Turbulence Modeling and Computation of Viscous Transitional Flows for Low Pressure Turbines

Variation of the flow Reynolds number between the take off and cruise conditions significantly affects the boundary layer development on low-pressure turbine blading. A decreased Reynolds number leads to the flow separation on the suction surface of the blading and increased losses. A numerical simulation has been carried out to assess the ability of a Navier-Stokes solver to predict transitional flows in a wide range of Reynolds numbers and inlet turbulence intensities. A number of turbulence models (including the Algebraic Reynolds Stress Model) and transition models have been employed to analyze the reliability and accuracy of the numerical simulation. A comparison between the prediction and the experimental data reveals good correlation. However, the analysis shows that the artificial dissipation in the numerical solver may have a profound effect on the prediction of the transition in a separated flow.