Tilt Angle Optimization of Steam Turbine Blade Model Based on Aluminium: The Multi-Simulation Perspective

Turbine blades are radial aerofoils attached to the rim of a turbine rotor to generate tangential force that helps to harvest energy from high-pressure steam. The more energy extracted, the more efficient the turbine and the more power produced. The blade's profile, tip and root are the crucial parts of a steam turbine blade. This research analyses the varying tilt angles of a steam turbine blade composed of aluminium alloy using a NACA 4412 aerofoil. Three types of simulations have been implemented; static structural, steady state thermal and fluent analysis, to determine the optimal tilt angle. In static structural analysis the lowest total deformation of 0.33 mm, minimum stress of 33.16 MpA and least stain of 0.52 mm/min occurred at a tilt angle of 35° of turbine blade. Whereas steady state thermal analysis records the total heat flux of 1.55E+08 (W/m2) at 35°. The fluent analysis determined the lift, drag, pressure average, and velocity of air at a twist angle of 35° to be 507.65 N, 170.16 N, 26.19 kPa, and 383.97 m/s, respectively. The results suggested that for optimum performance, an aluminium alloy stream turbine blade should be tilted at a 35° angle. Aluminium Metal Matrix Composite have improved corrosion resistance with introduction of second phase particles and light weight structure will be more energy efficient.