A laser-Doppler anemometer was used to measure the three-dimensional velocity field within a typical turbine blade cascade. The blades had a 12.7 cm chord, a turning angle of 104.8°, and a shape conforming to the camber line of a commercial turboexpander. The cascade was operated at a Reynolds number of 1.25×105. Strong secondary velocities, ranging up to 35 percent of the primary flow velocity, were found, resulting from the development of counter-rotating vortices within the blade passages. Large midspan velocity defects in the primary flow were coincident with these high secondary flows. The secondary flow persisted throughout the near wake region.

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