An Investigation of a Highly Loaded Transonic Turbine Stage With Compound Leaned Vanes

An investigation was made to compare the performance of a highly loaded transonic turbine stage with and without compound leaned vanes. In both cases, velocity distribution along the vane surfaces was calculated from a full three-dimensional time-marching finite volume method. Nozzles were tested in a wind tunnel. Through rig tests, velocity profile at the stage exit was measured and the stage overall performance obtained. Performance in both tip and hub regions was improved by using the compound leaned vanes so that the stage efficiency increased by approximately 1 percent. The improvement is particularly remarkable at off-design points.