Numerical study of a novel anti-vortex film cooling geometry using OpenFOAM

Film cooling is essential for improving the thermal efficiency and power output of gas turbines. It protects turbine blades from the high-temperature gas stream produced in the combustion chamber, preventing thermal damage and enhancing overall performance. A computational study was performed to explore a novel film cooling design using an innovative anti-vortex hole cooling technique, where the primary hole is reinforced by two symmetrical anti-vortex consoles (AVC) branching out from it. A concept for enhanced film cooling performance over a test plate aims to spread the coolant jet and mitigate the counter-rotating vortex pair (CRVP), which is typically associated with traditional straight holes, a numerical simulation is conducted using OpenFOAM, A free, open-access CFD software. A traditional AVH geometry was employed to validate the numerical model, and the computed data demonstrated excellent agreement with the experimental results. In this paper, two geometries, AVH and AVC, are examined, with consistent position variations across eight comparative cases. The study explores three blowing ratios ([Formula: see text], 1.0 and 1.5) while maintaining a constant density ratio ([Formula: see text]). The aim is to evaluate and compare the performance of these geometries in terms of film cooling effectiveness. The K-[Formula: see text] SST turbulence model was employed to analyze the adiabatic film cooling effectiveness, which is the key parameter under investigation. The results show that the novel AVC design significantly improves film cooling effectiveness compared to the conventional AVH geometry. Notably, as the blowing ratio increases, lateral coolant diffusion improves, with the coolant remaining closely attached to the surface, which reduces the strength of counter-rotating vortices.