Cold-air annular-cascade investigation of aerodynamic performance of cooled turbine vanes. 1: Facility description and base (solid) vane performance

The aerodynamic performance of a solid vane was experimentally determined in a full-annular cascade, where three-dimensional effects could be obtained. This vane was of the same size and profile as the cooled vanes to be subsequently tested. The vanes were tested over a pressure ratio range that corresponded to mean-radius ideal aftermixed critical velocity ratios of 0.71 to 0.89. Overall vane aftermixed efficiencies were obtained over this range of critical velocity ratios and compared with results from a four-vane annular-sector cascade. The variation in vane aftermixed conditions and vane aftermixed efficiency with radius were also obtained and compared with design values. Vane surface static-pressure distributions were measured and compared with theory and with the results obtained in the four-vane cascade.