Experimental Heat Transfer Investigation of an Aggressive Intermediate Turbine Duct

In most designs of two-spool turbofan engines, intermediate turbine ducts (ITDs) are used to connect the high-pressure turbine (HPT) with the low-pressure turbine (LPT). Demands for more efficient engines with reduced emissions require more “aggressive ducts,” ducts which provide both a higher radial offset and a larger area ratio in the shortest possible length, while maintaining low pressure losses and avoiding nonuniformities in the outlet flow that might affect the performance of the downstream LPT. The work presented in this paper is part of a more comprehensive experimental and computational study of the flowfield and the heat transfer in an aggressive ITD. The main objectives of the study were to obtain an understanding of the mechanisms governing the heat transfer in ITDs and to obtain high quality experimental data for the improvement of the CFD-based design tools. This paper presents and discusses the results of the experimental study. The duct studied was a state-of-the-art “aggressive” design with nine thick nonturning structural struts. It was tested in a large-scale low-speed experimental facility with a single-stage HPT. In this paper measurements of the steady convective heat transfer coefficient (HTC) distribution on both endwalls and on the strut for the duct design inlet conditions are presented. The heat transfer measurement technique used is based on infrared thermography. Part of the results of the flow measurements is also included.