Combined Effects of Freestream Pressure Gradient and Density Ratio on the Film Cooling Effectiveness of Round and Shaped Holes on a Flat Plate

The combined effects of a favorable, mainstream pressure gradient and coolant-to-mainstream density ratio have been investigated. Detailed film cooling effectiveness distributions have been obtained on a flat plate with either cylindrical (θ = 30°) or laidback, fan-shaped holes (θ = 30°, β = γ = 10°) using the pressure sensitive paint (PSP) technique. In a low speed wind tunnel, both non-accelerating and accelerating flows were considered while the density ratio varied from 1–4. In addition, the effect of blowing ratio was considered, with this ratio varying from 0.5 to 1.5. The film produced by the shaped hole outperformed the round hole under the presence of a favorable pressure gradient for all blowing and density ratios. At the lowest blowing ratio, in the absence of freestream acceleration, the round holes outperformed the shaped holes. However, as the blowing ratio increases, the shaped holes prevent lift-off of the coolant and offer enhanced protection. The effectiveness afforded by both the cylindrical and shaped holes, with and without freestream acceleration, increased with density ratio.