This article presents a geometric optimization study to maximize the total heat transfer rate between an array of discrete pin fins and the surrounding serpentine cooling flow. The fins are installed on the tip cap underside of a high-pressure turbine blade (HPTB) model. The study has three parts. In the first, the numerical model is validated against experimental data obtained with liquid crystal thermography. In the second part, the heat and fluid flow performance of the pin fin assembly is simulated numerically, using RANS turbulence models in the range 25,000 < Re < 100,000 and Pr ∼ 0.7. The effect of varying the spacing and the tip cap boundary condition is investigated. In the last part of the study, it is shown that the optimal spacing between the pin fins can be correlated following the same theoretical arguments derived in the previous investigations that used simpler geometries.
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January 2015
Research-Article
The Optimal Distribution of Pin Fins for Blade Tip Cap Underside Cooling
Ronald S. Bunker
Ronald S. Bunker
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Gustavo A. Ledezma
Ronald S. Bunker
Contributed by the International Gas Turbine Institute (IGTI) of ASME for publication in the JOURNAL OF TURBOMACHINERY. Manuscript received June 8, 2014; final manuscript received July 6, 2014; published online xx xx, xxxx. Assoc. Editor: Jim Downs.
J. Turbomach. Jan 2015, 137(1): 011002 (9 pages)
Published Online: September 4, 2014
Article history
Received:
June 8, 2014
Revision Received:
July 6, 2014
Citation
Ledezma, G. A., and Bunker, R. S. (September 4, 2014). "The Optimal Distribution of Pin Fins for Blade Tip Cap Underside Cooling." ASME. J. Turbomach. January 2015; 137(1): 011002. https://doi.org/10.1115/1.4028290
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