Heat transfer and aerodynamics of turbine blade tips in a linear cascade

Local measurements of the heat transfer coefficient and pressure coefficient were conducted on the tip and near tip region of a generic turbine blade in a five-blade linear cascade. Two tip clearance gaps were used: 1.6% and 2.8% chord. Data was obtained at a Reynolds number of 2.3 × 10 5 based on exit velocity and chord. Three different tip geometries were investigated: a flat (plain) tip, a suction-side squealer, and a cavity squealer. The experiments reveal that the flow through the plain gap is dominated by flow separation at the pressure-side edge and that the highest levels of heat transfer are located where the flow reattaches on the tip surface. High heat transfer is also measured at locations where the tip-leakage vortex has impinged onto the suction surface of the aerofoil. The experiments are supported by flow visualisation computed using the CFX CFD code which has provided insight into the fluid dynamics within the gap. The suction-side and cavity squealers are shown to reduce the heat transfer in the gap but high levels of heat transfer are associated with locations of impingement, identified using the flow visualisation and aerodynamic data. Film cooling is introduced on the plain tip at locations near the pressure-side edge within the separated region and a net heat flux reduction analysis is used to quantify the performance of the successful cooling design. copyright © 2005 by ASME.

The low Reynolds number aerodynamics of leading edge flaps

Within the low Reynolds number regime at which birds and small air vehicles operate (Re=15,000-500,000), flow is beset with laminar separation bubbles and bubble burst which can lead to loss of lift and early onset of stall. Recent video footage of an eagle's wings in flight reveals an inconspicuous wing feature: the sudden deployment of a row of feathers from the lower surface of the wing to create a leading edge flap. An understanding of the aerodynamic function of this flap has been developed through a series of low speed wind tunnel tests performed on an Eppler E423 aerofoil. Experiments took place at Reynolds numbers ranging from 40000 to 140000 and angles of attack up to 30°. In the lower range of tested Reynolds numbers, application of the flap was found to substantially enhance aerofoil performance by augmenting the lift and limiting the drag at certain incidences. The leading edge flap was determined to act as a transition device at low Reynolds numbers, preventing the formation of separation bubbles and consequently decreasing the speed at which stall occurs during landing and manoeuvring.

Contra-rotating open rotor operation for improved aerodynamics and noise at takeoff

The contra-rotating open rotor is, once again, being considered as an alternative to the advanced turbofan to address the growing pressure to cut aviation fuel consumption and carbon dioxide emissions. One of the key challenges is meeting community noise targets at takeoff. Previous open rotor designs are subject to poor efficiency at takeoff due to the presence of large regions of separated flow on the blades as a result of the high incidence needed to achieve the required thrust. This is a consequence of the fixed rotor rotational speed constraint typical of variable pitch propellers. Within the study described in this paper, an improved operation is proposed to improve performance and reduce rotorrotor interaction noise at takeoff. Three-dimensional computational fluid dynamics (CFD) calculations have been performed on an open rotor rig at a range of takeoff operating conditions. These have been complemented by analytical tone noise predictions to quantify the noise benefits of the approach. The results presented show that for a given thrust, a combination of reduced rotor pitch and increased rotor rotational speed can be used to reduce the incidence onto the front rotor blades. This is shown to eliminate regions of flow separation, reduce the front rotor tip loss and reduce the downstream stream tube contraction. The wakes from the front rotor are also made wider with lower velocity defect, which is found to lead to reduced interaction tone noise. Unfortunately, the necessary increase in blade speed leads to higher relative Mach numbers, which can increase rotor alone noise. In summary, the combined CFD and aero-acoustic analysis in this paper shows how careful operation of an open rotor at takeoff, with moderate levels of re-pitch and speed increase, can lead to improved front rotor efficiency as well as appreciably lower overall noise across all directivities. Copyright © 2011 by ASME.