Evaluation of CFD simulations of film cooling performance on a turbine vane including conjugate heat transfer effects

Computational simulations using a steady RANS approach with the k–ω SST turbulence model were performed to complement experimental measurements of overall cooling effectiveness and adiabatic film effectiveness for a film cooled turbine vane airfoil. The vane included a single row of holes located on the suction side of the airfoil. The simulated geometry also included the internal impingement cooling configuration. Internal and external boundary conditions were matched to experiments using the same vane model. To correctly simulate conjugate heat transfer effects, the experimental vane model was constructed to match the Biot number for engine conditions. Computational predictions of the overall cooling effectiveness and adiabatic film effectiveness were compared to experimental measurements. The CFD predictions showed that the k–ω SST RANS model over-predicted local adiabatic film effectiveness for an attached jet, while performance was under-predicted for a detached jet. The corresponding predictions of overall cooling effectiveness were also over and under-predicted. Further, it was shown that the adiabatic wall temperature was not the correct driving temperature for heat transfer, especially in the case of a detached jet.