This paper presents a detailed study on the effect of misalignment between the combustor exit and the nozzle guide vane endwall. The Nusselt number distribution and augmentation on an axisymmetric converging endwall as well as stage pressure losses were studied using experimental techniques and computational analysis. The analyzed endwall configurations are representative of the design intent and average off-design endwall configurations of a land-based high-pressure turbine nozzle guide vane. The studies were carried out at isentropic exit Mach number of 0.85, with an exit Reynolds number of 1.5 × 106 based on the true chord, and an inlet turbulence intensity of 16%. The experiment was conducted in a blowdown transonic linear cascade wind tunnel and an infrared camera was used to measure the surface temperature and subsequently the endwall heat transfer coefficient and Nusselt number distribution. Numerical computation analysis using ANSYS Fluent v.16 was used to provide further insight into the near-endwall flow field the predictions compared favorably to experimental data.
The findings show that at the two configurations there exist uniquely different endwall secondary flow systems throughout the NGV stage. The interaction of separated flow at the combustor-turbine interface with the vane potential field results in additional secondary flow that is vastly different from that associated with classical endwall flows. This increased secondary flow in the misaligned configuration was marked by a 25% increase in NGV stage losses. The presence of separated flow and additional secondary flows also resulted in flow reattachment inside the vane passage which augmented heat transfer. The region upstream of the vane gage/throat showed heat transfer augmentation of up to 60%, while the endwall region downstream of the throat did not show any considerable heat transfer augmentation.
A detailed experimental and numerical study has been conducted to investigate the endwall heat transfer characteristics on a nozzle platform that has been misaligned with the combustor exit, resulting in a backward facing step at the nozzle inlet. The study was carried out under transonic engine representative conditions with an exit Mach number of 0.85 (Reexit = 1.5 × 106), and an inlet turbulence intensity of 16%. A transient infrared thermography technique coupled with endwall static pressure ports, were used to map the endwall surface heat transfer and aerodynamic characteristics respectively. A numerical study was also conducted by solving the steady state Reynolds Averaged Navier Stokes (RANS) equations using the commercial CFD solver ANSYS Fluent v.15. The numerical results were then validated by comparing to experiment data and good agreement was observed. The results reveal that the classical endwall secondary flows (endwall crossflows, horseshoe and passage vortices) are weakened and a unique auxiliary vortex system develops within the passage and interacts with the weakened horseshoe vortex. It is observed that heat transfer in the first half of the passage endwall is heavily influenced by this auxiliary vortex system. Heat transfer augmentation of between 15% and 40% was also observed throughout the NGV endwall. Furthermore, the auxiliary vortex system results in a delayed cross-passage migration of the horseshoe vortex which consequently results in large lateral gradient in heat transfer downstream of the throat.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.