CFD and experimental investigation into a non-intrusive method for measuring cooling air mass flow rate through a synchronous generator

• Main Authors: Kevin Bersch, Peter H. Connor, Carol N. Eastwick, Michael Galea
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Wiley 2019-05-01
• Series: The Journal of Engineering
• Subjects: flow measurement; cooling; synchronous generators; measurement uncertainty; computational fluid dynamics; shafts; experimental investigation; nonintrusive method; cooling air mass flow rate; nonintrusive measurement; simultaneous measurement; air flow; measurement system; detailed 180° CFD model; experimentally measured data
• Online Access: https://digital-library.theiet.org/content/journals/10.1049/joe.2018.8236

This study presents a detailed methodology for non-intrusive measurement of cooling air mass flow rate that enables an overall machine evaluation. This approach enables the simultaneous measurement of air mass flow with shaft torque at differing operating points while minimising the change in air flow introduced by the measurement system. The impact of geometric parameters in the designed system is investigated using a detailed 180° computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model. Special attention was paid to minimising their influence on pressure drop, the mass flow rate through the machine, and measurement uncertainty. Based on the results of this investigation, the system was designed and manufactured, and the experimentally measured data was used to validate the CFD predictions. For the as optimal identified configuration, the flow rate is predicted to decrease by 2.2% relative to unrestricted operation. The achieved measurement uncertainty is ± 2.6% at synchronous speed.