ANSYS CFX-BladeGen Tutorials

Part One

November 2010

ANSYS BladeGen User's Guide Contents ..................................... 3 Introduction ....................................................................................... 4 What is BladeGen? .................................................................... 4 What's New? .............................................................................. 5 System Requirements ................................................................ 5 Special Typefaces Used in This Guide ....................................... 5 Using On-Line Help .................................................................... 6 Hover Help ................................................................................. 6 Getting Technical Help ............................................................... 7 Program Overview............................................................................. 8 User Interface Description .......................................................... 9 Operating Modes and Associated Views .................................. 10 Blade Overview ........................................................................ 12 Layer Overview ........................................................................ 13 Curve Overview........................................................................ 14 User/Data Interaction Summary ............................................... 15 General Usage Guidelines ....................................................... 17 Getting Started ................................................................................ 18 Installing the Software .............................................................. 19 Executing BladeGen ................................................................ 20 Creating a New Blade Model .................................................... 22 Opening a BladeGen File ......................................................... 27 Saving a Blade Model .............................................................. 29 Tutorials .......................................................................................... 30 Creating a Low Pressure Ratio Compressor Impeller ............... 31 Creating an Axial Fan Blade ..................................................... 42 Creating a Radial Pump Impeller .............................................. 52 Creating an Axial Turbine Blade ............................................... 58 Creating a Compressor Impeller with a Splitter Vane ............... 67 View Descriptions ............................................................................ 75 Common Mouse Functions ...................................................... 76 View Layout Control ................................................................. 77 Common Views ........................................................................ 78 Angle/Thickness Mode Specific Views ..................................... 80 Pressure/Suction Mode Specific View ...................................... 83

ANSYS BladeGen User's Guide Contents

This is the user's guide for ANSYS BladeGen, which contains the following chapters.

Introduction Program Overview Getting Started Tutorials View Descriptions Program Details Evaluating the Design Data Import/Export Batch Processing Vista CCD Vista CPD Vista RTD Vista AFD Glossary Definitions
Additional help topics include:

Context-Sensitive Help File Format Help UserIO Help.

Introduction
This section provides an overview of the BladeGen software and User's Guide. The following topics are covered:

What is BladeGen? What's New? System Requirements Special Typefaces Used in This Guide Using On-Line Help Getting Help

What is BladeGen?
BladeGen is a component of ANSYS BladeModeler. The BladeModeler software is a specialized, easy-to-use tool for the rapid 3-D design of rotating machinery components. Incorporating ANSYS, Incs extensive turbomachinery expertise into a user-friendly graphical environment, the software can be used to design axial, mixed-flow and radial blade components in applications such as pumps, compressors, fans, blowers, turbines, expanders, turbochargers, inducers and others. BladeModeler provides the essential link between blade design and advanced simulation including computational fluid dynamics and stress analyses. BladeModeler contains a rich set of tools and functions for designing a turbomachinery blade from scratch, using industry-specific tools, workflow, and language that the blade designer expects. With BladeGen, the user can re-design existing blades to achieve new design goals or create completely new blade designs from scratch. When either re-designing or evaluating an existing blade design, BladeGen facilitates the import of blade geometry interactively or through user supplied files. BladeGen allows sculpted or ruled element blades with linear or compound lean leading or trailing edges. Over/Under-Filing can be applied and leading and trailing edge shapes are easily specified as a full radius, an ellipse ratio, or a simple cutoff. BladeModeler represents a pivotal link between blade design, advanced analysis and manufacturing. Used in combination with ANSYS analysis software, users can rapidly evaluate the performance of a component. BladeGen model files can be imported into DesignModeler using the BladeEditor feature. BladeEditor provides a seamless path to both structural and fluid analysis, which enables the user to efficiently transition from preliminary blade design, to full 3-D viscous flow analysis, and finally to the users native CAD system.

What's New?
BladeGen 12.0 incorporates the following new features: Vista RTD - a program for radial inflow turbine design. For details, see Vista RTD. Vista AFD - a program for axial fan design. For details, see Vista AFD.

System Requirements
BladeGen is a component of ANSYS Workbench. system requirements for more details. Please check the ANSYS Workbench help on

Special Typefaces Used in This Guide

This help file uses a set of fonts to highlight menu commands, keyboard keycaps, and dialog box buttons. These fonts are detailed below: Menu Item This typeface represents a menu command. For example, "Select the File | Save menu command to save your work". This typeface represents a particular key on the keyboard. For example, "Press Del to erase the character". This typeface represents a dialog or screen button. For example, "Press the OK button to continue". This typeface represents a key word. For example, "The Blade is a splitter".

KeyCap Button Key Word

Using On-Line Help

Context-specific help is available on-line. Help can be obtained by pressing the F1 key or Help | Help Topics menu command. Context-specific help on a menu command is available by pressing Shift-F1 and selecting the menu item. Context-specific help on a dialog box control is available by: Pressing the "Whats This?" ( ) button in the upper left corner of the dialog box and then selecting a control. Right mouse clicking on a control (for most controls). Pressing the Help button.

Hover Help
Hover help is provided in most views for additional information on the data being displayed. The bubble is displayed when the user holds the mouse cursor stationary (hovers) over a data point. The bubble is removed when the user clicks a mouse button or moves the mouse over the bubble. The bubble displays various data depending on the view and data. As a minimum, the bubble displays the horizontal and vertical coordinates of the point. Additional information is available in the Graph Views. The table below describes the information which can be displayed. Symbol X Y Z R T Thk B S M M' C T' L V Description Horizontal Position Vertical Position Axial Position Radial Position Angular Position (Theta) Thickness Blade Angle, Axial (Beta) Meridional Length Fraction Meridional Location M-Prime Location Camber Location Theta-Prime Location Blade Lean Angle Value Views All but Contour All but Contour Graph, Contour Graph, Contour Graph Graph Graph Graph Graph Graph Graph Graph Graph Contour

Getting Technical Help

If you have any questions or difficulties concerning our products, please contact your ANSYS Support Provider. Visit the ANSYS Customer Service page on the ANSYS Website at www.ansys.com/services/ss-customer.asp If you have problems contacting any of the CFX offices, please contact cfx-support-can@ansys.com or call +1 (519) 886 8435. Please have your name, company name, product and platform information, and other information ready to help us respond quickly to your question. The ANSYS Customer Portal is available from the ANSYS Website at www1.ansys.com/customer/ The CFX Community Site address is www.ansys.com/customer-portals.htm.

Program Overview
BladeGen breaks the complex, 3-dimensional (3D) geometry of a blade into two or three 2-dimensional (2D) views. The data from these views is used to create the model, one blade's layer at a time. These views, plus an auxiliary view, are simultaneously displayed in the BladeGen window and all views use the same set of zoom and pan keyboard shortcuts and mouse actions.

User Interface Description Operating Modes and Associated Views Blade Overview Layer Overview Curve Overview User/Data Interaction Summary General Usage Guidelines

User Interface Description

The Annotated BladeGen Window Layout displays a typical layout of views used by BladeGen. These views will automatically update whenever a change is made. Each element of the user interface is identified in the Annotated BladeGen Window Layout.

Related Topics View Descriptions

Operating Modes and Associated Views

BladeGen has two distinct modes of operation, the Angle/Thickness (Ang/Thk) Mode and the Pressure Side/Suction Side (Prs/Sct) Mode. These two modes provide the design environment for radial and axial blades, respectively. Both modes use a set of Common Views, a Meridional View and an Auxiliary View, which are positioned side by side at the top of the window. The Meridional View is used to define the blade in radial vs. axial space. From this definition, the streamlines are generated which are required for all of the other views. The Auxiliary View provides the user with the display of a Blade-to-Blade View, 3D View, Meridional Contour View and several graphs of various blade parameters.

Common Views for Both Modes

The Ang/Thk Mode uses two views at the bottom of the window; an Angle View for the angular distribution of the blade, and a Thickness View for the thickness distribution of the blade. These views define the blade at discrete streamlines (layers). The data from these two views must be combined with the streamline data to generate the blade's shape on a layer.

Angle/Thickness Mode Views

The Prs/Sct Mode adds a single larger Prs/Sct View of the blade at the bottom of the window. This view allows the user to manipulate the pressure and suction sides of the blade to achieve the desired blade shape.

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Pressure/Suction Mode View

Although the sides of a blade are usually identified as the pressure side and suction side, BladeGen cannot distinguish between these names. BladeGen uses the terminology "Side1" and "Side2" to identify the sides of the blade in increasing theta order (right-hand rule). Related Topics:

View Descriptions Common Views Angle/Thickness Views Pressure/Suction View

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Blade Overview
BladeGen allows one or more blades to be defined, where the first blade is the "Main Blade" and subsequent blades are called splitters. Only one blade is active at any one time, but the output always includes all blades. The blades can be defined independently or the splitters can rely on the angle and/or thickness definition of the Main Blade. Related Topics:

Blade Settings

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Layer Overview
A layer (or streamline) is defined as a meridional curve visible in the Meridional View that represents surface of revolution. Most layer types, shown below, represent curves that are automatically created and updated as the Meridional Envelope (hub and shroud curves, leading and trailing edge curves) are modified. Layers serve two key purposes: 1) Layers are referenced by the working views (Angle, Thickness, and Prs/Sct Views) to provide the meridional location of the view's data sets. 2) Layers specify where streamline data sets are to be constructed for export. Layer Types Description Curve is defined by a constant spanwise position, as specified by a single span fraction. Curve is defined by a normal offset from the hub at a distance specified by a linear interpolation between a leading edge and a trailing edge value. Curve is defined by a normal offset from the shroud at a distance specified by a linear interpolation between a leading edge and a trailing edge value. Curve is initially positioned by a span fraction value, but the user can interactively modify the curve in the Meridional View. This layer type is also used when importing meanline data, as the data may not lie exactly on a streamline. Curve is defined by a Meridional offset (z, r) of the hub curve. Curve is defined by a Meridional offset (z, r) of the shroud curve.

Layer Type Span Layer Hub Gap Layer

Shroud Gap Layer

Data Layer

Hub Offset Layer Shroud Offset Layer

Related Topics:

Layer Details

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Curve Overview
The curves used in BladeGen are made up of one or more segments (sub-curves). Each segment can consist of a different curve type. By allowing different segment types to be combined into a single curve, BladeGen provides the user with more control over the overall curve shape than would be provided with a single-curve-type restriction. Related Topics:

Curve Details

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User/Data Interaction Summary

In the previous sections, the user has been exposed to the concepts of views, blades, layers and curves. The diagram shown below describes the relationships between the user and the model data for the Ang/Thk Mode. The data structure for the Prs/Sct Mode is similar, but the Ang/Thk components are replaced by the Prs/Sct equivalents.

User/Data Interaction Diagram (Ang/Thk Mode)

The Model represents the blade system in 3 dimensions. The Model contains the following data: 1. A Design Meridional Profile consisting of a set of curves and a list of Layers (curves that represent streamlines). 2. An optional Trim Meridional Profile with its own set of curves and layers. 3. One or more Blades. Each Blade consists of an Angle and Thickness definition. The Angle and Thickness Definitions are made up of Curves that the user can modify. A single Curve in a definition references a single Layer from the Design Meridional Profiles layer list. The collection of these curves makes up each definition. The users access to the Model Data is provided through the working views (Meridional, Angle, and Thickness). In the Meridional View, the user controls the shape of the layer curves. In the Angle and Thickness Views, the user can modify the definition curve that references the active Layer.

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Output is created one Layer at a time. A streamline contains Z, R, M, & M' a meanline adds q, Tn, & b. a) The Design Meridional Profile is used to generate the streamline data for the requested Layer (which may come from either the Design or Trim Meridional Profile). b) The Blade's cut-off (or extension) curves are used to trim the streamline curve. c) The angle and thickness data is added to the streamline to create a meanline curve. d) Over/Under-Filing is applied to the meanline in the Z vs. R*q coordinate system. e) Leading/Trailing edges are applied to the meanline in the Z vs. R*q coordinate system.

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General Usage Guidelines

These guidelines are included to help users maximize the benefits from using BladeGen.
1. Users should first define the meridional profile before defining the Ang/Thk or Prs/Sct views, since these views are dependent on the path length of the meridional profile's layers. 2. The Angle, Thickness, and Pressure/Suction Views define parameters on a layer (a streamline in the meridional view). The first layer must be the hub and the second must be the shroud, with additional layers inserted at a user-specified fraction of the span. If only one layer is defined, it applies to the entire span between hub and shroud. The Pressure/Suction view requires that both the hub and shroud layers be defined. 3. All views display the same layer and blade. If a view doesn't have a definition for a particular layer that is being displayed, the calculated values at that layer are displayed. 4. The mode (Ang/Thk or Prs/Sct) is determined, initially, by the type of component created or the mode of the model when it was saved. However, the mode can be changed using the Model | Mode | Ang/Thk Mode... or Model | Mode | Prs/Sct Mode... menu commands.

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Getting Started
This section provides basic information on how to get BladeGen running on a computer. Installing BladeGen Executing BladeGen Creating a New Blade Model Opening a BladeGen File Saving a Blade Model

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Installing the Software

Executing the AutoRun Menu
To install the software, insert the CD-ROM into the drive. If the program doesn't automatically start, execute the "AutoRun.exe" file in the root of the CD-ROM.

License Manager
BladeGen now uses the ANSYS License Manager to configure and maintain the software license. If you have not installed this software before, or are using an older version, it can be installed by pressing the Install Licensing button on the AutoRun menu and follow the instructions to complete the installation process. Please see the on-line documentation for the License Manager for further information on the operation of the License Manager.

BladeModeler/BladeGen
To install or upgrade BladeGen, press the Install BladeModeler button on the AutoRun menu and follow the instructions to complete the installation process.

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Executing BladeGen
To execute BladeGen, perform one of the following. available until a license key is obtained. However, certain options will not be

From the Start Menu, start ANSYS Workbench, then choose the Blade Geometry icon from the Workbench Start Page.

From the Explorer or Desktop

Double-click the desired *.bgd file. Drag-and-drop a file into an open BladeGen window.

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User Preferences
BladeGen allows the user to customize the modeling environment by setting up default preferences. This is done with the User Preferences Dialog shown below. This dialog can be displayed using the File | Preferences... menu command. It allows the user to set up parameters such as window size, data definitions, viewing options, initial layer definitions and default data directories. These settings are saved between sessions, allowing users to initiate BladeGen with their preferred environment and create new models using the specified settings. Existing models store the settings internally, and will be unaffected by changes to the user preferences.

User Preferences Dialog

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Creating a New Blade Model

A new blade can be created in a number of ways. The easiest is to start from scratch. Importing a file from a preliminary design program is also simple. It is a little more difficult to import meanline data, if the import tool has to be created first. The most difficult to import CAD data, because it has to be converted to meanline data to be used in BladeGen.

Creating a Blade from Scratch Importing a Blade Model Opening a BladeGen File Saving a Blade Model

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Creating a Blade from Scratch

BladeGen allows the user to create a blade system from scratch, using one of six standard initial configuration types. The following section describes this process. 1. Select the File | New | BladeGen Model menu command or toolbar button, which will display the Initial Meridional Configuration Dialog (shown below). 2. Select the tab with the configuration closest to the desired component. 3. Enter the parameters for the given configuration type. 4. Press Enter or select the OK button to display the dialog box below.

Radial Impeller Configuration Related Topics Initial Meridional Configuration Dialog

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Initial Angle/Thickness Parameters

If a radial component was selected in the Initial Meridional Configuration Dialog, the Initial Angle/Thickness Dialog, shown below, will be displayed and the model will be created using the Angle/Thickness mode. To complete the process: 1. Enter the nominal wrap angle, thickness and number of blades using the dialog s input fields. Normally, BladeGen sets the leading edge theta to zero. If the Data Direction is set to TE to LE in the User Preferences Dialog, then the trailing edge theta is set to zero. 2. Press Enter or select the OK button to display the BladeGen Window.

Initial Angle/Thickness Dialog Related Topics Initial Angle/Thickness Dialog

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Initial Prs/Sct Blade Parameters

If an axial component was selected in the Initial Meridional Configuration Dialog, the Initial Pressure/Suction Dialog, shown below, will be displayed and the model will be created using the Pressure/Suction Mode. To complete the process: 1. Enter the required parameters using the input fields of the Standard tab. These parameters control the shape of the Bezier curves that define the blade. 2. Select the Advanced tab to enter the advanced parameters, if desired. These parameters control the distances between points on the Bezier curve and the length of an optional linear segment. 3. Enter the initial number of blades and layers. 4. Press Enter or select the OK button to display the BladeGen Window.

Initial Pressure/Suction Dialog, Standard Tab

Related Topics Initial Pressure/Suction Dialog

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Importing a Blade Model

BladeGen provides various methods to import geometry. See the Data Import/Export section for further details. 1. Some preliminary design codes export a BladeGen file (BGI) which allows the geometry to be imported. This makes the import seamless. See the Batch Input File section for further details. 2. If the data is meanline data (r,t,z,Tn), it can be read (and written) using a User Input/Output (UserIO) routine. A few UserIO routines for various file formats are shipped with BladeGen. Users are encouraged to use these as examples and tailor the source code to fit their needs. See the UserIO section for further details. 3. The most difficult type of data to import is the generic CAD data, which describes the hub, shroud, and blade surface (as a surface or a curve set). This type of data can be imported using the Data Import Wizard. The following file types are supported: TurboGrid File Sets (*.curve), IGES 5.3 File (*.iges or *.igs), PRO/ENGINEER ibl File (*.ibl), or General Data File (*.dat). See the Data Import Wizard section for further details.

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Opening a BladeGen File

Native BladeGen Data files are saved with a '.bgd' file extension and a Batch Input File is saved with a 'bgi' file extension. Additionally, files supported by UserIO routines are opened as native files. All of these files can be opened in the following ways: 1. Use the File | Open... menu command or the toolbar button to open a data file. A browse window will appear, allowing the user to select a file. Examples of several blade configurations can be found in the "Example" directory (See the section titled Opening an Example File for more detail.) 2. Dragging a file from Windows Explorer, and dropping it onto BladeGen's main window or an icon on the Desktop. 3. Double-clicking on a file in the Windows Explorer.

Related Topics: Opening an Example File

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Opening an Example File

The BladeGen installation includes a number of example files that can be used to provide insight into some of BladeGens modeling techniques. Some of these files, which are included in the "Examples" sub-directory, are shown below. These files can be opened in one of two ways: 1. Pressing the File | Open... menu command or pressing the toolbar button and then navigating to the "C:\Program Files\ANSYS Inc\v120\AISOL\BladeModeler\BladeGen\Examples" sub-directory. 2. Using Windows Explorer, browse to the example directory and double-click the desired file.

The examples that are available may differ from those shown below.

Axial Fan

Axial Inducer

Axial Stator

De-Swirl Vane

Radial Turbine

Centrifugal Blower

Centrifugal Centrifugal Pump Barske Impeller Compressor with Splitter

Wicket Gate

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Saving a Blade Model

Upon exiting BladeGen, the blade model is automatically saved to a file associated with the Workbench project. You must save the project before closing it in order to retain the project files. You can save the project from the Workbench interface as usual. You will be prompted for a project name if you have not previously saved the project. The File | Save menu command (Save toolbar button) can function as an alternative way to save the project, depending on a condition described shortly. The first blade model to exist in BladeGen, whether by opening a bgd file or by creating a blade from scratch, becomes associated with the Blade Design cell from which that instance of BladeGen was started. Any other blade models that are subsequently opened in the same instance of BladeGen (in separate "windows", selectable from the Window menu) are not associated with the cell (or even the project). When the active window in BladeGen is the one containing the model associated with the Blade Design cell: The File | Save menu command (Save toolbar button) in BladeGen saves the (entire) Workbench project. As in Workbench, you will be prompted for a project name if you have not previously saved the project. This command is unavailable if there are no unsaved changes in the model in the active window in BladeGen, even if there is an unsaved change elsewhere in the project. The File | Save As menu command (Save As toolbar button) is unavailable.

When the active window in BladeGen is not the one containing the model associated with the Blade Design cell: The File | Save menu command (Save model in the active window. toolbar button) acts to save only the .bgd file for the

The File | Save As menu command (Save As toolbar button) acts to save only the .bgd file for the model in the active window, and prompts you for the new file name and location. When operating in Demo Mode (without a license), you are prevented from either saving or exporting data. If the software had a valid floating license and lost it because of a network or other failure, BladeGen notifies you that the license has been lost. In this condition, BladeGen allows you to save your data only once.

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Tutorials
Welcome to the BladeGen Tutorial Guide. The purpose of this guide is to introduce the new user to the main features of BladeGen in a practical, hands-on manner. This manual includes 5 different tutorials, each highlighting a different approach to blade design in BladeGen. Creating a Low Pressure Ratio Compressor Impeller Creating an Axial Fan Blade Creating a Radial Pump Impeller Creating an Axial Turbine Blade Creating a Compressor Impeller with a Splitter Vane

Before You Begin

Before you begin these tutorials, please refer to Getting Started for an introduction to the BladeGen concepts, naming conventions and installation instructions. A list of special typefaces is available in Special Typefaces Used in This Guide.

Further Reading
The rest of the ANSYS BladeGen User's Guide has more detailed information on the commands used in this manual.

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Creating a Low Pressure Ratio Compressor Impeller

The following procedure can be followed as an example of using BladeGen to create a Low Pressure Ratio Compressor Impeller from start to finish. Please note that a significant advantage of BladeGen is in the flexibility of its operations. This example will guide the user through a simple example utilizing Angle/Thickness mode and is not to be taken as the only way to use BladeGen.

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Initial Design Parameters - Compressor Impeller

Figure 1 - Initial Meridional Configuration Dialog

BladeGen allows the user to create a blade system from scratch, using one of six standard initial configuration types. For this example, a Radial Turbine is used. 1. Select the File | New | BladeGen Model menu command or toolbar button which will display the Initial Meridional Configuration Dialog (shown in Figure 1). 2. Select the Radial Impeller tab. 3. Enter the parameters for the initial blade layout as shown in Figure 1. 4. Be sure to select Ang/Thk mode in the bottom right corner 5. Press Enter or select the OK button to continue.

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Initial Angle/Thickness Parameters

Figure 2 - Initial Angle/Thickness Dialog

Using Figure 2, the initial blade parameters are completed: 1. Enter the nominal wrap angle of 45 degrees, thickness of 2.5 and 13 blades. Normally, BladeGen sets the leading edge theta to zero. If the Data Direction is set to TE to LE in the User Preferences Dialog, then the trailing edge theta is set to zero. 2. Press Enter or select the OK button to display the BladeGen Window.

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BladeGen Layout

Figure 3 BladeGen Layout

After the initial parameters have been specified, the typical BladeGen layout will be opened. The two views in the top row are the Meridional View and Auxiliary View. The bottom row has the Angle View and the Thickness View. A more detailed description of the BladeGen layout is included here. In general, it is suggested that users first define the meridional profile before defining the Ang/Thk or Prs/Sct views, since these views are dependent on the path length of the meridional profile.

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Common Mouse Functions

BladeGen uses a common set of mouse functions to manipulate the views. described in Table 1. These functions are

Table 1 - Common Mouse Functions

Mouse Action Click with Left Drag with Left Applies To Working Views only Working Views only Description If a point or segment is within selection distance, it is selected. If a point is selected or within selection distance, the point is selected and dragged with the mouse pointer. Releasing the mouse button updates the view. Zooms the view in and out. Displays the context-sensitive popup menu. Pans the view. The view moves with the mouse pointer.

Scroll wheel or Drag with Both Click with Right Drag with Right

All Views All Views All Views

Optimizing the Meridional View

Figure 4 Annotated Meridional View

The most critical operation in the meridional view is to define the shape of the hub and shroud curve. The endpoints for these curves were specified when Initial Design Parameters were entered. The location of a point can be easily visualized by utilizing the hover help. The bubble is displayed when the user holds the mouse cursor stationary (hovers) over a data point. When required, the location of a point can be changed in two ways:

Moving Points by Clicking and Dragging

To interactively move a point: 1. Left-Click on the desired point and hold the mouse button down 2. Move the mouse until the point is at the desired location 3. Release the left mouse button

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Moving Points by Entering New Coordinate values

Figure 5 - Point Location Dialog

1. Double click the left mouse button on the desired point. as shown in Figure 5. 2. Enter the desired co-ordinate values. 3. Click OK. The Point Location Dialog will open

Define the Hub and Shroud Profiles in the Meridional View

The hub and shroud profile for this case are well defined automatically. need for any additional modifications. In this case, there is no

Adjust the Blade Angles at the Hub in the Angle View

The meridional profile is now defined and the Blade angles can be set. In the Angle View, the active layer is indicated by a red dot in the layer column on the right-hand side. By default, the hub layer is active. Once the Hub angles are set, the Shroud layer can be activated by left-clicking the black dot at the top of the layer column.

Adjusting the Blade Angles

The blade angles can now be defined as follows; 1. Right-click in the Angle view and select Adjust Blade Angles. 2. In the Leading Edge tab, enter 47for the Tangential Beta value, the Beta value will automatically be updated as 90minus Tang. Beta. Leave all the other values at zero. 3. In the Trailing Edge tab, enter a Theta angle of 32.2and enter 30for the Beta value. The Tangential Beta value will be automatically updated as 60 . All other values can remain as zero. 4. Close the Blade Angle Dialog by selecting OK.

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Set the Beta/Theta Definition

Figure 6 Blade Angle Definition

There are 4 ways to set the angle definitions. In this example, the End Angle Definition will be used. Right-click in the Angle view and select End Angle Definition as shown in Figure 6. This option applies the End-Angle definition described above, with an additional restriction that sets the slope of the Beta curve to zero at the leading and trailing edges.

Adjust the Blade Angles at the Shroud in the Angle View

Make the Shroud layer active by selecting the black dot at the top of the layer column. red and the Shroud is now active. It will turn

Adjusting the Blade Angles

1. Right-click in the Angle view and select Adjust Blade Angles 2. In the Leading Edge tab, enter 27.5for the Tangential Beta value. at zero Leave all the other values The

3. In the Trailing Edge tab, enter a Theta angle of 28.9and 60for the Tangential Beta. Beta value will be automatically updated as 30 . All other values can remain as zero. 4. Close the Blade Angle Dialog by selecting OK

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Set the Beta/Theta Definition

Right-click in the Angle view and select End Angle Definition as shown in Figure 6. The angle view should now look like the view shown in Figure 7. Note that the new blade shape is automatically updated in the Auxiliary view.

Figure 7 - Shroud Angle Definition

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Define the Blade Thickness Profile

At this time, the Blade thickness can be defined in the Thickness view. For this example, a constant thickness of 2.5 will be used and no modifications are required. When modifications to this curve are required, the curve and point modification procedures as described earlier can be applied.

Prescribe the Leading/Trailing Edge Ellipse

Figure 8 - LE/TE Ellipse Settings

Select Blade | Properties menu commands or the toolbar button located on the left hand side of the BladeGen window to set the blade properties. Set the Leading Edge/Trailing Edge Ellipse tab; adjust the values as shown in Figure 8. All other values can remain unchanged.

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Viewing the Design in the Auxiliary View

Thus far, the Auxiliary view has been showing the Blade-to-Blade view. It is also helpful to display the 3D shape of the blade. To do so, use the View | Auxiliary View Content | 3D View menu command or the toolbar button located on the right side toolbar. Use the left mouse button to rotate the view, right mouse to pan and the wheel on a wheel mouse to zoom in and out.

Table 2 - 3D View Display Options

Option Wireframe Meshed Button Description Shows the curves that define the edges of the surfaces. Shows the surface mesh from which the shaded surfaces and volume mesh will be defined. Shows opaque surfaces defined by the surface mesh.

Shaded

Table 3 - 3D View Replication Options

Menu Command Original Only Button Description Shows a single blade (and any splitters). This is the model stored in BladeGen and used for flow calculations. Shows two side-by-side blades. Useful to see how the individual blade models fit together. Shows the entire blade system.

One Replica All Replicates

The toolbar at the bottom-left of the BladeGen window has various display and replication options as described in Table 2 and Table 3. Other data sets describing the model can be displayed in the Auxiliary view. fully documented in Auxiliary View Details. These features are

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Saving Your Model

Upon exiting BladeGen, the blade model is automatically saved to a file associated with the Workbench project. You must save the project before closing it in order to retain the project files. You can save the project from the Workbench interface as usual. You will be prompted for a project name if you have not previously saved the project. The File | Save menu command (Save toolbar button) can function as an alternative way to save the project; see Saving a Blade Model for details.

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Creating an Axial Fan Blade

The following procedure can be followed as an example of using BladeGen to create an Axial Fan blade from start to finish.

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Initial Design Parameters - Axial Fan Blade

Figure 9 - Initial Meridional Configuration Dialog

BladeGen allows the user to create a blade system from scratch, using one of six standard initial configuration types. For this example, a Normal Axial template is used. 1. Select the File | New | BladeGen Model menu command or toolbar button which will display the Initial Meridional Configuration Dialog (shown in Figure 9). 2. Select the Normal Axial tab 3. Enter the parameters for the initial blade layout as shown in Figure 9. 4. Be sure to select Ang/Thk mode in the bottom right corner 5. Press Enter or select the OK button to continue

43

Define the Inlet and Outlet Sections

The hub and shroud definitions up and downstream of the blade can be defined when the user will be performing CFD analysis on the proposed design. At this point, it is not necessary to modify these point locations and profiles. A detailed example of modifying the inlet and outlet sections is included in the next tutorial. For additional information, please refer to Define the Inlet and Outlet Sections in Creating an Axial Turbine Blade.

Initial Angle/Thickness Parameters

Figure 10 - Initial Angle/Thickness Dialog

Using Figure 10, the initial blade parameters are completed: 1. Enter the nominal wrap angle of 35 degrees, thickness of 2.5 and 9 blades. 2. Press Enter or select the OK button to display the BladeGen Window.

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Optimizing the Meridional View

The most critical operation in the meridional view is to define the shape of the hub and shroud curve. The endpoints for these curves were specified when Initial Design Parameters were entered. In this example, we will set the leading edge profile as well as adjust the hub and should positions for both the inlet and outlet.

Define the Inlet and Outlet Sections

The hub and shroud definitions up and downstream of the blade can be defined when the user will be performing CFD analysis on the proposed design or to simply have the BladeGen hub and shroud geometry more completely represent the final design. To set the position of the inlet and outlet points: 1. Double click the shroud inlet point at the top left of the meridional view 2. The Point Location Dialog will open. The Horizontal value is the Axial location (Z co-ordinate) and the Vertical value represents the Radius 3. Enter -47.5 and 132 for the horizontal and vertical values. Click OK.

4. Double click the hub inlet point (bottom left corner) and enter -47.5 and 30 for the horizontal and vertical values. Click OK. 5. Double click the hub outlet point (bottom right corner) and enter 70 and 52.8 for the horizontal and vertical values. Click OK. 6. Double click the shroud outlet point (top right corner) and enter 70 and 132 for the horizontal and vertical values. Click OK.

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Adjust the Inlet Hub Curve

After adjusting the inlet and outlet points, the hub upstream of the blade is a piece-wise linear curve at an abrupt angle. To improve the profile of the hub, this curve will be converted to a more smoothly contoured shape.

Figure 11 - Meridional View with Smooth Hub Profile

1. Left-click the hub curve in the inlet section 2. Right-click the mouse and select Convert Points to.. Spline Curve Points 3. In the Point Count Dialog, enter 3 points and select OK. 4. Left-click and drag the resulting control point to make a smooth hub profile. Meridional view should now look as shown in Figure 11. Your

5. If you would like more practice, repeat this procedure on the Hub curve at the base of the blade.

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Define the Hub-Shroud Profile at the Leading Edge

At this point, the leading and trailing edges are also piecewise linear curves. Convert the leading edge to a 3 point spline curve and apply a slightly curved profile. Refer to Adjust the Inlet Hub Curve if you need to be reminded of the exact procedure to perform this operation. Place the middle control point at an approximate horizontal and vertical value of 1.5 and 98 (you can double-click the control point to enter specific values if you wish).

Adjust the Blade Angles at the Shroud in the Angle View

The meridional profile is now defined and the Blade angles can be set. In the Angle View, the active layer is indicated by a red dot in the layer column on the right-hand side. Make the Shroud layer active by selecting the black dot at the top of the layer column. It will turn red and the Shroud is now active.

Adjusting the Shroud Blade Angles

In this example, we will define the Beta profile at the hub and shroud and also at a new layer located at span=0.6. First, the shroud will be adjusted. The blade angles can now be defined as follows; 1. Right-click in the Angle view and select Beta Definition 2. Right-click the mouse a second time in the Angle view and select Convert Points to.. Spline Curve Points 3. In the Point Count Dialog, enter 2 points and select OK. This procedure has converted the Beta definition line (coloured cyan) to a linear segment 4. Double-click the beta curve at the leading edge (left-hand side) and enter a vertical Dimension of 83 degrees. Select OK 5. Double-click the beta curve at the trailing edge (right-hand side) and enter a vertical Dimension of 61 degrees. Select OK You can also move the points graphically by clicking and dragging a point with the left mouse button.

Adjusting Blade Profiles at Mid-span Locations

It is often desirable to control the blade shape at more than just the hub and shroud locations. To control the blade profiles at more locations, additional layers can be generated. In this example, an additional layer will be generated at a span location of 0.6.

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Creating an Additional Layer

Figure 12 Layer Control Dialog

1. Right-click in the Angle view and select Layer Control.. 2. In the Layer Control Dialog, select Create. 3. In the Layer Dialog, enter a span value of 0.6 and select OK. 4. The Layer Control Dialog will now look like Figure 12. Note that the Span 0.6 layer is checked, that indicates that the Angle information can be adjusted at this layer. Click OK.

Set the Beta Definition at the New Layer

Make the new layer active by select the new black dot at the mid-span location of the layer column. After you have selected it, the dot will turn red. Repeat the procedure described earlier using a leading edge Beta value of 80and a trailing edge value of 57 .

Adjusting the Hub Blade Angles

Make the Hub layer active by selecting the black dot at the bottom of the layer column. After you have selected it, the dot will turn red. Repeat the procedure in Adjusting the Shroud Blade Angles using a leading edge Beta value of 67and a trailing edge value of 42 .

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Define the Blade Thickness Profile

Figure 13 Inactive Layer Warning

By default, BladeGen assumes that the blade thickness profile is uniform from hub to shroud. If you try to make some thickness modifications at any layer other than the hub a warning message as shown in appears. To change this setting and allow for control of the thickness profile at multiple layers, we need to adjust the layer information; 1. Right-click in the Thickness view and select Layer Control 2. In the Layer Control Dialog, check the box beside the layer at Span: 1.000 and Span: 0.600. 3. Select OK.

Define the Blade Thickness at the Shroud

1. At the Shroud Layer, convert the curve to a 3 point spline. See Adjust the Inlet Hub Curve if you need specific instructions. 2. Set the Leading edge thickness to 2mm by double-clicking the leading edge point and entering a thickness of 2mm 3. Set the Trailing edge thickness to 0.875mm. 4. Adjust the middle point to make a nice arc between the leading and trailing edge points.

Define the Blade Thickness at Span 0.6

1. Click on the black dot in the middle of the Layer Column in the Thickness view to make the span 0.6 layer active. 2. Convert the Thickness curve to a spline with 5 Control Points. 3. Set the Leading Edge to 3.0mm thickness and trailing edge to 0.875mm 4. Adjust the 3 internal control points on the curve to make a slight S shape as shown in Figure 14.

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Figure 14 Span 0.6 Thickness Profile Define the Blade Thickness at the Hub
1. Repeat the procedure outlined previously. 2. Set the Leading edge thickness to 4mm and the trailing edge thickness to 1.25mm.

Prescribe the Leading/Trailing Edge Ellipse

Figure 15 - LE/TE Ellipse Settings

Select Blade | Properties menu commands or the toolbar button located on the left hand side of the BladeGen window to set the blade properties. Set the Leading Edge/Trailing Edge Ellipse tab; adjust the values as shown in Figure 15 - LE/TE Ellipse Settings. All other values can remain unchanged.

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Saving Your Model

Upon exiting BladeGen, the blade model is automatically saved to a file associated with the Workbench project. You must save the project before closing it in order to retain the project files. You can save the project from the Workbench interface as usual. You will be prompted for a project name if you have not previously saved the project. The File | Save menu command (Save toolbar button) can function as an alternative way to save the project; see Saving a Blade Model for details.

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Creating a Radial Pump Impeller

The following procedure can be followed as an example of using BladeGen to create a Radial Pump Impeller from start to finish.

Initial Design Parameters - Radial Pump Impeller

Figure 16 - Initial Meridional Configuration Dialog

BladeGen allows the user to create a blade system from scratch, using one of six standard initial configuration types. For this example, a Radial Turbine is used. 1. Select the File | New | BladeGen Model menu command or toolbar button which will display the Initial Meridional Configuration Dialog (shown in Figure 16). 2. Select the Radial Impeller tab 3. Enter the parameters for the initial blade layout as shown in Figure 16. 4. Be sure to select Ang/Thk mode in the bottom right corner 5. Press Enter or select the OK button to continue

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Initial Angle/Thickness Parameters

Figure 17 - Initial Angle/Thickness Dialog

Using Figure 17, the initial blade parameters are completed: 1. Enter the nominal wrap angle of 140 degrees, thickness of 5 and 7 blades. BladeGen sets the leading edge theta to zero. 2. Press Enter or select the OK button to display the BladeGen Window. Normally,

Optimizing the Meridional View

The most critical operation in the meridional view is to define the shape of the hub and shroud curve. The endpoints for these curves were specified when Initial Design Parameters were entered in the Initial Meridional configuration dialog.

Define the Blade Shape at the Hub and Shroud in the Meridional View
The hub and shroud profile for this case are well defined automatically. need for any additional modifications. In this case, there is no

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Define the Inlet and Outlet Sections

The hub and shroud definitions up and downstream of the blade can be defined when the user will be performing CFD analysis on the proposed design. It is also nice to set the inlet and outlet sections to reasonable values to make the BladeGen model represent the final design. To set the position of the inlet and outlet points; 1. Double click the shroud inlet point at the top left of the meridional view. 2. The Point Location Dialog will open. The Horizontal value is the Axial location (Z co-ordinate) and the Vertical value represents the Radius. 3. Enter -10 and 110 for the horizontal and vertical values. Click OK.

4. Double click the hub inlet point (bottom left corner) and enter -10 and 25 for the horizontal and vertical values. Click OK. 5. Double click the hub outlet point (top right corner) and enter 91 and 250 for the horizontal and vertical values. Click OK. 6. Double click the shroud outlet point (top left corner) and enter 63 and 250 for the horizontal and vertical values. Click OK.

Adjust the Blade Angles at the Hub in the Angle View

The meridional profile is now defined and the Blade angles can be set. In the Angle View, the active layer is indicated by a red dot in the layer column on the right-hand side. By default, the hub layer is active. Once the Hub angles are set, the Shroud layer can be activated by left-clicking the black dot at the top of the layer column.

Adjusting the Hub Blade Angles

The blade angles can now be defined as follows; 1. Right-click in the Angle view and select Adjust Blade Angles 2. In the Leading Edge tab, enter 35for the Tangential Beta value, the Beta value will automatically be updated as 90minus Tang. Beta. Leave all the other values at zero. 3. In the Trailing edge tab, enter a Theta angle of 137.5and enter 22.5for the Beta value. The Tangential Beta value will be automatically updated as 67.5 . All other values can remain as zero. 4. Close the Blade Angle Dialog by selecting OK 5. The Theta curve will be automatically switched to a Bezier segment with 6 control points.

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Adjusting the Shroud Blade Angles

Left-click the black dot located at the top of the layer column to activate the Shroud layer. blade angles can now be defined as follows; 1. Right-click in the Angle view and select Adjust Blade Angles 2. In the Leading Edge tab, enter 13.5for the Tangential Beta value, the Beta value will automatically be updated as 90minus Tang. Beta. Leave all the other values at zero. 3. In the Trailing edge tab, enter a Theta angle of 138.5and enter 22.5for the Beta value. The Tangential Beta value will be automatically updated as 67.5 . All other values can remain as zero. 4. Close the Blade Angle Dialog by selecting OK 5. The Theta curve will be automatically switched to a Bezier segment with 6 control points. The

Define the Blade Thickness Profile

Figure 18 Blade Thickness Profile

At this time, the Blade thickness can be defined in the Thickness view. For this example, a parabolic style will be applied as shown in Figure 18. Since it is easier to control fewer numbers of points, we can start by making the profile curve a spline with 3 control points and add further details after we have obtained the basic shape. 1. Make the Hub layer active in the Thickness view by left-clicking the black dot at the bottom of the layer column. 2. Right-click the mouse and select Convert Points to.. Spline Curve Points 3. In the Point Count Dialog, enter 3 points and select OK. 4. Double click the leading edge point and enter a thickness value of 4.9mm. 5. Double-click the trailing edge point and enter a thickness value of 4.8mm 6. Double-click the middle control point and enter a thickness value of 7.0mm 7. Right-click the mouse and select Zoom Fit Now that the basic shape is defined, we can add points, split curves and refine the profile to achieve the desired shape. In this case, we will simply increase the number of control points to achieve the desired profile; 1. Right-click the mouse and select Convert Points to.. Spline Curve Points

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2. In the Point Count Dialog, enter 5 points and select OK. 3. Adjust the curve point locations more closely resemble the image in Figure 18, dont worry about getting it exact at this point, more control points will still be added. 4. Right-click the mouse and select Convert Points to.. Spline Curve Points 5. In the Point Count Dialog, enter 8 points and select OK. 6.Adjust the curve point locations more closely resemble the image in Figure 18, at this point, you should be able to achieve the desire profile. Starting at 3 control points, setting the profile and gradually increasing the number of control points makes creating the desired profile easier to achieve than simply adding 8 points from the very beginning.

Prescribe the Leading/Trailing Edge Ellipse

Figure 19 - LE/TE Ellipse Settings

Select Blade | Properties menu commands or the toolbar button located on the left hand side of the BladeGen window to set the blade properties. Set the Leading Edge/Trailing Edge Ellipse tab, adjust the values as shown in Figure 19. All other values can remain unchanged.

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Utilizing the Information in the Auxiliary View

The most common use of the auxiliary view is to display the rendered 3D view as shown in the first tutorial included in this manual. There are many other functions available for this view. At this point, you may wish to review the Auxiliary View Details and experiment with the different Auxiliary View options.

Saving Your Model

Upon exiting BladeGen, the blade model is automatically saved to a file associated with the Workbench project. You must save the project before closing it in order to retain the project files. You can save the project from the Workbench interface as usual. You will be prompted for a project name if you have not previously saved the project. The File | Save menu command (Save toolbar button) can function as an alternative way to save the project; see Saving a Blade Model for details.

57

Creating an Axial Turbine Blade

The following procedure can be followed as an example of using BladeGen to create an Axial Turbine blade from start to finish.

Initial Design Parameters - Axial Turbine Blade

BladeGen allows the user to create a blade system from scratch, using one of six standard initial configuration types. For this example, a Normal Axial template is used.

Figure 20 - Initial Meridional Configuration Dialog

1. Select the File | New | BladeGen Model menu command or toolbar button which will display the Initial Meridional Configuration Dialog (shown in Figure 20). 2. Select the Normal Axial tab 3. Enter the parameters for the initial blade layout as shown in Figure 20. 4. Be sure to select Ang/Thk mode in the bottom right corner 5. Press Enter or select the OK button to continue

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Initial Angle/Thickness Parameters

Figure 21 - Initial Angle/Thickness Dialog Using Figure 21, the initial blade parameters are completed: 1. Enter the nominal wrap angle of 5 degrees, thickness of 5 and 83 blades. 2. Press Enter or select the OK button to display the BladeGen Window.

Setting Model Properties

Set the model properties as follows: 1. Select Model | Properties from the main menu. 2. Set Component Type to Turbine. 3. Set Configuration Type to Axial. 4. Set Model Units to MM. 5. Click OK.

Optimizing the Meridional View

The most critical operation in the meridional view is to define the shape of the hub and shroud curve. The endpoints for these curves were specified when Initial Design Parameters were entered.

59

Defining the Inlet and Outlet Sections

The hub and shroud definitions up and downstream of the blade can be defined when the user will be performing CFD analysis on the proposed design. It is also nice to set the inlet and outlet sections to reasonable values to make the BladeGen model represent the final design. To set the position of the inlet and outlet points; 1. Double click the shroud inlet point at the top left of the meridional view 2. The Point Location Dialog will open. The Horizontal value is the Axial location (Z co-ordinate) and the Vertical value represents the Radius 3. Enter 40 and 360 for the horizontal and vertical values. Click OK.

4. Double click the hub inlet point (bottom left corner) and enter 40 and 254 for the horizontal and vertical values. Click OK. 5. Double click the hub outlet point (bottom right corner) and enter 110 and 254 for the horizontal and vertical values. Click OK. 6. Double click the shroud outlet point (top right corner) and enter 110 and 360 for the horizontal and vertical values. Click OK.

Adjusting Blade Hub and Shroud Curve

By default, BladeGen creates the blades hub and shroud curves as curves with 5 control points. For this example, a single straight edge is required. Therefore, we can convert this curve to two control points. 1. Left-click the blades hub curve. 2. Right-click the mouse and select Convert Points to.. Spline Curve Points 3. In the Point Count Dialog, enter 2 points and select OK. 4. Repeat this procedure for the blades shroud curve.

Adjusting the Blade Angles at the Shroud in the Angle View

The meridional profile is now defined and the Blade angles can be set. In the Angle View, the active layer is indicated by a red dot in the layer column on the right-hand side. Make the Shroud layer active by selecting the black dot at the top of the layer column. It will turn red and the Shroud is now active. The blade angles can now be defined as follows; 1. Right-click in the Angle view and select Adjust Blade Angles 2. In the Leading Edge tab, enter a Beta value of -4.65 . The Tang. Beta value will be updated automatically to a value of 90minus Beta. 3. Enter a Theta value of -2.5 . 4. In the Trailing edge tab, enter a Beta value of 70.10 . The Tangential Beta value will be updated automatically to a value of 19.90 . 5. Enter a Theta value of 2.15 6. Leave all other values set to zero. 7. Close the Blade Angle Dialog by selecting OK

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Adjusting the Shroud Beta Profile

Setting the blade angles did not create a suitable profile. Modify the Beta curve as follows:

Figure 22 Shroud Beta Profile 1. Right-click in the Angle view and select Beta Definition 2. Right-click the mouse a second time in the Angle view and select Convert Points to.. Spline Curve Points 3. In the Point Count Dialog, enter 5 points and select OK. 4. Modify the control points by dragging them with the left mouse button so that the beta curve looks similar to Figure 22.

Adjusting Blade Profiles at Mid-span Locations

It is often desirable to control the blade shape at more than just the hub and shroud locations. To control the blade profiles at more locations, additional Layers can be activated or generated. In this example, the layer generated at a span location of 0.5 will be used.

Activating an Additional Layer

1. Right-click in the Angle view and select Layer Control.. 2. Click the empty box to the left of Span 0.500 to select the layer. 3. Select OK.

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Set the Beta Definition at the New Layer

Figure 23 Span=0.5 Beta Profile Make the new layer active by select the new black dot at the mid-span location of the layer column. After you have selected it, the dot will turn red. Repeat the procedure defined earlier using Figure 23 as a guide. For the Blade Angles: 1. In the Leading Edge tab, enter a Beta value of -40.7and a Theta value of -1.5 . 2. In the Trailing edge tab, enter a Beta value of 66.88and a Theta value of 2.74 .

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Adjusting the Hub Blade Angles

Make the Hub layer active by selecting the black dot at the bottom of the layer column. After you have selected it, the dot will turn red. Repeat the procedure described earlier using a leading edge Beta value of -67 , a leading edge Theta value of 0.5 , a trailing edge Beta value of 42 , and a trailing edge Theta value of 3.33 ..

Defining the Blade Thickness Profile

Figure 24 Inactive Layer Warning By default, BladeGen assumes that the blade thickness profile is uniform from hub to shroud. If you try to make some thickness modifications at any layer other than the hub a warning message as shown in Figure 24 appears. If the blade thickness is to be non-uniform from hub to shroud, additional layers must be activated as follows: 1. Right-click in the Thickness view and select Layer Control 2. In the Layer Control Dialog, check the box beside the layer at Span: 1.000 and Span: 0.500. 3. Select OK.

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Defining the Blade Thickness at the Shroud

Define the Blade Thickness at the Shroud
1. Click on the black dot at the top of the Layer Column in the Thickness view to make the shroud layer active. 2. Convert the thickness curve to a 3-point spline. Right-click the mouse in the Thickness view and select Convert Points to.. Spline Curve Points 3. In the Point Count Dialog, enter 3 points and select OK. 4. Set the Leading edge thickness to 1.25mm by double-clicking the leading edge point and entering a thickness of 1.25mm 5. Set the Trailing edge thickness to 0.50mm. 6. Double-click the middle point and set the thickness to 3.25. position by setting the M value to 9. Also adjust the Meridional

Now, extra control points can be added to create the profile as shown in Figure 25:

Figure 25 Shroud Thickness Profile 1. Right-click the mouse in the Thickness view and select Segment Operations.. Insert Many Points 2. Click the left mouse button near each of the locations indicated by the black arrows in Figure 25. 3. After you have added all 4 points, Right-click the mouse and select Segment Operations.. Insert Many Points again to finish adding points. 4. Click and drag the newly-added points to the locations indicated by the arrows in Figure 25.

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Defining the Blade Thickness at Span 0.5

1. Click on the black dot in the middle of the Layer Column in the Thickness view to make the span 0.5 layer active. 2. Convert the Thickness curve to a spline with 3 Control Points. 3. Set the Leading Edge to 1.1mm thickness, trailing edge to 0.5mm and the middle control point to a thickness of 5.5 at a Meridional distance of 9.0 4. Create 4 extra control points as described earlier to create a similar profile as shown in Figure 25.

Defining the Blade Thickness at the Hub

1. Click on the black dot at the bottom of the Layer Column in the Thickness view to make the hub layer active. 2. Convert the Thickness curve to a spline with 3 Control Points. 3. Set the Leading Edge to 1.0mm thickness, trailing edge to 0.5mm and the middle control point to a thickness of 6.5 at a Meridional distance of 18. 4. Create 4 extra control points as described earlier to create a similar profile as shown in Figure 25.

Prescribing the Leading/Trailing Edge Ellipse

Figure 26 - LE/TE Ellipse Settings Select Blade | Properties menu commands or the toolbar button located on the left hand side of the BladeGen window to set the blade properties. Set the Leading Edge/Trailing Edge Ellipse tab; adjust the values as shown in Figure 26. All other values can remain unchanged.

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Adding Custom Output Layers

A layer (streamline) is defined as a meridional curve that represents surface of revolution. So far, layers have been used to control the blade angles and thickness profiles. Layers are also used for controlling the output from BladeGen. For more detailed information, see Layer Details.

Creating Additional Output Layers at Constant Span Locations

1. Right-click the mouse in the Angle View and select Layer Control from the pop-up menu. 2. Select the Output tab and click the Create button. 3. In the Layer Dialog, enter a span value of 0.05 and click OK. 4. Repeat this procedure for span values of 0.1 and 0.125. 5. Click OK to close the Layer Control Dialog.

Creating an Additional Output Layer at a Variable Span Location

Layers can also be generated at variable span locations as follows;

Figure 27 - Layers at Non-Uniform Span Locations 1. Right-click the mouse in the Angle View and select Layer Control from the pop-up menu. 2. Select the Output tab and click the Create button. 3. In the Layer Dialog, click the Shr Gap tab and enter LE gap of 90.125 and a TE gap of 86.95 as shown in Figure 27. Click OK. 4. Click OK to close the Layer Control Dialog.

Saving Your Model

Upon exiting BladeGen, the blade model is automatically saved to a file associated with the Workbench project. You must save the project before closing it in order to retain the project files. You can save the project from the Workbench interface as usual. You will be prompted for a project name if you have not previously saved the project. The File | Save menu command (Save toolbar button) can function as an alternative way to save the project; see Saving a Blade Model for details.

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Creating a Compressor Impeller with a Splitter Vane

The following procedure can be followed as an example of using BladeGen to create a Compressor Impeller with a splitter vane from start to finish.

Initial Design Parameters - Splitter Vane

Figure 28 - Initial Meridional Configuration Dialog BladeGen allows the user to create a blade system from scratch, using one of six standard initial configuration types. For this example, a Radial Impeller is used. 1. Select the File | New | BladeGen Model menu command or toolbar button which will display the Initial Meridional Configuration Dialog (shown in Figure 28) 2. Select the Radial Impeller tab 3. Enter the parameters for the initial blade layout as shown in Figure 28. 4. Be sure to select Ang/Thk mode in the bottom right corner 5. Press Enter or select the OK button to continue

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Initial Angle/Thickness Parameters

Figure 29 - Initial Angle/Thickness Dialog Using Figure 29 the initial blade parameters are completed: 1. Enter the nominal wrap angle of 85 degrees, thickness of 3 and 6 blades. 2. Press Enter or select the OK button to display the BladeGen Window.

Optimizing the Meridional View

The most critical operation in the meridional view is to define the shape of the hub and shroud curve. The endpoints for these curves were specified when Initial Design Parameters were entered in the Initial Meridional configuration dialog.

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Defining the Blade Shape at the Hub and Shroud in the Meridional View

Figure 30 Meridional Profile The hub and shroud profile for this case are reasonably well defined automatically, but some modifications are helpful to smooth out the corner radius. This is done most easily by converting the curves to Bezier Segments. 1. Left-click the Hub curve 2. Right-click the mouse and select Convert Points to.. Bezier Control Points from the pop-up menu. 3. In the Point Count Dialog, enter 4 points and select OK. 4. Align the new control points as in Figure 30. 5. Repeat this procedure for the Shroud curve.

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Adjusting the Blade Angles at the Hub in the Angle View

The meridional profile is now defined and the Blade angles can be set. In the Angle View, the active layer is indicated by a red dot in the layer column on the right-hand side. By default, the hub layer is active. Once the Hub angles are set, the Shroud layer can be activated by left-clicking the black dot at the top of the layer column.

Adjusting the Hub Blade Angles

The blade angles can now be defined as follows; 1. Right-click in the Angle view and select Adjust Blade Angles 2. In the Leading Edge tab, enter 50for the Tangential Beta value, the Beta value will automatically be updated as 90minus Tang. Beta. Leave all the other values at zero. 3. In the Trailing edge tab, the Theta angle should be 85 . Enter 30for the Beta value. The Tangential Beta value will be automatically updated as 60 . All other values can remain as zero. 4. Close the Blade Angle Dialog by selecting OK 5. The Theta curve will be automatically switched to a spline curve with 5 control points.

Adjusting the Shroud Blade Angles

Left-click the black dot located at the top of the layer column to activate the Shroud layer. blade angles can now be defined as follows; 1. Right-click in the Angle view and select Adjust Blade Angles 2. In the Leading Edge tab, enter 27.5for the Tangential Beta value, the Beta value will automatically be updated as 90minus Tang. Beta. Leave all the other values at zero. 3. In the Trailing edge tab, enter a Theta angle of 84and enter 30for the Beta value. The Tangential Beta value will be automatically updated as 60 . All other values can remain as zero. 4. Close the Blade Angle Dialog by selecting OK 5. The Theta curve will be automatically switched to a spline curve with 5 control points. The

Defining the Blade Thickness Profile

At this time, the Blade thickness can be defined in the Thickness view. For this example, a constant thickness of 3mm will be used and no modifications are required.

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Prescribing the Leading/Trailing Edge Ellipse

Figure 31 - LE/TE Ellipse Settings Select Blade | Properties menu commands or the toolbar button located on the left hand side of the BladeGen window to set the blade properties. Set the Leading Edge/Trailing Edge Ellipse tab; adjust the values as shown in Figure 31. All other values can remain unchanged.

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Adding a Splitter Blade

Now that the main blade is defined, a splitter blade can be added. on splitter blades, refer to Blade Settings. For more detailed information

Splitter blades can be dependent on the main blade for their angular and thickness definitions or have their own, independent, definitions. For this example, the splitter blade will be made dependant on the main blade. Create the Splitter Blade as follows;

Figure 32 Splitter Blade Properties 1. Choose the Blade | Add Splitter menu command or the Property Dialog will open (Figure 32). toolbar button. The Blade

2. The default values in the Location/Definition tab will be used. This will place the splitter blade at main blades mid-pitch and set the angular and thickness definition as dependant upon the main blade. 3. Select the Leading Edge/Trailing Edge Ellipse tab, set the Leading Edge Elliptic ratio to 4.0 for both hub and shroud. 4. In the LE/TE Cut-Off, Enable the Leading edge option and enter 0.35 for the hub and 0.4 for the shroud. Click OK.

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Figure 33 Graphical Layout after adding the Splitter Blade After the splitter has been added, there are some new features in the GUI to note, as annotated in Figure 33.

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Saving Your Model

Upon exiting BladeGen, the blade model is automatically saved to a file associated with the Workbench project. You must save the project before closing it in order to retain the project files. You can save the project from the Workbench interface as usual. You will be prompted for a project name if you have not previously saved the project. The File | Save menu command (Save toolbar button) can function as an alternative way to save the project; see Saving a Blade Model for details.

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View Descriptions
A typical BladeGen Window contains a combination of Working Views and Auxiliary Views. The Working Views are views where all blade-modification tasks are performed. The Auxiliary Views are used for data display only and provide a variety of formats for reviewing the blade design. The operating mode determines which working views are active. The Annotated Window Layout, show below, describes the components of the window. Each view has a unique set of functions and operations that can be accessed using context-sensitive popup menus. These menus are displayed by positioning the cursor in the relevant view and depressing the right mouse button. Some of the functions in these popup menus are accessible from the main menu, but many are unique to the popup menus. See the Menu List in the context-sensitive help for a complete listing of menus. Related Topics: Common Mouse Functions View Layout Control Common Views Angle/Thickness Mode Specific Views Pressure/Suction Mode Specific View

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Common Mouse Functions

BladeGen uses a common set of mouse functions to manipulate the views. described in the following table. These functions are

Mouse Action Click with Left Drag with Left

Scroll wheel or Drag with Both Click with Right Drag with Right

Common Mouse Functions Applies To Description Working Views only If a point or segment is within selection distance, it is selected. Working Views only If a point is selected or within selection distance, the point is selected and dragged with the mouse pointer. Releasing the mouse button updates the view. All Views Zooms the view in and out. All Views All Views Displays the context-sensitive popup menu. Pans the view. The view moves with the mouse pointer.

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View Layout Control

Between each of the views in the BladeGen Window are view separators, as shown in the Annotated Window Layout popup. These view separators can be dragged to resize windows by positioning the mouse over a separator, pressing the left button, and dragging to the new location. Pressing the toolbar buttons shown below can also control the layout of the views. By utilizing these methods, the user can control the amount of space consumed by each view and can tailor the display to match the current task. Maximize the Top Left (Meridional) View Maximize the Bottom Left (Angle or Prs/Sct) View Maximize the Bottom Right (Thickness or Prs/Sct) View Maximize the Top Right (Auxiliary) View Restore View Layout, with all views the same size

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Common Views
The Meridional and Auxiliary views are common to both the Angle/Thickness and Pressure/Suction Modes. These views appear on the top half of the BladeGen window, as shown below, and are described in more detail in the following sections: Meridional View Auxiliary View

Common Views

Meridional View
A typical Meridional View is shown below. The meridional view contains the description of the blade in an axial-radial coordinate system. BladeGen allows the user to define the blade and the inlet/outlet extensions required by CFD programs. See the Meridional View Popup Menu for details of the options and functions available in this view.

Meridional View

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Auxiliary View
The Auxiliary View is located in the upper-right corner of the BladeGen window, as shown in the figure below. It is used to display various data sets describing the model. The Auxiliary View is automatically updated when modifications are performed in a Working View. The data set to be displayed is selected by the View | Auxiliary View Content menu commands and the Auxiliary Toolbars (displayed by default on the right edge of the window). The user may create additional auxiliary views by invoking the New Auxiliary View (B2B) menu command, either from the View menu or from the popup menu in an Auxiliary View. This will create a new Blade-to-Blade view which can then be changed to the desired type by using the Auxiliary View Content menu command. There are currently five Auxiliary View types. They are described in the Auxiliary View Details section. See the View Menu or the popup menu for the view type for details of the options and functions available in this view.

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Angle/Thickness Mode Specific Views

The Angle/Thickness Mode Specific Views are used to define the angular location and thickness of a blade, as a function of some location on the layer curve. This data indirectly specifies the location of the two sides of a blade. Both views use a quantity derived from the meridional distance along a layer as the independent axis. The following sections describe these views in more detail: Angle View Thickness View

Angle/Thickness Mode Views

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Angle View
The Angle View, shown below, describes the angular placement (Theta or ) and slope (Beta or ) of the blade on a layer. See the Angle View Popup Menu for details of the options and functions available in this view. The user can modify the data of the curve directly or use the Blade Angles Dialog to specify common values which will be used to create a curve that satisfies the parameters.

Angle View

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Thickness View
The Thickness View, shown below, describes the total normal or tangential thickness of the blade along a streamline (called a layer). See the Thickness View Popup Menu for details of the options and functions available in this view. The user can modify the data of the curve directly or elect to specify a NACA Airfoil thickness distribution which will be used to create a curve that satisfies the NACA parameters. The data handled by this view has only a second order affect on the blade surfaces, making the view seem very stable. This is the only view where the piecewise linear segment type is recommended for use.

Thickness View

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Pressure/Suction Mode Specific View

The Pressure/Suction View, shown below, is used to define the two sides of a blade directly. Each side is defined by its own curve, which can be either manipulated directly or adjusted using the Bezier Blade Dialog.

Pressure/Suction View

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