The Effects of Free-Stream Turbulence Intensity and Velocity Distribution on Heat Transfer to Curved Surfaces

This paper describes a novel method for measuring the local heat-transfer distribution over a curved surface. The effect of free-stream turbulence intensity, ranging in value from 0.016 to 0.092, on local heat transfer is investigated for a range of Reynolds numbers from 2.0 × 105 to 7.7 × 105 . The geometry of the rig was modified to consider three free-stream velocity distributions covering distributions currently in use on suction surfaces of turbine blades. The results are compared with other workers’ experimental results and with available prediction techniques for heat transfer in laminar and turbulent boundary layers. Special attention is paid to the region of boundary-layer transition.