Application of Photoluminescent Measurement Techniques for Quantitative Assessment of Turbine Film Cooling

ii response of the wall. For this purpose, the same PSP-sensor is employed for thermography measurements by taking advantage of the inherent temperature sensitivity of this technology. An engine-realistic test case illustrates the capability of the technique under complex flow conditions. It allows to demonstrate that measurements with high spatial resolution can be obtained over large portions of the surface within a short period of time. It turns out that the combination of oxygen pressure and temperature sensors, in the form of photoluminescent paint, is particularly advantageous in compressible flow experiments with moderate heat transfer at the wall. Another important advantage of the technique is the possibility to separate the adiabatic film cooling effectiveness from the wall heat transfer effects, without applying another coating for separate experiments. This ensures high geometrical tolerance of the small-scale cooling holes of the experimental models. However, the technique is limited by the maximum applicable temperature of the photoluminescent system making it first of all suitable for cold-flow measurements. While both pressure and temperature sensitive paints have previously been employed in film cooling studies, the proposed combination of those techniques is unique in that it allows for simultaneous, yet decoupled measurement of the two fundamental quantities in film cooling. In the present thesis, it is shown that the application of the presented technique allows to validate numerical flow models. Furthermore, conclusions can be transferred to the modelling of real engines in the form of technology trends. Ultimately, this allows to optimize film cooling performance and reduce the fuel consumption of gas turbines.