Rotating Flow and Heat Transfer in Cylindrical Cavities With Radial Inflow

Abstract

The design and optimization of an efficient internal air system of a gas turbine requires a thorough understanding of the flow and heat transfer in rotating disc cavities. The present study is devoted to the numerical modeling of flow and heat transfer in a cylindrical cavity with radial inflow and a comparison with the available experimental data. The simulations are carried out with axisymmetric and 3-D sector models for various inlet swirl and rotational Reynolds numbers up to 1.2 × 106. The pressure coefficients and Nusselt numbers are compared with the available experimental data and integral method solutions. Two popular eddy viscosity models, the Spalart–Allmaras and the k-ɛ, and a Reynolds stress model have been used. For cases with particularly strong vortex behavior the eddy viscosity models show some shortcomings, with the Spalart–Allmaras model giving slightly better results than the k-ɛ model. Use of the Reynolds stress model improved the agreement with measurements for such cases. The integral method results are also found to agree well with the measurements.