Advanced Radial Turbine Design Using AxSTREAM and STAR-CCM+

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When compared to an axial turbine, radial turbines can employ a relatively high pressure ratio per stage with lower flow rates, which means a radial turbine can be more straightforward and more robust. The basic configuration of a radial inflow turbine consists of an inlet volute, a vaneless passage, a nozzle row (sometimes omitted), and a rotor. The primary function of a volute in a radial inflow turbine is to feed the rotor with a uniform flow at the desired angle in order to optimize the performance. This makes a steady-flow-design volute a popular topic of interest for performance enhancement. To study the best volute design, common practice is to do preliminary design of the radial turbine, modify the geometry of the volute, and evaluate different configurations for the whole radial inflow turbine at a 1D/2D level. However, the entire design process needs to be completed manually with iterations back and forth which are extremely time-consuming. Additionally, the volute 1D/2D calculation for performance are not very accurate nor reliable in many cases due to human error. Therefore, a platform which can automatically handle the whole process from preliminary design to 3D CFD calculation of the machine is especially important.

The AxSTREAM software platform for multidisciplinary design, analysis, and optimization provides an integrated and streamlined approach to turbomachinery design. Through a new partnership between SoftInWay and Siemens, engineers can now utilize the 3D CFD software, Simcenter Star-CCM+, to predict real-world performance of machines designed by AxSTREAM. Taking this a step further, AxSTREAM ION can combine these tools together. This allows for seamless integration of radial inflow turbine preliminary design, volute geometry variation, and advanced 3D CFD performance calculation. With this seamless integration, the whole process can be automated and lengthy settings for these different tools can be removed.

In this webinar we will discuss the typical steps involved in a radial inflow turbine design with volute and review how a modernized approach can drastically reduce development time, cost, and likelihood of human error.

The webinar session will include:

• An introduction to radial inflow turbines and their application
• The influence of volute shape on turbine performance
• Introduction to AxSTREAM, STAR-CCM+ and AxSTREAM ION
• Software demonstration of the modernized design approach

Who should attend:

• Mechanical engineers focusing on design and analysis of radial inflow turbines.
• Experienced STAR-CCM+ users looking for better tools for design of turbomachines.
• Managers wanting to expand their knowledge about the capabilities of modern design tools and 3D CFD tools for radial inflow turbines.
• Faculty members from mechanical and aerospace engineering universities who have courses in turbomachinery design.
• Students who are thinking of careers in mechanical engineering and would like to learn the fundamentals of radial inflow turbines and how they can be designed and analyzed with modern tools.

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