Experimental Investigation of Heat Transfer on the Internal Tip Wall in a Rotating Two-Pass Rectangular Channel

The tip turn region within the gas turbine blade experienced severe thermal issues related to temperature variations and temperature gradients. The current study experimentally measured the heat transfer distribution of the internal blade tip wall in a rotating cooling channel. The aspect ratio of this rectangular channel was 1:4, and the hydraulic diameter was 25.6 mm. Due to the impact of the 180 deg turn, complex three-dimensional flow significantly affected the heat transfer on the internal tip surface. The steady-state liquid crystal method was used to obtain a detailed distribution of heat transfer on the internal tip surface. In this study, the leading and trailing surfaces of the channel wall were either smooth or roughened with 45 deg angled ribs. The Reynolds number inside the pressurized cooling channel ranged from 10,000 to 30,000, and the rotation number was up to 0.53. Furthermore, two-channel orientations (90 deg and 135 deg) with respect to the rotation direction were tested. The tip heat transfer from the smooth channel wall was more sensitive to rotation, and the largest heat transfer enhancement caused by rotation was 68%. Channel orientation of 90 deg produced higher heat transfer compared to the orientation of 135 deg.