Gas Turbine Hot Section Optimization Overview Gas Turbines

Gas Turbine Hot Section Optimization: Overview Gas Turbines provide a fuel diverse option for energy conversion. • Drew Curriston (graduated Spring 14) developed a 2 D turbine blade optimization code ESTurb • ESTurb combines the use of an Evolution Strategy algorithm with the use of Bezier curves to optimize a 2 D turbine blade shape • Must faster than conventional optimizers, but currently only provides optimization for 2 D blade shapes Caitlin Thorn (current Ph. D Student) is continuing work involves modifying ESTurb to be a 3 D turbine blade optimizer with 3 D turbomachinery CFD codes TCGrid and SWIFT for higher fidelity solutions and Multiblock capability provides Auburn University

Hot Section Optimization: Background Auburn University

Aerothermal Results • Three separate runs were completed using the updated objective function 3 Auburn University

• Run 1 grid • Run 1 stage pressure contours 4 Auburn University

Hot Section Optimization: Future Work Bezier and NURBS curves to form 3 D turbine blade geometry ESTurb 3 D 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 Auburn University Calculate objective functions