Computational Simulations of Compressible Transitional Flows in a Turbine Vane Cascade

• Main Author: Perrault, Alan James
• Format: Others
• Published: North Dakota State University 2019
• Online Access: https://hdl.handle.net/10365/29783

In order to improve the efficiency and reduce the emissions of aircraft engines, new combustor designs have been developed to reduce outlet temperatures and increase mixing. At high altitudes, the low pressure and low Reynolds number flow would normally produce a laminar boundary layer on the turbine vanes. The increased turbulence generated by these newer combustors can cause transitional flow on the vane surfaces, which leads to increased heat transfer. Accurate computational simulations can reduce development costs by allowing rapid iteration of designs. Aerodynamic and heat transfer characteristics of the first stage stator vane from a high-altitude UAV has been computationally analyzed using ANSYS CFX. The computational results are compared with compressible flow experiments which were previously conducted at the University of North Dakota. The aerodynamic results show excellent agreement across the vane surface; however, some discrepancies are present in the transition region for the heat transfer results.