Steady/Unsteady Reynolds-Averaged Navier–Stokes and Large Eddy Simulations of a Turbine Blade at High Subsonic Outlet Mach Number

Abstract

Reynolds-averaged Navier–Stokes (RANS), unsteady RANS (URANS), and large eddy simulation (LES) numerical approaches are clear candidates for the understanding of turbine blade flows. For such blades, the flow unsteady nature appears critical in certain situations and URANS or LES should provide more physical understanding as illustrated here for a laboratory high outlet subsonic Mach blade specifically designed to ease numerical validation. Although RANS offers good estimates of the mean isentropic Mach number and boundary layer thickness, LES and URANS are the only approaches that reproduce the trailing edge flow. URANS predicts the mean trailing edge wake but only LES offers a detailed view of the flow. Indeed, LESs identify flow phenomena in agreement with the experiment, with sound waves emitted from the trailing edge separation point that propagate upstream and interact with the lower blade suction side.