The gas turbine blade/vane internal cooling is achieved by circulating compressed air through the cooling channels inside the turbine blade. Cooling channel geometries vary to fit the blade profile. This paper experimentally investigated the rotational effects on heat transfer in an equilateral triangular channel (Dh=1.83 cm). The triangular shaped channel is applicable to the leading edge of the gas turbine blade. Angled 45 deg ribs are placed on the leading and trailing surfaces of the test section to enhance heat transfer. The rib pitch-to-rib height ratio (P/e) is 8 and the rib height-to-channel hydraulic diameter ratio (e/Dh) is 0.087. Effect of the angled ribs under high rotation numbers and buoyancy parameters is also presented. Results show that due to the radially outward flow, heat transfer is enhanced with rotation on the trailing surface. By varying the Reynolds numbers (10,000–40,000) and the rotational speeds (0–400 rpm), the rotation number and buoyancy parameter reached in this study are 0–0.58 and 0–1.9, respectively. The higher rotation number and buoyancy parameter correlate very well and can be used to predict the rotational heat transfer in the equilateral triangular channel.

Electricity production from geothermal resources is currently based on the exploitation of hydrothermal reservoirs. Hydrothermal reservoirs possess three ingredients critical to present day commercial extraction of subsurface heat: high temperature, in-situ fluid and high permeability. Relative to the total subsurface heat resource available, hydrothermal resources are geographically and quantitatively limited.A 2006 DOE sponsored study led by MIT entitled "The Future of Geothermal Energy" estimates the thermal resource underlying the United States at depths between 3 km and 10 km to be on the order of 14 million EJ. For comparison purposes, total U.S. energy consumption in 2005 was 100 EJ. The overwhelming majority of this resource is present in geological formations which lack either in-situ fluid, permeability or both. Economical extraction of the heat in non-hydrothermal situations is termed Enhanced or Engineered Geothermal Systems (EGS). The technologies and processes required for EGS are currently in a developmental stage. Accessing the vast thermal resource between 3 km and 10 km in particular requires a significant extension of current hydrothermal practice, where wells rarely reach 3 km in depth.This report provides an assessment of well construction technology for EGS with two primary objectives: 1. Determining the ability of existing technologies to develop EGS wells. 2. Identifying critical well construction research lines and development technologies that are likely to enhance prospects for EGS viability and improve overall economics. 4Towards these ends, a methodology is followed in which a case study is developed to systematically and quantitatively evaluate EGS well construction technology needs. A baseline EGS well specification is first formulated. The steps, tasks and tools involved in the construction of this prospective baseline EGS well are then explicitly defined by a geothermal drilling contractor in terms of sequence, time and cost. A task and cost based analysis of the exercise is subsequently conducted to develop a deeper understanding of the key technical and economic drivers of the well construction process. Finally, future research & development recommendations are provided and ranked based on their economic and technical significance.5

This paper experimentally investigated the rotational effects on heat transfer in a smooth two-pass rectangular channel (AR=2:1), which is applicable to the cooling passages in the midportion of the gas turbine blade. The test channel has radially outward flow in the first passage and radially inward flow in the second passage after a 180 deg sharp turn. In the first passage, the flow is developing and heat transfer is increased compared with the fully developed case. Rotation slightly reduces the heat transfer on the leading surface and increases heat transfer on the trailing surface in the first pass. Heat transfer is highly increased by rotation in the turn portion of the first pass on both leading and trailing surfaces. Rotation increased heat transfer enhancement in the tip region up to a maximum Nu ratio (Nu/Nus) of 1.83. In the second passage, under rotating conditions, the leading surface experienced heat transfer enhancements above the stationary case while the trailing surface decreased. The current study has more than four times the range of the rotation number previously achieved for the 2:1 aspect ratio channel. The increased range of the rotation number and buoyancy parameter reached in this study are 0–0.45 and 0–0.8, respectively. The higher rotation number and buoyancy parameter have been correlated very well to predict the rotational heat transfer in the two-pass, 2:1 aspect ratio flow channel.

This paper experimentally investigated the rotational effects on heat transfer in a smooth two-pass rectangular channel (AR=2:1), which is applicable to the cooling passages in the mid portion of the gas turbine blade. The test channel has radially outward flow in the first passage and radially inward flow in the second passage after a 180° sharp turn. In the first passage, the flow is developing and heat transfer is increased compared to the fully developed case. Rotation slightly reduces the heat transfer on the leading surface and increases heat transfer on the trailing surface in the first pass. Heat transfer is highly increased by rotation in the turn portion of the first pass on both leading and trailing surfaces. Rotation increased heat transfer enhancement in the tip region up to a maximum Nu ratio (Nu/Nus) of 1.83. In the second passage, under rotating conditions, the leading surface experienced heat transfer enhancements above the stationary case while the trailing surface decreased. The current study has more than 4 times the range of the rotation number previously achieved for the 2:1 aspect ratio channel. The increased range of the rotation number and buoyancy parameter reached in this study are 0–0.45 and 0–0.8, respectively. The higher rotation number and buoyancy parameter have been correlated very well to predict the rotational heat transfer in the two-pass, 2:1 aspect ratio flow channel.

Experiments were conducted in a rotating two-pass cooling channel with an aspect ratio of 2:1 (Dh=16.9 mm). Results for two surface conditions are presented: smooth and one ribbed configurations. For the ribbed channel, the leading and trailing walls are roughened with ribs (P/e=10, e/Dh=0.094) and are placed at an angle (α=45 deg) to the mainstream flow. For each surface condition, two angles of rotation (β=90 deg,135 deg) were studied. For each angle of rotation, five Reynolds numbers (Re=10–40 K) were considered. At each Reynolds number, five rotational speeds (Ω=0–400 rpm) were considered. The maximum rotation number and buoyancy parameter reached were 0.45 and 0.85, respectively. Results showed that rotation effects are minimal in ribbed channels, at both angles of rotation, due to the strong interaction of rib and Coriolis induced vortices. In the smooth case, the channel orientation proved to be important and a beneficial heat transfer increase on the leading surface in the first pass (radially outward flow) was observed at high rotation numbers. The correlations developed in this study for predicting heat transfer enhancement due to rotation using the buoyancy parameter showed markedly good agreement with experimental data (±10%). Finally, heat transfer under rotating conditions on the tip cap showed to be quite dependent on channel orientation. The maximum tip cap Nu/Nus ratio observed was 2.8.

This paper experimentally investigated the rotational effects on heat transfer in a two-pass rectangular channel (AR=1:4), which is applicable to the channel near the leading edge of the gas turbine blade. The test channel has radially outward flow in the first passage through a redirected sharp-bend entrance and radially inward flow in the second passage after a 180deg sharp turn. In the first passage, rotation effects on heat transfer are reduced by the redirected sharp-bend entrance. In the second passage, under rotating conditions, both leading and trailing surfaces experienced heat transfer enhancements above the stationary case. Rotation greatly increased heat transfer enhancement in the tip region up to a maximum Nu ratio (Nu∕Nus) of 2.4. The objective of the current study is to perform an extended parametric study of the low rotation number (0–0.3) and low buoyancy parameter (0–0.2) achieved previously. By varying the Reynolds numbers (10,000–40,000), the rotational speeds (0–400rpm), and the density ratios (inlet density ratio=0.10–0.16), the increased range of the rotation number and buoyancy parameter reached in this study are 0–0.67 and 0–2.0, respectively. The higher rotation number and buoyancy parameter have been correlated very well to predict the rotational heat transfer in the two-pass, 1:4 aspect ratio flow channel.

Experiments were conducted in a rotating two-pass cooling channel with an aspect ratio of 2:1 (Dh = 16.9 mm). Results for two surface conditions are presented: smooth and one ribbed configuration. For the ribbed channel, the leading and trailing walls are roughened with ribs (P/e = 10, e/Dh = 0.094) and are placed at an angle (α = 45°) to the mainstream flow. For each surface condition, two angles of rotation (β = 90°, 135°) were studied. For each angle of rotation, five Reynolds numbers (Re = 10K–40K) were considered. At each Reynolds number, five rotational speeds (Ω = 0–400 rpm) were considered. The maximum rotation number and buoyancy parameter reached were 0.45 and 0.85, respectively. Results showed that rotation effects are minimal in ribbed channels, at both angles of rotation, due to the strong interaction of rib and Coriolis induced vortices. In the smooth case, the channel orientation proved to be important and a beneficial heat transfer increase on the leading surface in the first pass (radially outward flow) was observed at high rotation numbers. The correlations developed in this study for predicting heat transfer enhancement due to rotation using the buoyancy parameter showed markedly good agreement with experimental data (+/-10%). Finally, heat transfer under rotating conditions on the tip cap showed to be quite dependent on channel orientation. The maximum tip cap Nu/Nus ratio observed was 2.8.

The focus of the current study was to determine the effects of rib spacing on heat transfer in rotating 1:4 AR channels. In the current study, heat transfer experiments were performed in a two-pass, 1:4 aspect ratio channel, with a sharp bend entrance. The channel leading and trailing walls in the first pass and second pass utilized angled rib turbulators (45° to the mainstream flow). The rib height-to-hydraulic diameter ratio (e/Dh) was held constant at 0.078. The channel was oriented 90° to the direction of rotation. Three rib pitch-to-rib height ratios (P/e) were studied: P/e = 2.5, 5, and 10. Each ratio was tested at five Reynolds numbers: 10K, 15K, 20K, 30K and 40K. For each Reynolds number, experiments were conducted at five rotational speeds: 0, 100, 200, 300, and 400 rpm. Results showed that the sharp bend entrance has a significant effect on the first pass heat transfer enhancement. In the second pass, the rib spacing and rotation effect are reduced. The P/e = 10 case had the highest heat transfer enhancement based on total area, whereas the P/e = 2.5 had the highest heat transfer enhancement based on the projected area. The current study has extended the range of the rotation number (Ro) and local buoyancy parameter (Box) for a ribbed 1:4 aspect ratio channel up to 0.65 and 1.5, respectively. Correlations for predicting heat transfer enhancement, due to rotation, in the ribbed (P/e = 2.5, 5, and 10) 1:4 aspect ratio channel, based on the extended range of the rotation number and buoyancy parameter, are presented in the paper.