Numerical Simulation of Turbine Blade Cooling via Jet Impingement

Various industrial applications use jet impingement against surface to provide an effective mode of heat transfer. Its application includes, but not limited to, heat treatment, thermal management of optical surfaces for defogging, cooling of critical machinery structures, and rocket launcher cooling. In this study, numerical analysis of various heat transfer configurations of jet impingement on a semi-circular surface is carried out. These configurations were compared on the basis of effective heat transfer by achieving higher Nusselt number and lower surface temperature as convection heat is becoming the dominant phenomenon. The numerical model was developed for considering the application of a uniform heat flux on a curved surface subjected to jet flow that simulating an internal channel under cooling. The results found to be in agreement with the literature experimental data. To gain more insight on the underlining physics of the flow, a sensitivity analysis on the jet impingement configuration and flow conditions were conducted and was demonstrated to the inner cooling of the 1^st stage gas turbine blade.