This paper presents a coupled aerodynamic and thermal study of computer-automated design and optimization of internally cooled turbine blades. The turbine blade, thermal barrier coating, coolant passages and struts were developed from a set of design variables, including β-splines for the coolant wall thickness distribution. The turbine inlet temperature, mass flow rate, and coolant wall roughness were also incorporated into the design variable set. The maximum temperature in the metal blade was enforced with equality or inequality constraint functions. Because the coolant flow rate was a design variable, this function could not be explicitly minimized. Instead, three different thermal objective functions were studied: uniform temperature, heat flux extremum, and minimum coolant ejection temperature. Results have shown that it is possible to increase or maintain high turbine inlet temperatures while decreasing the turbine blade coolant requirements. A new constrained hybrid optimization algorithm was developed and used to modify the turbine blade designs until an optimum design was found. This evolutionary optimization package incorporated four popular algorithms (steepest descent, genetic, simplex, and simulated annealing) with automatic switching among them. A computational heat conduction analysis, using the boundary element method (BEM), was iteratively coupled to an unstructured finite volume Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes CFD analysis for turbulent hot gas flow. A quasi-one-dimensional system with heat addition and friction was iteratively coupled to the BEM heat conduction via heat flux for the simulation of the airflow in the serpentine coolant passages. This quasi-one-dimensional system yielded correlations for the heat convection coefficients on the coolant passage walls. The coolant passage pressure loss was one of the quantities arising from the quasi-one-dimensional analysis.
Skip Nav Destination
ASME 1999 International Gas Turbine and Aeroengine Congress and Exhibition
June 7–10, 1999
Indianapolis, Indiana, USA
Conference Sponsors:
- International Gas Turbine Institute
ISBN:
978-0-7918-7860-6
PROCEEDINGS PAPER
Minimization of Coolant Mass Flow Rate in Internally Cooled Gas Turbine Blades
Thomas J. Martin,
Thomas J. Martin
The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA
Search for other works by this author on:
George S. Dulikravich,
George S. Dulikravich
The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA
Search for other works by this author on:
Zhen-Xue Han,
Zhen-Xue Han
The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA
Search for other works by this author on:
Brian H. Dennis
Brian H. Dennis
The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA
Search for other works by this author on:
Thomas J. Martin
The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA
George S. Dulikravich
The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA
Zhen-Xue Han
The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA
Brian H. Dennis
The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA
Paper No:
99-GT-146, V003T01A037; 12 pages
Published Online:
December 16, 2014
Citation
Martin, TJ, Dulikravich, GS, Han, Z, & Dennis, BH. "Minimization of Coolant Mass Flow Rate in Internally Cooled Gas Turbine Blades." Proceedings of the ASME 1999 International Gas Turbine and Aeroengine Congress and Exhibition. Volume 3: Heat Transfer; Electric Power; Industrial and Cogeneration. Indianapolis, Indiana, USA. June 7–10, 1999. V003T01A037. ASME. https://doi.org/10.1115/99-GT-146
Download citation file:
316
Views
Related Proceedings Papers
Related Articles
The Feasibility of Water Injection Into the Turbine Coolant to Permit Gas Turbine Contingency Power for Helicopter Application
J. Eng. Power (July,1983)
Inverse Design of Composite Turbine Blade Circular Coolant Flow Passages
J. Turbomach (October,1986)
Experimental Simulation of a Film Cooled Turbine Blade Leading Edge Including Thermal Barrier Coating Effects
J. Turbomach (January,2011)
Related Chapters
Outlook
Closed-Cycle Gas Turbines: Operating Experience and Future Potential
Completing the Picture
Air Engines: The History, Science, and Reality of the Perfect Engine
Control and Operational Performance
Closed-Cycle Gas Turbines: Operating Experience and Future Potential