Design and application of squeeze film dampers for turbomachinery stabilization

The steady-state transient response of the squeeze film damper bearing was investigated. Both the steady-state and transient equations for the hydrodynamic bearing forces are derived; the steady-state equations were used to determine the damper equivalent stiffness and damping coefficients. These coefficients are used to find the damper configuration which will provide the optimum support characteristics based on a stability analysis of the rotor-bearing system. The effects of end seals and cavitated fluid film are included. The transient analysis of rotor-bearing systems was conducted by coupling the damping and rotor equations and integrating forward in time. The effects of unbalance, cavitation, and retainer springs are included. Methods of determining the stability of a rotor-bearing system under the influence of aerodynamic forces and internal shaft friction are discussed

Structures performance, benefit, cost-study

New technology concepts and structural analysis development needs which could lead to improved life cycle cost for future high-bypass turbofans were studied. The NASA-GE energy efficient engine technology is used as a base to assess the concept benefits. Recommended programs are identified for attaining these generic structural and other beneficial technologies

Improved gas turbine diagnostics towards an integrated prognostic approach wiht vibration and gas path analysis

The degradation of a gas turbine engine in operation is inevitable, leading to losses in performance and eventually reduction in engine availability. Several methods like gas path analysis and vibration analysis have been developed to provide a means of identifying the onset of component degradation. Although both approaches have been applied individually with successes in identifying component faults; localizing complex faults and improving fault prediction confidence are some of the further benefits that can accrue from the integrated application of both techniques. Although, the link between gas path component faults and rotating mechanical component faults have been reported by several investigators, yet, gas path fault diagnostics and mechanical fault diagnostics are still treated as separated toolsets for gas turbine engine health monitoring. This research addresses this gap by laying a foundation for the integration of gas path analysis and vibration to monitor the effect of fouling in a gas turbine compressor. Previous work on the effect of compressor fouling on the gas turbine operation has been on estimating its impact on the gas turbine’s performance in terms of reduction in thermal efficiency and output power. Another methodology often used involves the determination of correlations to characterize the susceptibility and sensitivity of the gas turbine compressor to fouling. Although the above mentioned approaches are useful in determining the impact of compressor fouling on the gas turbine performance, they are limited in the sense that they are not capable of being used to access the interaction between the aerodynamic and rotordynamic domain in a fouled gas turbine compressor. In this work, a Greitzer-type compression system model is applied to predict the flow field dynamics of the fouled compressor. The Moore-Greitzer model is a lumped parameter model of a compressor operating between an inlet and exit ii duct which discharges to a plenum with a throttle to control the flow through the compression system. In a nutshell, the overall methodology applied in this work involves the interaction of four different models, which are: Moore-Greitzer compression system model, Al-Nahwi aerodynamic force model, 2D transfer matrix rotordynamic model and a gas turbine performance engine model. The study carried out in this work shows that as the rate of fouling increases, typified by a decrease in compressor massflow, isentropic efficiency and pressure ratio, there is a corresponding increase in the vibration amplitude at the compressor rotor first fundamental frequency. Also demonstrated in this work, is the application of a Moore-Greitzer type compressor model for the prediction of the inception of unstable operation in a compressor due to fouling. In modelling the interaction between the aerodynamic and rotordynamic domain in a fouled gas turbine compressor, linear simplifications have been adopted in the compression system model. A single term Fourier series has been used to approximate the resulting disturbed flow coefficient. This approximation is reasonable for weakly nonlinear systems such as compressor operating with either an incompressible inlet flow or low Mach number compressible inlet flow. To truly account for nonlinearity in the model, further recommendation for improvement includes using a second order or two-term Fourier series to approximate the disturbed flow coefficient. Further recommendation from this work include an extension of the rotordynamic analysis to include non-synchronous response of the rotor to an aerodynamic excitation and the application of the Greitzer type model for the prediction of the flow and pressure rise coefficient at the inlet of the compressor when fouled

Field verification of lateral-torsional coupling effects on rotor instabilities in centrifugal compressors

Lateral and torsional vibration data obtained on a centrifugal compressor train which had shaft instabilities and gear failures is examined. The field data verifies that the stability of centrifugal compressors can be adversely affected by coincidence of torsional natural frequencies with lateral instability frequencies. The data also indicates that excitation energy from gear boxes can reduce stability margins if energy is transmitted either laterally or torsionally to the compressors. The lateral and torsional coupling mechanisms of shaft systems is discussed. The coupling mechanisms in a large industrial compressor train are documented and the potential effect on rotor stability is demonstrated. Guidelines are set forth to eliminate these potential problems by minimizing the interaction of torsional and lateral responses and their effect on rotor stability

"Analysis of dynamic responses and instabilities in rotating machinery\u201d

The first task of the present research is to characterize both experimentally and numerically journal bearings with low radial clearances for rotors in small-scale applications (e.g., micro Gas Turbines); their diameter is in the order of ten millimetres, leading to very small dimensional clearances when the typical relative ones (order of 1/1000) are employed; investigating this particular class of journal bearings under static and dynamic loading conditions represents something unexplored. To this goal, a suitable test rig was designed, and the performance of its bearings were investigated under steady load. For the sake of comparison, numerical simulations of the lubrication were also performed by means of a simplified model. The original test rig adopted is a commercial Rotor Kit (RK), but substantial modifications were carried out in order to allow significant measurements. Indeed, the relative radial clearance of RK4 RK bearings is about 2/100, while it is around 1/1000 in industrial bearings. Therefore, the same original RK bearings are employed in this new test rig, but a new shaft was designed to reduce their original clearance. The new custom shaft allows to study bearing behaviour for different clearances, since it is equipped with interchangeable journals. Experimental data obtained by this test rig are then compared with further results of more sophisticated simulations. They were carried out by means of an in-house developed finite element (FEM) code, suitable for ThermoElasto-HydroDynamic (TEHD) analysis of journal bearings both in static and dynamic conditions. In this work, bearing static performances are studied to assess the reliability of the experimental journal location predictions by comparing them with the ones coming from already validated numerical codes. Such comparisons are presented both for large and small clearance bearings of original and modified RK, respectively. Good agreement is found only for the modified RK equipped with small clearance bearings (relative radial clearance 8/1000), as expected. In comparison with two-dimensional lubrication analysis, three-dimensional simulation improves prediction of journal location and correlation with experimental results. The second main task of the present work is the development and the implementation of a suitable analytical model to correctly capture rolling bearing radial stiffness, particularly nearby the critical speeds of the investigated rotor-bearings system. In this work, such bearing non-linear stiffness lumped parameter model is firstly validated on the commercial RK and then it is applied to both air bladeless turbines (or Tesla turbines) and to an innovative microturbine, in order to assess their global rotodynamic behavior when they are mounted on ball bearings. In order to properly investigate all the issues related to critical speeds and stiffness, an adequate number of experimental tests was performed by exploiting an experimental air Tesla turbine prototype located at TPG experimental facility of the University of Genoa. The correlation between measured flexural critical speeds and their numerical predictions is markedly conditioned by the correct identification of ball bearings dynamic characteristics; in particular, bearings stiffness effect may play a significant role in terms of rotor-bearings system natural frequencies and therefore it must be properly assessed. Indeed, Tesla turbine rotor FE model previously employed for numerical modal analysis relies on rigid bearings assumption and therefore it does not account for bearings stiffness overall contribution, which may become crucial in case of \u201chard mounting\u201d of rotor-bearings systems. Subsequently, high-speed air Tesla rotor is investigated by means of an enhanced FE model for numerical modal analysis within Ansys\uae environment, where ball bearings are modelled as non-linear springs whose stiffness is expressed according to the analytic model implemented in Matlab\uae. Two different numerical FE models are devised for microturbine rotor modelling which respectively rely on beam elements and on three-dimensional solid elements for mechanical system spatial discretization. The obtained results in terms of rotor-bearings system modal analysis exhibit an improvement in experimental-numerical results correlation by relying on such ball bearing stiffness model; moreover, beam-based FE model critical speeds predictions are coherent with experimental evidence and with respect to solid elements model it is characterized by lower computational time and it is more easily interpretable. Thus, such experimentally validated numerical model represents a reliable and easily adaptable tool for highspeed rotating machinery critical speeds prediction in practical industrial application cases. Finally In this work, several signal processing techniques performed on vibro-acoustic signals acquired from a T100 Turbec microturbine (which is furnished with a centrifugal compressor) are illustrated. Research activity goal focuses on the investigation different kinds of system response starting from non-intrusive probes signals like accelerometers and microphones; this is made by means of techniques such as HOSA and Wavelet Transform, developed in Matlab\uae environment, for early detection of the onset of unstable phenomena in centrifugal compressors. These new and different methods have been applied to the same set of data to get sufficiently independent information useful to synergistically improve knowledge in the diagnostic system. Data were acquired by means of an experimental facility based on a T100 turbine developed by the Thermochemical Power Group (TPG) at the University of Genoa. Sampling rate and sensor placement were carefully taken into account, basing both on the physical phenomena to be observed and on the sensor dynamic characteristics. In this context, it is meant to study microphones and accelerometers signals not from an isolated centrifugal turbomachine installed in a dedicated line, but from a whole compressor placed in a mGT system for energy generation. Indeed, the investigated machine is not operating in standalone mode, but its working point and angular velocity depend on the coupling with several elements. In particular, compressor working point and then its vibro-acoustic signals are expected to convey vibration and sound contributions coming from all the plant components; thus, they are more representative of machine realistic behavior in the energy system

Experimental on-stream elimination of resonant whirl in a large centrifugal compressor

Resonant whirl condition during operation of a multi-stage centrifugal compressor at higher than anticipated speeds and loads was reported. The condition was diagnosed by a large scale computerized Machinery Condition Monitoring System (MACMOS). This computerized system verified that the predominant subsynchronous whirl frequency locked in on the first resonant frequency of the compressor rotor and did not vary with compressor speed. Compressor stability calculations showed the rotor system had excessive hearing stiffness and inadequate effective damping. An optimum bearing design which was developed to minimize the unbalance response and to maximize the stability threshold is presented

Unbalance Compensation of a Full Scale Test Rig Designed for HTR-10GT: A Frequency-Domain Approach Based on Iterative Learning Control

Unbalance vibrations are crucial problems in heavy rotational machinery, especially for the systems with high operation speed, like turbine machinery. For the program of 10 MW High Temperature gas-cooled Reactor with direct Gas-Turbine cycle (HTR-10GT), the rated operation speed of the turbine system is 15000 RPM which is beyond the second bending frequency. In that case, even a small residual mass will lead to large unbalance vibrations. Thus, it is of great significance to study balancing methods for the system. As the turbine rotor is designed to be suspended by active magnetic bearings (AMBs), unbalance compensation could be achieved by adequate control strategies. In the paper, unbalance compensation for the Multi-Input and Multi-Output (MIMO) active magnetic bearing (AMB) system using frequency-domain iterative learning control (ILC) is analyzed. Based on the analysis, an ILC controller for unbalance compensation of the full scale test rig, which is designed for the rotor and AMBs in HTR-10GT, is designed. Simulation results are reported which show the efficiency of the ILC controller for attenuating the unbalance vibration of the full scale test rig. This research can offer valuable design criterion for unbalance compensation of the turbine machinery in HTR-10GT

Stabilization of Compressor Surge Using Gain-Scheduled Controller

Gain scheduling is a control method that is used in nonlinear systems to optimize their controlled performance and robustness over a wide range of operating conditions. It is one of the most commonly used controller design approaches for nonlinear systems. In this control technique, the controller consists of a collection of linear controllers, each of which provides satisfactory closed-loop stability and performance for a small operating region, and combined they guarantee the stability of the system along the entire operating range. The operating region of the system is determined by a scheduling signal, also known as the scheduling variable, which may be either exogenous or endogenous with respect to the plan. A good design of the gain-scheduled controller requires a suitable selection of the scheduling variables to properly reflect the dynamics of the system. In this thesis, we apply the gain scheduling control method to the control of compression systems with active magnetic bearings (AMBs). First, a gain-scheduled controller is designed and tested for the rotor levitation control of the AMB system. The levitation controller is designed to guarantee robust rotor levitation over a wide range of rotating speeds. We show through numerical simulation that the rotor vibration is contained in the presence of uncertainties introduced by speed dependent gyroscopic forces. Next, we implement the gain scheduling control method to the active stabilization of compressor surge in a compression system using the AMBs as actuators. Recently, Yoon et al. [1] showed that AMBs can be used to stabilize the surge instability in a compression system. In this thesis, we demonstrate that gain scheduling control can effectively extend the stable operating region of the compression system beyond the limits presented in [1]. For the stabilization of surge, a gain-scheduled controller was obtained by combining six linear controllers that together they cover the full operating range of the compression system. We were able to demonstrate through numerical simulation that the designed surge controller is effective in suppressing the instability down to a throttle valve opening of 12%, and in the presence of random flow disturbance and actuator saturation. An observer-based technique was implemented to achieve a bumpless and smooth transfer when switching between the linear controllers

Rotordynamic Instability Problems in High-Performance Turbomachinery

Diagnostic and remedial methods concerning rotordynamic instability problems in high performance turbomachinery are discussed. Instabilities due to seal forces and work-fluid forces are identified along with those induced by rotor bearing systems. Several methods of rotordynamic control are described including active feedback methods, the use of elastometric elements, and the use of hydrodynamic journal bearings and supports

Applying API 617, 8th Edition to Expander-Compressors with Active Magnetic Bearings

TutorialHigh-speed expander-compressors are commonplace in the gasprocessing industry. In recent years, expander-compressors equipped with Active Magnetic Bearings (AMBs) have gained wide acceptance and are now the norm in ethylene plant refrigeration turboexpander applications and increasingly specified for gas-liquid separation. Further improvements in magnetic bearings are simplifying the technology for those responsible to purchase, commission and maintain rotating machines. As well, it is becoming easier to verify that AMB machines comply with accepted design standards. The Eighth Edition of API617, released in September 2014, includes a new annex (Part 1, Annex E) and other material, specifically addressing AMB-equipped machinery. Unlike previous editions which included only informative material, this new material provides a detailed criteria by which AMB designers, purchasers and users can evaluate API compliance or AMB-equipped machines. These design, analysis and test specifications reduce the technical complexity of AMB technology for expander-compressor stakeholders, and contribute to continued growth in the market place. This tutorial will discuss and demonstrate the application of API617, 8th Edition to AMB-equipped expander-compressors from a practical, user-oriented point of view