Turbomachinery Flow

AERE-448

Previous offerings

Spring 2023, Sp'22, '18, '14, '13, '12

Course Objectives

Turbomachines are commonly used for most engineering purposes - aircraft engines, gas turbines, pumps, fans, etc. This course builds upon basics of Thermodynamics, Propulsion and Gas Dynamics that students have learned in previous pre-requisite courses and aims to give the students a fundamental understanding of how turbomachines work and how they are designed. Only fluid flow aspects of turbomachinery are covered and only an introduction to the subject is targeted. Knowledge of fluid flows in a turbomachine would make the future graduates more employable at companies such as GE, P&W, R&R, Siemens, MHI all of which produce turbomachines of various kinds and are in need of graduates trained in the subject.

Outcomes

On completion of the course the attentive student will understand:

  • Gas turbine cycle - T-S diagrams, efficiency/loss definitions, etc.
  • How work-transfer occurs in a turbomachine
  • Non-dimensional parameters used to evaluate the performance of a turbomachine
  • Basics of design and analyses of a turbomachine - compressors & turbines
  • Basics of axial/radial compressor and turbine fluid dynamics
  • Understanding of design operation as well as off-design considerations

Guest lecture series

This course has an exciting guest seminar/webinar series, where gas turbine designers from major OEMs (GE, P&W, RR, etc.) speak to the class about the practical application of the course material; this is prized by the students

Syllabus

  • Introduction to turbomachines with examples
  • Wind turbine aerodynamics - 1-D momentum theory, swirl effects, BEM theory
  • History of aircraft engines - from Whittle to the current high-bypass engines
  • Revision of Thermodynamics - TD laws, enthalpy, entropy, gas turbine cycles, etc.
  • Dimensional analysis (Similitude)
    • Basics of axial and radial compressor aerodynamics
    • Euler turbomachine equation, rhothalpy, etc.
    • Meanline design - Vector diagrams / velocity triangles
    • 3-D flows, Radial equilibrium equation, etc.
    • Compressor characteristics, stall/surge, aerodynamic losses, etc.
  • Axial and radial flow turbines (similar concepts as for compressors)
  • Turbomachinery design cycle with an example (axial compressor and turbine)
  • Off design performance
  • Special topics: Aeromechanics & Aerodynamic Noise
  • Project: Preliminary design and analysis of a 1.5 stage compressor

Textbook and reading mtl.

The suggested reading materials include the following.

  • Cohen, H., Rogers, G. F. C., & Saravanamuttoo, H. I. H. (2008). Gas turbine theory. (textbook)
  • Cumpsty, N. A. (2003). Jet Propulsion: A simple guide to the aerodynamic and thermodynamic design and performance of jet engines (Second). Cambridge University Press.
  • Cumpsty, N. A. (2004). Compressor aerodynamics (Reprint edition 2004). Krieger Publishing Company.
  • Mattingly, J. D., & von Ohain, H. (1996). Elements of gas turbine propulsion. McGraw-Hill New York.
  • Wilson, D. G., & Korakianitis, T. (2014). The design of high-efficiency turbomachinery and gas turbines. MIT press.
  • Dixon, S. L., & Hall, C. (2013). Fluid mechanics and thermodynamics of turbomachinery. Butterworth-Heinemann.
  • Farokhi, S. (2021). Aircraft Propulsion: Cleaner, Leaner, and Greener. John Wiley & Sons.

Lecture videos