Numerical Investigation of Three-Dimensional Clocking Effects in a Low Pressure Turbine

One and a half stages of a low pressure turbine were investigated using a three-dimensional, time-accurate, viscous solver. Unsteady analyses were carried out by varying the circumferential relative position of consecutive vanes to study the effects of clocking on performance. Assuming that efficiency improvements by clocking are linked to the wake tangential position with respect to the successive blade, a certain circumferential shift in this position can be observed along the blade height due to blade twist and non-radial stacking, giving different contributions. In order to assess this phenomenon, results from three-dimensional computations were compared with a quasi three-dimensional analysis at mid-span. The effects of clocking on wake interaction mechanisms and unsteady blade loadings are presented and discussed.