Numerical Study of Improving Aerodynamic Performance of Low Solidity LPT Cascade through Increasing Trailing Edge Thickness

This paper presents a new idea to reduce the solidity of low-pressure turbine(LPT) blade cascades,while remain the structural integrity of LPT blade.Aerodynamic performance of a low solidity LPT cascade was improved by increasing blade trailing edge thickness(TET).The solidity of the LPT cascade blade can be reduced by about12.5% through increasing the TET of the blade without a significant drop in energy efficiency.For the low solidity LPT cascade,increasing the TET can decrease energy loss by 23.30% and increase the flow turning angle by1.86% for Reynolds number(Re) of 25,000 and freestream turbulence intensities(FSTT) of 2.35%.The flow control mechanism governing behavior around the trailing edge of an LPT cascade is also presented.The results show that appropriate TET is important for the optimal design of high-lift load LPT blade cascades.