Enhancement of Film Cooling Effectiveness Using Rectangular Winglet Pair

This study deals with the film cooling enhancement in a combustion chamber by the use of rectangular winglet vortex generators (VGs). Rectangular winglet pair (RWP) in both the common-flow up and the common-flow down configuration is installed upstream of a coolant injection hole on the lower chamber wall. A three-dimensional numerical approach with complete solution of Navier–Stokes (NS) equations closed by the k–ɛ turbulence model is used for analyzing the effect of VG installation on film cooling effectiveness enhancement. The effect of RWP orientation is investigated to deduce the best configuration which is then optimized in terms of its geometrical parameters including its upstream distance from the hole and the angle it makes with the incoming flow. Results obtained show that a RWP located upstream of the coolant hole in common-flow down configuration gives the best effectiveness enhancement with certain other geometrical parameters specified. A novel “mushroom” adiabatic distribution scheme for film cooling effectiveness and temperature has been discussed in the paper. This characteristic scheme is developed as a result of RWPs' vortices interaction with the coolant inlet jet and the hot mainstream flow. A detailed discussion of the mechanisms and the flow field properties underlying the effectiveness enhancement and other phenomenon observed has also been presented in the paper.