SpinOffs

A blog on what's new, notable, and next in turbomachinery

Posts about Turbines

Which Type of Turbomachinery is Aerodynamically Easier to Design, a Compressor or Turbine?

Which Type of Turbomachinery is Aerodynamically Easier to Design, a Compressor or Turbine?

By Daniel V. Hinch, Corporate VP Sales and Marketing, Concepts NREC
Oct 29, 2021

In the world of aerodynamics, there are several branches and sub-branches of different types of aerodynamics. In the big picture the field of aerodynamics can be broken down into external and...

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Preliminary Design Considerations of Zero Reaction Stages in Turbines

Preliminary Design Considerations of Zero Reaction Stages in Turbines

By Oleg Dubitsky, Distinguished Corporate Fellow, Director of Corporate Technology
Aug 27, 2021

Low reaction stages are often used as control stages of steam turbines, ORC turbines, drive and rocket turbopump turbines. Some of the benefits of low reaction stages vs higher reaction stages are:

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How Many Pieces of Turbomachinery (Fans, Blowers, Compressors, Turbines, Pumps) Do You Have in Your House? Part 2

How Many Pieces of Turbomachinery (Fans, Blowers, Compressors, Turbines, Pumps) Do You Have in Your House? Part 2

By Daniel V. Hinch, Corporate VP Sales and Marketing, Concepts NREC
May 14, 2021

In my last blog I wrote about visiting a local middle school to give a talk on ‘What is Turbomachinery, and How Does It Work?’ The quiz at the end of the talk was for the students to list all the...

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How Many Pieces of Turbomachinery do You Have in Your House?  (and a Pop Quiz)

How Many Pieces of Turbomachinery do You Have in Your House?  (and a Pop Quiz)

By Daniel V. Hinch, Corporate VP Sales and Marketing, Concepts NREC
Apr 16, 2021

On occasion I’m invited to a local middle school to give a talk to one of the science classes about ‘What Is Turbomachinery, and How Does It Work?’. I teach in several of the turbomachinery design...

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Design Considerations for Turbo Expander Supersonic Turbines with Liquid to Gas-Liquid Flow Transition

Design Considerations for Turbo Expander Supersonic Turbines with Liquid to Gas-Liquid Flow Transition

By Oleg Dubitsky, Corporate Fellow, Director of Corporate Technology
Sep 28, 2020

A small turbine (for ORC, air liquification processes) , operating with low volumetric flows at inlet and significant pressure ratio in a single stage configuration (to reduce costs) is often...

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Coupled Optimization of Preliminary Geometry of Two-Stage Low Flow Turbine and Regenerative Rankine Cycle Parameters (Part 2)

Coupled Optimization of Preliminary Geometry of Two-Stage Low Flow Turbine and Regenerative Rankine Cycle Parameters (Part 2)

By Oleg Dubitsky
Dec 20, 2019

This blog article is a follow up for the earlier blog “Coupled Optimization of Preliminary Design Geometry of Low Flow Steam Turbine with Curtis Stage Layout and Rankine Cycle Parameters”, which...

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Top Summer Vacations for Turbomachinery Engineers

Top Summer Vacations for Turbomachinery Engineers

By Barbara Shea
Jun 14, 2019

Summer is almost here, at least in my hemisphere, so here are some of the best places around the world people in the turbomachinery industry might find interesting! Know of another? Share your...

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Specific Speed Performance Effects

Specific Speed Performance Effects

By Mark R. Anderson
Jan 18, 2019

In my last blog, Specific Speed Demystified, I covered the mathematical definition of specific speed and how it relates to flow and work coefficient. The concept of specific speed has been a guiding...

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Site Selection for Low- and No-Head Hydroelectric Pilot Plants

Site Selection for Low- and No-Head Hydroelectric Pilot Plants

By Andrew Provo
Nov 15, 2018

According to the 2014 Oak Ridge National Laboratory study on untapped hydro-power potential, there is nearly 65 GW of untapped power in America’s waterways. The vast majority of this power remains...

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Why are Turbine Blades Twisted?

Why are Turbine Blades Twisted?

By Dan Hinch
Oct 12, 2018

It’s a straightforward question, but many turbomachinery engineers can’t easily explain the physics behind blade twist. Some shorter high-pressure turbine (HPT) blades appear nearly 2D in shape...

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Film Cooling In Turbines

Film Cooling In Turbines

By Song Xue
May 24, 2018

Turbine inlet temperature is one of the most critical parameters in the Brayton cycle of gas turbine engines. One way to increase the cycle efficiency is to increase the turbine inlet temperature, as...

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Preliminary Sizing of Supersonic Turbines with Partial Admission for Best Performance Using AXIAL™

Preliminary Sizing of Supersonic Turbines with Partial Admission for Best Performance Using AXIAL™

By Oleg Dubitsky
Apr 27, 2018

Many energy recovery, drive cycles (Organic and Steam Rankine cycles) and rocket propulsion cycles require the use of a turbine that operates at low volumetric flow and high-pressure ratio....

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Flow Coefficient and Work Coefficient Applications

Flow Coefficient and Work Coefficient Applications

By Mark R. Anderson
Mar 29, 2018

In my last blog, I explored the concept of the flow and work coefficient. In this blog, I will explore the practical application of the two parameters in machine selection and optimization.

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Flow Coefficient and Work Coefficient

Flow Coefficient and Work Coefficient

By Mark R. Anderson
Mar 22, 2018

Two often used quantities to characterize turbomachinery are flow coefficient and work coefficient. The two are generally represented as Φ for flow coefficient and φ for work coefficient. The...

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Reaction Versus Impulse Type Turbomachinery

Reaction Versus Impulse Type Turbomachinery

By Mark R. Anderson
Mar 8, 2018

The universe of turbomachinery consists of many different design concepts that are radically different from one another. Each class of machine has a particular flow and power range that is best...

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Ground Source Heat Energy Storage for Power Generation

Ground Source Heat Energy Storage for Power Generation

By Francis A. Di Bella, P.E.
Nov 15, 2017

Have you ever been to the beach on a very hot day? Then I am sure you noticed that the sand is very, very hot, uncomfortably so. Congratulations, you have had first-hand experience with ground source...

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Multidisciplinary Optimization of Turbocharger Turbine with Non-Radial Blades for Two Operating Points

Multidisciplinary Optimization of Turbocharger Turbine with Non-Radial Blades for Two Operating Points

By Dr. Nicholas C. Baines and Oleg Dubitsky
May 25, 2017

The turbine of an automotive turbocharger is subject to a wide and demanding range of requirements and constraints. High efficiency is required to reduce the pumping work of the engine that can make...

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Agile Engineering Design System for Steam and Organic Rankine Cycle Turbines

Agile Engineering Design System for Steam and Organic Rankine Cycle Turbines

By Concepts NREC
Sep 1, 2016

Expanding design capabilities for advanced high-performance turbines for steam and organic Rankine cycle power generation is a constant area of focus in developing Concepts NREC’s Agile Engineering...

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