Effects of realistic inflow conditions on the aero-thermal performance of a film-cooled vane

A high-pressure vane equipped with a realistic film-cooling configuration has been studied. The vane is characterized by the presence of multiple rows of fan-shaped holes along pressure and suction side while the leading edge is protected by a showerhead system of cylindrical holes. Steady three-dimensional Reynolds-Averaged Navier-Stokes simulations have been performed. A preliminary grid sensitivity analysis has been performed with uniform inlet flow to quantify the effect of the spatial resolution. Turbulence model has been assessed in comparison with available experimental data. The effects of a realistic inflow condition on the thermal behaviour of the cooled vane are then investigated by means of comparison between two conjugate heat transfer simulations. The first one is characterized by a uniform inlet flow while the second one presents a temperature distortion and a superimposed aggressive swirl derived from the EU- funded TATEF2 project. The effect of the swirling flow in determining the metal temperature distribution is investigated with particular attention to the consequences on the operation of the film cooling system.