Transition Mechanisms in Laminar Separated Flow Under Simulated Low Pressure Turbine Airfoil Conditions

Based on detailed experimental work conducted at a low speed test facility, this paper describes the transition process in the presence of a separation bubble with low Reynolds number, low free-stream turbulence, and steady main flow conditions. A pressure distribution has been created on a long flat plate by means of a contoured wall opposite of the plate, matching the suction side of a modern low-pressure turbine aerofoil. The main flow conditions for four Reynolds numbers, based on suction surface length and nominal exit velocity, were varied from 80,000 to 300,000, which covers the typical range of flight conditions. Velocity profiles and the overall flow field were acquired in the boundary layer at several streamwise locations using hot-wire anemometry. The data given is in the form of contours for velocity, turbulence intensity, and turbulent intermittency. The results highlight the effects of Reynolds number, the mechanisms of separation, transition, and reattachment, which feature laminar separation-long bubble and laminar separation-short bubble modes. For each Reynolds number, the onset of transition, the transition length, and the general characteristics of separated flow are determined. These findings are compared to the measurement results found in the literature. Furthermore, the experimental data is compared with two categories of correlation functions also given in the open literature: (1) correlations predicting the onset of transition and (2) correlations predicting the mode of separated flow transition. Moreover, it is shown that the type of instability involved corresponds to the inviscid Kelvin-Helmholtz instability mode at a dominant frequency that is in agreement with the typical ranges occurring in published studies of separated and free-shear layers.© 2011 ASME