Progettazione di un compressore centrifugo e di layout macchina per applicazioni Mini - Turbogas

the purpose of the phd thesis is to investigate the possibilities to design a 5 MW Mini Gas Turbine. In particular the main purpose of the work is the design of a centrifugal compressor with a 6 Pressure ratio and 24 Kg/s of mass flow and the preliminary design of the layout of the Mini GT

Comparative Analysis of Bearings for Micro-GT: An Innovative Arrangement

Microgas turbines are a widespread technology in cogenerative and propulsion applications. Bearings are a key factor in their design and development. The aim of the present research work is the development of the support system for a typical microturbine intended for power generation. To this goal, the present chapter defines the typical requirements of the machine and, afterward, describes the different technologies available to develop the support system of a reliable microturbine. Conventional (rolling element and oil-film) supports and cutting-edge (magnetic, aerodynamic, and aerostatic) bearings are reviewed. Particularly, their suitability to the operating conditions is compared by means of a literature review and elaboration of the relevant data. By analyzing all this information, a new concept for the design of a micro-GT support system is devised. Instead of using a single type of bearing as usual, the new system includes different types in order to take advantage of the best characteristics of each one and, simultaneously, to minimize the effects of the relevant flaws. The innovative support system requires a suitable bearing arrangement, which is compared with the conventional ones. The conceptual design of the innovation is completed by a discussion of its advantages, drawbacks, and prospective improvements

Data for the stress update assessment in large-deformation finite element analysis

During a research work about stress integration schemes for large-deformation finite element analysis many datasets are collected from both numerical and analytical models. The corresponding numerical data (stress and displacements) are computed by means of different finite element formulations including the well-established stress update schemes employed by the major commercial software packages. To this purpose a suitable finite element code, capable of easily switching the different methods, is implemented. Accordingly, the data computed for three stress integration tests allowing analytical solution in the case of linear material are presented. The comparison of all the predictions from the various methods allows the choice of the most accurate model in predicting displacement and related stress. In addition, the data may be reused as starting point in the development of new stress integration strategies, as a reference comparison to understand the behaviour of the standard methods

FEM Design of a Cutting-Edge Support System for Micro-GT

The design of the support system (shaft, bearings, and mechanical coupling devices) of the rotor plays a key role in the development of efficient micro-gas turbines (micro-GTs) for distributed power generation. Foil air bearings are the most widespread technical solution well suited to design a reliable support system, although they cannot withstand a large number of start-stop cycles of the units. In order to overcome such limitation, we have recently proposed an innovative support system that takes advantage of spline couplings and two bearing types (e.g., air and rolling-element bearings). The devised support system employs splines as both convenient coupling systems and actuators for the load partition between the two bearing types. In the present work, the helical spline coupling is studied by means of structural FEM analyses including contact simulation in order to design the support system. Numerical results confirm previous findings in that the load transfer through the spline coupling is mainly a function of the helix angle. In addition, friction factor and structural stiffness cannot be neglected in the accurate design of the spline coupling. Such design parameters are now included in the proposed design procedure, which formerly assumed frictionless contact and rigid bodies

Preliminary Design of a Mini Gas Turbine via 1D Methodology

To address the increasing interest towards more environmentally friendly naval transportation and the introduction of IMO2020 restrictions on pollutant emissions onboard ships, the present work details the preliminary design of a mini gas turbine engine, i.e., a gas turbine engine with an output power up to 5 MW, for onboard energy generation. In comparison to conventional propulsion systems, gas turbine units benefit from known compactness, which can be further enhanced by employing single-stage uncooled radial machines, according to similar works in the field. As such, the present paper aims to set up a complete procedure that allows a reliable and fast (i.e., requiring a limited computational effort) preliminary design of one-stage centrifugal compressors and radial turbines operating at a high pressure ratio via the use of classical one-dimensional theory. The aerodynamic design outputs in terms of forces and torques are then used to perform a preliminary mechanical design of the shaft by means of a one-dimensional finite element model with commercial software to estimate the corresponding shaft line stress. Despite some necessary geometrical and modeling simplification of the design problem, which results in the unavailability of detailed information on individual components, the employed procedure nevertheless allows a comprehensive overview of the possibilities in terms of maximum machine performance achievable at an early design stage with the associated limited computational requirements. The design procedure and the geometry achieved for the application are presented along with aerodynamic and structural results