The Role of Turbine Operating Conditions on Combustor–Turbine Interaction—Part I: Change in Expansion Ratio

Aeroengine lean-burn combustors release vorticity and temperature perturbations that, interacting with the first turbine stage, impact the stage aerodynamics, the blade cooling, and noise production. The first of these issues is addressed in this paper that is Part I of a two-fold contribution. A detailed experimental analysis is carried out to study the impact on the combustor–turbine interaction of the off-design conditions experienced by aero-engines in their duty. Engine-representative disturbances are generated by a combustor simulator able to produce swirling entropy waves. Two injection positions and four injection cases are studied. Experimental measurements are carried out at three traverses: upstream of the stator, at the interstage, and downstream of the rotor. This paper analyses the effect of the stage expansion ratio: two values are studied, namely 1.4 and 1.76, representative of subsonic and transonic flow conditions. They are chosen imposing similar velocity triangles at the rotor inlet. Results show that the swirl profile considerably impacts the stage aerodynamics. The aerothermal flow field downstream of the stator is modified significantly by the combustor disturbances. Conversely, downstream of the rotor, the differences in aerodynamics lessen. However, the entropy wave persists at the stage outlet and its transport depends on both the operating point and the injection position.