Influences of inflow condition on non-axisymmetric flows in turbine exhaust hoods

The complex 3D flow in a steam turbine exhaust hood model with different inlet swirl and inlet total pressure radial distributions has been simulated by employing CFX-5 and analyzed in this paper. It’s found that the inlet tangential flow angle at hub has a negative effect on the exhaust hood performance, while a negative gradient of inlet total pressure radial distribution has a positive impact on the hood performances. It’s also numerically confirmed that a proper distribution of total pressure at hood inlet can successfully eliminate the negative effects caused by the inappropriate inlet swirl distribution and improve the hood aerodynamic performance.