Influence of twisted tape insert on the coolant flow characteristics in swirled film cooling

Abstract

The present paper discusses film cooling behavior through numerical simulation in the presence of a twisted tape insert inside the film hole. The twisted tape insert imparts a swirl to the coolant flow. Coolant swirl intensity is controlled by varying the pitch of the twisted tape resulting in swirl numbers of 0.0289, 0.116, and 0.168. The film cooling performance is evaluated using area-averaged effectiveness and heat transfer coefficient for blowing ratios of 0.5, 1.0, 1.5, and 2.0. Results revealed a significant amount of improvement in averaged effectiveness with the addition of swirl. Coolant swirl predominantly modifies the jet trajectory resulting in a reduced jet penetration and increased lateral expansion. Further investigation on the effect of twisted tape thickness on the coolant distribution has been found to be negligible. Pressure losses occurring due to the insertion of twisted tape inside the film hole is evaluated through the coefficient of discharge which indicated the necessity of higher pumping power than the film cooling case with no-swirl.