Experimental and numerical investigations of wake passing effects upon aerodynamic performance of a LP turbine linear cascade with variable solidity

This paper deals with experimental and numerical studies on the flow field around a low-pressure linear turbine cascade whose solidity is changeable. The purpose of them is to clarify the effect of incoming wakes upon the aerodynamic loss of the cascade that is accompanied with separation on the airfoil suction surface, in particular for low Reynolds number conditions and/or low solidity conditions. Cylindrical bars on the timing belts work as wake generator to emulate wakes that impact the cascade. Pneumatic probe measurement is made to obtain total pressure loss distributions downstream of the cascade. Hot-wire probe measurement is also conducted over the airfoil suction surface. Besides, LES-based numerical simulation is executed to deepen the understanding of the interaction of the incoming wakes with the boundary layer containing separation bubble.