The Effect of Wake-Passing and Free-Stream Turbulence on Laminar Gas Turbine Blade Boundary Layers

1994 ◽  
Vol 116 (3) ◽  
pp. 384-391 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. Greenblatt

A computational procedure has been developed that accounts for the combined time-mean effect of wake-passing and free-stream turbulence on laminar turbine blade boundary layers. The procedure has the advantage of being computationally efficient as well as providing a realistic model of the unsteady nature of the flow. The procedure yielded the parameter TuReD/σD/2 for characterizing the time-mean flow in the leading edge region and the parameter Γ (≡ 2T˜Tu2σx/γ) for describing the flow downstream of the stagnation point. A provisional comparison with stagnation flow experimental data showed that the procedure may be more general than initially expected.

1993 ◽  
Author(s):  
David Greenblatt

A computational procedure has been developed which accounts for the combined time-mean effect of wake-passing and free-stream turbulence on laminar turbine blade boundary layers. The procedure has the advantage of being computationally efficient as well as providing a realistic model of the unsteady nature of the flow. The procedure yielded the parameter TuReD/σD/2 for characterizing the time-mean flow in the leading edge region and the parameter Γ≡2T~u2σx/γ for describing the flow downstream of the stagnation point. A provisional comparison with stagnation flow experimental data showed that the procedure may be more general than initially expected.


1985 ◽  
Vol 107 (1) ◽  
pp. 127-134 ◽  
Author(s):  
H. P. Hodson

The state of the boundary layers near the leading edge of a high-speed turbine blade has been investigated, in cascade, using an array of surface-mounted, constant-temperature, hot-film anemometers. The measurements are interpreted with the aid of inviscid and viscous prediction codes. The effects of Reynolds number, compressibility, incidence, and free-stream turbulence are described. In all cases, the initial development of the boundary layers was extremely complex and, even at design conditions, separation and reattachment, transition and relaminarization were found to occur.


1997 ◽  
Vol 119 (2) ◽  
pp. 292-301 ◽  
Author(s):  
K. Funazaki ◽  
M. Yokota ◽  
S. Yamawaki

Detailed studies are conducted on film effectiveness of discrete cooling holes around the leading edge of a blunt body that is subjected to periodically incoming wakes as well as free-stream turbulence with various levels of intensity. The cooling holes have a configuration similar to that of typical turbine blades except for the spanwise inclination angle. Secondary air is heated so that the temperature difference between the mainstream and secondary air is about 20 K. In this case, the air density ratio of the mainstream and secondary air becomes less than unity, therefore the flow condition encountered in an actual aero-engine cannot be simulated in terms of the density ratio. A spoke-wheel type wake generator is used in this study. In addition, three types of turbulence grids are used to elevate the free-stream turbulence intensity. We adopt three blowing ratios of the secondary air to the mainstream. For each of the blowing ratios, wall temperatures around the surface of the test model are measured by thermocouples situated inside the model. The temperature is visualized using liquid crystals in order to obtain qualitative information of film effectiveness distribution.


Author(s):  
K. Funazaki ◽  
M. Yokota ◽  
S. Yamawaki

Detailed studies are conducted on film effectiveness of discrete cooling holes around the leading edge of a blunt body that is subjected to periodically incoming wakes as well as free-stream turbulence with various levels of intensity. The cooling holes have a configuration similar to that of typical turbine blades except for the spanwise inclination angle. Secondary air is heated so that the temperature difference between the mainstream and secondary air is about 20K. In this case, air density ratio of the mainstream and secondary air becomes less than unity, therefore the flow condition encountered in an actual aero-engine can not be simulated in terms of the density ratio. A spoke-wheel type wake generator is used in this study. In addition, three types of turbulence grids are used to elevate the free-stream turbulence intensity. We adopt three blowing ratios of the secondary air to the mainstream. For each of the blowing ratios, wall temperature around the surface of the test model are measured by thermocouples situated inside the model. The temperature is visualized using liquid crystals in order to obtain qualitative information of film effectiveness distribution.


Author(s):  
Bryn N. Ubald ◽  
Jiahuan Cui ◽  
Rob Watson ◽  
Paul G. Tucker ◽  
Shahrokh Shahpar

The measurement accuracy of the temperature/pressure probe mounted at the leading edge of a turbine/compressor blade is crucial for estimating the fuel consumption of a turbo-fan engine. Apart from the measurement error itself, the probe also introduces extra losses. This again would compromise the measurement accuracy of the overall engine efficiency. This paper utilizes high-fidelity numerical analysis to understand the complex flow around the probe and quantify the loss sources due to the interaction between the blade and its instrumentation. With the inclusion of leading edge probes, three dimensional flow phenomena develop, with some flow features acting in a similar manner to a jet in cross flow. The separated flow formed at the leading edge of the probe blocks a large area of the probe bleed-hole, which is one of the reasons why the probe accuracy can be sensitive to Mach and Reynolds numbers. The addition of 4% free stream turbulence is shown to have a marginal impact on the jet trajectory originated from the probe bleedhole. However, a slight reduction is observed in the size of the separation bubble formed at the leading edge of the probe, preceding the two bleedhole exits. The free stream turbulence also has a significant impact on the size of the separation bubble near the trailing edge of the blade. With the addition of the free stream turbulence, the loss observed within the trailing edge wake is reduced. More than 50% of the losses at the cascade exit are generated by the leading edge probe. A breakdown of the dissipation terms from the mean flow kinetic energy equation demonstrates that the Reynolds stresses are the key terms in dissipating the counter rotating vortex pairs with the viscous stresses responsible for the boundary layer.


Author(s):  
Jonathan H. Watmuff

Experiments are described in which well-defined FSN (Free Stream Nonuniformity) distributions are introduced by placing fine wires upstream of the leading edge of a flat plate. Large amplitude spanwise thickness variations are present in the downstream boundary layer resulting from the interaction of the laminar wakes with the leading edge. Regions of elevated background unsteadiness appear on either side of the peak layer thickness, which share many of the characteristics of Klebanoff modes, observed at elevated Free Stream Turbulence (FST) levels. However, for the low background disturbance level of the free stream, the layer remains laminar to the end of the test section (Rx ≈ l.4×106) and there is no evidence of bursting or other phenomena associated with breakdown to turbulence. A vibrating ribbon apparatus is used to demonstrate that the deformation of the mean flow is responsible for substantial phase and amplitude distortion of Tollmien-Schlichting (TS) waves. Pseudo-flow visualization of hot-wire data shows that the breakdown of the distorted waves is more complex and occurs at a lower Reynolds number than the breakdown of the K-type secondary instability observed when the FSN is not present.


2005 ◽  
Vol 128 (2) ◽  
pp. 247-257 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jonathan H. Watmuff

Experiments are described in which well-defined weak Free Stream Nonuniformity (FSN) is introduced by placing fine wires upstream of the leading edge of a flat plate. Large amplitude spanwise thickness variations form in the boundary layer as a result of the interaction between the steady laminar wakes from the wires and the leading edge. The centerline of a region of elevated layer thickness is aligned with the centerline of the wake in the freestream and the response is shown to be remarkably sensitive to the spanwise length-scale of the wakes. The region of elevated thickness is equivalent to a long narrow low speed streak in the layer. Elevated Free Stream Turbulence (FST) levels are known to produce randomly forming arrays of long narrow low speed streaks in laminar boundary layers. Therefore the characteristics of the streaks resulting from the FSN are studied in detail in an effort to gain some insight into bypass transition that occurs at elevated FST levels. The shape factors of the profiles in the vicinity of the streak appear to be unaltered from the Blasius value, even though the magnitude of the local thickness variations are as large as 60% of that of the undisturbed layer. Regions of elevated background unsteadiness appear on either side of the streak and it is shown that they are most likely the result of small amplitude spanwise modulation of the layer thickness. The background unsteadiness shares many of the characteristics of Klebanoff modes observed at elevated FST levels. However, the layer remains laminar to the end of the test section (Rx≈1.4×106) and there is no evidence of bursting or other phenomena associated with breakdown to turbulence. A vibrating ribbon apparatus is used to examine interactions between the streak and Tollmien-Schlichting (TS) waves. The deformation of the mean flow introduced by the streak is responsible for substantial phase and amplitude distortion of the waves and the breakdown of the distorted waves is more complex and it occurs at a lower Reynolds number than the breakdown of the K-type secondary instability that is observed when the FSN is not present.


1998 ◽  
Vol 374 ◽  
pp. 91-116 ◽  
Author(s):  
IAN P. CASTRO ◽  
ELEANORA EPIK

Measurements obtained in boundary layers developing downstream of the highly turbulent, separated flow generated at the leading edge of a blunt flat plate are presented. Two cases are considered: first, when there is only very low (wind tunnel) turbulence present in the free-stream flow and, second, when roughly isotropic, homogeneous turbulence is introduced. With conditions adjusted to ensure that the separated region was of the same length in both cases, the flow around reattachment was significantly different and subsequent differences in the development rate of the two boundary layers are identified. The paper complements, but is much more extensive than, the earlier presentation of some of the basic data (Castro & Epik 1996), confirming not only that the development process is very slow, but also that it is non-monotonic. Turbulence stress levels fall below those typical of zero-pressure-gradient boundary layers and, in many ways, the boundary layer has features similar to those found in standard boundary layers perturbed by free-stream turbulence. It is argued that, at least as far as the turbulence structure is concerned, the inner layer region develops no more quickly than does the outer flow and it is the latter which essentially determines the overall rate of development of the whole flow. Some numerical computations are used to assess the extent to which current turbulence models are adequate for such flows.


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