High Reynolds Number and Turbulence Effects on Turbine Heat Transfer

Experimental data on pressure distribution and heat transfer on a turbine airfoil were obtained over a range of Reynolds numbers from 0.75 to 7.0 x 10(exp 6) and a range of turbulence intensities from 1.8 to about 15%. The purpose of this study was to obtain fundamental heat transfer and pressure distribution data over a wide range of high Reynolds numbers and to extend the heat transfer data base to include the range or Reynolds numbers encountered in the Space Shuttle main engine turbopump turbines. The results of this study indicated that Reynolds number and turbulence intensity have a large effect on both the transition from laminar to turbulent flow and the resulting heat transfer. For a given turbulence intensity, heat transfer for all Reynolds numbers at the leading edge can generally be correlated with the Frossling number developed for lower Reynolds numbers. For a given turbulence intensity, heat transfer for the airfoil surfaces downstream of the leading edge can be approximately correlated with a dimensionless parameter. Comparisons of the experimental results were also made with a numerical solution from a two-dimensional Navier-Stokes code.