Profile and Secondary Flow Losses in a High-Lift LPT Blade Cascade at Different Reynolds Numbers under Steady and Unsteady Inflow Conditions

The aerodynamic flow field downstream of a Low-Pressure High-Lift(HL)turbine cascade has been experimentally investigated for different Reynolds numbers under both steady and unsteady inflows,in order to analyse the cascade performance under real engine operating conditions.The Reynolds number has been varied in the range 100000<Re<300000,where lower and upper limits are typical of cruise and take-off/landing conditions,respectively.The effects induced by the incoming wakes at the reduced frequency f+=0.62 on both profile and secondary flow losses have been investigated.Total pressure,velocity and secondary kinetic energy distributions at the downstream tangential plane have been measured by means of a miniaturized 5-hole probe.These quantities provide information on both blade wake and secondary flow structures(passage and horse-shoe vortices).The analysis of the results allows the evaluation of the aerodynamic performance of the HL front-loaded blade in terms of both profile and secondary losses.

Experimental Investigation of Flow Instabilities in a Laminar Separation Bubble

The present paper reports the results of a detailed experimental study aimed at investigating the dynamics of a laminar separation bubble, from the origin of separation up to the breakdown to turbulence of the large scale coherent structures generated as a consequence of the Kelvin-Helmholtz instability process. Measurements have been performed along a flat plate installed within a double contoured test section, designed to produce an adverse pressure gradient typical of Ultra-High-Lift turbine blade profiles, which induces the formation of a laminar separation bubble at low Reynolds number condition. Measurements have been carried out by means of complementary techniques: hot-wire(HW) anemometry, Laser Doppler Velocimetry(LDV) and Particle Image Velocimetry(PIV). The high accuracy 2-dimensional LDV results allow investigating reverse flow magnitude and both Reynolds normal and shear stress distributions along the separated flow region, while the high frequency response of the HW anemometer allows analyzing the amplification process of flow oscillations induced by instability mechanisms. PIV results complement the flow field analysis providing information on the generation and evolution of the large scale coherent structures shed as a consequence of the separated shear layer roll-up, through instantaneous velocity vector maps. The simultaneous analysis of the data obtained by means of the different measuring techniques allows an in depth view of the instability mechanisms involved in the transition/reattachment processes of the separated shear layer.

Free-stream Turbulence Effects on the Boundary Layer of a High-lift Low-Pressure-Turbine Blade

The suction side boundary layer evolution of a high-lift low-pressure turbine cascade has been experimentally investigated at low and high free-stream turbulence intensity conditions.Measurements have been carried out in order to analyze the boundary layer transition and separation processes at a low Reynolds number,under both steady and unsteady inflows.Static pressure distributions along the blade surfaces as well as total pressure distributions in a downstream tangential plane have been measured to evaluate the overall aerodynamic efficiency of the blade for the different conditions.Particle Image Velocimetry has been adopted to analyze the time-mean and time-varying velocity fields.The flow field has been surveyed in two orthogonal planes(a blade-to-blade plane and a wall-parallel one).These measurements allow the identification of the Kelvin-Helmholtz large scale coherent structures shed as a consequence of the boundary layer laminar separation under steady inflow,as well as the investigation of the three-dimensional effects induced by the intermittent passage of low and high speed streaks.A close inspection of the time-mean velocity profiles as well as of the boundary layer integral parameters helps to characterize the suction side boundary layer state,thus justifying the influence of free-stream turbulence intensity on the blade aerodynamic losses measured under steady and unsteady inflows.