Research on the thermal response characteristics of turbine blades considering engine operating conditions

Abstract

The sudden change of turbine inlet temperature rise in the operating conditions of an aero-engine seriously affects the blade heat load and even the overall life of the engine. In order to clarify the influence of the temperature rise process of the mainstream combustion air on the turbine blade temperature response, the study focuses on the high-pressure turbine stator NASA GEE3, utilizing a combination of numerical calculations and experimental measurements to investigate the impact of Reynolds number, temperature rise rate, and temperature rise curve on turbine blade thermal response characteristics. Compared to the blade height direction, the temperature thermal response difference is more pronounced along the chord direction. Temperature response rate follows the order of trailing edge, leading edge, and middle edge, from fastest to slowest. Increasing Reynolds number enhances the mass flow rate of the gas that contacts the blade, improving the heat transfer capability and accelerating the rate of temperature change on the blade surface in response to changes in inlet temperature. The temperature response is more pronounced at higher Reynolds number. Lower temperature rise rates improve the heat transfer time between the gas and blade, enhancing the blade surface temperature’s response rate. The inlet’s convex temperature rise curve leads to the fastest thermal response at the trailing edge, with a temperature lag of only 3.23%.