Heat transfer coefficient measurements on the pressure surface of a transonic airfoil

This paper presents steady-state recovery temperature and heat transfer coefficient measurements on the pressure surface of a modern, highly cambered transonic airfoil. These measurements were collected with a peak Mach number of 1.5 and a maximum turbulence intensity of 30%. We used a single passage model to simulate the idealized two-dimensional flow path between rotor blades in a modern transonic turbine. This set up offered a simpler construction than a linear cascade, yet produced an equivalent flow condition. We performed validated high accuracy (±0.2°C) surface temperature measurements using wide-band thermochromic liquid crystals allowing separate measurements of the previously listed parameters with the same heat transfer surface. We achieved maximum heat transfer coefficient uncertainties that were equivalent to similar investigations (±10%). Two key observations are the heat transfer coefficient along the aft portion of the airfoil is sensitive to the surface heat flux and is highly insensitive to the level of freestream turbulence. Possible explanations for these observations are discussed.