Flow Measurements for Low Engine Order Excitations in a High Pressure Turbine Stage

Abstract

This paper demonstrates and evaluates unique flow measurement results obtained in a high pressure test turbine, in order to analyze the effect of Low Engine Order (LEO) excitations. A stator was modified to induce LEO flow variations by either imposing a throat width variation or a blockage of the trailing edge cooling flow from some of the vanes. Laser Two Focus (L2F) and pressure probe measurements were performed at subsonic and transonic flow conditions, without and with the rotor installed and operated. Time resolved velocity data was obtained in front and inside of rotor passages covering the Low Engine Order variation period. The presented results evaluation focuses only on L2F measurements and show that the LEO variation of flow velocity and turbulence intensity is most visible in the gap between stator and rotor and at the first measurement location inside the rotor passage. The overall trend is that stator exit flow Mach numbers are higher behind the passages with smaller pitch and vice versa.