Master of Science, The Ohio State University, 2009, Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering

Detailed pressure and velocity measurements were acquired at Rec = 20,000 with 3% inlet free stream turbulence intensity to study the effects of position, phase and forcing frequency of vortex generator jets employed on an aft-loaded low-pressure turbine blade in the presence of impinging wakes. The L1A blade has a design Zweifel coefficient of 1.34 and a suction peak at 58% axial chord, making it an aft-loaded pressure distribution. At this Reynolds number, the blade exhibits a non-reattaching separation region beginning at 60% axial chord under steady flow conditions without upstream wakes. Wakes shed by an upstream vane row are simulated with a moving row of cylindrical bars at a flow coefficient of 0.91. Impinging wakes thin the separation zone and delay separation by triggering transition in the separated shear layer, although the flow does not reattach. Instead, at sufficiently high forcing frequencies, a new time-mean separated shear layer position is established which begins at approximately 72%Cx. Reductions in area-averaged wake total pressure loss of more than 75% were documented. One objective of this study was to compare pulsed flow control using two rows of discrete vortex generator jets (VGJs). The VGJs are located at 59%Cx, approximately the peak Cp location, and at 72%Cx. Effective separation control was achieved at both locations. In both cases, wake total pressure loss decreased 35% from the wake only level and the shape of the Cp distribution indicates that the cascade recovers its high Reynolds number (attached flow) performance. The most effective separation control was achieved when actuating at 59%Cx where the VGJ disturbance dominates the dynamics of the separated shear layer, with the wake disturbance assuming a secondary role only. On the other hand, when actuating at 72%Cx, the efficacy of VGJ actuation is derived from the relative mean shear layer position and jet penetration. When the pulsed jet actuation (25% duty cycle) was initiated (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Jeffrey Bons PhD (Advisor); James Gregory PhD (Committee Member) Subjects: Aerospace Materials; Engineering; Fluid Dynamics; Mechanical Engineering