Numerical study and control method of interaction of nucleation and boundary layer separation in condensing flow

Abstract

The spontaneous nucleation flow in turbine cascade was numerically studied. The model was implemented within a full Navier–Stokes viscous flow solution procedure and the process of condensation was calculated by the quadrature method of moments that shows good accuracy with very broad size distributions. Results were presented for viscous and inviscous flow, showing the influence of boundary layer separation and wake vortices on spontaneous nucleation. The results show that the degree of flow separation in wet steam flow is greater than that in superheated steam flow due to condensation shock and that the loss cannot be neglected. Furthermore, the impact of boundary layer separation and wake vortices on velocity profiles and its implications for profile loss were considered. The calculations showed that layer separation and wake vortices influence nucleation rate, leading to different droplet distributions. A method for controlling homogeneous nucleation and for reducing degree of flow separation in high-speed transonic wet steam flow was presented. The liquid phase parameter distribution is sensitive to the suction side profile of turbine cascade, which impacts the nucleation rate distribution leading to different droplet distributions and affects the degree of flow separation. The numerical study provides a practical design method for turbine blade to reduce wetness losses.

Keywords

wet steam / two-phase flow / spontaneous condensation / numerical simulation / flow separation / profile loss