Application of the Turbulent Potential Model to Heat Transfer Predictions on a Turbine Guide Vane

The accurate numerical simulation of the flow through turbomachinery depends on the reliable prediction of laminar to turbulent boundary layer transition phenomena. The aim of this paper is to study the ability of the turbulent potential model to predict those nonequilibrium turbulent flows for several test cases. Within this model turbulent quantities are described by the turbulent scalar and turbulent vector potentials of the turbulent body force—the divergence of the Reynolds stress tensor. For model validation first flat plate test cases with different inlet turbulence intensities, zero pressure gradient, and nonuniform pressure gradient distributions along the plate were calculated and compared by means of skin friction values measured in the experiments. Finally the model was validated by heat transfer measurement data obtained from a highly loaded transonic turbine guide vane cascade for different operating conditions.