A Novel Method for Designing Fan-Shaped Holes With Short Length-to-Diameter Ratio in Producing High Film Cooling Performance for Thin-Wall Turbine Airfoil

An experimental investigation of the geometrical parameter effects on the film cooling performance of a fan-shaped hole was conducted on a low speed flat-plate facility. The pressure sensitive paint (PSP) technique and steady liquid crystal (SLC) technique were employed to determine the adiabatic film cooling effectiveness and heat transfer coefficients, respectively, for a blowing ratio ranging from 0.3 to 3 and a density ratio of DR = 1.5. Several geometrical parameters were investigated, including lateral expansion angle, length-to-diameter ratio, and hole entrance shape. Local, laterally averaged, and area-averaged adiabatic film cooling effectiveness, heat transfer coefficients, and net heat flux reduction (NHFR) were shown to provide a comprehensive understanding on the geometrical parameter effects on the thermal performance. A novel method was proposed for designing a fan-shaped hole with short length-to-diameter ratio to design to achieve high film cooling performance. The original and optimized fan-shaped holes were compared in terms of adiabatic film cooling effectiveness, heat transfer coefficients, and NHFR. Results showed that the optimized fan-shaped hole with short length-to-diameter ratio, large lateral diffusion angle, and slot hole entrance shape obtained highest overall thermal performance. It demonstrated the feasibility of adopting the proposed design method to design fan-shaped holes applied in thin wall gas turbine blades.