Momentum and Thermal Boundary Layer Development on an Internally Cooled Turbine Vane

Abstract

Recent advances in computing power have made conjugate heat transfer simulations of turbine components increasingly popular; however, limited experimental data exist with which to evaluate these simulations. The primary parameter used to evaluate simulations is often the external surface temperature distribution, or overall effectiveness. In this paper, the overlying momentum and thermal boundary layers at various streamwise positions around a conducting, internally cooled simulated turbine vane were measured under low (Tu = 0.5%) and high (Tu = 20%) freestream turbulence conditions. Furthermore, experimental results were compared to computational predictions. In regions where a favorable pressure gradient existed, the thermal boundary layer was found to be significantly thicker than the accompanying momentum boundary layer. Elevated freestream turbulence had the effect of thickening the thermal boundary layer much more effectively than the momentum boundary layer over the entire vane. These data are valuable in understanding the conjugate heat transfer effects on the vane as well as serving as a tool for computational code evaluation.