Investigation of Throughflow Hypothesis in a Turbine Cascade Using a Three-Dimensional Navier–Stokes Computation

Abstract

The results of a computation, performed with a three-dimensional Navier–Stokes computation at ONERA, have been averaged in the blade-to-blade direction; the spatial fluctuations around the averaged flow variables have also been determined. It has then been possible to estimate all terms in the average components of the momentum equations. The comparison of the two-dimensional balances of these three equations shows that the shear stress plays a minor role in the momentum balance, except on the dissipation of the passage vortex kinetic energy downstream of the blade trailing edges. The kinetic energy of the spanwise component of the velocity spatial fluctuations has a very strong influence on the radial pressure gradient; it introduces a convection effect. This is a key effect for all these balances.