Numerical study of improving aerodynamic performance of low solidity LPT cascade through increasing trailing edge thickness

Abstract

This paper presents a new idea to reduce the solidity of low-pressure turbine (LPT) blade cascades, while remain the structural integrity of LPT blade. Aerodynamic performance of a low solidity LPT cascade was improved by increasing blade trailing edge thickness (TET). The solidity of the LPT cascade blade can be reduced by about 12.5% through increasing the TET of the blade without a significant drop in energy efficiency. For the low solidity LPT cascade, increasing the TET can decrease energy loss by 23.30% and increase the flow turning angle by 1.86% for Reynolds number (Re) of 25,000 and freestream turbulence intensities (FSTI) of 2.35%. The flow control mechanism governing behavior around the trailing edge of an LPT cascade is also presented. The results show that appropriate TET is important for the optimal design of high-lift load LPT blade cascades.