Flow Dynamics and Film Cooling Effectiveness on a Non-Axisymmetric Contour Endwall in a Two-Dimensional Cascade Passage

The measured flow field and temperature field near a three-dimensional asymmetric contour endwall employed in a linear blade cascade are presented with and without film-cooling flow on the endwall. Flow field temperature and Nusselt number distributions along the asymmetric endwall with wall heating and no film-cooling flow are also reported to show local high heat transfer region on the endwall and justify the locations of the coolant holes. Adiabatic film-cooling effectiveness along the endwall is then measured to indicate the local effects of the coolant jets. The near endwall flow field and temperature field provide the coolant flow behavior and the interaction of coolant jets with the boundary layer flow. Thus, the local film-cooling effectiveness can be explained with the coolant jet trajectories. The measurements are obtained at the Reynolds number of 2.30×10⁵ based on blade actual chord and inlet velocity, coolant-to-free stream temperature ratio of 0.93, and coolant-to-free stream density ratio of 1.06. The cascade employs the hub side blade section and passage geometry of the first stage rotor of GE-E³ turbine engine. The contour endwall profile is employed on the bottom endwall only in the cascade. The blowing ratio of the film-cooling flow varies from 1.0 to 2.4 from 71 discrete cylindrical holes located in the contour endwall. The three-dimensional profile of the endwall varies in height in both the pitchwise and axial directions. The flow field is quantified with the streamwise vorticity and turbulent intensity, pitchwise static pressure difference, flow yaw angle, and pitchwise velocity. Both the flow field and temperature data indicate that the coolant jets cover more distance in the pitchwise and axial direction in the passage as the blowing ratio increases. Thus, the local and average film-cooling effectiveness increase with the blowing ratio.