Experimental Heat Transfer Investigation Around the Film-Cooled Leading Edge of a High-Pressure Gas Turbine Rotor Blade

This paper describes an experimental heat transfer investigation around the leading edge of a high-pressure film-cooled gas turbine rotor blade. The measurements were performed in the VKI isentropic compression tube facility using platinum thin film gauges painted on a blade made of machinable glass ceramic. Free-stream to wall temperature ratio, Reynolds, and Mach numbers were selected from actual aeroengines conditions. Heat transfer data obtained without and with film cooling in a stationary frame are presented. The effects of coolant to free-stream mass weight ratio and temperature ratio were successively investigated. Heat transfer modifications due to incidence angle variations were interpreted with the aid of inviscid flow calculation methods.