Crossover Holes Research Articles

Dynamical transitions during the collapse of inertial holes

At the center of a collapsing hole lies a singularity, a point of infinite curvature where the governing equations break down. It is a topic of fundamental physical interest to clarify the dynamics of fluids approaching such singularities. Here, we use scaling arguments supported by high-fidelity simulations to analyze the dynamics of an axisymmetric hole undergoing capillary collapse in a fluid sheet of small viscosity. We characterize the transitions between the different dynamical regimes —from the initial inviscid dynamics that dominate the collapse at early times to the final Stokes dynamics that dominate near the singularity— and demonstrate that the crossover hole radii for these transitions are related to the fluid viscosity by power-law relationships. The findings have practical implications for the integrity of perforated fluid films, such as bubble films and biological membranes, as well as fundamental implications for the physics of fluids converging to a singularity.

Detailed Flow and Heat Transfer Analyses in a Rib-Roughened Trailing-Edge Cooling Cavity With Impingement

A rig, simulating two adjacent cooling cavities on the trailing side of an airfoil, made up of two trapezoidal channels is tested. Eleven crossover holes on the partition wall between the two channels create the jets. Two exit flow arrangements are investigated—(a) jets, after interaction with the target surface, are turned toward the target channel exit axially and (b) jets exit from a row of racetrack-shaped slots along the target channel. Flow measurements are reported for individual holes and heat transfer coefficients on the eleven target walls downstream the jets are measured using liquid crystals under steady-state conditions. Smooth as well as ribbed target surfaces with four rib angles are tested. Correlations are developed for mass flow rate through each crossover hole, varying the number of crossover holes. Heat transfer coefficient variations along the target channel are reported for a range of 5000–50,000 local jet Reynolds numbers. Major conclusions are: (1) Correlations are developed to successfully predict the air flow rate through each crossover hole for partition walls with six to eleven crossover holes, based on the pressure drop across the holes, (2) impingement heat transfer coefficient correlates well with local jet Reynolds number for both exit flow arrangements, and (3) case of target channel flow exiting from the channel end, at higher jet Reynolds numbers, produce higher heat transfer coefficients than those in the case of flow exiting through a row of slots along the target channel opposite to the crossover holes.

Crossover Jet Impingement in a Rib-Roughened Trailing-Edge Cooling Channel

Airfoil trailing-edge cooling is the main focus of this study. The test section was made up of two adjacent trapezoidal channels, simulating the trailing-edge cooling cavity of a gas turbine airfoil and its neighboring cavity. Eleven racetrack-shaped holes were drilled on the partition wall between the two channels to produce 11 cross-over jets that impinged on the rib-roughened wall of the trailing-edge channel. The jets, after impinging on their respective target surface, turned toward the trailing-edge channel exit. Smooth target wall, as a baseline case, as well as four rib angles with the flow of 0 deg, 45 deg, 90 deg, and 135 deg are investigated. Cross-over holes axes were on the trailing-edge channel center plane, i.e., no tilting of the cross-over jets. Steady-state liquid crystal thermography technique was used in this study for a range of jet Reynolds number of 10,000–35,000. The test results are compared with the numerical results obtained from the Reynolds-averaged Navier–Stokes and energy equation. Closure was attained by k–ω with shear stress transport (SST) turbulence model. The entire test rig (supply and trailing-edge channels) was meshed with variable density hexagonal meshes. The numerical work was performed for boundary conditions identical to those of the tests. In addition to the impingement heat transfer coefficients, the numerical results provided the mass flow rates through individual cross-over holes. This study concluded that: (a) the local Nusselt numbers correlate well with the local jet Reynolds numbers, (b) 90 deg rib arrangement, that is, when the cross-over jet axis was parallel to the rib longitudinal axis, produced higher heat transfer coefficients, compared to other rib angles, and (c) numerical heat transfer results were generally in good agreement with the test results. The overall difference between the computational fluid dynamics (CFD) and test results was about 10%.

Experimental/Numerical Investigation on the Effects of Trailing-Edge Cooling Hole Blockage on Heat Transfer in a Trailing-Edge Cooling Channel

Hot and harsh environments, sometimes experienced by gas turbine airfoils, can create undesirable effects such as clogging of the cooling holes. Clogging of the cooling holes along the trailing edge of an airfoil on the tip side and its effects on the heat transfer coefficients in the cooling cavity around the clogged holes is the main focus of this investigation. Local and average heat transfer coefficients were measured in a test section simulating a rib-roughened trailing edge cooling cavity of a turbine airfoil. The rig was made up of two adjacent channels, each with a trapezoidal cross sectional area. The first channel supplied the cooling air to the trailing-edge channel through a row of racetrack-shaped slots on the partition wall between the two channels. Eleven crossover jets, issued from these slots entered the trailing-edge channel, impinged on eleven radial ribs and exited from a second row of race-track shaped slots on the opposite wall that simulated the cooling holes along the trailing edge of the airfoil. Tests were run for the baseline case with all exit holes open and for cases in which 2, 3, and 4 exit holes on the airfoil tip side were clogged. All tests were run for two crossover jet angles. The first set of tests were run for zero angle between the jet axis and the trailing-edge channel centerline. The jets were then tilted towards the ribs by five degrees. Results of the two set of tests for a range of jet Reynolds number from 10,000 to 35,000 were compared. The numerical models contained the entire trailing-edge and supply channels with all slots and ribs to simulate exactly the tested geometries. They were meshed with all-hexa structured mesh of high near-wall concentration. A pressure-correction based, multiblock, multigrid, unstructured/adaptive commercial software was used in this investigation. The realizable k-ε turbulence model in combination with enhanced wall treatment approach for the near wall regions were used for turbulence closure. Boundary conditions identical to those of the experiments were applied and several turbulence model results were compared. The numerical analyses also provided the share of each crossover and each exit hole from the total flow for different geometries. The major conclusions of this study were: (a) clogging of the exit holes near the airfoil tip alters the distribution of the coolant mass flow rate through the crossover holes and changes the flow structure. Depending on the number of clogged exit holes (from 3 to 6, out of 12), the tip-end crossover hole experienced from 35% to 49% reductions in its mass flow rate while the root-end crossover hole, under the same conditions, experienced an increase of the same magnitude in its mass flow rate. (b) Up to 64% reduction in heat transfer coefficients on the tip-end surface areas around the clogged holes were observed which might have devastating effects on the airfoil life. At the same time, a gain in heat transfer coefficient of up 40% was observed around the root-end due to increased crossover flows. (c) Numerical heat transfer results with the use of the realizable k-ε turbulence model in combination with enhanced wall treatment approach for the near wall regions were generally in a reasonable agreement with the test results. The overall difference between the CFD and test results was about 10%.

Experimental/Numerical Crossover Jet Impingement in an Airfoil Leading-Edge Cooling Channel

Technological advancement in the gas turbine field demands high temperature gases impacting on the turbine airfoils in order to increase the output power as well as thermal efficiency. The leading edge is one of the most critical and life limiting sections of the airfoil which requires intricate cooling schemes to maintain a robust design. In order to maintain coherence with a typical external aerodynamic blade profile, cooling processes usually take place in geometrically-complex internal paths where analytical approaches may not provide a proper solution. In this study, experimental and numerical models simulating the leading-edge and its adjacent cavity were created. Cooling flow entered the leading-edge cavity through the crossover ports on the partition wall between the two cavities and impinged on the internal surface of the leading edge. Three flow arrangements were tested: (1) and (2) being flow entering from one side (root or tip) of the adjacent cavity and emerging from either the same side or the opposite side of the leading-edge cavity, and (3) flow entering from one side of the adjacent cavity and emerging from both sides of the leading-edge cavity. These flow arrangements were tested for five crossover-hole settings with a focus on studying the heat transfer rate dependency on the axial flow produced by upstream crossover holes (spent air). Numerical results were obtained from a three-dimensional unstructured computational fluid dynamics model with 1.1 × 106 hexahedral elements. For turbulence modeling, the realizable k-ε was employed in combination with the enhanced wall treatment approach for the near wall regions. Other available RANS turbulence models with similar computational cost did not produce any results in better agreement with the measured data. Nusselt numbers on the nose area and the pressure/suction sides are reported for jet Reynolds numbers ranging from 8000 to 55,000 and a constant crossover hole to the leading-edge nose distance ratio, Z/Dh, of 2.81. Comparisons with experimental results were made in order to validate the employed turbulence model and the numerically-obtained results. Results show a significant dependency of Nusselt number on the axial flow introduced by upstream jets as it drastically diminishes the impingement effects on the leading-edge channel walls. Flow arrangement has immense effects on the heat transfer results. Discrepancies between the experimental and numerical results averaged between +0.3% and −24.5%; however, correlation between the two can be clearly observed.

An Experimental and Numerical Investigation of Impingement Heat Transfer in Airfoils Leading-Edge Cooling Channel

To enhance the heat transfer coefficient along the leading edge of an airfoil, the cooling flow enters the leading edge cavity from the adjacent cavity through a series of crossover holes, cast on the partition wall between the two cavities. The crossover jets impinge on the leading-edge wall, then form a crossflow that moves towards the airfoil tip. In this experimental setup, there were nine crossover holes with racetrack-shaped cross sections on the partition wall. To investigate the effects of crossflow created by the upstream jets on the flow through each hole and on the impingement heat transfer coefficients, five crossover flow arrangements were studied. These flow arrangements were for 0, 1, 2, 3, and 4 jets upstream of the crossover hole # 5 for which the impingement heat transfer coefficients were measured. Jet to target wall distance ratio, Z/Dh, of 2.81 and local jet Reynolds numbers ranging from 7000 to 32,000 were tested. All tested geometries were meshed with all-hexa structured mesh of high near-wall concentration. Boundary conditions identical to those of experiments were applied and several turbulence model results were compared. The major conclusions of this study were: a) the crossflow produced by the upstream jets caused a slight reduction in impingemen heat transfer coefficients, b) there could be a significant variation in mass flow rate through the crossover holes, and c) the numerical predictions using the standard high Reynolds number k−ε turbulence model along with the generalized wall function, were in good agreement with the measured values for most cases, thus CFD could be considered a viable tool in airfoil cooling circuit designs.

Experimental and Numerical Investigation of Impingement on a Rib-Roughened Leading-Edge Wall

Effective cooling of the airfoil leading edge is imperative in gas turbine designs. Among several methods of cooling the leading edge, impingement cooling has been utilized in many modern designs. In this method, the cooling air enters the leading edge cavity from the adjacent cavity through a series of crossover holes on the partition wall between the two cavities. The crossover jets impinge on a smooth leading-edge wall and exit through the film holes, and, in some cases, form a cross flow in the leading-edge cavity and move toward the end of the cavity. It was the main objective of this investigation to measure the heat transfer coefficient on a smooth as well as rib-roughened leading-edge wall. Experimental data for impingement on a leading-edge surface roughened with different conical bumps and radial ribs have been reported by the same authors previously. This investigation, however, deals with impingement on different horseshoe ribs and makes a comparison between the experimental and numerical results. Three geometries representing the leading-edge cooling cavity of a modern gas turbine airfoil with crossover jets impinging on (1) a smooth wall, (2) a wall roughened with horseshoe ribs, and (3) a wall roughened with notched-horseshoe ribs were investigated. The tests were run for a range of flow arrangements and jet Reynolds numbers. The major conclusions of this study were: (a) Impingement on the smooth target surface produced the highest overall heat transfer coefficients followed by the notched-horseshoe and horseshoe geometries. (b) There is, however, a heat transfer enhancement benefit in roughening the target surface. Among the three target surface geometries, the notched-horseshoe ribs produced the highest heat removal from the target surface, which was attributed entirely to the area increase of the target surface. (c) CFD could be considered as a viable tool for the prediction of impingement heat transfer coefficients on an airfoil leading-edge wall.

An Experimental Study of Impingement on Roughened Airfoil Leading-Edge Walls With Film Holes

Airfoil leading-edge surfaces in state-of-the-art gas turbines, being exposed to very high gas temperatures, are often life-limiting locations and require complex cooling schemes for robust designs. A combination of convection and film cooling is used in conventional designs to maintain leading-edge metal temperatures at levels consistent with airfoil life requirements. Compatible with the external contour of the airfoil at the leading edge, the leading-edge cooling cavities often have complex cross-sectional shapes. Furthermore, to enhance the heat transfer coefficient in these cavities, they are often roughened on three walls with ribs of different geometries. The cooling flow for these geometries usually enters the cavity from the airfoil root and flows radially to the airfoil tip or, in the more advanced designs, enters the leading edge cavity from the adjacent cavity through a series of crossover holes in the wall separating the two cavities. In the latter case, the crossover jets impinge on a smooth leading-edge wall and exit through the showerhead film holes, gill film holes on the pressure and suction sides, and, in some cases, form a crossflow in the leading-edge cavity, which is ejected through the airfoil tip hole. The main objective of this investigation was to study the effects that film holes on the target surface have on the impingement heat transfer coefficient. Available data in the open literature are mostly for impingement on a flat smooth surface with no representation of the film holes. This investigation involved two new features used in airfoil leading-edge cooling, those being a curved and roughened target surface in conjunction with leading-edge row of film holes. Results of the crossover jets impinging on these leading-edge surface geometries with no film holes were reported by these authors previously. This paper reports experimental results of crossover jets impinging on those same geometries in the presence of film holes. The investigated surface geometries were smooth, roughened with large and small conical bumps as well as tapered radial ribs. A range of flow arrangements and jet Reynolds numbers were investigated, and the results were compared to those of the previous study where no film holes were present. It was concluded that the presence of leading-edge film holes along the leading edge enhances the internal impingement heat transfer coefficients significantly. The smaller conical bump geometry in this investigation produced impingement heat transfer coefficients up to 35 percent higher than those of the smooth target surface. When the contribution of the increased area in the overall heat transfer is taken into consideration, this same geometry for all flow cases as well as jet impingement distances Z/djet provides an increase in the heat removal from the target surface by as much as 95 percent when compared with the smooth target surface.