Flow visualization and flow tracking as applied to turbinecomponents in gas turbine engines

Abstract

Results of flow visualization efforts applied to turbomachineryflows are presented and discussed. These include flows which modelphenomena found both interior to and exterior to turbine airfoils in gasturbine engines. Interior arrangements discussed include flows within (i) acurved channel, (ii) a simple swirl chamber with no significant axial flow,(iii) a swirl chamber with axial flow and (iv) a rectangular passage withdimples on one surface. Also visualized and tracked are external flows,including (v) film cooling from round holes subject to bulk flowpulsations, (vi) film cooling from shaped holes with compound angleorientations and (vii) film cooling from cylindrical holes with differentangle orientations with respect to the surface. These results, and thetechniques employed to obtain the results, are presented to illustrate thecapabilities of flow visualization and flow tracking in providinginformation on instantaneous three-dimensional flow structure in complexturbomachinery environments.