Effects of Geometry, Spacing, and Number of Pin Fins in Additively Manufactured Microchannel Pin Fin Arrays

2017 ◽  
Vol 140 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Katharine K. Ferster ◽  
Kathryn L. Kirsch ◽  
Karen A. Thole

The demand for higher efficiency is ever present in the gas turbine field and can be achieved through many different approaches. While additively manufactured parts have only recently been introduced into the hot section of a gas turbine engine, the manufacturing technology shows promise for more widespread implementation since the process allows a designer to push the limits on capabilities of traditional machining and potentially impact turbine efficiencies. Pin fins are conventionally used in turbine airfoils to remove heat from locations in which high thermal and mechanical stresses are present. This study employs the benefits of additive manufacturing to make uniquely shaped pin fins, with the goal of increased performance over conventional cylindrical pin fin arrays. Triangular, star, and spherical shaped pin fins placed in microchannel test coupons were manufactured using direct metal laser sintering (DMLS). These coupons were experimentally investigated for pressure loss and heat transfer at a range of Reynolds numbers. Spacing, number of pin fins in the array, and pin fin geometry were variables that changed pressure loss and heat transfer in this study. Results indicate that the additively manufactured triangles and cylinders outperform conventional pin fin arrays, while stars and dimpled spheres did not.

Author(s):  
Katharine K. Ferster ◽  
Kathryn L. Kirsch ◽  
Karen A. Thole

The demand for higher efficiency is ever-present in the gas turbine field and can be achieved through many different approaches. While additively manufactured parts have only recently been introduced into the hot section of a gas turbine engine, the manufacturing technology shows promise for more widespread implementation since the process allows a designer to push the limits on capabilities of traditional machining and potentially impact turbine efficiencies. Pin fins are conventionally used in turbine airfoils to remove heat from locations in which high thermal and mechanical stresses are present. This study employs the benefits of additive manufacturing to make uniquely shaped pin fins, with the goal of increased performance over conventional cylindrical pin fin arrays. Triangular, star, and spherical shaped pin fins placed in microchannel test coupons were manufactured using Direct Metal Laser Sintering. These coupons were experimentally investigated for pressure loss and heat transfer at a range of Reynolds numbers. Spacing, number of pin fins in the array, and pin fin geometry were variables that changed pressure loss and heat transfer in this study. Results indicate that the additively manufactured triangles and cylinders outperform conventional pin fin arrays, while stars and dimpled spheres did not.


2013 ◽  
Vol 136 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Kathryn L. Kirsch ◽  
Jason K. Ostanek ◽  
Karen A. Thole

Pin fin arrays are most commonly used to promote convective cooling within the internal passages of gas turbine airfoils. Contributing to the heat transfer are the surfaces of the channel walls as well as the pin itself. Generally the pin fin cross section is circular; however, certain applications benefit from using other shapes such as oblong pin fins. The current study focuses on characterizing the heat transfer distribution on the surface of oblong pin fins with a particular focus on pin spacing effects. Comparisons were made with circular cylindrical pin fins, where both oblong and circular cylindrical pins had a height-to-diameter ratio of unity, with both streamwise and spanwise spacing varying between two and three diameters. To determine the effect of relative pin placement, measurements were taken in the first of a single row and in the third row of a multirow array. Results showed that area-averaged heat transfer on the pin surface was between 30 and 35% lower for oblong pins in comparison to cylindrical. While heat transfer on the circular cylindrical pin experienced one minimum prior to boundary layer separation, heat transfer on the oblong pin fins experienced two minimums, where one is located before the boundary layer transitions to a turbulent boundary layer and the other prior to separation at the trailing edge.


Author(s):  
Kathryn L. Kirsch ◽  
Karen A. Thole

Pin fin arrays are employed as an effective means for heat transfer enhancement in the internal passages of a gas turbine blade, specifically in the blade’s trailing edge. Various shapes of the pin itself have been used in such arrays. In this study, oblong pin fins are investigated whereby their long axis is perpendicular to the flow direction. Heat transfer measurements were taken at the pin mid-span with unheated endwalls to isolate the pin heat transfer. Results show important differences in the heat transfer patterns between a pin in the first row and a pin in the third row. In the third row, wider spanwise spacing allows for two peaks in heat transfer over the pin surface. Additionally, closer streamwise spacing leads to consistently higher heat transfer for the same spanwise spacing. Due to the blunt orientation of the pins, the peak in heat transfer occurs off the stagnation point.


Author(s):  
Oğuz Uzol ◽  
Cengiz Camci

Detailed experimental investigation of the wall heat transfer enhancement and total pressure loss characteristics for two alternative elliptical pin fin arrays is conducted and the results are compared to the conventional circular pin fin arrays. Two different elliptical pin fin geometries with different major axis lengths are tested, both having a minor axis length equal to the circular fin diameter and positioned at zero degrees angle of attack to the free stream flow. The major axis lengths for the two elliptical fins are 1.67 and 2.5 times the circular fin diameter, respectively. The pin fin arrays with H/D = 1.5 are positioned in a staggered 2 row configuration with 3 fins in the first row and 2 fins in the second row with S/D = X/D = 2. Endwall heat transfer and total pressure loss measurements are performed two diameter downstream of the pin fin arrays (X/D = 2) in a rectangular cross-section tunnel with an aspect ratio of 4.8 and for varying Reynolds numbers between 10000 and 47000 based on the inlet velocity and the fin diameter. Liquid Crystal Thermography is used for the measurement of convective heat transfer coefficient distributions on the endwall inside the wake. The results show that the wall heat transfer enhancement capability of the circular pin fin array is about 25–30% higher than the elliptical pin fin arrays in average. However in terms of total pressure loss, the circular pin fin arrays generate 100–200% more pressure loss than the elliptical pin fin arrays. This makes the elliptical fin arrays very promising cooling devices as an alternative to conventional circular pin fin arrays used in gas turbine blade cooling applications.


Author(s):  
Yu Rao ◽  
Chaoyi Wan ◽  
Yuyang Liu ◽  
Jiang Qin

An experimental study has been conducted on multiple-jet impingement heat transfer in a narrow space with full-height pin fins under maximum cross flow scheme. Transient liquid crystal thermography method has been used to obtain the detailed impingement heat transfer distribution for the Reynolds numbers from 15,000 to 30,000. The experimental study shows that the spanwisely-averaged Nusselt number ratio Nu/(Re0.8 Pr1/3) is almost independent of Reynolds numbers, and the full-height pin-fin arrays can slightly improve the average Nusselt number on the endwall of the target plate by about 5.0%, and increase the pressure loss by up to about 17.9%. It is also found that heat transfer uniformity is also improved on the endwall of the target plate with pin fin arrays.


Author(s):  
Kathryn L. Kirsch ◽  
Jason K. Ostanek ◽  
Karen A. Thole

Pin fin arrays are most commonly used to promote convective cooling within the internal passages of gas turbine airfoils. Contributing to the heat transfer are the surfaces of the channel walls as well as the pin itself. Generally the pin fin cross-section is circular; however, certain applications benefit from using other shapes such as oblong pin fins. The current study focuses on characterizing the heat transfer distribution on the surface of oblong pin fins with a particular focus on pin spacing effects. Comparisons were made with circular cylindrical pin fins, where both oblong and circular cylindrical pins had a height-to-diameter ratio of unity, with both streamwise and spanwise spacing varying between two and three diameters. To determine the effect of relative pin placement, measurements were taken in the first of a single row and in the third row of a multi-row array. Results showed that area-averaged heat transfer on the pin surface was between 30 and 35 percent lower for oblong pins in comparison to cylindrical. While heat transfer on the circular cylindrical pin experienced one minimum prior to boundary layer separation, heat transfer on the oblong pin-fins experienced two minimums, where one is located before the boundary layer transitions to a turbulent boundary layer and the other prior to separation at the trailing edge.


1998 ◽  
Vol 120 (2) ◽  
pp. 362-367 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. K. Chyu ◽  
Y. C. Hsing ◽  
V. Natarajan

The present study explores the heat transfer enhancement induced by arrays of cubic fins. The fin element is either a cube or a diamond in shape. The array configurations studied include both in-line and staggered arrays of seven rows and five columns. Both cubic arrays have the same geometric parameters, i.e., H/D = 1, S/D = X/D = 2.5, which are similar to those of earlier studies on circular pin-fin arrays. The present results indicate that the cube element in either array always yields the highest heat transfer, followed by diamond and circular pin-fin. Arrays with diamond-shaped elements generally cause the greater pressure loss than those with either cubes or pin fins. For a given element shape, a staggered array generally produces higher heat transfer enhancement and pressure loss than the corresponding inline array. Cubic arrays can be viable alternatives for pedestal cooling near a blade trailing edge.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pratik S. Bhansali ◽  
Kishore Ranganath Ramakrishnan ◽  
Srinath V. Ekkad

Abstract Many engineering applications consist of rotating components which experience high heat load. For instance, applications like the gas turbine engine consist of rotating disks and the study of heat transfer over such rotating surfaces is of particular interest. In the case of gas turbines, the disk also needs to be protected from the ingress of hot turbine gases caused by the low pressure region created due to the radially outward pumping of fluid close to the rotating surface. Present experimental study investigates the effects of introducing pin-fins on heat transfer over surface of a rotating gas turbine disk. Experiments were conducted at rotational Reynolds numbers (ReR) of 5487 - 12803 and jet Reynolds numbers (Re) of 5000 - 18000, nozzle to target spacing (z/d = 2 - 6), impingement eccentricities (e = 0 -0.67), angles of impingement (0°-20°), and the pin fin height (Hf = 3.05mm - 19.05mm). Steady state temperature measurements were taken using thermocouples embedded in the disk, and area average Nusselt number (Nu) was calculated. The results have been compared with those for a smooth aluminum disk. Nu was significantly enhanced by the presence of pin-fins. The enhancement was higher for lower Re and the maximum enhancement was found to be 3.9 times that of a smooth disk for Re = 5000. Qualitative visualization of flow field has been performed for smooth and the pin-fin case using the commercial simulation package Ansys Fluent to further understand the flow features that result in the enhancement.


2015 ◽  
Vol 137 (7) ◽  
Author(s):  
Kathryn L. Kirsch ◽  
Karen A. Thole

Pin fin arrays are employed as an effective means for heat transfer enhancement in the internal passages of a gas turbine blade, specifically in the blade's trailing edge. Various shapes of the pin itself have been used in such arrays. In this study, oblong pin fins are investigated whereby their long axis is perpendicular to the flow direction. Heat transfer measurements were taken at the pin midspan with unheated endwalls to isolate the pin heat transfer. Results show important differences in the heat transfer patterns between a pin in the first row and a pin in the third row. In the third row, wider spanwise spacing allows for two peaks in heat transfer over the pin surface. Additionally, closer streamwise spacing leads to consistently higher heat transfer for the same spanwise spacing. Due to the blunt orientation of the pins, the peak in heat transfer occurs off the stagnation point.


Author(s):  
Rui Kan ◽  
Jing Ren ◽  
Hongde Jiang

Pin fin arrays and perforated blockages are both important methods for gas turbine trailing edge cooling. Perforated blockages result in higher heat transfer coefficients with larger pressure loss penalty. For enhanced heat transfer with medium pressure loss, we installed a perforated blockage at the inlet of pin fin arrays and studied the combined effects between impingement and pin fin. Heat transfer coefficients were measured with the transient liquid crystal method and the lumped capacitance model. Flow field was investigated using the RNG k-ε model. Six configurations with different flow area ratio, hole distribution and hole aspect ratio were examined at duct Reynolds number between 9,000 and 20,000. The results reveal that under impingement condition, Nusselt number for the first two rows of pin fins near the stagnation point is 2∼3 times larger than the baseline case without impingement. The most important parameter for heat transfer and friction loss is the area ratio. The average Nusselt number increases 20%∼50% with impingement, and the friction factor increases 4∼20 times. Heat transfer and friction loss for the combined configurations satisfy the correlation Nu = 0.1766Re0.702f0.188.


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