The Aerodynamic Performance of a High Turning Angle Turbine Blade Profile

Abstract

<p>The continuous emphasis placed on obtaining higher work outputs from Gas Turbines has led to the design of turbine blades having large turning angles.</p> <p>As part of a research program co-sponsored by the National Research Council and Pratt and Whitney of Canada Ltd., this work examined the aerodynamic behaviour of the root section of the highly curved turbine blade under investigation.</p> <p>An intermittant blow-down wind tunnel was used to test a two dimensional cascade of high turning angle turbine blades. The tunnel was modified to allow improved flow control at the desired operating conditions.</p> <p>A computerized scheme was developed whereby the two dimensional potential flow solutions could be obtained by merely specifying the cascade geometry and inlet flow. This allowed the direct comparison of theoretical and experimental blade surface pressure distributions. The effect of overall pressure ratio on the variation of exit gas angle and total head loss coefficient was also investigated experimentally.</p>