Measurement of heat/mass transfer at second stage vane endwall according to step heights

Recently, domestic gas turbines are primarily operated under partial loads. Hence, thermal expansion of components decreases, leading to a discontinuity between the 1st blade and 2nd vane. In this study, the local heat transfer coefficients are derived using the naphthalene sublimation method to analyze thermal characteristics based on step height, and flow characteristics are analyzed using numerical simulation. An extreme heat load of the flat endwall appears around the leading edge of the vane due to the secondary vortex. Under the step conditions, the heat load increases in the upstream region as the main flow near the endwall is reattached to the endwall surface. In addition, two high heat transfer distributions appear due to the recirculation flow, and a step-induced vortex is formed. As the step-induced vortex moves to the suction side within the vane flow path, a high thermal load appears in the corresponding region. Consequently, we found that the occurrence of a step causes severe thermal damage in the upstream region of the vane endwall. The area-averaged heat transfer of the stepped endwall is increased by about 10.6 % and 17.3 % at h_s/C_x = 0.05 and 0.1, respectively, as compared to that of the flat endwall.