An investigation of thermal effects on bypass transition was conducted on the highly-loaded turbine guide vane LS89 in the short-duration isentropic Compression Tube (CT-2) facility at the von Karman Institute for Fluid Dynamics (VKI).
Measurements from high response surface-mounted thin films coupled with analog circuits provided the time-resolved wall heat flux history whereas pneumatic probes, differential pressure transducers and thermocouples allowed the accurate definition of the inlet and outlet flow conditions.
The gas-to-wall temperature ratio, ranging from 1.11 to 1.55, was varied by changing the inlet total temperature. The isentropic exit Mach number ranged from 0.90 to 1.00 and the global freestream turbulence intensity value was set at 0.8, 3.9 and 5.3%. The isentropic exit Reynolds number was kept at 106.
The onset of transition was tracked through the wall heat flux signal fluctuations. Within the present operating conditions, no significant effect of the gas/wall temperature ratio was put in evidence. At the present (design) transonic exit conditions, the local free-stream pressure gradient appears to remain the main driver of the onset of transition. A wider range of operating conditions must be considered to draw final conclusions.
Design and Analysis of Isentropic Compression Experiments
