Experimental Aero Study on Turbine Rear Structures at Engine-Realistic Flow Conditions

The aviation industry has made great progress in continuous improvements that reduce the key pollutants associated with aero engines. However, high demands on the aviation industry drive manufacturers and designers to develop even more efficient aero engines. The introduction of a geared turbofan engine (GTF) was a breakthrough, although it created new challenges for suppliers and designers of individual components. The subject of this thesis is a study of the novel turbine rear structure (TRS) and the effects of its geometric features, such as the polygonal shape of the shroud endwall, thickening of the outlet guide vanes (OGV), and implementation of bumps, with an overall analysis of TRS aerodynamics in terms of possible flow separations, corresponding pressure losses, and flow turning performance. This work summarizes the results obtained from experimental studies of the engine-realistic TRS for two design configurations: baseline (annular) and state-of-the-art (polygonal) designs equipped with OGVs of different geometries. Each of these two concepts was assembled and aerodynamically investigated for the on-design and off-design conditions in a modern 1.5 stage facility (Chalmers OGV-LPT rig) which provides realistic boundary conditions for the TRS. The aerodynamic study was performed by traverse pressure measurements for the inlet and outlet planes by multi-hole pressure probes, oil-film visualization, and static pressure measurements with embedded pressure taps. Steady state RANS simulations of the TRS were also done to estimate the prediction capabilities of a commercial CFD tool.OGVs with increased thickness introduce slight increase of pressure losses, although the bump vane with add-on does influence the flow substantially. Apart from downstream influence with additional vorticity, generated from bump itself, and corresponding increased pressure losses, it also has upstream influence indirectly affecting inlet conditions into the TRS. For baseline configuration, the higher inlet swirl angles in the hub region result in increased vane loading and pressure losses. For state-of-the art configuration, blade- and bump-loading analysis show clear mutual influence of the bump and vane pressure distributions and, therefore, the need to design the vane and bump combination as one aerodynamic unit. Moreover, the present work gives a thorough comparison between experimental and numerical data showing that using the CFD tool captures secondary flow structures well, although CFD predictions are conservative.Disclaimer:\ua0The content of this article reflects only the authors’ view. The Clean Sky 2 Joint Undertaking is not responsible for any use that may be made of the information it contains

Experimental Flow Analysis in a Modern Turbine Rear Structure with 3D Polygonal Shroud Under Realistic Flow Conditions

Continuous advancement of the existing design of turbine rear structure (TRS) leads to new challenges in terms of aerodynamic efficiency. This work presents experimental aero studies of the effect of the 3D polygonal shroud in the TRS comprising several types of guide vanes representative of a modern TRS: regular vanes, thickened vanes, and vanes with a mount bump. The experiments were performed in an engine-realistic facility for a fixed Reynolds number, 350000, and three operation points based on a low-pressure turbine (LPT) exit swirl angle. The current study shows that the thickened vane handles the on-design and off-design conditions with good aerodynamic performance. It is observed that a shroud bump significantly affects the pressure losses because of the additional vorticity region created from the bump itself, and it has an upstream influence on the outlet flow from the LPT.Disclaimer:\ua0The content of this article reflects only the authors’ view. The Clean Sky 2 Joint Undertaking is not responsible for any use that may be made of the information it contains

Experimental study on the low-pressure turbine wake interaction and development in the turbine rear structure

The aerodynamic characteristics of advanced turbine rear structures (TRSs) could be affected by the interaction between unsteady flow developed from low-pressure turbine (LPT) and outlet guide vanes (OGVs). Consequently, analyzing the details of the interactions between the rotor wakes, stator wakes and OGVs is essential to enhance the aerodynamic efficiency of the modern TRS. This paper presents time resolved flow field measurements in the TRS at engine representative flow conditions. Experiments were performed in an annular large-scale 1.5 stage turbine facility at Chalmers University of Technology, Laboratory of Fluid and Thermal Sciences. The facility provides engine-realistic boundary conditions for the TRS and experimental data were acquired using 5-hole and 7-hole probes (5HP and 7HP), hot-wire anemometry (HW) and Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV). The PIV and HW measurements were conducted for the first time to enhance the understanding of unsteady flow phenomena and to investigate the development of TRS inflow structures. The observed unsteady interaction mechanism between the rotor wakes, stator wakes and OGV is of prime interest and investigated in detail. The breakdown of rotor and stator wakes through the TRS are documented and the OGV wake is analysed in detail by PIV

Detailed Experimental Study of the Flow in a Turbine Rear Structure at Engine Realistic Flow Conditions

A good aerodynamic design of the turbine rear structure (TRS) is crucial for improving efficiency and reducing emissions from aero-engines. This paper presents a detailed experimental evaluation of an engine realistic TRS which was studied in an engine-realistic rig at Chalmers University of Technology, Sweden. The TRS test section was equipped with three types of outlet guide vanes (OGVs) which are typical of modern state-of-the-art TRS: regular vanes, thickened vanes, and vanes with an engine mount recess (a shroud bump). Each of the three vane geometries was studied under on-design and off-design conditions at a fixed flow Reynolds number of 235,000. The study shows that the off-design performance of the TRS strongly depends on the presence of the local flow separation on the OGV suction side near the hub, which is greatly affected by the vane pressure distribution and inlet conditions. Similarly, the OGVs with increased thickness and with a vane shroud bump are shown to affect the performance of the TRS by influencing the losses on the OGV suction side near the hub. Furthermore, the presence of the bump is shown to have a noticeable upstream influence on the outlet flow from the low-pressure turbine and a noticeable downstream influence on the outlet flow from the TRS

Uncoupling of myofilament Ca2+-sensitivity from troponin I phosphorylation by mutations can be reversed by Epigallocatechin-3-Gallate.

AIMS: Heart muscle contraction is regulated via the β-adrenergic response that leads to phosphorylation of Troponin I (TnI) at Ser22/23, which changes the Ca(2+)-sensitivity of the cardiac myofilament. Mutations in thin filament proteins that cause Dilated Cardiomyopathy (DCM) and some mutations that cause Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy (HCM) abolish the relationship between TnI phosphorylation and Ca(2+)-sensitivity (uncoupling). Small molecule Ca(2+)-sensitisers and Ca(2+)-desensitisers that act upon troponin alter the Ca(2+)-sensitivity of the thin filament but their relationship with TnI phosphorylation has never been studied before. METHODS AND RESULTS: Quantitative in vitro motility assay showed that 30 μM EMD57033 and 100 μM Bepridil increase Ca(2+)-sensitivity of phosphorylated cardiac thin filaments by 3.1 and 2.8-fold respectively. Additionally they uncoupled Ca(2+)-sensitivity from TnI phosphorylation, mimicking the effect of HCM mutations. EGCG decreased Ca(2+)-sensitivity of phosphorylated and unphosphorylated wild-type thin filaments equally (by 2.15±0.45 and 2.80±0.48-fold respectively), retaining the coupling. Moreover, EGCG also reduced Ca(2+)-sensitivity of phosphorylated but not unphosphorylated thin filaments containing DCM and HCM-causing mutations, thus the dependence of Ca(2+)-sensitivity upon TnI phosphorylation of uncoupled mutant thin filaments was restored in every case. In single mouse heart myofibrils, EGCG reduced Ca(2+)-sensitivity of force and k(ACT) and also preserved coupling. Myofibrils from the ACTC E361G (DCM) mouse were uncoupled; EGCG reduced Ca(2+)-sensitivity more for phosphorylated than unphosphorylated myofibrils, thus restoring coupling. CONCLUSION: We conclude that it is possible to both mimic and reverse the pathological defects in troponin caused by cardiomyopathy mutations pharmacologically. Re-coupling by EGCG may be of potential therapeutic significance for treating cardiomyopathies

Experimental and numerical flow analysis of an engine-realistic state-of-the-art turbine rear structure

This paper presents experimental and numerical CFD studies of the aerodynamics of a turbine rear structure (TRS). The TRS test geometry is an engine-realistic state-of-the-art design with a polygonal outer case, recessed engine mount bumps, and three different vane types: regular vanes, bump vanes in bump sectors, and thick vanes. Using three different sector types simultaneously was found to be crucial for the inlet boundary conditions. Experiments were performed in a modern rotating test facility with an LPT stage upstream of the TRS. A Reynolds number of 350,000 was used, representative of a TRS in a narrow-body geared turbofan engine. The TRS performance was analyzed both at on- and off-design conditions and a thorough side-by-side comparison of CFD and experiments was performed. Static-pressure-distributions, turning and outlet flow-angles, wakes and losses, and surface-flow visualizations and outlet total pressure contours are presented. The thick vane showed good aerodynamic performance, similar to the regular vane. For the bump vane, the mount bumps were found to generate additional local separations and secondary flows, resulting in extra losses. In the regions with strong secondary flows CFD over-predicts the wakes, whereas the wakes around midspan, where secondary flows have a smaller influence, are predicted well

Experimental and Numerical Flow Analysis of an Engine-Realistic State-of-the-Art Turbine Rear Structure

This paper presents experimental and numerical CFD studies of the aerodynamics of a turbine rear structure (TRS). The TRS test geometry is an engine-realistic state-of-the-art design with a polygonal outer case, recessed engine mount bumps, and three different vane types: regular vanes, bump vanes in bump sectors, and thick vanes. Using three different sector types simultaneously was found to be crucial for the inlet boundary conditions. Experiments were performed in a modern rotating test facility with an LPT stage upstream of the TRS. A Reynolds number of 350,000 was used, representative of a TRS in a narrow-body geared turbofan engine. The TRS performance was analyzed both at on- and off-design conditions and a thorough side-by-side comparison of CFD and experiments was performed. Static-pressure-distributions, turning and outlet flow-angles, wakes and losses, and surface-flow visualizations and outlet total pressure contours are presented. The thick vane showed good aerodynamic performance, similar to the regular vane. For the bump vane, the mount bumps were found to generate additional local separations and secondary flows, resulting in extra losses. In the regions with strong secondary flows CFD over-predicts the wakes, whereas the wakes around midspan, where secondary flows have a smaller influence, are predicted wel

Real-time guarantees in high-level agent programming languages

In the thesis we present a new approach to providing soft real-time guarantees for Belief-Desire-Intention (BDI) agents. We analyse real-time guarantees for BDI agents and show how these can be achieved within a generic BDI programming framework. As an illustration of our approach, we develop a new agent architecture, called AgentSpeak(RT), and its associated programming language, which allows the development of real-time BDI agents. AgentSpeak(RT) extends AgentSpeak(L) [28] intentions with deadlines which specify the time by which the agent should respond to an event, and priorities which specify the relative importance of responding to a particular event. The AgentSpeak(RT) interpreter commits to a priority-maximal set of intentions: a set of intentions that is maximally feasible while preferring higher priority intentions. Real-time tasks can be freely mixed with tasks for which no deadline and/or priority has been specified, and if no deadlines and priorities are specified, the behavior of the agent defaults to that of a non real-time BDI agent. We perform a detailed case study of the use of AgentSpeak(RT) to demonstrate its advantages. This case study involves the development of an intelligent control system for a simple model of a nuclear power plant. We also prove some properties of the AgentSpeak(RT) architecture such as guaranteed reactivity delay of the AgentSpeak(RT) interpreter and probabilistic guarantees of successful execution of intentions by their deadlines. We extend the AgentSpeak(RT) architecture to allow the parallel execution of intentions. We present a multitasking approach to the parallel execution of intentions in the AgentSpeak(RT) architecture. We demonstrate advantages of parallel execution of intentions in AgentSpeak(RT) by showing how it improves behaviour of the intelligent control system for the nuclear power plant. We prove real-time guarantees of the extended AgentSpeak(RT) architecture. We present a characterisation of real-time task environments for an agent, and describe how it relates to AgentSpeak(RT) execution time profiles for a plan and an action. We also show a relationship between the estimated execution time of a plan in a particular environment and the syntactic complexity of an agent program

A model-driven approach for facilitating user-friendly design of complex event patterns

Complex Event Processing (CEP) is an emerging technology which allows us to efficiently process and correlate huge amounts of data in order to discover relevant or critical situations of interest (complex events) for a specific domain. This technology requires domain experts to define complex event patterns, where the conditions to be detected are specified by means of event processing languages. However, these experts face the handicap of defining such patterns with editors which are not user-friendly enough. To solve this problem, a model-driven approach for facilitating user-friendly design of complex event patterns is proposed and developed in this paper. Besides, the proposal has been applied to different domains and several event processing languages have been compared. As a result, we can affirm that the presented approach is independent both of the domain where CEP technology has to be applied to and of the concrete event processing language required for defining event patterns

The dilated cardiomyopathy-causing mutation ACTC E361G in cardiac muscle myofibrils specifically abolishes modulation of Ca2+ regulation by phosphorylation of Troponin I

Phosphorylation of troponin I by protein kinase A (PKA) reduces Ca2þ sensitivity and increases the rate of Ca2þ release from troponin C and the rate of relaxation in cardiac muscle. In vitro experiments indicate that mutations that cause dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) uncouple this modulation, but this has not been demonstrated in an intact contractile system. Using a Ca2þ-jump protocol, we measured the effect of the DCM-causing mutation ACTC E361G on the equilibrium and kinetic parameters of Ca2þ regulation of contractility in single transgenic mouse heart myofibrils. We used propranolol treatment of mice to reduce the level of troponin I and myosin binding protein C (MyBP-C) phosphorylation in their hearts before isolating the myo- fibrils. In nontransgenic mouse myofibrils, the Ca2þ sensitivity of force was increased, the fast relaxation phase rate constant, kREL, was reduced, and the length of the slow linear phase, tLIN, was increased when the troponin I phosphorylation level was reduced from 1.02 to 0.3 molPi/TnI (EC50 P/unp ¼ 1.8 5 0.2, p < 0.001). Native myofibrils from ACTC E361G transgenic mice had a 2.4-fold higher Ca2þ sensitivity than nontransgenic mouse myofibrils. Strikingly, the Ca2þ sensitivity and relaxation parameters of ACTC E361G myofibrils did not depend on the troponin I phosphorylation level (EC50 P/unp ¼ 0.88 5 0.17, p ¼ 0.39). Nevertheless, modulation of the Ca2þ sensitivity of ACTC E361G myofibrils by sarcomere length or EMD57033 was indistinguishable from that of nontransgenic myofibrils. Overall, EC50 measured in different conditions varied over a 7-fold range. The time course of relaxation, as defined by tLIN and kREL, was correlated with EC50 but varied by just 2.7- and 3.3-fold, respectively. Our results confirm that troponin I phosphorylation specifically alters the Ca2þ sensitivity of isometric tension and the time course of relaxation in cardiac muscle myofibrils. Moreover, the DCM-causing mutation ACTC E361G blunts this phosphorylation-dependent response without affecting other parameters of contraction, including length-dependent activation and the response to EMD57033