Film Cooling Discharge Coefficient Measurements in a Turbulated Passage With Internal Crossflow

Gas turbine blades utilize internal geometry such as turbulator ribs for improved cooling. In some designs it may be desirable to benefit from the internal cooling enhancement of ribs as well as external film cooling. An experimental study has been performed to investigate the effect of turbulator rib placement on film hole discharge coefficient. In the study, a square passage having a hydraulic diameter of 1.27 cm is used to feed a single angled film jet. The film hole angle to the surface is 30 deg and the hole length-to-diameter ratio is 4. Turbulators were placed in one of three positions: upstream of film hole inlet, downstream of film hole inlet, and with the film hole inlet centered between turbulators. For each case 90 deg turbulators with a passage blockage of 15 percent and a pitch to height ratio of 10 were used. Tests were run varying film hole-to-crossflow orientation as 30, 90, and 180 deg, pressure ratio from 1.02 to 1.8, and channel crossflow velocity from Mach 0 to 0.3. Film hole flow is captured in a static plenum with no external crossflow. Experimental results of film discharge coefficients for the turbulated cases and for a baseline smooth passage are presented. Alignment of the film hole entry with respect to the turbulator is shown to have a substantial effect on the resulting discharge coefficients. Depending on the relative alignment and flow direction discharge coefficients can be increased or decreased 5–20 percent from the nonturbulated case, and in the worst instance experience a decrease of as much as 50 percent.