Heat transfer study in a linear turbine cascade using a thermal boundary layer measurement technique

An experimental system is designed, constructed, and operated to make local measurements of heat transfer from constant-temperature surfaces in a linear turbine cascade. The system includes a number of embedded heaters and a control system to maintain the turbine blades and end walls in the cascade at a uniform temperature. A five-axis measurement system is used to determine temperature profiles normal to the pressure and suction sides of the blades and to the end wall. Extrapolating these measurements close to the surface, the local heat transfer is calculated using Fourier's law. The system has been tested in the laboratory, and results are shown for the temperature distributions above the surfaces and for the local variations in the Nusselt number on the different surfaces in the cascade. The system can also be used to study the heat and mass transfer analogy as considerable data are available for mass transfer results with similar geometries.