Surface Roughness Effects on External Heat Transfer of a HP Turbine Vane

Abstract

External heat transfer measurements on a highly loaded turbine vane with varying surface roughness are presented. The investigation comprises nine different roughness configurations and a smooth reference surface. The rough surfaces consist of evenly spaced truncated cones with varying height, diameter, and distance, thus covering the full range of roughness Reynolds numbers in the transitionally and fully rough regimes. Measurements for each type of roughness are conducted at several freestream turbulence levels (Tu1=4% to 8.8%) and Reynolds numbers, hereby quantifying their combined effect on heat transfer and laminar-turbulent transition. In complementary studies a trip wire is used on the suction side in order to fix the transition location close to the stagnation point, thereby allowing a deeper insight into the effect of roughness on the turbulent boundary layer. The results presented show a strong influence of roughness on the onset of transition even for the smallest roughness Reynolds numbers. Heat transfer coefficients in the turbulent boundary layer are increased by up to 50% when compared to the smooth reference surface.