Comparison of Endwall Loss Reduction Techniques in a High-Lift Turbine Passage

The development of techniques that reduce the losses in the endwall region is an important area of research as it supports an increase in the turbine design space through the use of higher lift blade designs while maintaining high efficiency. Several active and passive shape contouring methods that reduce losses generated by the secondary flow have been developed and investigated on a high-lift front-loaded low-pressure turbine research profile in a low-speed linear cascade configuration. This paper summarizes and compares alterations to the three-dimensional secondary flow field by the application of three different techniques: blade profile contouring, optimized endwall shape contouring, and localized low mass coefficient jets. Each method was applied to identical research blade profiles and compared in the same linear cascade wind tunnel resulting in a unique perspective into the loss reduction mechanisms associated with each technique. The design strategy will be discussed along with a detailed description of changes to the secondary flow field using in- and out-of-passage total pressure loss measurements and high-speed stereoscopic particle image velocimetry. The key findings include the loss reduction mechanisms associated with each approach and the manipulation of key endwall flow structures such as the passage vortex and a strong suction surface corner separation.