Investigation of Ice Accretion Characteristics on Marine Gas Turbine Inlet Components

ABSTRACT

In polar regions characterized by extreme cold and high humidity, ice accretion frequently occurs in the air intake systems of marine gas turbines. Currently, international research on ice accretion in gas turbine air intakes is still in its early stages. To investigate the ice accretion characteristics of marine gas turbine inlet components, this study first constructed a circulating ice wind tunnel capable of simulating a low-temperature marine environment and performed a comprehensive calibration of the flow field and droplet field within the tunnel. Typical structures of the air intake components, such as the airfoil and the fairing, were then selected for an experimental study on the ice accretion of brine droplets. Finally, a numerical simulation study of ice accretion was conducted on complex and complete inlet components, using experimental results to verify the numerical algorithm for ice accretion. The study successfully identified the ice accretion characteristics of the inlet components. The findings provide valuable insights for designing effective anti-icing systems.

Liu Xiaogang is an associate professor at Harbin University of Science and Technology. Born in 1990, he received his Ph.D. in Marine Engineering from Harbin Engineering University. His main research interests include gas-liquid two-phase flow, droplet kinematics, droplet heat and mass transfer, and macroscopic anti-icing/icing issues.

Detonation Spectroscopy: Building a Technique to Characterize the Cellular Cycle

ABSTRACT

Detonation waves in gases are characterized by a leading shock sustained by an exothermic reaction zone. The leading shock is coupled with a set of transversal waves resulting in a spatially nonuniform and unsteady reaction zone. A better understanding of this three-dimensional (3D) structure is essential to consider detonation for industrial applications and advanced propulsion systems, such as pulsed- (PDE) and rotating detonation engine (RDE). The detonation front's unstable structure leads to an unsteady and three-dimensional (3D) phenomenon that renders the study of the cell cycle challenging. Traditionally, fundamental studies are carried out in narrow channels where the detonation behavior is very peculiar (quasi two-dimensional with velocity deficit). We propose a fully experimental approach to study the cell cycle in the case of multicellular detonations. The cell cycle is characterized through advanced techniques including systematic and statistical analysis of soot foil, planar laser induced fluorescence on nitric oxide and hydroxyl radical, and Rayleigh scattering. These techniques provide measurements for cell size, local induction length, and local shock speed, respectively. The work is carried out in mixtures ranging between regular and weakly irregular, thus, a shot-to-shot reconstruction of the cell cycle is possible. The cell widths follow a normal distribution, from which a quantitative parameter 2σ/λ is proposed to assess the cell regularity, experimentally. The evolution of the speed and of the local induction length are reconstructed along the cell cycle. The results agree with the available data for narrow channels and constitute the first of their kind for 3D detonation (i.e., multicellular in the transverse dimension).

Mhedine Alicherif is currently a Postdoctoral fellow at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology in the group of Prof. Deanna Lacoste. His main research interests include the fundamental study of detonations, plasma physics and plasma assisted combustion. Before that he graduated (PhD.) in 2021 from Laboratory of plasma Physics (Ecole Polytechnique) and Pprime institute from France.

Experimental Study on X-Winged Thruster: From Clap and Fling to Camber Formation

ABSTRACT

We developed X-wing flapping drone from a prototype to a powerful new design. The earlier design clap and fling. Now, the forceful clap dun hit but ends with high-pressure spacing and high camber for high thrust generation. While it still maintains low power consumption. Due to the increase in size, the X-wing flapping drone now offers more application scenarios, one of which is soaring. This topic will explore the mechanisms behind the significant increase in thrust and the high efficiency of X-wing. We conducted wind tunnel tests to observe the performance of the flapping drone’s flexible wings at different angles of attack and wind speeds.

Lin Shih-Chun, a master's student from the Department of Mechanical Engineering at National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, Taiwan. Now he is conducting a 2.5-month internship at ME Department. Lin’s research primarily focuses on the development and application of flapping-wing drone.

Electro-Adhesion for Drone Perching: Electrode Optimization

ABSTRACT

Drone perching is beneficial for power saving, especially for lightweight flapping drones that cannot carry large batteries. Electro-adhesion technology has been successfully applied to small drones, but due to insufficient adhesion force, a large adhesive film area is often required to achieve the desired effect. To increase the electro-adhesion force, the electrode spacing typically needs to be reduced. However, achieving such precision with traditional methods, like manual electrode brushing, is challenging. High-precision laser-induced graphene technology can significantly reduce electrode spacing and shorten production time, allowing drones to achieve strong adhesion with low voltage and small-area electro-adhesive films, enabling stable perching on various surfaces.

I am from National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University in Taiwan, currently pursuing a master's degree in Mechanical Engineering. My research focuses on flapping drones and their applications, including perching surveillance, flight control, and design improvements.