Analysis of the Influence of Operational and Geometrical Characteristics on the Efficiency of Axial Turbine Stage Profile Cascades
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.15407/scine21.02.073Keywords:
design methods, gas-dynamic efficiency, turbine flow part, active type stage, reactive type stageAbstract
Introduction. Bladed rotary machines have been extensively utilized across various industries for over a century, particularly in axial turbines and turboexpanders, including steam and gas power turbines as well as aircraft gas turbine engines.
Problem Statement. Advances in modern design methodologies and manufacturing technologies have enabled the development of axial turbines with significantly high gas-dynamic efficiency. This efficiency is primarily
determined by irreversible kinetic energy losses in real flow processes compared to ideal, isentropic processes. In
contemporary turbine designs, kinetic energy losses under nominal operating conditions have frequently been
reduced to below 10%. However, it remains critical to establish the absolute minimum kinetic energy losses achievable in axial turbines under specific operating conditions.
Purpose. This study investigates the effects of operational and geometric parameters — including the effective
stator angle, Reynolds number, and dimensionless conditional rate of thermal drop — on the efficiency of profile cascades in axial turbine stages of both active and reactive types.
Materials and Methods. State-of-the-art numerical modeling techniques for turbomachinery flow path design and calculation, implemented through the IPMFlow software package, have been employed in this study.
Results. The research has identified new correlations and mechanisms for enhancing the gas-dynamic efficiency of axial turbine profile cascades. For each examined operating condition and geometric configuration, profile cascades have been designed based on the principle of “rational” aerodynamic optimization, yielding efficiency values close to their theoretical maximum. Findings indicate that for Reynolds numbers exceeding 5 × 10⁶, kinetic energy losses in profile cascades can be reduced to below 2%.
Conclusions. The study has provided new insights and design principles that can be applied to the development and modernization of axial turbines, contributing to further improvements in their overall efficiency.
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