Heat Transfer in a Rotating, Blade-Shaped Serpentine Cooling Passage With Discrete Ribbed Walls at High Reynolds Numbers

This paper experimentally investigates the effect of rotation on heat transfer in a typical turbine blade, three-pass, serpentine coolant channel with discrete ribbed walls at high Reynolds numbers. To achieve the high Reynolds number (Re → 190,000) and low rotation number conditions, pressurized Freon R-134a vapor is utilized as the working fluid. Cooling flow in the first passage is radial outward; after the 180 deg tip turn, the flow is radial inward through the second passage; and after the 180 deg hub turn, the flow is radial outward in the third passage. The effects of rotation on the heat transfer coefficients were investigated at rotation numbers as low as 0.07 and Reynolds numbers from 85,000 to 187,000 (based on the first passage geometry and flow conditions). Heat transfer coefficients were measured using thermocouples embedded in copper plates to provide regionally averaged heat transfer coefficients. Heat transfer enhancement due to rotation is observed on the first passage, pressure-side with radially outward flow and the second passage, suction-side with radially inward flow, but a reduction in heat transfer is observed on the third passage pressure-side with radially outward flow. In addition, results from the discrete, broken ribs are compared with those from the same serpentine coolant passage with conventional, angled ribbed walls. A significant increase in the heat transfer due to the discrete ribs is observed in the first passage. These results can be useful for understanding real rotor blade coolant passage heat transfer under high Reynolds number and low rotation number conditions.