Gas turbines are, and will continue to be, the backbone of propulsion and power generation systems. The high-pressure turbine (HPT), one of the key components in modern aircraft gas turbines, typically experiences extremely challenging flow environments that include high temperatures, pressures, and velocities. In this video, we present a high-resolution large-eddy simulation of a transonic HPT vane operating at realistic Reynolds and Mach numbers. A list of flow features, including the shockwaves on the blade suction side, laminar-turbulent boundary layer transition, vortex shedding in the wake, and acoustic waves propagating through the vane, are shown. In particular, we focus on the effect of incoming large-scale turbulence structures on the resulting flow around the vane. These structures wrap around the blade leading edge and induce streamwise streaks on the blade. Being stretched under the strong pressure gradient through the vane, the structures have a direct impact on the vane’s boundary layer characteristics.
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