Engineers from Stanford University, Honeywell International and ANSYS are working together with simulation software to create more energy-efficient aircraft engines at lower costs.
\nAs demand grows for increased gas turbine efficiency, engine manufacturers are challenged with creating designs that operate at higher temperatures. But that becomes a significant challenge as temperatures approach the melting point of some engine component material. A well-established method for maintaining turbine blade temperatures at acceptable levels is to employ \u201cfilm-cooling,\u201d a technique in which cooler, compressor-discharge air is detoured around the combustor then ejected from precisely-machined holes placed over the surface of the turbine airfoil. Excessive use of compressor air for turbine film cooling can, however, reduce engine efficiency.
\nHistorically, film-cooling-hole-placement on turbine airfoils has been optimized by elaborate experiments, sometimes necessitating engine testing. For decades, research engineers have been developing computer simulations of film cooling geometries with the ambition of reducing \u2013 if not eliminating \u2013 the need for expensive, time-consuming rig testing.
\nStanford, with support from Honeywell and ANSYS, is performing a new type of testing with 3-D magnetic resonance velocimetry to measure the velocity and concentration field in a test section. These methods measure the turbulent interaction of crossflow jets with the main flow, for a variety of jet configurations and orientations. These data sets provide an important benchmark against which the large available range of ANSYS turbulence models and computational methods can be compared. The objective is to develop validated models, methods and best practices for prediction of film cooling.
\n“This is the first time that an engineering software company has supported an extensive test series like this, and it illustrates the commitment of ANSYS to the continued upgrade of the turbulence models in ANSYS computational fluid dynamics solutions,” said John K. Eaton, the Charles Lee Powell Foundation professor in Stanford\u2019s School of Engineering. \u201cOur combined efforts are aimed at validating the turbulent mixing models in these tools over entire complex flow fields, something that has never been done before. Conducting this testing over a wide range of film cooling conditions provides a comprehensive test of the predictive capability.”
\n\u201cAt 30,000 feet in the air, there\u2019s little margin for error,\u201d said Brad Hutchinson, global industry director for industrial equipment and rotating machinery at ANSYS. \u201cBy always focusing on solving the most complex problems \u2013 like the thin film cooling challenge Honeywell and Stanford are addressing \u2013 ANSYS ensures that our customers are armed with the tools that will help them to create the most innovative products on the market.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Engineers from Stanford University, Honeywell International and ANSYS are working together with simulation software to create more energy-efficient aircraft engines at lower costs. As demand grows for increased gas turbine efficiency, engine manufacturers are challenged with creating designs that operate at higher temperatures. But that becomes a significant challenge as temperatures approach the melting point<\/p>\n