Research on the Influence of Guide Blade Trailing Edge Structure on Turbine Performance

The complex structure at trailing edge reduces the manufacturing precision, which results in an error in the size of the trailing edge structure. In this study, the performance of a stage high-pressure turbine (HP turbine) is calculated out in three dimensions. In the HP turbine guide vane, the trailing edge cutback configuration is adopted. Through three-dimensional simulation, the complex flow around the trailing edge with cutback cooling configuration is presented in this study, and the manufacturing precision reduction due to the complex structure at trailing edge is considered. Furthermore, the effect of trailing edge lip thickness and deflection of the stator on the turbine performance is discussed. Overall, as the press-side lip thickness increasing, the turbine efficiency and turbine inlet flow are reduced. However, the changes in the turbine work output are relatively complex. On the other hand, as the spacing between suction-side lip and press-side lip increases, turbine performance becomes worse. Both of the turbine efficiency and the turbine work output become smaller, while the turbine inlet flow becomes bigger. The effect of the spacing between suction-side lip and press-side lip is obviously greater than that of the press-side lip thickness. The change of the press-side lip thickness has little effect on the relation between the turbine performance and the spacing between suction-side lip and press-side lip. However, when the spacing between suction-side lip and press-side lip deviates from the baseline value, the effect law of the press-side lip thickness on the turbine performance will be affected. As the press-side lip thickness increases, it leads to an increase in the low-velocity zone at both of the pressure-side and suction-side trailing edge. And more main stream is affected or mixed into the wake flow. When the spacing between suction-side lip and press-side lip becomes smaller, the low-velocity zone at the trailing edge is smaller, and the change of vortex with the press-side lip thickness is affected. With a bigger spacing between suction-side lip and press-side lip, the variation is contrary.