Innovative Framework for Robustness Analysis of Blade Multicavity Squealer Tip Aerothermal Performance

Abstract

Gas turbines are subject to various geometric and operational uncertainties, which are often overlooked in conventional research. Therefore, conclusions derived from a deterministic approach may not accurately reflect the actual gas turbine operation. To address this issue, this paper presents an effective uncertainty quantification framework for evaluating the aerothermal performance robustness of the multicavity squealer tip. Moreover, a novel visualization method is developed to analyze the uncertainty flow and thermal fields. The findings suggest that conventional research tends to overestimate the aerodynamic performance of the multicavity squealer tip. The installation of ribs can exacerbate the chaotic tendency of the flowfield, leading to a significant reduction in the aerodynamic performance robustness of the squealer tip during actual operation. However, the heat transfer performance robustness of the multicavity squealer tip is substantially enhanced due to the inability of the flowfield uncertainty to transfer to the thermal field through the ribs. Furthermore, the study reveals high heat flux fluctuations in the region near the ribs root, which highlights the importance of considering thermal fatigue risks in the design of multicavity squealer tips.