Effects of inlet turbulence intensity on wall heat transfer in a turbine guide vane

Abstract

Heat transfer is an important phenomenon that exists in many industrial applications, especially for gas turbines, aeronautical engines. In this work, two different turbulence models ([Formula: see text] and SAS model) are used to investigate the effects of inlet turbulence on wall heat transfer and the characteristics of flow field in a well-known turbine guide vane (LS89). In order to handle the transition, Menter’s [Formula: see text] transition model is used. The simulations show that the inlet turbulence has an apparent effect on the wall heat transfer of the vane. Not only the maximum wall heat transfer coefficient is increased, the distribution of wall heat flux at the suction side is also modified. The isentropic Mach number along the vane surface is insensitive to the variance of inlet turbulence intensity. Besides, a shock appears in the throat and a laminar-to-turbulence transition position moves forward after the main flow turbulence is enhanced. Moreover, the results indicate that SAS model is capable of capturing more flow structures such as reflecting pressure waves and shedding vortexes while the [Formula: see text] model misses them due to the dissipation.