Turbine Endwall Research Articles

Effect of Endwall Contouring on a Transonic Turbine Blade Passage: Heat Transfer Performance

Effect of turbine endwall contouring on its aerodynamic performance has been widely studied, but only a few studies are available in the open literature investigating its effect on heat transfer performance; especially at transonic exit Mach number conditions. In this paper, we report a study of effect of contouring on endwall heat transfer performance of a high-turning high-pressure (HP) turbine blade passage operating under transonic exit conditions. The paper describes comparison of heat transfer performance of two contoured endwall geometries, one aerodynamically optimized (AO) and the other heat transfer optimized (HTO), with a baseline, noncontoured geometry. The endwall geometries were experimentally investigated at Virginia Tech's transient, blow down, transonic linear cascade facility at three exit Mach numbers, Mex= 0.71, 0.88(design) and 0.95, for their heat transfer performance. Endwall surface temperatures were measured using infrared (IR) thermography and local heat transfer coefficient (HTC) values were calculated using measured temperatures. A camera matrix model-based data postprocessing technique was developed to relate the two-dimensional images captured by IR camera to three-dimensional endwall contours. The measurement technique and the methodology for postprocessing of the heat transfer coefficient data have been presented in detail. Discussion and interpretation of experimental results have been augmented using aerodynamic CFD simulations of the geometries. Both the contoured endwalls demonstrated a significant reduction in the overall average heat transfer coefficient values of the order of 10%. The surface Stanton number distributions also indicated a reduction in the level of hot spots for most of the endwall surface. However, at some locations an increase was also observed, especially in the area near the leading edge (LE). The results indicate that the endwall contouring could significantly improve heat transfer performance of turbine passages.

A New Test Facility to Investigate Film Cooling on a Nonaxisymmetric Contoured Turbine Endwall—Part II: Heat Transfer and Film Cooling Measurements

The present work is part of a comprehensive heat transfer and film-cooling study on a locally cooled nonaxisymmetric contoured turbine endwall. A new test rig consisting of a linear cascade of three prismatic vanes at unity scale and exchangeable endwall has been established. The rig is operated in an open-loop configuration at a reduced main gas temperature of 425 K, an exit Mach number of 0.5, and an exit Reynolds number of 1.6 × 106. Air is used both as main gas and coolant; a realistic density ratio is achieved by cooling the coolant below freezing. In the first part of the study, aerodynamic measurements are presented. This paper concentrates on film cooling of the contoured endwall with special emphasis on data acquisition and reduction for the application of the superposition principle of film cooling. The first experimental results from thermographic measurements are discussed.

Factors Influencing Computational Predictability of Aerodynamic Losses in a Turbine Nozzle Guide Vane Flow

This paper deals with the computational predictability of aerodynamic losses in a turbine nozzle guide vane (NGV) flow. The paper shows that three-dimensional (3D) computations of Reynolds-Averaged Navier Stokes (RANS) equations have the ability to adequately represent viscous losses in the presence of laminar flows, transitional regions, and fully turbulent flow areas in the NGV of an high pressure (HP) turbine stage. The Axial Flow Turbine Research Facility (AFTRF) used for the present experimental results has an annular NGV assembly and a 29-bladed HP turbine rotor spinning at 1330 rpm. The NGV inlet and exit Reynolds numbers based on midspan axial chord are around 300,000 and 900,000, respectively. A general purpose finite-volume 3D flow solver with a shear stress transport (SST) k–ω turbulence model is employed. The current computational study benefits from these carefully executed aerodynamic experiments in the NGV of the AFTRF. The grid independence study is performed with static pressure coefficient distribution at the midspan of the vane and the total pressure coefficient at the NGV exit. The effect of grid structure on aerodynamic loss generation is emphasized. The flow transition effect and the influence of corner fillets at the vane–endwall junction are also studied. The velocity distributions and the total pressure coefficient at the NGV exit plane are in very good agreement with the experimental data. This validation study shows that the effect of future geometrical modifications on the turbine endwall surfaces will be predicted reasonably accurately. The current study also indicates that an accurately defined turbine stage geometry, a properly prepared block-structured/body-fitted grid, a state-of-the-art transitional flow implementation, inclusion of fillets, and realistic boundary conditions coming from high-resolution turbine experiments are all essential ingredients of a successful turbine NGV aerodynamic loss quantification via computations. This validation study forms the basis for the successful future generation of nonaxisymmetric endwall surface modifications in AFTRF research efforts.

Comparison of the Three-Dimensional Boundary Layer on Flat Versus Contoured Turbine Endwalls

The boundary layer on the endwall of an axial turbomachine passage is influenced by streamwise and cross-stream pressure gradients, as well as a large streamwise vortex, that develop in the passage. These influences distort the structure of the boundary layer and result in heat transfer and friction coefficients that differ significantly from simple two-dimensional boundary layers. Three-dimensional contouring of the endwall has been shown to reduce the strength of the large passage vortex and reduce endwall heat transfer, but the mechanisms of the reductions on the structure of the endwall boundary layer are not well understood. This study describes three-component measurements of mean and fluctuating velocities in the passage of a turbine blade obtained with a laser Doppler velocimeter (LDV). Friction coefficients obtained with the oil film interferometry (OFI) method were compared to measured heat transfer coefficients. In the passage, the strength of the large passage vortex was reduced with contouring. Regions where heat transfer was increased by endwall contouring corresponded to elevated turbulence levels compared to the flat endwall, but the variation in boundary layer skew across the passage was reduced with contouring.

Application of Riblets on Turbine Blade Endwall Secondary Flow Control

Within the past 10 years, significant improvements have been achieved in the laser manufacturing process. It is feasible now to design various small-scale surface features (such as dimples, riblets, grooves, etc.) in gas turbine applications with the current manufacturing readiness level of laser surface texturing techniques. In this paper, the potential of adding riblets on a turbine endwall has been investigated through combined computational fluid dynamics and experimental studies in a low-speed linear cascade environment. Detailed comparisons of the flow structures have been made for cases with and without riblets on the endwall. The numerical results show that endwall riblets can effectively reduce the strength of the pressure side leg of the horseshoe vortex, lower the cross-passage pressure gradient, and alleviate the lift up of the passage vortex. Oil film flow visualization and exit aerodynamic loss survey in experiments support the computational fluid dynamics observations: The passage vortex loss core moves closer to the endwall with the addition of riblets. The present study consistently demonstrates that the addition of riblets can be an effective approach to reduce the endwall secondary flow. Further research questions are raised for the applicability of the riblets concept in actual engine conditions and options for design optimization.

Numerical analysis on effects of coolant swirling motion on film cooling performance

A numerical study on effects of swirling coolant on film cooling performance is conducted for cylindrical, clover shaped and compound angle holes on a gas turbine endwall model. Various swirl numbers and positive and negative swirling direction of the swirling coolant jet are attained inside a swirl chamber by adjusting two small jet holes, which are installed on the swirl chamber bottom wall and incline at a certain jet angle to vertical direction. Reynolds-averaged Navier–Stokes (RANS) with SST k–ω turbulence model simulation is performed at a constant density ratio of 1.5 and a range of blowing ratio from 0.5 to 1.5. Compared with the case for non-swirling coolant, the results show that properly applying swirling motion into the coolant could dramatically improve the film cooling effectiveness for the three types of typical film holes. The film cooling effectiveness of the compound angle film hole is sensitive to not only the swirling strength but also the swirling direction. Heat transfer with film cooling is more or less enhanced by swirling jet in the case of cylindrical and clover shaped film holes, while the heat transfer enhancement by injection could be reduced by swirling jet at high blowing ratio for the compound angle film hole. The reduction of net heat transfer to the endwall with film cooling can achieve its maximum value at jet angle of θ=±20° for the clover shaped hole, while as to the cylindrical and compound angle holes it depends on blowing ratio and swirling direction.

Effect of non-axisymmetric contouring on performance and film cooling of a rotating turbine endwall subjected to the secondary air purge: A combined numerical and experimental study

Applying a new non-axisymmetric endwall contouring technology introduced by Turbomachinery Performance and Flow Research Laboratory (TPFL) at Texas A&M University to the second rotor row of a three-stage research turbine has shown that for a single rotor row a major turbine efficiency improvement can be achieved. Motivated by these results, numerical and experimental investigations were conducted to determine the effect of non-axisymmetric contouring on the endwall film cooling behavior of a rotating turbine row. To accomplish the film cooling, the endwall of the first rotor row is chosen for the contouring. It is subjected to the secondary air exiting from a large cavity through a circumferential slot that is inclined at 25° and impinges on the contoured hub. Performing Reynolds averaged Navier–Stokes (RANS) simulations by using the boundary conditions from the experiments, aerodynamics, performance, and film cooling effectiveness studies were performed by varying the injection blowing ratio and turbine rotational speed. Performance measurements were carried out within a rotational speed range of 1800–3000 r/min. The corresponding computational fluid dynamic simulations were carried out for four rotational speeds, 2000, 2400, 2600, and 3000 r/min. Comparison of the RANS aerodynamics simulations with experiments reveals noticeable differences. Considering the film cooling effectiveness, major differences between experiment and numerical results were observed and discussed in the paper.

Aero-thermal performances of leakage flows injection from the endwall slot in linear cascade of high-pressure turbine

The existence of a gap between combustor and turbine endwall in the real gas turbine induces to the leakages phenomenon. However, the leakages could be used as a coolant to protect the endwall surfaces from the hot gas since it could not be completely prevented. Thus, present study investigated the potential of leakage flows as a function of film cooling. In present study, the flow field at the downstream of high-pressure turbine blade has been investigated by 5-holes pitot tube. This is to reveal the aerodynamic performances under the influenced of leakage flows while the temperature measurement was conducted by thermochromic liquid crystal (TLC). Experimental has significantly captured theaerodynamics effect of leakage flows near the blade downstream. Furthermore, TLC measurement illustrated that the film cooling effectiveness contours were strongly influenced by the secondary flows behavior on the endwall region. Aero-thermal results were validated by the numerical simulation adopted by commercial software, ANSYS CFX 13. Both experimental and numerical simulation indicated almost similar trendinaero and also thermal behavior as the amount of leakage flows increases.

Comparative investigation of unsteady flow interactions in endwall regions of shrouded and unshrouded turbines

The flow in turbomachinery is inherently unsteady, and the endwall losses are major sources of lost efficiency in turbine cascades. Therefore, the investigation of unsteady endwall flow interactions and the consideration of the effects into turbine design are valuable to improve the turbine performance. Comparative investigation into the physical mechanisms of unsteady endwall flow interactions of 1.5-stage shrouded and unshrouded turbines are performed by using a three-dimensional Navier–Stokes viscous solver. Emphasis is placed on how unsteady stator–rotor interactions affect turbine endwall secondary flows, and the feasibility of incorporating the unsteady endwall flow effects in turbine design is also discussed. The results show that unsteady interactions between upstream wake, tip leakage vortex/mixing zone and downstream passage vortex are the main factor affecting turbine endwall secondary flows. Unsteady interactions can reduce the radial vorticity of turbine endwall secondary flows, and the effects of these interactions on the streamwise vorticity of endwall secondary flows depend on upstream wake characteristics. The properly controlled unsteady interactions can reduce the size and intensity of endwall secondary flows, and thus improve the turbine performance. Because of the difference of turbine tip architectures, the periodic fluctuations of the flow in the shrouded turbine have smaller amplitude than those in the unshrouded turbine, and the shrouded turbine is of better unsteady performance than the unshrouded turbine.

Turbine endwall film cooling with combustor-turbine interface gap leakage flow: Effect of incidence angle

This paper is focused on the film cooling performance of combustor-turbine leakage flow at off-design condition. The influence of incidence angle on film cooling effectiveness on first-stage vane endwall with combustor-turbine interface slot is studied. A baseline slot configuration is tested in a low speed four-blade cascade comprising a large-scale model of the GE-E 3 Nozzle Guide Vane (NGV). The slot has a forward expansion angle of 30 deg. to the endwall surface. The Reynolds number based on the axial chord and inlet velocity of the free-stream flow is 3.5 × 10 5 and the testing is done in a four-blade cascade with low Mach number condition (0.1 at the inlet). The blowing ratio of the coolant through the interface gap varies from M = 0.1 to M = 0.3, while the blowing ratio varies from M = 0.7 to M = 1.3 for the endwall film cooling holes. The film-cooling effectiveness distributions are obtained using the pressure sensitive paint (PSP) technique. The results show that with an increasing blowing ratio the film-cooling effectiveness increases on the endwall. As the incidence angle varies from i = +10 deg. to i = 10 deg., at low blowing ratio, the averaged film-cooling effectiveness changes slightly near the leading edge suction side area. The case of i = +10 deg. has better film-cooling performance at the downstream part of this region where the axial chord is between 0.15 and 0.25. However, the disadvantage of positive incidence appears when the blowing ratio increases, especially at the upstream part of near suction side region where the axial chord is between 0 and 0.15. On the main passage endwall surface, as the incidence angle changes from i = +10 deg. to i = 10 deg., the averaged film-cooling effectiveness changes slightly and the negative incidence appears to be more effective for the downstream part film cooling of the endwall surface where the axial chord is between 0.6 and 0.8.

Three-Dimensional RANS Prediction of Gas-Side Heat Transfer Coefficients on Turbine Blade and Endwall

This paper presents a study using 3D computational fluid dynamics (CFD) based on Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) equations to predict turbine gas-side heat transfer coefficients (HTC) on the entire airfoil and endwall. The CFD results at different spanwise sections and endwall have been compared with the flat-plate turbulent boundary layer correlation and with the data in a NASA turbine rotor passage with strong secondary flows, under three different flow conditions. The enhancement effects of secondary flow vortices on the blade surface and endwall heat transfer rate have been examined in detail. Analyses were conducted for the impact of Reynolds number and exit Mach number on heat transfer. The SST, k-ɛ, V2F, and realizable k-ɛ turbulence models have been assessed. The classical log-law wall-functions have been found to be comparable to the wall-integration methods but with much reduced sensitivity to inlet turbulence conditions. The migration of hot gas was simulated with a radial profile of inlet temperature. CFD results for mid-span HTCs of two other airfoils were also compared with test data. Overall, results are encouraging and indicate improved HTC and temperature predictions from 3D CFD could help optimize the design of turbine cooling schemes.

Calculation of Steady and Periodic Unsteady Blade Surface Heat Transfer in Separated Transitional Flow

In this work, aerothermal investigations of a highly loaded HP turbine blade are presented. The purpose of such investigations is to improve the physical understanding of the heat transfer in separated flow regions, with the final goal of optimizing cooling configurations for aerodynamically highly loaded turbine designs. The analysis is focused on the T120 cascade, that was recently tested experimentally in the framework of the European project AITEB-2 (Aero-thermal Investigation of Turbine Endwalls and Blades). Such a cascade has a relatively low solidity that is responsible for the formation of a laminar separation bubble on the suction side of the blade. Separated-flow transition and transonic conditions downstream of the throat result in a flow configuration that is very challenging for traditional RANS solvers. Moreover, the separated flow transition pattern was found to have a strong impact on both the aerodynamic and thermal aspects. The study was carried out using a novel three-equation, transition-sensitive, turbulence model. It is based on the coupling of an additional transport equation for the laminar kinetic energy to the Wilcox k - ω model. Such an approach allows one to take into account the increase of the nonturbulent fluctuations in the pretransitional and transitional region. Comprehensive aerodynamic and heat transfer measurements were available for comparison purposes. In particular, heat transfer measurements cover different Mach and Reynolds numbers, in both steady and periodic unsteady inflow conditions. A detailed comparison between measurements and computations is presented, and the impact of transition-related aspects on the surface heat transfer is discussed.

Computational Predictions of Heat Transfer and Film-Cooling for a Turbine Blade With Nonaxisymmetric Endwall Contouring

Three-dimensional contouring of the compressor and turbine endwalls in a gas turbine engine has been shown to be an effective method of reducing aerodynamic losses by mitigating the strength of the complex vortical structures generated at the endwall. Reductions in endwall heat transfer in the turbine have been also previously measured and reported in literature. In this study, computational fluid dynamics simulations of a turbine blade with and without nonaxisymmetric endwall contouring were compared to experimental measurements of the exit flowfield, endwall heat transfer, and endwall film-cooling. Secondary kinetic energy at the cascade exit was closely predicted with a simulation using the SST k-ω turbulence model. Endwall heat transfer was overpredicted in the passage for both the SST k-ω and realizable k-ε turbulence models, but heat transfer augmentation for a nonaxisymmetric contour relative to a flat endwall showed fair agreement to the experiment. Measured and predicted film-cooling results indicated that the nonaxisymmetric contouring limits the spread of film-cooling flow over the endwall depending on the interaction of the film with the contour geometry.

Upstream wake–secondary flow interactions in the endwall region of high-loaded turbines

A detailed experimental and numerical investigation of the unsteady interaction of secondary flow vortices in turbine endwall region was performed with the effect of upstream periodic wakes. The flow field was investigated respectively in a linear turbine cascade and a turbine rotor. The study revealed the physical mechanisms of unsteady interaction between upstream wake and secondary vortices. The influence of the upstream wake on the performance of turbine endwall region was also discussed. The flow field at the exit of the turbine blade row showed a decrease in passage vortex strength and loss due to the upstream wake transport. Two interaction mechanisms are proposed whereby passage vortex loss decreases. They are the upstream wake–pressure side leg of the horseshoe vortex interaction and the upstream wake–passage vortex interaction. The transport of upstream wake can suppress the development of pressure side leg of the horseshoe vortex and passage vortex because of the “negative jet” influence of the wake.

Adiabatic and Overall Effectiveness Measurements of an Effusion Cooling Array for Turbine Endwall Application

An experimental analysis for the evaluation of adiabatic and overall effectiveness of an effusion cooling geometry is presented in this paper. Chosen configuration is a flat plate with 98 holes, with a feasible arrangement for a turbine endwall. Fifteen staggered rows with equal spanwise and streamwise pitches (Sx/D=Sy/D=8.0), a length to diameter ratio of 42.9 and an injection angle of 30 deg are investigated. Measurements have been done on two different test samples made both of plastic material and stainless steel. Adiabatic tests were carried out in order to obtain adiabatic effectiveness bidimensional maps. Even if a very low conductivity material polyvinyl chloride was used, adiabatic tests on a typical effusion geometry suffer, undoubtedly, from conductive phenomena: a full three-dimensional finite element method postprocessing procedure for gathered experimental data was therefore developed for reckoning thermal fluxes across the surface and then correctly obtaining adiabatic effectiveness distributions. The objective of the tests performed on the conductive plate, having the same flow parameters as the adiabatic ones, was the estimation of overall efficiency of the cooled region. Experimental measurements were carried out imposing two different crossflow Mach numbers, 0.15 and 0.40, and varying blowing ratio from 0.5 to 1.7; effectiveness of the cooled surface was evaluated with a steady-state technique, using thermochromic liquid crystal wide band formulation. Results show that the postprocessing procedure correctly succeeded in deducting undesired thermal fluxes across the plate in adiabatic effectiveness evaluation. The increasing blowing ratio effect leads to lower adiabatic effectiveness mean values, while it makes overall effectiveness to grow. Finally, Reynolds-averaged Navier–Stokes steady-state calculations were performed employing an open source computational fluid dynamics code: an adiabatic case has been simulated using both a standard and an anisotropic turbulence model. Numerical achievements have then been compared with experimental measurements.

The Effect of Conjugate Heat Transfer on Film Cooling Effectiveness

The film cooling effectiveness of a two-dimensional gas turbine endwall is compared for the cases of conjugate heat transfer and an adiabatic wall condition using five common turbulence models. The turbulence models employed in this study are: the RNG k–ε model, the realizable k–ε model, the standard k–ω model, the SST k–ω model, and the RSM model. The computed flow field and surface temperature profiles along with the film effectiveness for one and two cooling slots at different injection angles are presented. The results show the strong effect of conjugate heat transfer on the film effectiveness compared to the adiabatic case and also compared to the effectiveness values obtained from analytically solvable models.

Film-Cooling Flowfields With Trenched Holes on an Endwall

The leading edge region along the endwall of a stator vane experiences high heat transfer rates resulting from the formation of horseshoe vortices. Typical gas turbine endwall designs include a leakage slot at the combustor-turbine interface as well as film-cooling holes. Past studies have documented the formation of a horseshoe vortex at the leading edge of a vane, but few studies have documented the flowfield in the presence of an interface slot and film-cooling jets. In this paper, a series of flowfield measurements is evaluated at the leading edge with configurations including a baseline with neither film-cooling holes nor an upstream slot, a row of film-cooling holes and an interface slot, and a row of film-cooling holes in a trench and an interface slot. The results indicated the formation of a second vortex present for the case with film-cooling holes and a slot relative to the baseline study. In addition, turbulence intensity levels as high as 50% were measured at the leading edge with film-cooling holes and a slot compared with the 30% measured for the baseline study. A trench was shown to provide improved overall cooling relative to the no trench configuration as more of the coolant stayed attached to the endwall surface with the trench.

Film cooling effectiveness: Comparison of adiabatic and conjugate heat transfer CFD models

This paper documents a computational investigation of the film cooling effectiveness of a 3-D gas turbine endwall with one fan-shaped cooling hole. The simulations were performed for adiabatic and conjugate heat transfer models. Turbulence closure was investigated using three different turbulence models: the realizable k– ε model, the SST k– ω model, as well as the v 2– f turbulence model. Results were obtained for a blowing ratio of one, and a coolant-to-mainflow temperature ratio of 0.54. The simulations used a dense, high quality, O-type, hexahedral grid with three different schemes of meshing for the cooling hole: hexahedral-, hybrid-, and tetrahedral-topology grid. The computed flow/temperature fields are presented, in addition to local, two-dimensional distribution of film cooling effectiveness for the adiabatic and conjugate cases. Results are compared to experimental data in terms of centerline film cooling effectiveness downstream cooling-hole, the predictions with realizable k– ε turbulence model exhibited the best agreement especially in the region for (2 ≤ x/ D ≤ 6). Also, the results show the effect of the conjugate heat transfer on the temperature (effectiveness) field in the film cooling hole region and, thus, the additional heating up of the cooling jet itself.

The Heat/Mass Transfer Analogy for a Simulated Turbine Endwall With Fillets

Mass transfer measurements are employed as alternative methods for heat transfer measurement because of the difficulty of heat transfer measurements in thin boundary layers, complicated secondary flows, and large thermal gradients. Even though mass transfer experiments are fast and show detailed local measurement data, the conversion of mass transfer results to heat transfer data requires the heat/mass transfer analogy factors in detail. Therefore, the usefulness of mass transfer data depends on finding a simple analogy factor. The heat/mass transfer analogy on a simulated turbine endwall with fillets is evaluated in the present paper. Since the heat/mass transfer analogy factor may not be always the same, the heat/mass transfer analogy should be verified for other different geometries and experimental conditions. To utilize the heat/mass transfer analogy fully, it is necessary to check that the presence of different aerodynamic conditions caused by the fillets affects the heat/mass transfer analogy on a simulated turbine endwall with fillets. To compare heat transfer data and mass transfer data, heat transfer measurements on the endwall with fillets are conducted with a thermal boundary layer measurement technique and mass transfer measurements employing naphthalene sublimation technique on the endwall with the fillets are extracted from literature with equivalent experimental conditions and a similar geometry. As expected by heat transfer and mass transfer equations, the heat/mass transfer analogy factor is applied and shows a good agreement between heat transfer and mass transfer results on the endwall with the fillets from the leading edge to the trailing edge.

A Comparison of Cylindrical and Fan-Shaped Film-Cooling Holes on a Vane Endwall at Low and High Freestream Turbulence Levels

Fan-shaped film-cooling holes have been shown to provide superior cooling performance to cylindrical holes along flat plates and turbine airfoils over a large range of different conditions. Benefits of fan-shaped holes include less required cooling air for the same performance, increased part lifetime, and fewer required holes. The major drawback, however, is increased manufacturing cost and manufacturing difficulty, particularly for the vane platform region. To this point, there have only been extremely limited comparisons between cylindrical and shaped holes on a turbine endwall at either low or high freestream turbulence conditions. This study presents film-cooling effectiveness measurements on an endwall surface in a large-scale, low-speed, two-passage, linear vane cascade. Results showed that film-cooling effectiveness decreased with increasing blowing rate for the cylindrical holes, indicating jet liftoff. However, the fan-shaped passage showed increased film-cooling effectiveness with increasing blowing ratio. Overall, fan-shaped holes increased film-cooling effectiveness by an average of 75% over cylindrical holes for constant cooling flow.