Detached-Eddy Simulation of Trailing-Edge (TE) Cutback Turbine Blade Cooling

Abstract

This research evaluates the cooling performance of trailing-edge cutback for gas turbine blade. By using DES based on SST k-ω turbulence model, numerical investigations were performed at two steps: first, to validate simulation results from an existing TE cutback cooling with staggered pin-fin arrays inside the cooling passage against experimental measurement. Three types structured mesh from coarse (Δy+ = 0.74) to fine (Δy+ = 1.22) were evaluated during this step; second, to investigate the TE cutback cooling performance on various blowing ratios. Simulations were performed by keeping the same initials and boundary conditions as the experiment. The result indicates that validation can be considered acceptable by controlling grid quality resolution near wall regions. Both computational data of the adiabatic film-cooling effectiveness and the discharge coefficient are in good agreement with available experimental measurements. The averaged film-cooling effectiveness along the cutback region is highly influenced by the blowing ratios, which is to be related to the turbulent flow structures formed at the mixing region as the impact of coolant flow ejection. The increase of coolant jet velocity triggers the heat transfer process up to the downstream region of TE cutback cooling.