Gas Turbine Hot Section Optimization:
Overview
Gas Turbines provide a fuel diverse option for energy conversion.
•
Drew Curriston (graduated Spring 14) developed a 2D turbine blade
optimization code ESTurb
• ESTurb combines the use of an Evolution Strategy algorithm with the
use of Bezier curves to optimize a 2D turbine blade shape
• Must faster than conventional optimizers, but currently only
provides optimization for 2D blade shapes
Caitlin Thorn (current PhD Student) is continuing work involves modifying
ESTurb to be a 3D turbine blade optimizer with 3D turbomachinery CFD
codes TCGrid and SWIFT for higher fidelity solutions and Multiblock
capability provides
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Hot Section Optimization: Background
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Aerothermal Results
• Three separate runs were completed using
the updated objective function
3
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• Run 1 grid
• Run 1 stage
pressure contours
4
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Hot Section Optimization: Future Work
Bezier and NURBS curves to
form 3D turbine blade geometry
ESTurb
3D and Multirow Optimization
Control Points
+
+
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Define parent turbine blade control points
Use ES move operator to mutate control points for offspring
Define turbine geometry using Bezier/NURBS curves
Calculate solution from TCGrid and SWIFT CFD code
Calculate objective functions from solution
Redefine parent turbine blade control points as best obj functions
airfoil
Establish new control points
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Calculate objective
functions