Coolant side heat transfer with rotation. Task 3 report: Application of computational fluid dynamics

An experimental and analytical program was conducted to investigate heat transfer and pressure losses in rotating multipass passages with configurations and dimensions typical of modern turbine blades. The objective of this program is the development and verification of improved analysis methods that will form the basis for a design system that will produce turbine components with improved durability. As part of this overall program, a technique is developed for computational fluid dynamics. The specific objectives were to: select a baseline CFD computer code, assess the limitations of the baseline code, modify the baseline code for rotational effects, verify the modified code against benchmark experiments in the literature, and to identify shortcomings in the code as revealed by the verification. The Pratt and Whitney 3D-TEACH CFD code was selected as the vehicle for this program. The code was modified to account for rotating internal flows, and these modifications were evaluated for flow characteristics of those expected in the application. Results can make a useful contribution to blade internal cooling.