Effect of Rib Size on Heat (Mass) Transfer Distribution in a Rotation Channel

Abstract

Experiments have been conducted to study the effect of rib size on the local heat (mass) transfer distribution for radial outward flow in a rotating channel with transverse ribs on the leading and trailing walls. The test channel modeled internal turbine blade cooling passages. Results were obtained for Reynolds numbers of 5,500 and 10,000, rotation numbers of 0.09 and 0.24, and for a fixed rib pitch that was equal to the channel hydraulic diameter. For a fixed rib configuration on the leading wall, increasing the size of the ribs on the trailing wall increased the heat (mass) transfer on the leading wall. Ribs with D/e = p/e = 16 on the trailing wall performed better than ribs with D/e = p/e = 10. When the rotation number was large, the heat (mass) transfer on the leading wall was quite low, regardless of the sizes of the ribs on the leading and trailing walls. There was very little spanwise variation of the local heat (mass) transfer between the transverse ribs on the trailing wall. When the rotation number was large, however, there was a significant spanwise variation of the local heat (mass) transfer between ribs on the leading wall.