Experimental decoupled-analysis of overall cooling effectiveness for a turbine endwall with internal and external cooling configurations

Abstract

High-efficient composite cooling structures that are comprised of external and internal cooling techniques, are one of the key technologies to guarantee the aerothermal performance and reliability of a turbine vane, especially the endwall region due to unique complex flow structures. It is thereby critical to understand the flow mechanism and conjugate heat transfer characteristics in this region for further optimal design. In this paper, a representative endwall model which matches non-dimensional parameters to real turbine operating conditions is investigated. Thermal protection for the endwall is provided by internal jet impingement and external purge flow and discrete hole injection cooling. Comprehensive measurements of overall cooling effectiveness over the endwall, total pressure loss coefficient, and non-dimensional temperature at the cascade exit are performed by using an infrared (IR) thermography technique, a five-hole probe, and a temperature probe. Through decoupled analysis, heat transfer and flow characteristics of film cooling only, both jet impingement and film cooling, upstream purge cooling only, and combined cooling are analyzed, respectively, and their optimal ranges of cooling air are obtained. The measurements reveal that with film cooling only, only the regions around the film holes are covered. Using both film and jet impingement cooling, cooling coverage is expanded, and cooling effectiveness is much higher with a more uniform distribution pattern. Purge flow achieves thermal protection for upstream regions of endwalls, and the combined cooling scheme that involves all cooling sources provides the best cooling performance. Globally, those cooling schemes have no obvious effects on overall cascade aerodynamic performance but affect the development and distribution of secondary flows.