Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Numerical investigation of nozzle geometry influence on the vortex cooling in an actual gas turbine blade leading edge cooling system

  • Original
  • Published:
Heat and Mass Transfer Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

To investigate the nozzle geometry influence on vortex cooling performance in the actual leading edge region, an improved vortex cooling configuration with a coolant chamber is established based on the middle cross section of stage 1 vane blade of GE-E3 high pressure gas turbine. Numerical simulations are conducted to research the effects of nozzle position, nozzle number and nozzle aspect ratio on the flow and heat transfer behavior. Results show that with the introduction of the coolant chamber, the mass flow of nozzles increases gradually from the upstream to the downstream instead of a uniform mass flow distribution. Configurations with nozzles placed at the sides (the vortex cooling) have better cooling performance than with nozzles placed in the middle (the impingement cooling). What’s more, the configuration with nozzles placed along the pressure side has the best comprehensive cooling performance. Due to the irregular blade line, a flow entrainment that is not found in simplified circular configurations is observed on the pressure side weakening the local heat transfer performance. The cooling performance is most sensitive to the nozzle number. As the nozzle number increases, the friction coefficient and heat transfer intensity both decrease. Moreover, as the nozzle aspect ratio increases, the friction coefficient and heat transfer intensity both increases first and then decrease. Results indicate a certain vortex cooling configuration may have the optimal nozzle number and nozzle aspect ratio. For this paper’s configuration, the best nozzle number is 5 and the best nozzle aspect ratio is 4.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5
Fig. 6
Fig. 7
Fig. 8
Fig. 9
Fig. 10
Fig. 11
Fig. 12
Fig. 13
Fig. 14
Fig. 15
Fig. 16
Fig. 17

Similar content being viewed by others

Abbreviations

A:

Width of nozzles (m)

B:

Length of nozzles (m)

D i :

Hydraulic diameter of the inlet (m)

D v :

Hydraulic diameter of the vortex chamber (m)

f :

Friction coefficient, 2ΔPDh/(ρU2L)

f ∞ :

Friction coefficient for non-swirling flow in a smooth pipe

h :

Heat transfer coefficient (W/(m2·K))

j :

Thermal performance factor, (Nua/Nu∞)/( f/f∞)1/3

L 1 :

Axial distance between adjacent nozzles (m)

L 2 :

Axial distance of last nozzle to the interface (m)

L :

Length of the vortex chamber (m)

Nu :

Nusslet number, qwDh /λ (Tw -Ti)

Nu a :

Averaged Nusselt number

Nu ∞ :

Nusselt number for non-swirling flow in a smooth pipe

ΔP:

Difference between inlet and local pressure (Pa)

P si :

Static pressure of the inlet (Pa)

P so :

Static pressure of the outlet (Pa)

q w :

Wall heat flux (W/m2)

Re :

Reynolds number

T i :

Inlet temperature (K)

T w :

Target wall temperature (K)

U :

Mean axial velocity (m/s)

V i :

Area-averaged velocity of the inlet (m/s

ρ :

Fluid density (kg/m3)

Λ :

Fluid thermal conductivity (W/(m·K))

μ :

Average dynamic viscosity coefficient (kg/(m·s)

References

  1. Han JC (2006) Turbine blade cooling studies at Texas A&M University: 1980–2004[J]. J Thermophys Heat Transfer 20(2):161–187

    Article  Google Scholar 

  2. Kreith F, Margolis D (1959) Heat transfer and friction in turbulent vortex flow[J]. Applied Scientific Research, Section A 8(1):457–473

    Article  Google Scholar 

  3. Kreith F, Sonju OK (1965) The decay of a turbulent swirl in a pipe [J]. J Fluid Mech 22(22):257–271

    Article  Google Scholar 

  4. Hay N, West PD (1975) Heat transfer in free swirling flow in a pipe[J]. J Heat Transfer 97(3):411–416

    Article  Google Scholar 

  5. Glezer B, Moon HK, O’Connell T (1996) A novel technique for the internal blade cooling[C]//ASME 1996 International Gas Turbine and Aeroengine Congress and Exhibition. American Society of Mechanical Engineers V004T09A015-V004T09A015

  6. Li H, Tomita Y (1994) Characteristics of Swirling Flow in a Circular Pipe[J]. J Fluids Eng 116(2):370–373

    Article  Google Scholar 

  7. Hedlund CR, Ligrani PM, Glezer B et al (1999) Heat transfer in a swirl chamber at different temperature ratios and Reynolds numbers[J]. Int J Heat Mass Transf 42(22):4081–4091

    Article  Google Scholar 

  8. Hedlund CR, Ligrani PM (1999) Local swirl chamber heat transfer and flow structure at different Reynolds numbers[C]//ASME 1999 International Gas Turbine and Aeroengine Congress and Exhibition. American Society of Mechanical Engineers V003T01A044-V003T01A044

  9. Hedlung CR, Ligrani PM, Moon HK et al (1999) Heat transfer and flow phenomena in a swirl chamber simulating turbine blade internal cooling [J]. J Turbomach 121(4):804–813

    Article  Google Scholar 

  10. Ling JPCW, Ireland PT, Harvey NW (2006) Measurement of heat transfer coefficient distributions and flow field in a model of a turbine blade cooling passage with tangential injection. ASME Paper No. GT2006–90352

  11. Liu Z, Li J, Feng Z (2015) Numerical Study of Swirl Cooling in a Turbine Blade Leading-Edge Model[J]. J Thermophys Heat Transfer 29(1):166–178

    Article  Google Scholar 

  12. Liu Z, Li J, Feng Z et al (2015) Numerical study on the effect of jet nozzle aspect ratio and jet angle on swirl cooling in a model of a turbine blade leading edge cooling passage[J]. Int J Heat Mass Transf 90:986–1000

    Article  Google Scholar 

  13. Liu Z, Li J, Feng Z et al (2016) Numerical study on the effect of jet spacing on the Swirl flow and heat transfer in the turbine airfoil leading edge region[J]. Numer Heat Trans Appl 1–15

  14. Yu R, Biegger C, Weigand B (2016) Heat transfer and pressure loss in swirl tubes with one and multiple tangential jets pertinent to gas turbine internal cooling[J]. Int J Heat Mass Transf 106:1356–1367

    Google Scholar 

  15. Du C, Li L, Wu X et al (2016) Effect of jet nozzle geometry on flow and heat transfer performance of vortex cooling for gas turbine blade leading edge[J]. Appl Therm Eng 93:1020–1032

    Article  Google Scholar 

  16. Du C, Li L, Feng Z (2016) Effects of aerodynamic parameters on steam vortex cooling behavior for gas turbine blade leading edge[J]. Proc Inst Mech Eng 0957650916636974

  17. Du C, Li L, Fan X (2017) Numerical study on vortex cooling flow and heat transfer behavior under rotating conditions[J]. Int J Heat Mass Transf 105:638–647

    Article  Google Scholar 

  18. Kusterer K, Lin G, Bohn D et al (2013) Heat transfer enhancement for gas turbine internal cooling by application of double swirl cooling chambers[C]. ASME Turbo Expo 2013: Turbine Technical Conference and Exposition. American Society of Mechanical Engineers V03AT12A027-V03AT12A027

  19. Xiaojun F, Liang Li, Jiasheng Z, Jiefeng W, Fan W (2018) Local heat transfer of vortex cooling with multiple tangential nozzles in a gas turbine blade leading edge cooling passage[J]. Int J Heat Mass Transf 126:377–389

    Article  Google Scholar 

  20. Liu Z, Ye L, Wang C et al (2014) Numerical simulation on impingement and film composite cooling of blade leading edge model for gas turbine[J]. Appl Therm Eng 73(2):1432–1443

    Article  Google Scholar 

  21. Metzger DE, Bunker RS (1990) Local Heat Transfer in Internally Cooled Turbine Airfoil Leading Edge Regions: Part I-Impingement Cooling Without Film Coolant Extraction[J]. J Turbomach 112(3):451–458

    Article  Google Scholar 

  22. Fan X, He C, Gan L et al (2020) Experimental study of swirling flow characteristics in a semi cylinder vortex cooling configuration[J]. Exp. Therm Fluid Sci 113:110036

Download references

Funding

This work received no specific grant from funding agency in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Energy and Power Engineering, Jiangsu University of Science and Technology, Zhenjiang, 212100, China

    Xiaojun Fan

  2. Jianbi Power Plant of National Engergy Group, Jiangsu, China

    Yuan Xue

Authors
  1. Xiaojun Fan
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Yuan Xue
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Xiaojun Fan.

Additional information

Publisher's Note

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Fan, X., Xue, Y. Numerical investigation of nozzle geometry influence on the vortex cooling in an actual gas turbine blade leading edge cooling system. Heat Mass Transfer 58, 575–586 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00231-021-03131-9

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00231-021-03131-9

Search

Navigation