Alessandro Armellini

Aerothermal investigation of a rib-roughened trailing edge channel with crossing-jets-part I: Flow field analysis

The present contribution addresses the aero-thermal experimental and computational study of a trapezoidal cross-section model simulating a trailing edge cooling cavity with one rib-roughened wall. The flow is fed through tilted slots on one side wall and exits through straight slots on the opposite side wall. The flow field aerodynamics is investigated in part I of the paper. The reference Reynolds number is defined at the entrance of the test section and set at 67500 for all the experiments. A qualitative flow model is deduced from surface-streamline flow visualizations. Two-dimensional Particle Image Velocimetry measurements are performed in several planes around mid-span of the channel and recombined to visualize and quantify three-dimensional flow features. The jets issued from the tilted slots are characterized and the jet-rib interaction is analyzed. Attention is drawn to the motion of the flow deflected by the rib-roughened wall and impinging on the opposite smooth wall. The experimental results are compared with the numerical predictions obtained from the finite volume, RANS solver CEDRE.Copyright

Rotating Heat Transfer Measurements on a Multi-Pass Internal Cooling Channel: II — Experimental Tests

The present contribution is focused on heat transfer measurements on internal cooling channels of a high pressure gas turbine blade in static and rotating conditions. A novel rig designed for the specific purpose was used to assess the heat transfer coefficients on a full internal cooling scheme of an idealized blade. The channel has a multi-pass design. Coolant enters at the blade hub in the leading edge region and move radially outwards inside a two-sided ribbed channel. The second passage is again a two-sided ribbed channel with a trapezoidal cross section of high aspect ratio, while inside the third leg low aspect-ratio cylindrical pin fins are arranged in a staggered configuration to promote flow turbulence. Inside the third passage, the coolant is progressively discharged at the blade trailing edge and finally at the blade tip. The test model differs with respect to the real design only because there is no curvature due to the blade camber. Conversely, the correct stagger angle of the real blade with respect to the rotation axis is preserved. Experiments were performed for static and rotating conditions with engine similar conditions of Re=21000 and Ro=0.074, both defined at the channel inlet. Transient liquid crystal technique was used for the measurement of the heat transfer coefficient (HTC) on both pressure and suction sides internal surfaces of the channel. From the spatially resolved HTC maps available, it is possible to characterize the thermal performances of the whole passage and to highlight the effect of rotation. INTRODUCTION Many different cooling methods have been developed to ensure that the turbine blade metal temperatures are maintained at a level consistent with safe and economic airfoil service life. Adoption of internal cooling is the starting point to achieve this task. Coolant air is routed to serpentine passages within the airfoil and convectively removes heat from the blade. The spent coolant can be then exhausted in multiple ways: at the blade tip, through cooling holes or slots at the trailing edge or by film cooling holes in multiple locations on the airfoil surface. This necessary cooling flow has a strong impact on the turbine efficiency, therefore improving cooling technology is always a focus point of gas turbine industry research activity, as demonstrated by the large literature available. Inside multi-pass channels different types of turbulent promoters are used to enhance heat transfer. The choice of which kind of turbulator to install is constrained by the channel cross section dimensions and aspect ratio, which in turns depends upon the blade region where the passage is located. Inclined ribs are usually found in the first legs, which have the task to cool leading edge and main body regions. Conversely, inside the thin trailing edge of the airfoil, pin-fin channels are prevalently adopted with combined benefits of structural integrity and heat transfer enhancements. ROTATING HEAT TRANSFER, CURRENT STATE-OF-ART Another important aspect that has to be taken into account in the design process of a cooling passage is the combined effect of turbulators, rotation, and channel orientation. The experimental and numerical results obtained by Hart [1], Lezius and Johnston [2], Speziale [3], and Speziale and Thangam [4] can be considered as the fundamental contributions describing the Coriolis effects on the flow field inside basic channel geometries

Coriolis Effects on the Flow Field Inside a Rotating Triangular Channel for Leading Edge Cooling

The flow field inside a rotating smooth radial channel with a triangular shaped cross section is investigated. Test conditions resemble those pertaining to the passages used for the internal cooling of the gas turbine blades leading edge. Heat transfer data are also available from the literature on the same geometry and at comparable working conditions and have been profitably used for a combined aerothermal analysis. The model consists of a straight smooth channel with an equilateral triangle cross section. The rotation axis is aligned with one of the triangle bisectors. Two dimensional particle image velocimetry (PIV) and stereo-PIV were used in order to characterize the inlet flow (in static conditions) and the rotation-induced secondary flow in the channel cross section at Re = 20,000, Ro = 0.2 and Re = 10,000, Ro = 0.4. A wider range of working conditions (Re = 10,000–40,000, Ro = 0.2–0.6) was explored by means of Reynolds averaged Navier–Stokes (RANS) simulations carefully validated by the available PIV data. The turbulence was modeled by means of the shear stress transport (SST) model with a hybrid near-wall treatment. The results show that the rotation-induced flow structure is rather complicated and show relevant differences compared to the flow models that have been considered thus far. Indeed, the secondary flow turned out to be characterized by the presence of two or more vortex cells, depending on channel location and Ro number. No separation or reattachment of these structures is found on the channel walls but they have been observed at the channel apexes. The stream-wise velocity distribution shows a velocity peak close to the lower apex and the overall flow structure does not reach a steady configuration along the channel length. This evolution is fastened (in space) if the rotation number is increased while changes of the Re number have no effect. Finally, due to the understanding of the flow mechanisms associated with rotation, it was possible to provide a precise justification of the channel thermal behavior.

Flow field inside a leading edge cooling channel with turbulence promoters in rotating conditions

The present work deepens the analysis of the flow field inside a triangular equilateral channel with turbulence promoters, perpendicular to the radial direction, on both leading and trailing sides, under rotation and both isothermal and nonisothermal conditions (i.e. with centrifugal buoyancy forces). Simulations have been performed at constant Re = 10,000, Ro = 0–0.2–0.6, and Bo = 0–0.08–0.7, the latter corresponding to 80℃ temperature difference between fluid and walls. These conditions match those of the particle image velocimetry measurements, used for comparison against predictions. After proper validation, the numerical modeling helped with the assessment of the flow field evolution along the radial extension of the cooling channel. It has been possible to determine the path of the coolant throughout the channel and localize where the heat transfer would have been enhanced/decreased by secondary flow structures, with respect to the stationary case. Furthermore, a rather Bo-independency of the flow field in this kind of geometry has been confirmed. The analysis presented in this paper finds support from the thermal data available from the open literature, which is rich of thermal analysis indeed, but lacks a detailed description of internal flow fields.

Numerical Aero-Thermal Analysis of a Rib-Roughened Trailing Edge Cooling Channel at Different Rotation Numbers and Channel Orientations

The present work considers the aero-thermal characterization of a rib-roughened cooling channel for the trailing edge of gas turbine blades, and is based on previous findings from a smooth channel configuration. The passage is characterized by a trapezoidal cross section with high aspect-ratio, radial inlet flow, and coolant discharge at both model tip and trailing side, where seven elongated pedestals are installed. In this study, heat transfer augmentation is achieved by placing inclined squared ribs on the channel central portion.RANS simulations with a SST turbulence model were performed using the commercial solver ANSYS CFX®v14. The numerical tool was first validated on the available experimental data and, subsequently, its capabilities were exploited in a wider range of working conditions, namely at higher rotation speed and different channel orientation. In this way it was possible to highlight the effects that ribs and working conditions have on the development of both flow and thermal fields.The results show that rotation and channel orientation produce contrasting effects. On the rib-roughened wall, rotation/orientation generates an increase/decrease of the heat transfer; conversely, on the trailing side region rotation/orientation has a negative/positive effect on the thermal field.Copyright

Aero-Thermal Investigation of a Rib-Roughened Trailing Edge Channel With Crossing-Jets: Part I—Flow Field Analysis

The present contribution addresses the aero-thermal experimental and computational study of a trapezoidal cross-section model simulating a trailing edge cooling cavity with one rib-roughened wall. The flow is fed through tilted slots on one side wall and exits through straight slots on the opposite side wall. The flow field aerodynamics is investigated in part I of the paper. The reference Reynolds number is defined at the entrance of the test section and set at 67500 for all the experiments. A qualitative flow model is deduced from surface-streamline flow visualizations. Two-dimensional Particle Image Velocimetry measurements are performed in several planes around mid-span of the channel and recombined to visualize and quantify three-dimensional flow features. The jets issued from the tilted slots are characterized and the jet-rib interaction is analyzed. Attention is drawn to the motion of the flow deflected by the rib-roughened wall and impinging on the opposite smooth wall. The experimental results are compared with the numerical predictions obtained from the finite volume, RANS solver CEDRE.Copyright

Aero-thermal investigation of a rib-roughened trailing edge channel with crossing-jets - Part II: heat transfer analysis

The present contribution addresses the aero-thermal experimental and computational study of a trapezoidal cross-section model simulating a trailing edge cooling cavity with one rib-roughened wall and slots along two opposite walls. Highly resolved heat transfer distributions for the geometry with and without ribs are achieved using a steady state liquid crystals method in part II of this paper. The reference Reynolds number, defined at the entrance of the test section, is set at 67500 for all the experiments. Comparisons are made with the flow field visualizations presented in part I of the paper. The results show the dramatic impact of the flow structures on the local and global heat transfer coefficients along the cavity walls. Of particular importance is the jet deflected by the rib-roughened wall and impinging on the opposite smooth wall. The experimental results are compared with the numerical predictions obtained using the finite volume, Reynolds-Averaged Navier-Stokes solver CEDRE.© 2008 ASME