The paper presents a detailed analysis of particle image velocimetry (PIV) measurements performed in a turbine cascade representative of highly accelerated low-pressure turbine (LPT) blades. Two cameras have been simultaneously used to observe a great portion of the suction side boundary layer with the highest possible spatial resolution, thus allowing us to solve the interaction process between impinging upstream wakes and the blade boundary layer. Four unsteady inflow conditions, characterized by different incoming wake reduced frequencies and flow coefficients, have been examined at fixed Reynolds number. The highly resolved flow fields have been processed to explore reduced frequency and flow coefficient effects on the boundary layer unsteady transition process and, consequently, on loss production. For a deep physical insight on the mechanisms responsible for loss generation, proper orthogonal decomposition (POD) has been applied at different phases of the wake passing period. This has provided the dominant structures affecting the cascade aerodynamics during the wake period. Moreover, the examination of POD modes has allowed us to show the effects induced by the parameter variation on the turbulent kinetic energy production and thus to the unsteady loss production mechanisms.

In this work, proper orthogonal decomposition (POD) was applied to large eddy simulations (LES) of two high-loaded low-pressure turbine cascades under unsteady inflow to investigate entropy production in different parts of the blade passage. The turbulent kinetic energy (TKE) production, diffusion, and dissipation terms from the stagnation pressure transport equation were integrated over the computational domain. The POD-based method splits the contribution of different coherent flow dynamics to TKE production and dissipation, including the migration, bowing, tilting, and reorientation of incoming wake filaments, as well as the breakup of streaky structures in the blade boundary layer and the formation of Von Karman vortices in the blade wake. This helps designers identify the dominant POD modes (turbulent flow structures) responsible for loss generation, their dynamics, and the spatial locations where they act, providing insights into the physical phenomena to be controlled. Following this optimization strategy, a new low-pressure turbine profile was designed. After performing LES on the optimized geometry, POD results indicated the possibility of designing a higher-loaded profile with a lower global loss coefficient. Thanks to the stronger acceleration imposed on the bulk flow in the former part of the blade passage, the new loading distribution is shown to be responsible for lower upstream wake migration losses, as well as for a smaller amount of TKE production in the trailing edge wake zone, as a result of the early suction side boundary layer transition.

This work presents an extensive experimental and numerical analysis, aimed at investigating the impact of shelf-like fences applied on the suction side of a turbine nozzle guide vane. The cascade is constituted of vanes characterized by long chord and low aspect ratio, which are typical features of some LPT first stages directly downstream of an HPT, hence presenting high channel diffusion, especially near the tip. In particular, the present study complements existing literature by highlighting how blade fences positioned on the suction side can reduce the penetration of the large passage vortex. This is particularly effective in applications where flow turning is limited, the blades are lightly loaded at the front, and the horseshoe vortex is weak. The benefits of the present fence design in terms of losses and flow uniformity at the cascade exit plane have been demonstrated by means of a detailed experimental campaign carried out on a large-scale linear cascade in the low-speed wind tunnel installed in the Aerodynamics and Turbomachinery Laboratory of the University of Genova. Measurements mainly focused on the characterization of the flow field upstream and downstream of straight and fenced vane cascades using a five-hole pressure probe, to evaluate the impact of the device in reducing secondary flows. Furthermore, experiments were also adopted to validate both low-fidelity (RANS) and high-fidelity (LES) simulations and revealed the capability of both simulation approaches to accurately predict losses and flow deviation. Moreover, the accuracy in high-fidelity simulations has enabled an in-depth investigation of how fences act mitigating the effects of the passage vortex along the blade channel. By comparing the flow fields of the configurations with and without fences, it is possible to highlight the mitigation of secondary flows within the channel.