The Effects of Localized Blade Endwall Suction on Secondary Flows and Heat Transfer
Two methods of flow control were designed to mitigate the effects of the horseshoe vortex structure (HV) at an airfoil/endwall junction. An experimental study was conducted to quantify the effects of localized boundary layer removal on surface heat transfer in a low-speed wind tunnel. A transient infrared technique was used to measure the convective heat transfer values along the surface surrounding the juncture. Particle image velocimetry was used to collect the time-mean velocity vectors of the flow field across three planes of interest. Boundary layer suction was applied through a thin slot cut into the leading edge of the airfoil at two locations. The first, referred to as Method 1, was directly along the endwall, the second, Method 2, was located at a height ∼1/3 of the approaching boundary layer height. Five suction rates were tested; 0%, 6.5%, 11%, 15% and 20% of the approaching boundary layer mass flow was removed at a constant rate. Both methods reduced the effects of the HV with increasing suction on the symmetry, 0.5-D and 1-D planes. Method 2 yielded a greater reduction in surface heat transfer but Method 1 outperformed Method 2 aerodynamically by completely removing the HV structure when 11% suction was applied. This method however produced other adverse effects such as high surface shear stress and localized areas of high heat transfer near the slot edges at high suction rates.