Thermal Field and Flow Visualization Within the Stagnation Region of a Film Cooled Turbine Vane

To develop quality computational codes for the film cooling of a turbine vane, a detailed understanding is needed of the physical mechanisms of the mainstream-coolant interactions. In this study flow visualization, thermal profiles, and laser Doppler velocimetry measurements were used to define the thermal and velocity fields of the film cooled showerhead region of a turbine vane. The showerhead consisted of six rows of spanwise oriented coolant holes, and blowing ratios ranged from 0.8 to 2.5. Performances with low and high mainstream turbulence levels were tested. Coolant jets from the showerhead were completely separated from the surface even at relatively low blowing ratios. However, the interaction of the coolant jets from laterally adjacent holes created a barrier to the mainstream flow, resulting in relatively high adiabatic effectiveness.