Experimental and Numerical Study of Heat Transfer in a Gas Turbine Combustor Liner

Experiments and numerical simulations were conducted to understand the heat transfer characteristics of a stationary gas turbine combustor liner cooled by impingement jets and cross flow between the liner and sleeve. Heat transfer was also aided by trip-strip turbulators on the outside of the liner and in the flowsleeve downstream of the jets. The study was aimed at enhancing heat transfer and prolonging the life of the combustor liner components. The combustor liner and flow sleeve were simulated using a flat-plate rig. The geometry has been scaled from actual combustion geometry except for the curvature. The jet Reynolds number and the mass-velocity ratios between the jet and cross flow in the rig were matched with the corresponding combustor conditions. A steady-state liquid crystal technique was used to measure spatially resolved heat transfer coefficients for the geometric and flow conditions mentioned above. The heat transfer was measured both in the impingement region as well as over the turbulators. A numerical model of the combustor test rig was created that included the impingement holes and the turbulators. Using CFD, the flow distribution within the flow sleeve and the heat transfer coefficients on the liner were both predicted. Calculations were made by varying the turbulence models, numerical schemes, and the geometrical mesh. The results obtained were compared to the experimental data and recommendations have been made with regard to the best modeling approach for such liner-flow sleeve configurations.