Computational fluid dynamics simulation and turbomachinery code validation of a high pressure ratio radial-inflow turbine

Abstract

Paper presented to the 10th International Conference on Heat Transfer, Fluid Mechanics and Thermodynamics, Florida, 14-16 July 2014.

The present study explores reproducing the closest geometry of a high pressure ratio single stage radial-inflow turbine applied in the Sundstrans Power Systems T-100 Multipurpose Small Power Unit. The commercial software ANSYS-Vista RTD along with a built in module, BladeGen, is used to conduct a meanline design and create 3D geometry of one flow passage. Carefully examining the proposed design against the geometrical and experimental data, ANSYSTurboGrid is applied to generate computational mesh. CFD simulations are performed with ANSYS-CFX in which threedimensional Reynolds-Averaged Navier-Stokes equations are solved subject to appropriate boundary conditions. Results are compared with numerical and experimental data published in the literature in order to generate the exact geometry of the existing turbine and validate the numerical results against the experimental ones.