Aerodynamic performance of turbine center frames with purge flows-part I: The influence of turbine purge flow rates

This two-part paper deals with the influence of high-pressure turbine (HPT) purge flows on the aerodynamic performance of turbine center frames (TCF). Measurements were carried out in a product-representative one and a half-stage turbine test setup. Four individual purge mass flows differing in flow rate, pressure, and temperature were injected through the hub and tip, forward and aft cavities of the unshrouded HPT rotor. Two TCF designs, equipped with nonturning struts, were tested and compared. In this first part of the paper, the influence of different purge flow rates (PFR) is discussed, while in the second part of the paper, the impact of the individual hub and tip purge flows on the TCF aerodynamics is investigated. The acquired measurement data illustrate that the interaction of the ejected purge flow with the main flow enhances the secondary flow structures through the TCF duct. Depending on the PFR, the radial migration of purge air onto the strut surfaces directly impacts the loss behavior of the duct. The losses associated with the flow close to the struts and in the strut wakes are highly dependent on the relative position between the HPT vane and the strut leading edge (LE), as well as the interaction between vane wake and ejected purge flow. This first-time experimental assessment demonstrates that a reduction in the purge air requirement benefits the engine system performance by lowering the TCF total pressure loss.