Heat transfer characteristics in steam-cooled rectangular channels with two opposite rib-roughened walls

An experimental study of heat transfer characteristics in steam-cooled rectangular channels with two opposite rib-roughened walls for Reynolds number (Re) in the range of 10,000–80,000 was conducted. To simulate the actual geometry and heat transfer structure of turbine blade/vane internal cooling passage, each of the test channels was made by welding four stainless steel plates. The pitch-to-rib height ratio p/e was kept at 10 and the channel length L was kept at 1000 mm. The channel aspect ratios (W/H) were 0.25, 0.5 and 1, respectively. The channel blockage ratios were 0.047 for W/H = 1, 0.5 and 0.078 for W/H = 0.25. We have found that the average Nusselt number (Nu) for the channel with α = 45° is about 15–25 percent higher than that for the channel with α = 60°. For the channels with W/H = 0.5 or 1, the average Nu decreases along the rib axes because of the rib-induced secondary flow that moves from the left-hand side to the right-hand side. In addition, based on the heat transfer results, we have developed the semi-empirical correlations for the two test channels with the highest and the lowest heat transfer. The correlations can be used in the design of the internal cooling passage of new-generation steam-cooled gas turbine blade/vane.

► We modeled 6 rectangular ribbed channels by welding four stainless steel plates.
► We studied heat transfer characteristics in the 6 steam-cooled ribbed channels.
► The average Nu for α = 45° is about 15%–25% higher than that for α = 60°.
► The average Nu decreases along the rib axes from one side to the other side.
► The correlations for channels with the highest and lowest average Nu were developed.