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ISSN Online: 2379-1748

ISBN Flash Drive: 978-1-56700-517-2

5-6th Thermal and Fluids Engineering Conference (TFEC)
May, 26–28, 2021 , Virtual

WAKE STRUCTURE GENERATED BY A SEAL-WHISKER-INSPIRED TURBINE BLADE

Get access (open in a dialog) pages 93-96
DOI: 10.1615/TFEC2021.bbe.032518

Resumo

Power turbines operate over a range of flow incidence and at relatively low Reynolds numbers (Re, the ratio of the inertial force to the viscous force). For a fixed-wing aircraft at cruising altitude, it is challenging for current power turbine blades to maintain desirable aerodynamic performance as the Reynolds number drops to substantially lower than that at sea level. Therefore, it is imperative to significantly improve the aerodynamics of turbine blades in low Re regimes. Inspired by the exceptional hydrodynamics of harbor seal whiskers, this study applies the characteristic features of the three-dimensional undulating morphology of seal whiskers to the leading edge of a turbine blade. Turbulent wake flows generated by a seal-whisker-inspired variable speed power turbine (VSPT) blade are quantified and compared against a baseline untreated VSPT blade in a water tunnel using Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV) at Re = 40,000 based on the mean inflow speed and the blade cord length. Particular focus is on the wake velocities and turbulence statistics at a range of angles of attack (AOA = − 10 to 10 degree). Results of the seal-whisker-inspired blade will be used not only to improve the performance of power turbine blades but also to inform a wide variety of bio-inspired aerodynamic applications.