NUMERICAL PREDICTION OF THE FLOW FIELD
NEAR THE TIP OF A ROTATING TURBINE BLADE
S. Han, B. Han, P. Jin, and R. J. Goldstein

UDC 532.517.2

Numerical analysis of the three-dimensional flow fields 
in an annual cascade with tip clearance and rotation and in a linear 
cascade is carried out. A comparison with flow visualization verifies 
the computational result. The comparison indicates that the numerical 
analysis captures the separation on the tip edge of the pressure side 
of the blade and the flow direction over the tip surface. However, 
it does not properly indicate the separation on the leading edge of 
the suction side. Rotation weakens the leakage flow so that the size 
of the separation bubble decreases on the tip surface. Large tip clearance 
increases leakage flow so that the tip vortex is larger and moves 
to the suction side.

Heat Transfer Laboratory, Department of Mechanical Engineering, 
University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, USA; email: bshan@me.umn.edu. 
The article submitted June, 29, 2000. Translated from Inzhenerno-Fizicheskii 
Zhurnal, Vol. 74, No. 4, pp. 14-22, July-August, 2001. 
Original article submitted September 29, 2000.

JEPTER7492020016
JEPTER749206