Three–Dimensional Navier–Stokes Analysis of a Two–Stage Gas Turbine

A three-dimensional Navier-Stokes solver has been extended to include multi-row capability. The coupling between the various rows is implemented by means of mixing planes. Those planes are handled by retaining the radial distortions while mass-averaging in the pitch-wise direction. The code is applied to a two-stage, heavy-duty gas turbine at design conditions. A comparison of pitch-averaged quantities between blade rows with preliminary measurements and with through flow analysis is presented along with a discussion of the flow features in terms of secondary flows. Using roughly half a million grid points, an operating condition can be examined in about an hour on a modem supercomputer.