PROJECT TITLE: Active Flow Control on Rotor Blades to Improve Compressor Stability
TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
Technology in Blacksburg, Inc. proposes to improve gas turbine compressor stability and reduce losses by employing flow control on the rotor blades. The suction-side boundary layer on the rotor blade will be bled off, the air will be re-energized using a MEMS-based micropump embedded within the blade. The air will then be used for trailing edge blowing from the rotor. Boundary layer separation, which occurs on the suction surface at off-design conditions, produces a larger blade wake and can contribute to aerodynamic losses. For a highly-loaded stage, this flow separation can also influence stall margin and aeromechanical interactions between stages. The team at Techsburg has a great deal of experience with flow control in gas turbine engines. Techsburg is currently carrying out a Phase I SBIR (from Wright Lab) where boundary layer suction and trailing edge blowing are being used to prevent flow separation and reduce losses for high-turning stators. This proposal extends the concept to the rotor. In Phase I, aerodynamic measurements will be taken in a low-speed axial compressor. Work in Phase II and Phase III will involve testing in a high-speed fan rig, possibly at NASA Lewis or Allied Signal. This technology could result in increased efficiency and stability, along with reduced noise and aeromechanical interactions.
POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS
Following Phase II, Techsburg will license the technology to an engine manufacturer. We will then work closely with the engine maker to field test and commercialize an integrated boundary layer suction/wake-filling system. The commercial product of this program will be an integrated package (wireless control system and MEMS devices) to improve the efficiency, stall margin, aeroacoustics, and high-cycle fatigue of gas turbine engines. The primary customer will be an engine manufacturer. Engine manufacturers will, in turn, market their engines (with this technology) to airplane manufacturers and the military. Cost of ownership and durability are major goals in the Integrated High Performance Turbine Engine Technology (IHPTET) initiative, and this technology addresses both areas. This technology has applications for land-based and marine gas turbines as well as aircraft engines. Flow control could also be adapted and used to reduce the noise of many types of rotating machinery, such as air blowers in HVAC systems. Flow control could also be used to build quieter submarines. Stabilizers immediately upstream of the propeller create flow distortion that generates noise due to interactions with the propeller. With this program, NASA has the opportunity to develop technology that has applications in a wide range of fields.
NAME AND ADDRESS OF PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
Thomas Leitch
Technology in Blacksburg, Inc.
1004 Doe Run Drive
Blacksburg , VA 24060
NAME AND ADDRESS OF OFFEROR
Technology in Blacksburg, Inc.
1004 Doe Run Drive
Blacksburg , VA 24060