On Film Cooling Performance of a Turbine Vane Pressure Side: The Effect of Showerhead and Hole Alignment
This study uses transient IR-thermography to evaluate the effect of showerhead cooling and hole position on the performance of single-row cooling hole on the pressure side of a guide vane under engine representative conditions. The investigation includes both cylindrical and fan-shaped holes at two blowing conditions: 0.6 and 1.8. The influence of cooling hole alignment for these hole shapes in the performance of multiple row configurations was also studied in the presence of showerhead. For this purpose, double- and triple-row cases in staggered and non-staggered arrangements were considered for two blowing conditions, similar to the single row. The results are presented in terms of both adiabatic film effectiveness, AFE, and net heat flux reduction, NHFR. The showerhead effect was shown to be profound with regard to both AFE and NHFR for the cooling hole close to it. This holds for both hole shapes and blowing ratios. The overall film cooling performance, NHFR, of the rows further downstream of the showerhead and close to the trailing edge were affected marginally by the showerhead. The later cooling row showed superior performance compared to the other rows for fan-shaped holes in both presence and absence of shower-head at a low blowing ratio. For multiple row configurations, in general fan-shaped holes can maintain higher AFE in staggered alignment, while cylindrical holes benefit from consequent jet interaction between rows of cooling in a non-staggered arrangement. This holds for both investigated blowing ratios and double- and triple-rows. When considering NHFR, the results indicate that fan-shaped holes are less affected by the hole alignment. Cylindrical holes, however, can maintain superior performance in non-staggered alignment for all investigated cases except triple row under low blowing condition. The results also suggest that a double-row configuration in the presence of showerhead will benefit from an additional row mainly at high blowing ratios.