Handbook of Turbomachinery Second Edition Revised - Ventech!

INTRODUCTION
3
Turbine Gas-Path Heat Transfer
Charles MacArthur
Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, U.S.A.
The introduction of turbomachinery in the late 1940s and early 1950s as a
means of propelling military and, later, civilian aircraft led to a large
increase of research in fluid mechanics and heat transfer centered on the gas
turbine engine. Durable, efficient, high-performance engines were needed
for a large number of new aircraft performing a wide variety of missions.
Also gas turbines became increasingly popular for ground power and
marine applications. The designers of these new machines faced more and
more challenges in terms of size, time between overhaul, and power output.
Each new generation of engines needed to operate at the highest practical
turbine inlet temperature for maximum thrust or power output and highest
thermodynamic (fuel) efficiency.
As the turbine inlet temperature was raised, accurate means of
predicting the new flow and heat transfer in the hot section were generally
not available, resulting in the need for expensive series of tests. This
problem, in particular, motivated analytical research into fundamental fluid
mechanics and convective heat transfer to minimize testing. At the same
time, new ways to learn more from the testing that was done were needed.
Copyright © 2003 Marcel Dekker, Inc.