PRACTICAL SLOT CONFIGURATIONS FOR TURBINE FILM COOLING APPLICATIONS

Turbine component film cooling is most effective when using a continuous slot to introduce coolant to the surface. However, this is not practical due to the structural weakness that would be inherent with a continuous slot. In this study, several slot-like designs are investigated to establish the film cooling effectiveness. These slot configurations extended only a partial distance through the simulated turbine vane wall, and were fed with impinging cylindrical holes. The configurations were studied on the suction side of a scaled-up turbine vane. In this study varying slot widths, discrete and continuous slots, and diffusing the coolant flow within the slot prior to it being emitted onto the surface of the vane were investigated. Rows of discrete round and shaped holes were also tested for comparison with the slots. The study of varying slot geometries showed that decreasing the width of the slots led to a substantial increase in adiabatic effectiveness. An internal coolant diffusion technique showed promise by maintaining performance levels while potentially providing a design configuration that more readily meets structural demands in real world operating conditions. The coolant flow characteristics were also studied through the use of thermal profiles measurements. These thermal profiles showed significant mainstream ingestion on the top surface of the slot prior to the coolant emitting onto the surface of the vane.