Blade Row Interaction in a Multistage Low-Pressure Turbine

Abstract

The objective of this work was to enhance the understanding of unsteady flow phenomena in multistage low-pressure turbines. For this purpose, hot-film probe measurements were made downstream of every rotor blade row of a five-stage low-pressure turbine. Rotor–rotor interaction and stator–rotor interaction were observed to have a profound influence on the flow through the low-pressure turbine. Interaction of rotors of different turbine stages occurred owing to the influence of the wakes shed by one rotor blade row upon the flow through the next downstream rotor blade row. This wake-induced rotor–rotor interaction resulted in strongly amplitude-modulated periodic and turbulent velocity fluctuations downstream of every rotor blade row with the exception of the most upstream one. Significantly different wake depths and turbulence levels measured downstream of every rotor blade row at different circumferential positions evidenced the effect of the circumferentially nonuniform stator exit flow upon the next downstream rotor blade row. Stator-rotor interaction also strongly influenced the overturning and the under-turning of the rotor wakes, caused by the rotor secondary flows, in the rotor endwall regions. Low rotor wake overturning and underturning, i.e., reduced rotor secondary flow influence, were observed to correlate well with low rotor wake turbulence levels.