Design Challenges & Solutions for Supersonic Turbines

View Recording

Supersonic turbines have found application in many industries. From turbo drives for liquid-propellant rocket engine pumps, to engines for power plants in marine transport vehicles, to microturbines, and large steam turbine units, supersonic turbines continue to gain momentum and popularity.

Design Challenges & Solutions for Supersonic Turbines

Supersonic turbines can either have a single-stage single rotor row impulse or a single-stage velocity compound with two or more rows of rotor blades. In these turbines, working fluid in the gaseous thermodynamic state is fed to the rotating blades through stationary nozzles. In the nozzles, the potential energy of the gas is converted into kinetic energy. Depending on the cycle parameters of the turbine, different nozzles can be used. Supersonic turbines typically use either regular nozzle cascades, milled (flat) nozzles or drilled (axisymmetric) nozzles. But choosing an optimal design option considering the aerodynamic, strength, and economic feasibility to produce a supersonic turbine is a complex issue that will be discussed in this webinar.

In this webinar, we will present common challenges, considerations, and strategies in supersonic turbine design. We will discuss design features of supersonic nozzles and their corresponding cascades as well as advantages and disadvantages of different nozzle types. Attention will be drawn to energy losses and the components which depend on the geometry of supersonic nozzles. Features related to the design of rotor cascades for supersonic turbines will be shown. Aerodynamic losses, which depend on the geometry of the rotor cascade, are considered. The webinar will conclude with an example of a supersonic turbine design using the AxSTREAM platform (starting from preliminary design and ending with off-design mode calculations). By the end of this webinar, participants will understand what structural features must be considered when designing supersonic turbines in order to achieve a design that has a high aerodynamic quality while meeting strength criteria.

This webinar session will include:

  • Information about the design features of supersonic turbines and their areas of application.
  • Design examples and design features of nozzle and rotor cascades for supersonic flows.
  • Capabilities of AxSTREAM for designing supersonic turbines will be demonstrated.
  • An example of a supersonic turbine design project will be shown, including preliminary design and calculations for different operating modes.

Who should attend:

  • Aerospace and mechanical engineers.
  • Managers who would like to expand their knowledge about the capabilities of modern design tools for axial supersonic turbines.
  • Faculty members from mechanical and aerospace engineering universities.
  • Students who are thinking of careers in mechanical engineering, aerospace, or turbomachinery, and would like to learn the fundamentals of axial supersonic turbine design.

View Recording

Other Webinars

Solving Simulation Challenges in Advanced Propulsion Systems

View Details

Overcoming Rotor Dynamics Challenges in High-speed Rotating Machines

View Details

Coupled Aero, Thermal, & Structural Simulation of Cooled Turbine Blades

View Details