An Experimental Study of Turbine Vane Heat Transfer With Leading Edge and Downstream Film Cooling

Abstract

This paper presents the effects of downstream film cooling, with and without leading edge showerhead film cooling, on turbine vane external heat transfer. Steady state experimental measurements were made in a three-vane, linear, two-dimensional cascade. The principal independent parameters — Mach number, Reynolds number, turbulence, wall-to-gas temperature ratio, coolant-to-gas temperature ratio, and coolant-to-gas pressure ratio — were maintained over ranges consistent with actual engine conditions. The test matrix was structured to provide an assessment of the independent influence of parameters of interest, namely, exit Mach number, exit Reynolds number, coolant-to-gas temperature ratio, and coolant-to-gas pressure ratio. The vane external heat transfer data obtained in this program indicate that considerable cooling benefits can be achieved by utilizing downstream film cooling. The downstream film cooling process was shown to be a complex interaction of two competing mechanisms. The thermal dilution effect, associated with the injection of relatively cold fluid, results in a decrease in the heat transfer to the airfoil. Conversely, the turbulence augmentation, produced by the injection process, results in increased heat transfer to the airfoil. The data presented in this paper illustrate the interaction of these variables and should provide the airfoil designer and computational analyst the information required to improve heat transfer design capabilities for film cooled turbine airfoils.