ALBERT

Description: Shock structure measurements acquired in a low aspect ratio transonic fan rotor are presented and analyzed. The rotor aspect ratio is 1.56 and the design tip relative Mach number is 1.38. The rotor flowfield was surveyed at near maximum efficiency and near stall operating conditions. Intra-blade velocity measurements acquired with a laser fringe anemometer on blade-to-blade planes in the supersonic region from 10 to 60 percent span are presented. The three-dimensional shock surface determined from the velocity measurments is used to determine the shock surface normal Mach number in order to properly calculate the ideal shock jump conditions. The ideal jump conditions are calculated based upon the Mach numbers measured on a surface of revolution and based upon the normal Mach number to indicate the importance of accounting for shock three dimensionality in turbomachinery design. Comparison of the shock locations with those predicted by a 3-D Euler code showed very good agreement and indicated the usefulness of integrating computational and experimental work to enhance the understanding of the flow physics occurring in transonic turbomachinery passages.

Description: The aerodynamic evaluation of two highly loaded compact radial turbine rotors was conducted at the NASA Lewis Research Center Small Engine Component Test Facility (SECTF). The experimental results were used for proof-of-concept, for modeling radial inflow turbine rotors, and for providing data for code verification. Two rotors were designed to have a shorter axial length, up to a 10-percent reduced diameter, a lighter weight, and equal or higher efficiencies with those of conventional radial inflow turbine rotors. Three configurations were tested: rotor 1, having a 40-percent shorter axial length, with the design stator (stator 1); rotor 1 with the design stator vanes closed down (stator 2); and rotor 2, slightly shorter axially and having higher loading, with stator 2. The stator had 36 vanes and the rotors each had 14 solid blades. Although presently uncooled, the rotor blades were designed for thicknesses which would allow cooling passages to be added. The overall stage performance measurements and the rotor and stator exit flow field surveys were obtained. Measurements of steady state temperatures, pressures, mass flow rates, flow angles, and output power were made at various operating conditions. Data were obtained at corrected speeds of 80, 90, 100, 110, and 120 percent of design over a range of equivalent inlet-to-exit pressure ratios of 3.5, 4.0, 4.5, and 5.0, the maximum pressure ratio achieved. The test showed that the configuration of rotor 1 with stator 1 running at the design pressure ratio produced a flow rate which was 5.6 percent higher than expected. This result indicated the need to close down the stator flow area to reduce the flow. The flow area reduction was accomplished by restaggering the vanes. Rotor 1 was retested with the closed-down stator vanes and achieved the correct mass flow. Rotor 2 was tested only with the restaggered vanes. The test results of the three turbine configurations were nearly identical. Although the measured efficiencies of the compact designs fell 2 to 3 points below the predicted efficiency of 91 percent, they did meet and exceed by up to 2.5 percentage points the efficiences of state-of-the-art turbines found in the literature.