Theoretical and Experimental Investigation of Temperature Distribution in a Gas Turbine First Stage Nozzle

This paper describes results obtained during a research project on improving metal temperature prediction in air-cooled gas turbine blades and nozzles. Two different fluid-dynamic analysis methods have been used to predict the heat exchange coefficients for a gas turbine first stage nozzle. A finite-element thermal analysis was then carried out to predict the airfoil temperature distribution. The numerical predictions account for impingement and film-cooling. Predicted temperature distributions are finally compared to measurements taken on an instrumented machine. Predictions based on the full viscous analysis code show the best agreement with experimental data in the critical area near the airfoil leading edge.