• The KSFM Journal of Fluid Machinery
• /
• v.2 no.3 s.4
• /
• pp.37-44
• /
• 1999

In a screw-type centrifugal pump, the pump head deteriorates from single-phase flow to the choke due to an increased air entrainment at a wide tip clearance compared to that of a narrow tip clearance. Moreover, at a narrow tip clearance, the pump head became partially higher in a two-phase flow than that of a single-phase flow near the best efficiency point in low void fraction region. Therefore, we observed the internal flow pattern by using a stroboscope and we measured the mean size of bubbles from the images obtained with a high speed camera. Then, we investigated the influences of the mean size of bubbles, tip clearances and flow patterns on pump performance.

• Proceedings of the KSME Conference
• /
• 2003.11a
• /
• pp.187-192
• /
• 2003

The heat (mass) transfer characteristics in the tip-leakage flow region of a high-turning first-stage turbine rotor blade has been investigated by employing the naphthalene sublimation technique. The heat transfer data in the tip-leakage flow area for the tip clearance-to-span ratio, h/s, of 2.0% are compared with those in endwall three-dimensional flow region without tip clearance (h/s = 0.0 %). The result shows that the thermal load in the tip-leakage flow region for h/s = 2.0% is more severe than that in the endwall flow region for h/s = 0.0%. The thermal loads even at the leading and trailing edges for h/s = 2.0% are found larger than those for h/s = 0.0%. The tip-leakage flow results in heat transfer augmentations near the tip on both pressure and suction sides in comparison with the mid-span results.

• 유체기계공업학회:학술대회논문집
• /
• 2005.12a
• /
• pp.533-541
• /
• 2005

Compared to axial compressors, an analytical model capable of analyzing the flow in centrifugal compressor lacks because of the difficulty in governing equations for radial duct. Therefore, this paper presents a new model to predict flow field in a centrifugal compressor with a sinusoidal asymmetric tip clearance. To predict the 2 dimensional flow in the inlet and exit of the centrifugal compressor, the two flow fields are connected with compressor characteristic based on Moore-Greitzer model. Contrary to axial compressors, the nonuniformity of impeller exit pressure in centrifugal compressor decreases as flow coefficient decreases. In addition, that is sensitive to the slope of pressure rise by eccentricity. The maximum velocity exists right before the maximum tip clearance.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Propulsion Engineers Conference
• /
• 2004.03a
• /
• pp.622-627
• /
• 2004

There are many difficulties in realizing Ultra-micro gas turbine system. Among them, the effects of tip clearance upon the micro turbine flowfield are discussed in this paper. The flowfield was investigated numerically with the Reynolds-averaged three-dimensional thin-layer Navier-Stokes equations. Calculations were conducted with clearance height from 0％ to 10% of the passage height. Leakage mass flow and deterioration of efficiency are proportional to the clearance height for the clearance height larger than 4%. However, in the case of 2% clearance, leakage flow is significantly reduced due to relative motion of the casing and as a result deterioration of efficiency is very small. It is difficult to control tip clearance in micro turbines, but the results of this study indicate that if the clearance height is controlled within a few per-cent of passage height, deterioration of stage performance will be small.

• International Journal of Fluid Machinery and Systems
• /
• v.6 no.3
• /
• pp.113-120
• /
• 2013

While performing numerical simulations, it is general industrial practice to neglect the clearance gap between the impeller and the inlet duct. In the present work, the effect of clearance gap on the performance of an industrial sized centrifugal blower is simulated for two volutes of width ratios and various flow coefficients. The results show that the clearance has a positive effect at low mass flow rates. This is observed in the pressure rise (1.3%) as well as in efficiency (0.7%). At higher mass flow rates, it has a negative effect with a drop in efficiency of 1% and pressure drop of about 1.4%. The effect of clearance gap on volute with higher width ratio is smaller when compared with the volute with smaller width ratio.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Propulsion Engineers Conference
• /
• 2008.11a
• /
• pp.157-160
• /
• 2008

Tip clearance is a critical point in turbine to reduce friction between blade and casing. To estimate the direct effectiveness of the tip clearance, numerically analyzed are flow passing through rotors with and without tip clearance. The Results by CFX tells that rotors with tip clearance have vortex structure which makes larger loss in turbine, and shows lower total-to-total efficiency than that without tip clearance.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers B
• /
• v.23 no.9
• /
• pp.1106-1112
• /
• 1999

Substantial losses behind axial flow rotor are generated by the wake, various vortices in the hub region and the tip leakage vortex in the tip region. Particularly, the leakage vortex formed near blade tip is one of the main causes of the reduction of performance, generation of noise and aerodynamic vibration in downstream. In this study, the three-dimensional flow fields in an axial flow rotor were calculated with varying tip clearance under various flow rates, and the numerical results were compared with experimental ones. The numerical technique was based on SIMPLE algorithm using standard $k-{\varepsilon}$ model(WFM) and Launder & Sharma's Low Reynolds Number $k-{\varepsilon}$ model(LRN). Through calculations, the effects of tip clearance and attack angle on the 3-dimensional flow fileds behind a rotor and leakage flow/vortex were investigated. The presence of tip leakage vortex, loci of vortex center and its behavior behind the rotor for various tip clearances and attack angles was described well by calculation.

• The KSFM Journal of Fluid Machinery
• /
• v.4 no.3 s.12
• /
• pp.39-45
• /
• 2001

It is reported recently that the pump head deterioration near the best efficiency point, from single-phase flow to the choke due to air entrainment became less in a screw-type centrifugal pump than in a general centrifugal pump. Moreover, at a narrow tip clearance, the pump head became partially higher in two-phase flow than that in single-phase flow. However, the internal pressure fluctuations on this pump due to air entrainment have not been studied yet. For that reason, we have examined the influences of void fraction, flow coefficient and impeller tip clearance on pressure fluctuations in the casing. The void fraction became larger, the influence of tip clearance on pressure distribution became less.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers B
• /
• v.29 no.3 s.234
• /
• pp.306-313
• /
• 2005

The performance of a regenerative pump is affected by many parameters, especially blade shape of impeller, leakage flow in the clearance and head losses at the inlet & outlet. An impeller with J-shape blade was designed and 5 times scale up model was tested at similarity conditions to evaluate the performance. Performance variations with clearance change were executed. The amounts of leakage flow through the clearance were estimated using the one-dimensional leakage flow models and analysis. Main leakage flow is generated through the gap between the impeller and casing. The inlet & outlet head losses were also estimated. Such corrections are very important to evaluate the final performance of the impeller and pump. Cavitation test was also performed at 1,200 rpm. NPSH of the regenerative pump was obtained and growth of cavity within blades was visualized.

• Journal of Advanced Marine Engineering and Technology
• /
• v.33 no.5
• /
• pp.686-695
• /
• 2009

Flow characteristics in linear axial cascade have been studied using large eddy simulation(LES) based on finite element method(FEM) to investigate details of the leakage flow in the tip clearance of axial flow rotor. STAR-CD(FVM) and PAT-Flow(FEM) have been adopted to solve the Navier-Stokes equations for the simulation of the unsteady turbulent flow. Numerical results from the present study have been compared with the existing experimental results to investigate a tip clearance effect on velocity profile and static pressure distribution on blade surface at various spanwise positions. Both simulation results agree well with the experimental data. However, it has been shown that the results of finite-element large-eddy simulation agree better with experimental data than $k-{\varepsilon}$ turbulent model based on finite volume method regarding the tip vortex geometry and static pressure distribution at the center of the tip vortex core. As a result of this study, it is shown that finite-element large-eddy simulation method can predict more exactly on the tip leakage vortex flow and behind flow field.