Experimental Measurements and Computational Predictions for an Internally Cooled Simulated Turbine Vane

In this study the conjugate heat transfer effects for an internally cooled vane were studied experimentally and computationally. Experimentally, a large scale model vane was used with an internal cooling configuration characteristic of real gas turbine airfoils. The cooling configuration employed consisted of a U-bend channel for cooling the leading edge region of the airfoil and a radial channel for cooling the middle third of the vane. The thermal conductivity of the solid was specially selected so that the Biot number for the model matched typical engine conditions. This ensured that scaled nondimensional surface temperatures for the model were representative of those in the first stage of a high pressure turbine. The performance of the internal cooling circuit was quantified experimentally for internal flow Reynolds numbers ranging from 10,000 to 40,000. The external surface temperature distribution was mapped over the entire vane surface. Additional measurements, including internal surface temperature measurements as well as coolant inlet and exit temperatures, were conducted. Comparisons between the experimental measurements and computational predictions of external heat transfer coefficient are presented.