Thermomechanical Transient Analysis and Conceptual Optimization of a First Stage Bucket

This paper presents a thermomechanical analysis of a first stage bucket during a gas turbine startup. This analysis uses two simulation techniques, computational fluid dynamics (CFD) for the conjugate heat transfer and flow analysis, and finite element analysis (FEA) for the thermostructural analysis. Computational three-dimensional models were developed using two commercial codes, including all elements of the real bucket to avoid geometric simplifications. An interface was developed to transfer the three-dimensional behavior of bucket temperatures during turbine startup from CFD analysis to subsequent FEA analysis, imposing them as a thermal load. This interface virtually integrates the computational models, although they have different grids. The results of this analysis include temperature evolution and related stresses, as well as the thermomechanical stresses and zones where they are present. These stresses are dominated by thermal mechanisms, so a new temperature startup curve is proposed where the maximum calculated stress decline around 100 MPa, and almost all stresses are lower throughout the transient analysis. The results are compared with experimental data reported in the literature obtaining acceptable approximation.