Effects of Surface Geometry on Film Cooling Performance at Airfoil Trailing Edge

Abstract

Cooling at the trailing edge of a gas turbine airfoil is one of the most difficult problems because of its thin shape, high thermal load from both surfaces, hard-to-cool geometry of narrow passages, and at the same time demand for structural strength. In this study, the heat transfer coefficient and film cooling effectiveness on the pressure-side cutback surface was measured by a transient infrared thermography method. Four different cutback geometries were examined: two smooth cutback surfaces with constant-width and converging lands (base and diffuser cases) and two roughened cutback surfaces with transverse ribs and spherical dimples. The Reynolds number of the main flow defined by the mean velocity and two times the channel height was 20,000, and the blowing ratio was varied among 0.5, 1.0, 1.5, and 2.0. The experimental results clearly showed spatial variation of the heat transfer coefficient and the film cooling effectiveness on the cutback and land top surfaces. The cutback surface results clearly showed periodically enhanced heat transfer due to the periodical surface geometry of ribs and dimples. Generally, the increase of the blowing ratio increased both the heat transfer coefficient and the film cooling effectiveness. Within the present experimental range, the dimple surface was a favorable cutback-surface geometry because it gave the enhanced heat transfer without deterioration of the high film cooling effectiveness.