Aerodynamic Performance of Porous Gas Turbine Blades

Abstract

If maximum gas temperatures aire to rise appreciably above 1500°K, the value currently achieved in advanced aero-engines, alternatives to the present internal convective methods of air-cooling the first-stage turbine blades will have to be sought. One of the most promising developments lies in the use of porous blade materials, through which cooling air can be “effused” or “transpired”. In a recent paper Bayley and Turner have shown that by the combination of high heat transfer coefficients within the interstices of the porous material, and a reduction in heat transfer rate by injection into the boundary layer on the hot-gas side of the blade, effective cooling rates can be achieved.