ME - 460

Gas Turbines
Turbomachinery

Fall-2020

Asst. Prof. NAEEM (SMME)

 Introduction
• Word “turbo” or “turbinis” of Latin origin
refers to something that spins or whirls
around.
• Rotating machines are usually called
TURBOMACHINES.
• This group includes such devices as
pumps (Compressors), turbines and fans.

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 Turbomachine : Definition
• Devices in which energy is transferred either to, or
from, a continuously flowing fluid by the dynamic
action of one or more moving blade rows, the rotor.
Job of the Rotor:
• The rotor changes stagnation enthalpy of the fluid
moving through it by either doing positive or
negative work, depending upon the effect required
of the machine.
In other words
• The action of rotor changes the energy level of the
continuously flowing fluid through the turbomachine.
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 Working Principle
• Work addition or extraction.
• When fluid passes through rotating
machines, TWO things happen
– Energy Transfer
– Energy Transformation

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 Energy Interaction
• Energy Transfer:
– Transfer of available energy
from one part (rotor) to the
medium (fluid) or vice versa.
– Occurs only in moving or
rotating element.
• Energy Transformation:
– Change of one form of energy
into another form e.g. K.E. into
Pressure in a compressor.
– Can occur in both stationary
and rotating elements.

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 Types of Turbomachines
• Compressible Flow Machines
– The pressure, temperature and density changes occurring in
fluids passing through steam and gas turbines and
compressors are appreciable.
– This class of machines with predominately compressible
flows are referred to as compressible flow or thermal
turbomachines.
– Typical characteristic: finite change in temperature of the
working fluid.
– They are characterized by higher temperatures and
peripheral speeds of the rotor.
– Their design and operation are influenced by compressible
flows, high temperature and speed problems.

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 Types of Turbomachines
• Incompressible Flow Machines
– Hydraulic pumps and turbines are examples of
turbomachines working with a liquid.
– The fluid or water is incompressible that gives a constant
volume flow rate for a given mass flow rate in steady
operation.
– Water and air are considered as typical working fluids in
turbomachines handling liquids and gases.
– The force required to accelerate a given quantity of water
is much larger compared to that required for air.
– This factor largely accounts for much lower fluid speeds
and rotor velocities in hydro-turbomachines.
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 Types of Turbomachines
• Incompressible Flow Machines
– Turbomachines dealing with gases over a small pressure
difference also behave as incompressible flow machines.
– Typical characteristic: Negligible changes in temperature
and density of the fluid.
– Examples are:
• Fans, low pressure blowers, airscrews and windmills.
– These are low temperature and low speed machines and
work near ambient conditions.
– Easier operation and maintenance compared with thermal
turbomachines.

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 Types of Turbomachines
• Extended Turbomachines
– Turbomachines like aircraft propellers and windmills are not
enclosed in any casing and interact with an “infinite sea” of air.
– These are extended turbomachines.
– Propeller accelerates the air rearwards whereas windmill or wind
turbine transfers the wind energy to the aerogenerator.

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 Compressors and Turbines
• Both are main subjects of turbomachinery.
• Both are concerned with energy transfer.
• Compressors: Energy is transferred from
the rotor to the fluid
• Turbines: Direction of energy transfer is
from fluid to rotor.

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 Stage of a Turbomachine
• Stage: a ring of moving
blades alongwith a ring
of fixed blades.
• Turbine Stage
– A ring of fixed nozzle
blades (NGVs) followed
by the rotor blade ring.
– Stage with only rotor is
also possible and is
often employed in inward
flow radial turbine.
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 Stage of a Turbomachine
• Compressor Stage
– Rotor followed by
diffuser blade
(stator) ring
– First stage may
have Inlet Guide
Vanes (IGVs)
– Figure shown has no
IGVs

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 Stage of a Turbomachine
• Fan Stage
– Principle element in a turbomachine stage is
the rotor which performs the basic function of
energy transfer.
– Thus a single rotor on its own may also form a
stage in a turbine, compressor or fan.
– Example: unenclosed fans.

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 Multi-stage Machines
• In any turbomachine for a given rotor speed only a
limited change in the energy level of fluid can occur
across one stage.
• Therefore, in applications when large change in
energy level is required, more stages are employed.
• In certain compressor applications it is profitable to
use axial and radial stages in the same machine.
• Different stages may be mounted on one or more
shafts.

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 Multi-stage Machines
• For high pressure compressors and blowers the flow
is decelerating and demand a gentle compression
across one stage to ward-off boundary layer issues.
• Thus a high pressure producing turbomachine
(Compressor) has a much larger number of stages
compared to an equivalent power producing
machine (turbine).
• Gas turbine plants on account of comparatively
lower values of pressure ratio employed, have
smaller number of stages.
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 Classification of Turbomachines
Based upon Flow Direction
Axial Flow:
• No significant change of radius between flow entry and
exit
• Axial velocity is almost constant e.g. for the turbojet
shown: u2≈ u3.

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 Classification of Turbomachines
Based upon Flow Direction
Radial Flow:
• Substantial change of energy due to change of radius
between entry and exit of flow.
• Compressors often called as centrifugal machines.
• Turbines often called as centripetal machines

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 Classification of Turbomachines
Based upon Flow Direction
Mixed Flow:
• It is possible to have mixed-flow configuration where neither
of the two, axial or radial flow, clearly dominates.

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 Classification of Turbomachines
Based upon Degree of Reaction
Enthalpy change in rotor
Degree of Reaction ( R) 
Enthalpy change across stage
Impulse Machine
• No change of enthalpy in the rotor, all energy transfer
occurs in stator by change of static pressure.
• Degree of Reaction is zero.
– Reaction Machine
• All energy transfer occurs by change of static pressure
in the rotor.
• Degree of Reaction is one or 100%.

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 Axial Compressor

Flow Through Rotor

General Fluid Dynamics
Analysis
Reference:
Art. 7.2 Page 277 (text)

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 Fluid Flow Through Rotor
• Consider a rotor of an axial
compressor such that:
– A cylindrical co-ordinate
(z, r,) system is set up along
the axis.
– Control surface completely
encloses a single row of
rotating blades.
– Control surface includes inlet
and outlet flow areas.
– A cylindrical surface is located
at the tip diameter of the rotor
housing. Fig. 7.3, page 279 (text)

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 Fluid Flow Through Rotor
Entry (1) Schematic Diagram
Exit (2)
Control surface

Fig 7.3: Control volume for axisymmetric flow through rotor

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 Fluid Flow Through Rotor
• Fluid enters the rotor at (1)
with velocity c1 and leaves (1)
at (2) with velocity c2. (2)
• Radial distances of these
points from axis of rotation
are r1 and r2 respectively.
• Velocity c can be
represented by three
components:
– cz: axial velocity in z-direction.
– cr: radial velocity normal to z.
– cθ: tangential velocity in
direction normal to any radius.
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 Fluid Flow Through Rotor
The angular speed of the rotor is Ω (or ω) radians per second:

2N N is number of
 (or  )  revolutions per minute
60 (RPM)

The peripheral velocities of the blades (local blade

velocities) at entry and exit respectively corresponding to
the diameters d1 and d2 are:

d1 N 2r1 N
u1  
60 60
and
d 2 N
2r2 N
u2  
60 60
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 Flow Velocity Analysis
• Frames of Reference: In turbomachines
the flow can be considered from two frames
of reference:
– Absolute: observer outside the rotor, i.e. fixed
with ground, nacelle or test bed.
• Fluid velocity is called the absolute velocity and is
denoted by vector C.
– Relative: observer rotates with the rotor i.e.
rotor is stationary with respect to the observer.
• Fluid velocity is called the relative velocity and is
denoted by vector W.
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 Flow Velocity Analysis
• The peripheral blade velocity at a given
radius is denoted by vector U.
• Thus we have three types of velocities:
– Absolute flow velocity, C
Related to Flow
– Relative flow velocity, W
– Peripheral blade velocity, U Related to Rotor

• The three velocities at a sectionare  

related by the vector equation: C  U  W

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 Flow Velocity Analysis
Study of interaction of
fluid and rotor reveals
that:
•Axial and radial
velocity components (cz
and cr) do not contribute
to the rotation:
•cz produces thrust
•cr produces the radial
force.
•Only the tangential velocity (cθ) produces
rotational effects.
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 Torque and the Rotor
The torque exerted by the rotor or by the fluid
is obtained by employing Newton’s second
law of motion for the change of moment of
momentum, such that:

Torque = Rate of change of moment of

momentum
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 Euler’s Energy Equation
• Consider the unit mass of flow entering and
leaving in unit time through the turbomachine; we
can write:
– Angular moment of momentum at inlet = r1cθ1
– Angular moment of momentum at outlet = r2cθ2
• According to Newton’s Law:
(Rate of change of moment of momentum) = (Torque Produced)

Thus:
  r1c 1  r2c 2
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 Euler’s Energy Equation
Thus rate of energy transfer per unit mass flow per
unit time is:
E     r1c 1  r2c 2 
E    r1c 1  r2c 2 
But r1ω = u1 and r2ω = u2 , therefore:
E  u1c 1  u2c 2 
The equation above can be analyzed under TWO conditions:
(a) u1cθ1 > u2cθ2 → the energy transfer is Positive
(b) u1cθ1 < u2cθ2 → the energy transfer is Negative

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 Euler’s Energy Equation
The energy transfer is:

Positive if it is from fluid to rotor → Turbine

Negative if it is from rotor to fluid → Compressor

Thus Euler’s Energy Equation for the two
turbomachines can be written as:

E Turbine  u1c 1  u2 c 2 
E Com pressor  u 2 c 2  u1c 1 
…… (A)
and

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 Euler’s Energy Equation
E Turbine  u1c 1  u2 c 2 
…… (A)
E Com pressor  u 2 c 2  u1c 1 

• Equation (A) can be applied freely for any type of

turbine or compressor respectively if the following
conditions are satisfied:
– Flow is Steady:
• No change in angular velocity, mass flow, fluid properties
and heat transfer rate w.r.t. time.
– Relation applies to every infinitesimal Stream:
• It means if velocity is not uniform over inlet or exit areas then
integration over each area must be done.
– No Discontinuity of Pressure:
• i. e. no choking conditions at stator or rotor discharge.
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 Velocity Diagram (or Triangle)
• We had noticed the
vector equation:
  
 C  U W

 For an axial
compressor the
graphical solution to
this equation results
in a triangular figure,
called the velocity Fig 7.3 (text): Velocity vectors across axial
compressor stage
Triangle.
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 Velocity Triangle: Analysis
• Absolute velocity c1
enters the rotor with
angle α1 w.r.t. axial
direction.
• Local blade velocity is
u1 at some given
radius.
• Relative velocity w1 is
obtained by vector
subtraction c1 - U1
such that it makes
angle β1 with axial Fig 7.3 (text): Velocity vectors across axial
compressor stage
direction.
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 Velocity Triangle: Analysis
• In the blade
passage the flow is
turned to a new
velocity vector w2
which is now at
angle β2 with axial
direction.
• Absolute velocity c2
at rotor exit is
obtained by vector
operation: Fig 7.3 (text): Velocity vectors across axial
   compressor stage
C2  W2  U 2
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 Axial Compressor Stage
• From the velocity
triangles note that:
– The relative air
velocity w is reduced
in magnitude.
– The absolute air
velocity c is increased
in magnitude.
– Also the absolute and
relative velocity angles Fig 7.3 (text): Velocity vectors across axial
compressor stage
have changed.
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 Axial Compressor Stage
• Analysis of the
velocity triangles:
– The fact that c2 > c1
indicates that rotor
imparts angular
momentum to the air and
tangential component of
c2 is increased; cθ2 > cθ1.
– In axial machine radial
displacement is
negligible across the
blade width, hence Fig 7.3 (text): Velocity vectors across axial
compressor stage
u1 = u2.
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 Composite Velocity Triangles
Common Blade Velocity Configuration

At Rotor Entry At Rotor Exit Composite Construction

+ =

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 Composite Velocity Triangles
Common Blade Velocity Configuration

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 Axial Compressor: Blade Mean Radius

Fig. 7.4 (text): Schematic of a section of an axial compressor

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 Axial Compressor: Blade Mean Radius

Fig. 7.4 (text): Schematic of a section of an axial compressor

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 End of Part-I

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