This paper reports full local Nusselt number distributions under an array of impinging jets typical of those used for thermal tip clearance control through casing contraction. Characteristic features of this type of application are sparse arrays of short cooling holes flowing at low jet Reynolds numbers (700–11,000) and large stand-off distances from the surface into a semi-confined passage with multiple exits. These features are captured in a large scale model, approximately ten times engine scale. Heat transfer measurements are made using the transient thermochromic liquid crystal technique. The measurement domain was extended far downstream of the impingement array. This allowed the entire heat transfer coefficient distribution contributing to the contraction of the liner around the rotor blades to be captured. CFD studies were conducted to characterize the flow field obtained, which in turn is helpful in understanding the drivers of heat transfer. The results are compared to existing industry standard correlations, which are generally outside the geometric and Reynolds number range of interest. It was shown that, for the tested geometries, the heat transfer was sensibly unaffected by whether the flow was exhausted through one side of the exit passage or equally in both directions, and the bulk flow field could be predicted using a modified distributed injection model. The heat transfer coefficient distributions are linked to a thermal-mechanical finite element model to provide thermal boundary conditions on an idealized representation of the casing for casing contraction in the presence of cooling scheme. For one of the geometries tested, data from an engine casing thermocouple survey have been compared to predictions of casing temperature determined using the measured heat transfer coefficient distributions and these show reasonable agreement.

As a key way of improving jet engine performance, a thermal tip clearance control system provides a robust means of manipulating the closure between the casing and the rotating blade tips, reducing undesirable tip leakage flows. This may be achieved using an impingement cooling scheme on the external casing. Such systems can be optimized to increase the contraction capability for a given casing cooling flow. Typically, this is achieved by changing the cooled area and local casing features, such as the external flanges or the external cooling geometry. This paper reports the effectiveness of a range of impingement cooling arrangements in typical engine casing closure system. The effects of jet-to-jet pitch, number of jets, and inline and staggered alignment of jets on an engine representative casing geometry are assessed through comparison of the convective heat transfer coefficient distributions as well as the thermal closure at the point of the casing liner attachment. The investigation is primarily numerical, however, a baseline case has been validated experimentally in tests using a transient liquid crystal technique. Steady numerical simulations using the realizable k–ε, k–ω SST, and EARSM turbulence models were conducted to understand the variation in the predicted local heat transfer coefficient distribution. A constant mass flow rate was used as a constraint at each engine condition, approximately corresponding to a constant feed pressure when the manifold exit area is constant. Sets of local heat transfer coefficient data generated using a consistent modeling approach were then used to create reduced order distributions of the local cooling. These were used in a thermomechanical model to predict the casing closure at engine representative operating conditions.

As a key way of improving jet engine performance, a thermal tip clearance control system provides a robust means of manipulating the closure between the casing and the rotating blade tips, reducing undesirable tip leakage flows. This may be achieved using an impingement cooling scheme on the external casing. Such systems can be optimized to increase the contraction capability for a given casing cooling flow. Typically this is achieved by changing the cooled area, local casing features such as the external flanges, or the external cooling geometry. This paper reports the effectiveness of a range of impingement cooling arrangements in typical engine casing closure system. The effects of jet-to-jet pitch, number of jets, inline and staggered alignment of jets, on an engine representative casing geometry are assessed through comparison of the convective heat transfer coefficient distributions as well as the thermal closure at the point of the casing liner attachment. The investigation is primarily numerical, however, a baseline case has been validated experimentally in tests using a transient liquid crystal technique. Steady numerical simulations using the realizable k-ε, k-ω SST and EARSM turbulence models were conducted to understand the variation in the predicted local heat transfer coefficient distribution. Constant mass flow rate was used as a constraint at each engine condition, this approximately pertaining to a constant feed pressure when the manifold exit area is constant. Sets of local heat transfer coefficient data generated using a consistent modelling approach were then used to create reduced order distributions of the local cooling. These were used in a thermo-mechanical model to predict the casing closure at engine representative operating conditions.