the components/systems in the bearing chamber. A thermal network (TN) model and a finite element (FE) model of an experimental high-pressure shaft ball bearing and housing were generated and a comparison to test rig results have been conducted. Nevertheless, the purpose of the thermal matching process that focused on the FE model and experimental data is to provide a template for predicting temperatures and heat transfers for other bearing models. The result of the analysis shows that the predictions of the TN are considerate, despite the simplifications. However, lower relative errors were obtained in the FE model compared to the TN model. For both methods, the highest relative error is seen to occur during transient (acceleration and deceleration). This observation highlights the importance of boundary conditions and definitions: surrounding temperatures, heat split and the oil flow, influencing both the heat transfer and heat generation. These aspects, incorporated in the modeling and benchmarked with experimental data, can help facilitate other related cases where there is limited or no experimental data for validation.

Commentary by Dr. Valentin Fuster
J. Eng. Gas Turbines Power. 2017;140(3):032502-032502-9. doi:10.1115/1.4037919.

The impact of sealing equipment on the stability of turbomachineries is a crucial topic because the power generation market is continuously requiring high rotational speed and high performance, leading to the clearance reduction in the seals. The accurate characterization of the rotordynamic coefficients generated by the seals is pivotal to mitigate instability issues. In the paper, the authors propose an improvement of the state-of-the-art one-control volume (1CV) bulk-flow model (Childs and Scharrer, 1986, “An Iwatsubo-Based Solution for Labyrinth Seals: Comparison to Experimental Results,” ASME J. Eng. Gas Turbines Power, 108(2), pp. 325–331) by considering the energy equation in the steady-state problem. Thus, real gas properties can be evaluated in a more accurate way because the enthalpy variation, expected through the seal cavities, is evaluated in the model. The authors assume that the enthalpy is not a function of the clearance perturbation; therefore, the energy equation is considered only in the steady-state problem. The results of experimental tests of a 14 teeth-on-stator (TOS) labyrinth seal, performed in the high-pressure seal test rig owned by GE Oil&Gas, are presented in the paper. Positive and negative preswirl ratios are used in the experimental tests to investigate the effect of the preswirl on the rotordynamic coefficients. Overall, by considering the energy equation, a better numerical estimation of the rotordynamic coefficients for the tests with the negative preswirl ratio has been obtained (as it results from the comparison with the experiments). Finally, the numerical results are compared with a reference bulk-flow model proposed by Thorat and Childs (2010, “Predicted Rotordynamic Behavior of a Labyrinth Seal as Rotor Surface Speed Approaches Mach 1,” ASME J. Eng. Gas Turbines Power, 132(11), p. 112504), highlighting the improvement obtained.

Commentary by Dr. Valentin Fuster
J. Eng. Gas Turbines Power. 2017;140(3):032503-032503-9. doi:10.1115/1.4037920.

Engine oil-lubricated (semi) floating ring bearing ((S)FRB) systems in passenger vehicle turbochargers (TC) operate at temperatures well above ambient and must withstand large temperature gradients that can lead to severe thermomechanical induced stresses. Physical modeling of the thermal energy flow paths and an effective thermal management strategy are paramount to determine safe operating conditions ensuring the TC component mechanical integrity and the robustness of its bearing system. The paper details a model to predict the pressure and temperature fields and the distribution of thermal energy flows in a bearing system. The impact of lubricant supply conditions, bearing film clearances, and oil supply grooves is quantified. Either a low oil temperature or a high supply pressure increases the generated shear power. Either a high supply pressure or a large clearance allows more flow through the inner film and draws more heat from the hot journal, thought it increases the shear drag power as the oil viscosity remains high. Nonetheless, the peak temperature of the inner film is not influenced by the changes on the way the oil is supplied into the film as the thermal energy displaced from the hot shaft into the film is overwhelming. Adding axial grooves on the inner side of the (S)FRB improves its dynamic stability, albeit increasing the drawn oil flow as well as the drag power and heat from the shaft. The results identify a compromise between different parameters of groove designs thus enabling a bearing system with a low power consumption.

Commentary by Dr. Valentin Fuster
J. Eng. Gas Turbines Power. 2017;140(3):032504-032504-9. doi:10.1115/1.4037865.

Several experimental apparatuses have been designed in the past to evaluate the effectiveness of under-platform dampers. Most of these experimental setups allow to measure the overall damper efficiency in terms of reduction of vibration amplitude in turbine blades. The experimental data collected with these test rigs do not increase the knowledge about the damper dynamics, and therefore, the uncertainty on the damper behavior remains a big issue. In this paper, a different approach to evaluate the damper–blade interaction has been put forward. A test rig has been purposely designed to accommodate a single blade and two under-platform dampers. One side of each damper is in contact with a ground support specifically designed to measure two independent forces on the damper. In this way, both the normal and the tangential force components in the damper–blade contact can be inferred. Damper kinematics is rebuilt by using the relative displacement measured between damper and blade. This paper describes the concept behind the new approach, shows the details of the new test rig, and discusses the blade frequency response from a new point of view.

Topics: Dampers , Blades , Kinematics
Commentary by Dr. Valentin Fuster
J. Eng. Gas Turbines Power. 2017;140(3):032505-032505-9. doi:10.1115/1.4037965.

Commentary by Dr. Valentin Fuster

### Research Papers: Gas Turbines: Turbomachinery

J. Eng. Gas Turbines Power. 2017;140(3):032601-032601-9. doi:10.1115/1.4037871.

Gas turbine aero-engines employ fast rotating shafts that are supported by bearings at several axial locations along the engine. Due to extreme load and heat, oil is injected to the bearings to aid lubrication and cooling. The oil is then shed to the bearing chamber before it is extracted out by a scavenge pump. Scavenging oil from the bearing chamber is challenging due to high windage induced by the fast rotating shafts as well as the two-phase nature of the flow. A deep sump has been found to increase scavenge performance due to its ability to shelter the pooled oil from the bulk rotating air flow thus minimizing two-phase mixing. However, in many cases, a deep sump is not an option due to conflicting space requirements. The space limitation becomes more stringent with higher bypass ratio engines as the core becomes smaller. Therefore, it is imperative to have a high performing shallow sump. However, shape modification of a shallow sump is too constrained due to limited space and, therefore, has minimal impact on the scavenge performance. This research presents several alternative concepts to improve scavenge performance of a generic baseline shallow sump by augmenting it with attachments or inserts. These augmentations attempt to exploit two known mechanisms for reducing the residence volume: momentum reduction and sheltering. The experimental results show that some augmentations are able to reduce the residence volume of a shallow sump by up to 50% or more in some cases.

Commentary by Dr. Valentin Fuster
J. Eng. Gas Turbines Power. 2017;140(3):032602-032602-8. doi:10.1115/1.4037912.

Formation of thin liquid films on steam turbine airfoils, particularly in last stages of low-pressure (LP) steam turbines, and their breakup into coarse droplets is of paramount importance to assess erosion of last stage rotor blades given by the impact of those droplets. An approach for this problem is presented in this paper: this includes deposition of liquid water mass and momentum, film mass and momentum conservation, trailing edge breakup and droplets Lagrangian tracking accounting for inertia and drag. The use of thickness-averaged two-dimensional (2D) equations in local body-fitted coordinates, derived from Navier–Stokes equations, makes the approach suitable for arbitrary curved blades and integration with three-dimensional (3D) computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations. The model is implemented in the in-house solver MULTI3, which uses Reynolds-averaged Navier–Stokes equations $κ$$ω$ model and steam tables for the steam phase and was previously modified to run on multi-GPU architecture. The method is applied to the last stage of a steam turbine in full and part load operating conditions to validate the model by comparison with time-averaged data from experiments conducted in the same conditions. Droplets impact pattern on rotor blades is also predicted and shown.

Commentary by Dr. Valentin Fuster
J. Eng. Gas Turbines Power. 2017;140(3):032603-032603-7. doi:10.1115/1.4037913.

The effect of compressor fouling on the performance of a gas turbine has been the subject of several papers; however, the goal of this paper is to address a more fundamental question of the effect of fouling, which is the onset of unstable operation of the compressor. Compressor fouling experiments have been carried out on a test rig refitted with TJ100 small jet engine with centrifugal compressor. Fouling on the compressor blade was simulated with texturized paint with average roughness value of 6 μm. Compressor characteristic was measured for both the clean (baseline) and fouled compressor blades at several rotational speeds by throttling the engine with variable exhaust nozzle. A Greitzer-type compression system model has been applied based on the geometric and performance parameters of the TJ100 small jet engine test rig. Frequency of plenum pressure fluctuation, the mean disturbance flow coefficient, and pressure-rise coefficient at the onset of plenum flow field disturbance predicted by the model was compared with the measurement for both the baseline and fouled engine. Model prediction of the flow field parameters at inception of unstable operation in the compressor showed good agreement with the experimental data. The results proved that used simple Greitzer model is suitable for prediction of the engine compressor unstable behavior and prediction of the mild surge inception point for both the clean and the fouled compressor.

Commentary by Dr. Valentin Fuster
J. Eng. Gas Turbines Power. 2017;140(3):032604-032604-9. doi:10.1115/1.4037906.

Darrieus vertical axis wind turbines (VAWTs) have been recently identified as the most promising solution for new types of applications, such as small-scale installations in complex terrains or offshore large floating platforms. To improve their efficiencies further and make them competitive with those of conventional horizontal axis wind turbines, a more in depth understanding of the physical phenomena that govern the aerodynamics past a rotating Darrieus turbine is needed. Within this context, computational fluid dynamics (CFD) can play a fundamental role, since it represents the only model able to provide a detailed and comprehensive representation of the flow. Due to the complexity of similar simulations, however, the possibility of having reliable and detailed experimental data to be used as validation test cases is pivotal to tune the numerical tools. In this study, a two-dimensional (2D) unsteady Reynolds-averaged Navier–Stokes (U-RANS) computational model was applied to analyze the wake characteristics on the midplane of a small-size H-shaped Darrieus VAWT. The turbine was tested in a large-scale, open-jet wind tunnel, including both performance and wake measurements. Thanks to the availability of such a unique set of experimental data, systematic comparisons between simulations and experiments were carried out for analyzing the structure of the wake and correlating the main macrostructures of the flow to the local aerodynamic features of the airfoils in cycloidal motion. In general, good agreement on the turbine performance estimation was constantly appreciated.

Commentary by Dr. Valentin Fuster
J. Eng. Gas Turbines Power. 2017;140(3):032605-032605-7. doi:10.1115/1.4037926.

The cavities between the rotating compressor disks in aero-engines are open, and there is an axial throughflow of cooling air in the annular space between the center of the disks and the central rotating compressor shaft. Buoyancy-induced flow occurs inside these open rotating cavities, with an exchange of heat and momentum between the axial throughflow and the air inside the cavity. However, even where there is no opening at the center of the compressor disks—as is the case in some industrial gas turbines—buoyancy-induced flow can still occur inside the closed rotating cavities. The closed cavity also provides a limiting case for an open cavity when the axial clearance between the cobs—the bulbous hubs at the center of compressor disks—is reduced to zero. Bohn and his co-workers at the University of Aachen have studied three different closed-cavity geometries, and they have published experimental data for the case where the outer cylindrical surface is heated and the inner surface is cooled. In this paper, a buoyancy model is developed in which it is assumed that the heat transfer from the cylindrical surfaces is analogous to laminar free convection from horizontal plates, with the gravitational acceleration replaced by the centripetal acceleration. The resulting equations, which have been solved analytically, show how the Nusselt numbers depend on both the geometry of the cavity and its rotational speed. The theoretical solutions show that compressibility effects in the core attenuate the Nusselt numbers, and there is a critical Reynolds number at which the Nusselt number will be a maximum. For the three cavities tested, the predicted Nusselt numbers are in generally good agreement with the measured values of Bohn et al. over a large range of Raleigh numbers up to values approaching 1012. The fact that the flow remains laminar even at these high Rayleigh numbers is attributed to the Coriolis accelerations suppressing turbulence in the cavity, which is consistent with recently published results for open rotating cavities.

Commentary by Dr. Valentin Fuster
J. Eng. Gas Turbines Power. 2017;140(3):032606-032606-8. doi:10.1115/1.4037921.

The concept of morphing geometry to control and stabilize the flow has been proposed and applied in several aeronautic and wind turbine applications. We studied the effect of a similar passive system applied on an axial fan blade, analyzing potential benefits and disadvantages associated to the passive coupling between fluid and structure dynamics. The present work completes a previous study made at the section level, giving a view also on the three-dimensional (3D) effects. We use the numerical computation to simulate the system, which defines a complex fluid–structure interaction (FSI) problem. In order to do that, an in-house finite element (FE) solver, already used in the previous study, is applied to solve the coupled dynamics.

Commentary by Dr. Valentin Fuster