Effects of Inlet Temperature Gradients on Turbomachinery Performance

Abstract

An analysis is carried out to predict the nature and magnitude of secondary flows induced by temperature gradients in turbomachinery stator and rotor. The effect of this thermal driven secondary flow is severe in gas turbines, due to large temperature gradients that exist at the outlet of the combustion chamber. Secondary flows change the temperature profiles at the exit of the blade row and generate thermal wakes. A method of incorporating these effects into the calculation of gas, blade and casing temperatures in a turbine is demonstrated through an example.