Effects of an Axisymmetric Contoured Endwall on a Nozzle Guide Vane: Adiabatic Effectiveness Measurements

Gas turbine designs seek improved performance by modifying the endwalls of nozzle guide vanes in the engine hot section. Within the nozzle guide vanes, these modifications can be in the form of an axisymmetric contour as the area contracts from the combustor to the turbine. This paper investigates the effect of axisymmetric endwall contouring on the cooling performance of a film cooled endwall. Adiabatic effectiveness measurements were performed in a planar passage for comparison to a contoured passage, whereby the exit Reynolds numbers were matched. For the contoured passage, measurements were performed both on the flat endwall and on the contoured endwall. Fully expanded film cooling holes were distributed on the endwall surface preceded by a two-dimensional slot normal to the inlet axis. Results indicated that the coolant coverage from the upstream leakage slot was spread over a larger area of the contoured endwall in comparison to the flat endwall of the planar passage. Film cooling effectiveness on the flat endwall of the contoured passage showed minimal differences relative to the planar passage results. The contracting endwall of the contoured passage, however, showed a significant reduction with average film cooling effectiveness levels approximately 40% lower than the planar passage at low film cooling flow rates. In the case of all endwalls, increasing leakage and film cooling mass flow rates led to an increase in cooling effectiveness and coolant coverage.