Fluid Dynamic Characterization of Turbo-machinery

P M V Subbarao
Professor
Mechanical Engineering Department

Understanding the Role of Vectorial

analysis !!!

The thermodynamic Variations

Two main categories of turbo-machine are identified:
Firstly, those which absorb power to increase the fluid
pressure or head (fans, compressors and pumps);
Secondly, those that produce power by expanding fluid to
a lower pressure or head (hydraulic, steam and gas
turbines).
Incompressible
Fluid

Compressible
Fluid

Power Generating
Machines

Hydraulic Turbines

Steam/Gas/wind
Turbines

Power Consuming
Machines

Pumps

Fan/blowers/
Compressors

Fluid Dynamics of A Turbo-machine

A Turbo-machine

Flu
id

in

t
u
o
d
i
Flu

The Ancient Design : Undershot Water Wheel : 4000BC

SOME TYPES OF WIND TURBINES: VAWT

SOME TYPES OF WIND TURBINES: HAWT

Various Types of Modern Turbomachine

Why So Many?

Why so many different types of either pumps

(compressors) or turbines are in use ?
Is it due to (almost) infinite range of service requirements?
As a fact, for a given set of operating/resource
requirements ,
there should be only one type of pump or turbine which is
best suited to provide best/optimum performance.

Classification of Turbo-machines

Two main categories of turbo-machine are identified:

Firstly, those which absorb power to increase the fluid
pressure or head (fans, compressors and pumps);
Secondly, those that produce power by expanding fluid to
a lower pressure or head (hydraulic, steam and gas
turbines).

Classification : Flow Path

Classification : Flow Path

Turbo-machines are further categorised according to the
nature of the flow path through the passages of the rotor.
When the path of the through-flow is wholly or mainly
parallel to the axis of rotation, the device is termed an
axial flow turbo-machine.
When the path of the through-flow is wholly or mainly in a
plane perpendicular to the rotation axis, the device is
termed a radial flow turbo-machine.
Mixed flow turbo-machines are widely used.
The term mixed flow refers to the direction of the throughflow at rotor outlet when both radial and axial velocity
components are present in significant amounts.

Solid Fluid Interaction Level

Open flow
No casing or enclosure for the rotating device

Propeller is an open flow power consuming

device.
Windmill is an open flow power generating
device.

Enclosed or encased flow devices

Any Unified Theory?

Developed by the Father of Turbo-machines

The Mathematics of Turbo-machinery

Leonhard Euler
Leonhard Euler (1707-1783) was
arguably the greatest mathematician
of the eighteenth century.
One of the most prolific writer of all
time; his publication list of 886 papers
and books fill about 90 volumes.
Remarkably, much of this output dates
from the last two decades of his life,
when he was totally blind.
Euler's prolific output caused a
tremendous problem of backlog: the
St. Petersburg Academy continued
publishing his work posthumously for
more than 30 years.

Theoretical and Rigorous Work of French

Bernoulli and Leonhard Euler.
1750:Euler offered a memoir containing analysis and
equations for hydraulic turbines.
1754: An idealized theoretical application of Newtons
Law to centrifugal impellers.
Known as Euler Equation.
Did much to help the development of hydraulic machinery.
1767: Relation between Torque and Change in moment of
momentum of the fluid as it passed through the machine.

Applications of Eulers Equation

Euler equation applies to all kinds of turbomachines.

Wind turbines ---- Pumps --- Gas turbines.
Axial flow machines to Radial flow to Mixed flow.
Energy extraction machines Energy consuming
machines.
For a turbine the value of Equation is negative.
For pumps, fans, blowers and compressors it is positive.

The Superiority of Vector Parameters

V Vr i V j Vz k

Eulers Work Equation

V Vr i V j Vz k
Euler Theory:
Torque exerted by flow on blade row = shaft output torque
= Rate of change of Angular momentum of fluid =