Experimental and Numerical Investigation of an Aerodynamically Loaded Guide Vane in a Turbine Duct

To obtain validation for an aerodynamically loaded guide vane in a turbine duct, a new configuration was implemented in the large-scale low-speed turbine rig facility at Chalmers University of Technology. The new configuration represents a modern counter rotating turbine design, with a flow turning structural vane. The flow in a turbine duct is very complex, due to the influence of the upstream turbine stage flow structures, and becomes even more complex if the turbine duct is equipped with an aerodynamically loaded structural vane. The flow has large secondary motions and is sensitive to flow separation, which is difficult to predict with numerical CFD methods. Very limited information is found in the open literature that can be used for validation of numerical methods. This paper presents the new experimental configuration and validation of its aerodynamic performance. Measurements including surface pressure, mapping of pressure losses and flow structures are presented and discussed. Comparison to initial CFD analyses enhance the understanding of the flow structures and gives a preliminary validation of used methods.