Study on Flow and Heat Transfer Performance of a Rectangular Channel Filled with X-Shaped Truss Array under Operating Conditions of Gas Turbine Blades

Abstract

In this investigation, the heat transfer and flow capabilities of an X-shaped truss array cooling channel under various operating conditions of gas turbine blades were thoroughly studied. The influence laws of the inlet Reynolds number, inlet turbulence intensity, wall heat flux and cooling medium (air, steam) on the heat transfer and flow performance of the X-shaped truss array channel were analyzed and summarized. The empirical correlations of friction coefficients and average Nusselt numbers with maximum deviations less than ± 14% were fitted. The results show that the inlet Reynolds number has the most significant effect on the flow and heat transfer performance of the X-shaped truss array channel. When the inlet Reynolds number increases from 20,000 to 200,000, the average Nusselt number of the X-shaped truss array channel is increased by 3.92 times, the friction coefficient is decreased by 12.88%, and the comprehensive thermal coefficient is decreased by 31.19%. Compared with the medium turbulence intensity of Tu = 5%, the average Nusselt number, friction coefficient and comprehensive thermal coefficient of the X-shaped truss array channel at Tu = 20% are increased by 3.70%, 2.51% and 2.79%, respectively. With the increase in the wall heat flux, the friction coefficient of the X-shaped truss array channel roughly shows a trend of first decreasing and then increasing, while the average Nusselt number and the comprehensive thermal coefficient show a trend of first rapidly increasing and then slightly decreasing or remaining unchanged. Compared with air cooling, the average Nusselt numbers of the X-shaped truss array channel of steam cooling are increased by 6.30% to 9.54%, and the corresponding friction coefficients and comprehensive thermal coefficients are decreased by 0.11% to 0.55% and 2.63% to 5.59%, respectively.