Measurements of adiabatic effectiveness from full coverage film cooling on a scaled turbine vane with laidback fanshaped holes

This study was focused on measurements of adiabatic effectiveness on a scaled turbine vane which made use of a contoured endwall to match engine conditions. The vane model featured a full coverage film-cooling configuration with five rows of cylindrical holes in the showerhead and ten rows of laidback fanshaped holes distributed on the pressure and suction sides. The vane model was tested across a wide range of blowing ratios in several different coolant configurations including: individual rows on the pressure and suction side, full coverage tests with and without showerhead cooling, and full coverage tests at low and high mainstream turbulence levels. Comparisons between these configurations were made in order to assess the effects of local curvature, showerhead cooling, and mainstream turbulence levels. Single row tests measured in areas of high convex curvature tended to have an improved performance relative to flat plate predictions, while the opposite was true for rows in areas of concave curvature. Overall, showerhead cooling did not provide any significant improvements in effectiveness far downstream on both the pressure and suction side. Increasing mainstream turbulence levels tended to diminish the film cooling effectiveness. The negative effect of higher mainstream turbulence was most significant at low blowing ratios, but became negligible at higher flow rates.