Search Results (45)

Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC) systems are widely used for converting low-temperature waste heat into useful power, but their overall efficiency depends heavily on the turbine’s performance, particularly the stator vane design in radial turbines. This study introduces a biomimetic approach to turbine design by implementing cambered stator vanes inspired by bird feather geometry. These specially shaped vanes are added to a radial inflow turbine and compared to a traditional design that uses straight (symmetric) vanes. The new cambered design helps guide the airflow more effectively, leading to higher tangential speeds and better energy transfer. Simulations show that this design increases the turbine’s power output from 388.6 kW to 394.87 kW and improves the system’s overall efficiency from 8.78% to 10.12%. A detailed study of different camber levels found that moderate curvatures (around 8–12%) gave the best results. Overall, this study demonstrates that implementing biomimetic cambered stator vanes in radial turbines can significantly enhance turbine performance and improve cycle-level efficiency in ORC systems for waste heat recovery. Full article

Organic Rankine cycles (ORCs) are increasingly employed in power plants to recover waste energy and reduce environmental impacts. The radial turbine, a critical ORC component, experiences flow losses influenced by design parameters such as the rotor blade and stator vane numbers. Traditional empirical correlations developed for air often lack accuracy for ORCs due to differences in fluid properties and flow dynamics. This study uses advanced CFD models to evaluate and refine these correlations for ORC applications. For the ORC, waste heat from the Ha’il Cement Company in Saudi Arabia is used as the heat source. The CFD model was validated with experimental data and showed strong agreement, with a maximum deviation of 5.12% in mass flow rate and 3.97% in turbine outlet temperature. The results show that reducing vane numbers from 17 to 11 increased turbine power, efficiency, and thermal efficiency by 34.8%, 4.17%, and 35.16%, respectively. However, further reduction caused performance deterioration due to high Mach numbers and flow recirculation. Increasing the rotor blade number to 20 improved performance, but numbers beyond 20 caused declines. Among empirical correlations, Rohlik’s correlation with 20 blades achieved optimal outputs of 13.54 kW turbine power, 75% turbine efficiency, and 6.98% thermal efficiency. Further optimization yielded an ORC configuration with 11 vanes and 20 blades, achieving superior performance: 16 kW turbine power, 77% turbine efficiency, and 9% thermal efficiency. Full article

The worldwide concern regarding the harmful effects of old polluting and toxic propellants has led to increased interest in new, green propellants and higher efficiency thrusters. This fact requires that a new generation of turbopumps, fit for these propellants, is developed. This paper focuses on the design of a radial inflow turbine, which was developed to power a single-shaft turbopump system for a 30 kN upper stage expander cycle thruster engine. The objective was to create a high-efficiency, compact, cheap-to-manufacture, 3D-printable turbine suitable to simultaneously power the methane and Oxygen pumps that feed the thruster. The total power consumed by the pumps for which this turbine was designed is 152 kW. The solution proposed in this paper includes measures such as elimination of the bladed diffuser, which was carried out to reduce the weight and the overall dimensions of the turbine. Comparing it with an axial turbine with the same power output, it has lower overall dimensions because it does not require a direction change at the inlet to the turbine bladed components, it does not require a stator to work, and its casing has a conical shape and is not cylindrical like the axial construction one. The proposed design has been analysed by CFD, which revealed that it can power the pumps. Analysis performed in off-design conditions indicated that the turbine has the best efficiency if the rotation speed and mass flow are varied at the same time. A breadboard model of the turbopump for which the turbine in this paper has been designed has been built using plastic and tested at pressures up to 6 bars using compressed air. The results indicate that above 1.5 bars of inlet pressure the turbine can overcome the internal resistances of the components and the rotor starts to spin. No indication of imbalance of the rotor was observed at maximum test pressure. Two configurations of the seals between the turbine and the adjacent pump have been tested, indicating that labyrinth seals must be doubled by floating ring seals. Full article

In this paper, solar energy is used as the auxiliary heat source of the ocean thermal energy radial inflow turbine, and the thermodynamic model of the circulation system is established. In addition, the ejector is introduced into the ocean thermal power generation system, and the process simulation is carried out using Aspen Plus V12. To address performance attenuation of the radial turbine under varying working conditions, shape optimization of a 30 kW OTEC radial turbine was conducted. Finally, the off-design performance variation in the radial inflow turbine is analyzed in the presence of a solar auxiliary heat source. The results show that the use of an auxiliary heat source can effectively improve the cycle efficiency of the system and is also conducive to the stable operation of the radial turbine. Under the condition of auxiliary heat source, the system cycle efficiency is increased by 2.269%. Full article

Due to the existence of an inlet elbow, transmission shaft, and other structural components, the inflow of axial-flow pumps as turbines (PATs) becomes non-uniform, resulting in the complexity of internal flow and adverse effects such as structural vibration. In this paper, numerical methods were employed to explore the non-uniform inflow effects on impeller forces and internal flow field characteristics within an axial-flow PAT. The study results indicated that non-uniform inflow caused uneven pressure distribution inside the impeller, which leads to an imbalance in radial forces and offsetting the center of radial forces. With an increasing flow rate, the asymmetry of radial forces as well as the amplitude of their fluctuations increased. Non-uniform inflow was found to induce unstable flow structures inside the impeller, leading to low-frequency, high-amplitude pressure fluctuations near the hub. Using the enstrophy transport equation, it was shown that the relative vortex generation term played a major part in the spatiotemporal evolution of vortices, with minimal viscous effects. Full article

Tidal stream turbines (TST) are a promising option for electricity generation to meet the ever-increasing demand for energy. The actuator disk (AD) method is often employed to represent a TST, to evaluate the TST operating in a tidal flow. While this method can effectively reduce the computational cost and provide accurate prediction of far-wake flow conditions, it falls short of fully characterising critical hydrodynamics elements. To address this limitation, a hybrid method is implemented by coupling AD with the blade element momentum (BEM) theory, using detailed performance data, such as thrust, to enhance the prediction of the wake effects. This work focuses on the development of a hybrid BEM–AD method using Reynolds-Averaged Navier–Stokes (RANS) turbulence models within computational fluid dynamics (CFD). Two variations and a hybrid modification of an AD model are presented in this paper. The first modified variation is a velocity variation that takes into account velocity profile inflow into the disk’s configuration. The second modified variation is a radial variation that integrates the blade element theory into the disk’s configuration. The hybrid modified model combines both the velocity profiles influenced and blade element theory in the design and analysis of the actuator disk. Several key investigations on some of the pre-solver parameters are also investigated in this research such as the effect of changing velocity and radial distance on the porosity and loss coefficient of the actuator disk performance. Importantly, this work provides an improved method to evaluate the key wake effects from a TST array which is crucial to determine the power performance of the TST array. Full article

Combining one-dimensional parameter optimization and three-dimensional modeling optimization, a 30 kW radial inflow turbine for ocean thermal energy conversion was designed. In this paper, the effects of blade tip clearance, blade number, twist angle, and wheel–diameter ratio on the radial inflow turbine were analyzed. The results show that the model prediction method based on 3D numerical simulation data can effectively complete secondary optimization of the radial turbine rotor. The prediction model can be used to directly obtain the optimal modeling parameter of the rotor. The tip clearance, blade number, twist angle, wheel–diameter ratio, and shaft efficiency were found to be 0.273 mm, 16, 43.378°, 0.241, and 88.467%, respectively. The optimized shaft efficiency of the turbine was found to be 2.239% higher than the one-dimensional design result, which is of great significance in reducing the system’s power generation costs and promoting the application of this approach in engineering power generation using ocean thermal energy. Full article

In this paper, a 100 kW radial inflow turbine is designed for an ocean thermal energy conversion (OTEC) power plant based on the organic Rankine cycle (ORC) with ammonia as the working fluid. Based on one-dimensional (1D) and three-dimensional computational fluid dynamics (3D-CFD) modeling, the mechanical structure design, static and modal analyses of the turbine and its components are carried out to investigate its mechanical performance. The results show the stress and strain distribution in the volute, stator and rotor, and their maximum values appear, respectively, at the inlet cutout, the tip of the stator outlet and the connection position between the rotor and the shaft. After optimization, all the stresses in the above components are below the allowable values. The frequencies from the first order to the sixth order of the rotor and whole turbine were obtained through modal analysis without prestress and under prestress. The maximum frequency of the rotor and whole turbine is 707.75 Hz and 40.22 Hz, both of which are far away from the resonance frequency range that can avoid resonance. Therefore, the structure of the designed turbine is safe, feasible and reliable so as to better guide actual production. Full article

This work evaluates the feasibility of utilizing an organic Rankine cycle (ORC) for waste heat recovery in internal combustion engines to meet the stringent regulations for reducing emissions resulting from the combustion of fossil fuels. The turbine is the most crucial component of the ORC cycle since it is responsible for power production. In this study, a variable geometry radial inflow turbine is designed to cope with variable exhaust conditions. A variable geometry turbine is simply a radial turbine with different throat openings: 30, 60, and 100%. The exhaust gases of a heavy-duty diesel engine are utilized as a heat source for the ORC system. Different engine operating points are explored, in which each point has a different exhaust temperature and mass flow rate. The results showed that the maximum improvements in engine power and brake specific fuel consumption (BSFC) were 5.5% and 5.3% when coupled to the ORC system with a variable geometry turbine. Moreover, the variable geometry turbine increased the thermal efficiency of the cycle by at least 20% compared to the system with a fixed geometry turbine. Therefore, variable geometry turbines are considered a promising technology in the field and should be further investigated by scholars. Full article

To investigate the aerodynamic characteristics of the fan in windmilling conditions, a new body force model with the fan rotational speed prediction model was developed. The fan rotational speed prediction model was built based on the balance of fan output torque and resistance torque. The rotational speed of the fan spool can be iteratively solved simultaneously with solving the governing equations without requiring mass flow rate or other inputs. The comparison with the experimental results shows that using the body force model can accurately predict the rotational speed of the fan spool under different operating conditions. The radial distribution of flow parameters can be obtained. Moreover, numerical simulations of the fan under different circumferential total pressure distortion inflow conditions were conducted using the body force model. The results show that, unlike the design point and non-design point at which the fan operates normally, the high radius region of the fan is in the “turbine mode” while the low radius region is in the “compressor mode” under windmilling conditions. The different effects on the longitudinal vortex in the two regions deepen and alleviate the circumferential distortion, respectively. There are strong circumferential and radial pressure gradients at the junction of the distortion-affected zone and the non-distortion-affected zone, adding additional mixing losses. Full article

This study presents the development of a design method that has been extended to the design of radial-inflow turbines operating in organic Rankine cycles (ORC). Both the conventional design method and the circulation method available in the literature have been reviewed. The two main limitations of the current circulation method that make it not suitable for the ORC turbine design are the lack of real gas capability and 3D blades with high stresses. Using the circulation method, the flow field is decomposed into a potential part and a rotational part. The mean velocity field and the periodic velocity field are solved separately. To model the thermodynamic properties of the real gas, NIST REFPROP or CoolProp are used. The blade geometry is then solved iteratively by assuming that the velocity vector is parallel to the blade surface. The blade boundary condition is modified to force the blade camber to be radial-fibred, which is helpful to reduce the centrifugal bending stress on the blade. All the formulations are derived step by step, and the numerical treatments, including grid generation, numerical differentiation, computational scheme, and convergence, are discussed in detail. This method is validated by designing a R245fa ORC turbine rotor. The performance of the rotor design is predicted by CFD and FEA simulations, and it is compared to the results using other methodologies in the literature. Full article

Organic Rankine cycle (ORC) is an effective technology to harness low-grade energy. Turbine, as a key component of ORC, takes advantages of its high efficiency and compact size compared with other expanders. Currently, developing suitable turbines with a high performance and a low cost is one of the bottlenecks for wide applications of various ORCs. In this context, technical progress on radial inflow turbines (RITs), axial turbines (ATs), and radial outflow turbines (ROTs) is introduced, and loss models used in the preliminary design are compared, especially for small-scale ORCs. RIT is recommended for medium and small ORCs with an expansion pressure ratio of <10. The power outs and rotational speeds of the designed RITs spanned the ranges of 9.3–684 kW and 3000–114,000 r/min with an efficiency of 56.1–91.75%. In comparison, the power outputs and speeds of ATs were 3–2446 kW and 3000–91,800 r/min with an efficiency of 63–89.1%. AT is suitable for large-scale ORCs with a power output of greater than hundreds of kW. However, AT with impulse stages is feasible for small-scale ORCs when the pressure ratio is high, and the mass flow rate is small. The power outputs of the designed ROTs were relatively small, at 10–400 kW with a speed of 7200–42,700 r/min and an efficiency of 68.7–85%. For organic working fluids with a large expansion pressure ratio, ROT might be employed. Conventional mean-line models may neglect the effects of supersonic flow, which will be encountered in many ORC turbines. Therefore, adequate models for supersonic expansion loss and shock loss need to be added. Meanwhile, a proper multivariable optimization algorithm such as a gradient-based or stochastic search method should be selected. Finally, the challenges and potential research directions are discussed. The outcomes can provide some insights for the development of ORC turbines and the optimization of ORC systems. Full article

The organic Rankine cycle (ORC) is an efficient technology for electricity generation from low- and medium-temperature heat sources. In this type of power cycle, the radial inflow turbine is the option usually selected for electricity generation. As a critical ORC component, turbine performance markedly affects the efficiency of the system. Therefore, the challenge is to model the behavior of the radial inflow turbine operating with organic fluids for heat recovery applications. In this context, various groups of fluids are highlighted in the scientific literature, including R-123, R-245fa, and R-141b, which are the fluids used in this research. Since little research has focused on the turbine efficiency effect on the power cycle design and analysis, this study presents an analysis of a radial inflow turbine based on a mathematical model of a one-dimensional design of the turbine. From this analysis, geometric, thermal, and operating parameters were determined, as well as volute, stator, and rotor losses. For this purpose, an algorithm was implemented in MATLAB to calculate the one-dimensional parameters of the turbine. Using these parameters, a 3D model of the turbine was designed in ANSYS-CFX, with performance curves of each projected turbine under design and off-design conditions. The numerical results suggest that the isentropic efficiency of all the proposed turbines under design conditions can surpass 75%. Additionally, the findings indicate that different design conditions, such as specific speed, pressure ratio, and turbine size, can affect the efficiency of radial inflow turbines in ORC systems. Full article

Recently, the CO₂ power cycle has attracted attention because of tightening environmental regulations. The turbine is a factor that greatly affects the efficiency of the cycle. The radial outflow turbine is a turbomachine with the various advantages of an axial flow turbine and a radial inflow turbine, but the design theory for the turbine is uncertain. In this study, a preliminary design algorithm for a radial outflow turbine with a multi-stage configuration is presented. To verify the preliminary design algorithm, a preliminary design for a two-stage radial outflow turbine for a CO₂ power cycle was carried out, and a computational fluid dynamic analysis was performed. Consequently, values close to the target performance were obtained, but blade optimization was performed to obtain more satisfactory results. The final geometry of the radial outflow turbine was obtained through optimization considering the blade exit angle related to the deviation angle, blade maximum thickness-true chord ratio, and incidence angle. In the final geometry, the error rates of power ($\dot{W}$), efficiency (${\eta }_{ts}$), and pressure ratio ($P{R}_{ts}$) between target performance and computational fluid dynamic results were improved to 5.0%, 4.8%, and 1.8%, respectively. The performance and flow characteristics of the initial and final geometries were analyzed. Full article

Wind lidars can be used on wind turbines to monitor the inflow for power curve verification and for control purposes. In these applications, the lidar is most often placed on the nacelle behind the rotating blades, which occasionally intercept the line-of-sight measurements, resulting in decreased data availability or biased wind measurements. Distinguishing the wind from the blade signals is challenging for continuous-wave Doppler lidar observations. Here, we present a method that provides a more effective filtering than a typical filter relying on the strength of the backscattered signal. The method proposed is based on modelling the radial speed contribution generated by the wind turbine blades, and we present the results of a case study using a scanning wind lidar installed on the nacelle of an 850 kW wind turbine. We show that using the methodology proposed, we can optimize the identification of wind measurements, and thus, the data reliability of wind-turbine-mounted continuous-wave Doppler lidars is enhanced. Furthermore, the method is useful also for assessing the location and the alignment of a nacelle wind lidar in relation to a wind turbine’s rotor, which improves the accuracy of the inflow data and allows for a more efficient monitoring of the performance of a wind turbine. Full article