Surface non-conformances on the low pressure turbine outlet guide vane flow

Paper in proceedings, 2010

During manufacturing and in-service of the outlet guide vanes various irregularities on the vane surface can occur. These irregular shapes are surface non-conformances in the form of welds, traces or repairs of various forms. Improvement of the aerodynamic performance of the guide vanes requires understanding of the impact of these technological features on the flow field and aerodynamics. Experimental study is performed in a linear cascade facility at Chalmers University. In focus of current work are non-conformances in form of welding traces. The model welding traces were placed at different locations on the suction side of the vane. The influence of these non-conformances on the cascade aerodynamics is evaluated and validation of CFD results obtained by the k-ε realizable and k-ω SST turbulence models is performed.