The Numerical Simulation of a 3D Flow in the VKI-Genoa Turbine Cascade Taking into Account the Laminar-Turbulent Transition

TL;DR

This paper presents a numerical simulation of 3D flow in a turbine cascade that incorporates laminar-turbulent transition modeling, demonstrating its impact on flow patterns and validating the approach against experimental data.

Contribution

It introduces a novel simulation approach using the algebraic Production Term Modification model for laminar-turbulent transition in turbine cascades.

Findings

Transition modeling affects secondary flow patterns

Simulation results agree with experimental data

Transition influences turbulence and flow features

Abstract

This study presents a numerical simulation of a 3D viscous flow in the VKI-Genoa cascade that takes into account the laminar-turbulent transition. The numerical simulation is performed using the Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes equations and the two-equation k-omega SST turbulence model. The algebraic Production Term Modification model is used for modeling the laminar-turbulent transition. Computations of both fully turbulent and transitional flows are carried out. The contours of the Mach number, the turbulence kinetic energy, the entropy function, as well as limiting streamlines are presented. The analysis of the numerical results demonstrates the influence of the laminar-turbulent transition on the secondary flow pattern. The comparison between the present computational results and the existing experimental and numerical data shows that the proposed approach reflects sufficiently the physics of the laminar-turbulent transition in turbine cascades.