Turbine Blade Boundary Layer Separation Suppression via Synthetic Jet: an Experimental and Numerical Study

The present paper focuses on the analysis of a synthetic jet device (with a zero net massflow rate) on a separated boundary layer. Separation has been obtained on a flat plate installed within a converging-diverging test section specifically designed to attain a local velocity distribution typical of a high-lift LPT blade. Both experimental and numerical investigations have been carried out. Unsteady RANS results have been compared with experiments in terms of time-averaged velocity and turbulence intensity distributions. Two different Reynolds number cases have been investigated, namely Re = 200,000 and Re = 70,000, which characterize low-pressure turbine operating conditions during take-off/landing and cruise. A range of synthetic jet aerodynamic parameters (Strouhal number and blowing ratio) has been tested in order to analyze the features of control-separated boundary layer interaction for the aforementioned Reynolds numbers.