Numerical Study on the Biomimetic Trailing Edge of a Turbine Blade Under a Wide Range of Outlet Mach Numbers

Abstract

This study was carried out to investigate the loss mechanism of a blade with a harbor seal whisker structure on the trailing edge under different Mach numbers. The loss of high-pressure turbine blades with four different trailing edge geometries, including a prototype, an elliptical trailing edge (ETE), a sinusoidal trailing edge (STE), and a biomimetic trailing edge (BTE) at Mach numbers of 0.38–1.21 is studied. The delayed detached-eddy simulation method is used to predict the detailed flow of the four cascades. The result shows that, when the Mach number is less than 0.9, the BTE can effectively reduce the energy loss coefficient compared with the other three cases. As the Mach number increases, the three-dimensional characteristics of the wake behind the BTE weaken. The energy loss coefficient of the blade with the BTE is close to that of the blade with the ETE and STE when the Mach number is greater than 0.9. Besides this, by controlling the wake, the BTE can effectively suppress the dynamic movement of shock waves in the cascade at high Mach numbers.