Wake Control by Boundary Layer Suction Applied to a High-Lift Low-Pressure Turbine Blade

Wake control by boundary layer suction has been applied to a high-lift low-pressure turbine blade with the intention of reducing the wake velocity defect, hence attenuating wake-blade interaction, and consequently the generation of tonal noise. The experimental investigation has been performed in a large scale linear turbine cascade at midspan. Two Reynolds number conditions (Re = 300000 and Re = 100000), representative of the typical operating conditions of the low pressure aeroengine turbines, have been analyzed. Boundary layer suction has been implemented through a slot placed in the rear part of the profile suction side. The suction rate has been varied in order to investigate its influence on the wake reduction. Mean velocity and Reynolds stress components in the blade to blade plane have been measured by means of a two-component crossed miniature hot-wire. The wake shed from the central blade has been investigated in several traverses in the direction normal to the camber line at the cascade exit. The traverses are located at distances ranging between 5 and 80% of the blade chord from the blade trailing edge. To get an overall estimate of the wake velocity defect reductions obtained by the application of boundary layer suction, the integral parameters of the wake have been also estimated. Moreover, spectra of the velocity fluctuations have been evaluated to get information on the unsteady behaviour of the wake flow when boundary layer suction is applied. The results obtained in the wake controlled by boundary layer suction have been compared with the results in the baseline profile wake at both Reynolds number conditions for the purpose of evaluating the control technique effectiveness. The removal of boundary layer through the slot in the rear part of the profile suction side has been proved to be very effective in reducing the wake shed from the profile. The results show that a reduction greater than 65% of the wake displacement and momentum thicknesses at Re = 300000, and a reduction greater than 75% at Re = 100000 can be achieved by removal of 1.5% and 1.8% of the single passage through flow, respectively.