Experimental Investigation of the Unsteady Flow Field Downstream of a Counter-Rotating Two-Spool Turbine Rig

The paper presents an experimental investigation of the unsteady flow field in the two-spool counter-rotating transonic turbine at Graz University of Technology. The test setup consists of a high pressure (HP) stage, a diffusing mid turbine frame with turning struts (TMTF) and a shrouded low pressure (LP) rotor. The two rotors are mounted on mechanically independent shafts in order to provide engine-representative operating conditions. The rig was designed in cooperation with MTU Aero Engines and Volvo Aero within the EU project DREAM (ValiDation of Radical Engine Architecture SysteMs).A two-sensor fast response aerodynamic pressure probe (2S-FRAP) has been employed to provide time-resolved aerodynamic area traverses downstream of the LP turbine. Such measurement allows estimating the total deterministic unsteadiness transported through the duct. In particular, it has been possible to isolate the structures induced by each rotor by means of the encoders mounted on the two shafts. A global ensemble averaged field, which takes into account the rotor-rotor interactions, is also provided. The time resolved distributions of the flow quantities are then discussed in details. The perturbations due to the HP rotor in terms of velocity and flow angle are negligible in this downstream plane. Indeed, the largest fluctuations of velocity are due to the TMTF-LP rotor interaction, they occur in the wake and secondary flows of the TMTF. Large fluctuations of static and total pressure are instead due to both rotors to the same extent.Copyright © 2012 by ASME