Aerodynamic optimization method of intake grille of active clearance control system for turbines based on modified social spider algorithm (MSSA)

During the operation of an active clearance control (ACC) system of a turbine, the aerodynamic performance of the intake grille indirectly influences its control. To improve the performance, an aerodynamic optimization method is proposed, consisting of parameterization, an optimization algorithm, and a fitness evaluation. During parameterization, its geometry is represented by seven geometric variables. A modified social spider algorithm is used as the optimization algorithm. To evaluate the aerodynamic performance of the grille, a special fitness function is adopted, obtained using an adaptive topological multi-layer feedforward artificial neural network. To verify the feasibility of this method, experiments and numerical calculations are carried out on the original and optimized intake grilles. The results show that the average intake flow rate and average total pressure recovery coefficient of the optimized grille have increased by 17.3% and 4.9%, respectively.