Session: 13-03 Heat Transfer Modeling Methods and Analysis

Submission Number: 178452

A Comparative Study of Conjugate Heat Transfer Methods in Turbomachinery Applications 

This paper presents a comparative study of Conjugate Heat Transfer (CHT) problems, using a partitioned approach with separate solvers. The two solvers, one for the  Reynolds Averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) equations and the other for the heat conduction equation,  are integrated into a coupling framework, allowing multiple solid-fluid models to run concurrently and perform several internal iterations before exchanging data. The aim of the work is to examine how the choice of the solid solver affects the stability and convergence of the coupled problem. Two solvers are considered: an explicit Finite Volume (FV) solver equipped with multigrid acceleration, and a standard Finite Element (FE) solver. The FE solver is shown to perform significantly better in stand-alone thermal computations. However, it tends to be less stable when used in coupled analysis. As a result, whilst the FV solver can be used with Neumann interface conditions, eventually applying a relaxation parameter to the heat flux, the FE solver requires Robin-type interface conditions to stabilise the computation. This ultimately complicates the comparison of computational efficiency between the two solvers, since each can perform better depending on the specific conditions of the coupled problem. We discuss these mechanisms for various test-cases, including a High Pressure Turbine blade with film cooling and a Low Pressure Turbine stage with annexed stator well.

Presenting Author: Dario Amirante University of Surrey

Presenting Author Biography: Senior Researcher in the Thermo-Fluids System UTC at the University of Surrey, where he has been working since 2007. Past research activity includes Numerical Methods, Large Eddy Simulations, Code Coupling and Machine Learning.

Authors:

Dario Amirante University of Surrey
Ilias Vasilopoulos Rolls-Royce Deutschland
Marcus Meyer Rolls-Royce Deutschland
Nick Hills University of Surrey