Boundary Layer Development on a Concave Surface： Flow Visualization and Hot Wire Velocity Measurements

Gortler vortices are key issues in the design of gas turbine blades. The present study deals with flow visualization over concave surface for gas turbine applications. The aim is to comprehend qualitatively the flow trends, particularly the Gortler vortices formation and development. Gortler vortices have the shape of mushroom-like vortices regularly spaced at 25 mm. These vortices grow and increase in strength more rapidly along the surface in the case of the same grid of turbulence applied to the measuring section. The curvature radius of the studied blade is 0.5 m and the stream turbulence intensity level is 2.6%. The velocity field is measured by hot wire anemometer in the streamwise direction. The velocity profile is found to be highly distorted by the momentum transfer associated with Gortler vortices. The results are compared to Blasius flow and to literature data for a blade with curvature radius equal to 2 m.