Manufacturing Considerations in the Aerodynamic Design Process of Turbomachinery Components

Processes, vol. 13, pp. 2363

Abstract

This paper presents a CFD-based method for the aerodynamic design of a high-pressure compressor rotor blisk, taking into account manufacturing constraints. Focus is placed on the influence of geometric deviations caused by the dynamic constraints of the milling machine. Special attention is given to the leading edge region of the blade, where high curvature results in increased sensitivity in both aerodynamic behavior and manufacturability. The generic blisk geometry on which this study is based is characterized by an elliptical leading edge. For the optimization, the leading edge is described by Bézier curves that transition smoothly to the suction and pressure sides with continuous curvature and a non-dimensional length ratio. In steady-state RANS parameter studies, the length ratio is systematically varied while the chord length is kept constant. For the aerodynamic evaluation of the design’s key performance parameters such as blade pressure distribution, total pressure loss and compressor efficiency are considered. To evaluate the machine dynamics for a given design, compliance with the nominal feed rate and the deviation between the planned and actual tool tip positions were used as evaluation parameters. Compared to the reference geometry with an elliptical leading edge, the purely aerodynamic optimization achieved an isentropic efficiency improvement of +0.24 percentage points in the aerodynamic design point and a profile deviation improvement of −3 µm in the 99th quantile. The interdisciplinary optimization achieved an improvement of +0.20 percentage points and −30 µm, respectively. This comparative study illustrates the potential of multidisciplinary design approaches that balance aerodynamic performance goals with manufacturability via a novel approach for Design-to-Manufacture-to-Design.

Authors 7

1. Christian Effen corresponding Aachen Institute of Jet Propulsion and Turbomachinery

   RWTH Aachen University

   Affiliation as printed

   Institute of Jet Propulsion and Turbomachinery (IST), RWTH Aachen University, Templergraben 55, 52062 Aachen, Germany

2. Benedikt Riegel Aachen Fraunhofer Institute for Production Technology IPT

   Fraunhofer Institute for Production Technology IPT

   Affiliation as printed

   Fraunhofer-Institute for Production Technology IPT, Steinbachstraße 17, 52074 Aachen, Germany

3. Nicklas Gerhard Aachen Manufacturing Technology Institute (MTI)

   RWTH Aachen University

   Affiliation as printed

   Manufacturing Technology Institute (MTI), RWTH Aachen University, Campus Boulevard 30, 52074 Aachen, Germany

4. Pascal Behrens genannt Wäcken Aachen Manufacturing Technology Institute (MTI)

   RWTH Aachen University

   Affiliation as printed

   Manufacturing Technology Institute (MTI), RWTH Aachen University, Campus Boulevard 30, 52074 Aachen, Germany

5. Peter Jeschke Aachen Institute of Jet Propulsion and Turbomachinery

   RWTH Aachen University

   Affiliation as printed

   Institute of Jet Propulsion and Turbomachinery (IST), RWTH Aachen University, Templergraben 55, 52062 Aachen, Germany

6. Viktor Rudel Aachen Fraunhofer Institute for Production Technology IPT

   Fraunhofer Institute for Production Technology IPT

   Affiliation as printed

   Fraunhofer-Institute for Production Technology IPT, Steinbachstraße 17, 52074 Aachen, Germany

7. Thomas Bergs Aachen Manufacturing Technology Institute (MTI)

   RWTH Aachen University

   Affiliation as printed

   Manufacturing Technology Institute (MTI), RWTH Aachen University, Campus Boulevard 30, 52074 Aachen, Germany