Effect of heat flux on boundary layer flow under rotating conditions

The boundary layer flow behaviour in a smooth rotating channel with heated walls is measured by particle image velocimetry (PIV). To simulate the real operation environment of an internal coolant channel in a turbine blade, airflow is analysed in a rotating channel, whose four walls are uniformly heated by Indium Tin Oxide (ITO) glass. The flow is measured in the middle plane of the rotating channel with a Reynolds number equal to 10000 and rotation numbers ranging from 0 to 0.52. The results are presented for the boundary layer flow behaviour with and without heated thermal boundary conditions. The buoyancy force generated by the heated walls influences the flow behaviour under rotating conditions. Separated flow occurs, which substantially influences the turbulent flow behaviours. Sometimes, this buoyancy force can determine the flow behaviours. The results also showed that the displacement thickness and the momentum loss thickness present new changes at different radius positions due to the heated thermal boundary conditions. The displacement thicknesses of both the leading and trailing sides with heated walls are both thicker than those of the leading and trailing sides without heated walls. Then, the difference of the boundary layer thickness between these two cases increases with the increase of rotation number. For momentum loss thickness, a sharp drop happens when the rotation number increases to a certain value. At the large radius position, the drop in momentum loss thickness is much greater than that in the small radius position.