Drag on a Finite-length Cylinder subjected to Cross Flow

Jason Ostanek
Dr. Karen Thole, Mechanical Engineering, Virginia Tech

Gas turbine engines operate under extremely harsh conditions. Generally, first-stage turbine blades are subject
to incoming air that is 600 °F higher than the melting point of the metal. One method of protecting turbine blades is to
take cool air from the compressor and route it through the turbine blade. This cool air within the blade flows out of
cooling holes creating a layer of cool air over the blade. Also, the cool air flows across a variety of turbulence
promoters such as ribs and pin fins (see figure 1). Increasing turbulence promotes heat transfer which draws heat out
of the blade reducing the surface temperature. Turbine blade designers are interested in both the heat transfer and the
pressure drop across the array of pin fins. Typically, these pin fin arrays are designed to yield the highest possible heat
transfer possible with the lowest possible pressure drop. In order to determine the pressure drop across an array of pin
fins, one must first analyze an individual pin fin (represented as a cylinder in a narrow channel).

Figure 1. Cross section of a turbine blade showing a typical pin-fin array. [1]

This research project consisted of exploring the mechanisms causing the pressure drop across the pin fins at
the trailing edge of a turbine blade. One of the large contributors to the pressure loss is the pressure drag experienced
by the pin fins. There are several ways to quantify the drag force on a cylinder in a channel. One such method is to
calculate the drag coefficient at various span heights in the channel and integrate them to get one overall drag
coefficient. Accurate data was obtained at the channel centerline, where the measured drag coefficient matched the
predicted value for a long (infinite) cylinder. Also, the drag coefficients at different span heights yielded consistent
results. However, more research is necessary to quantify the overall drag force on the pin fins. To make a more
complete model, drag coefficient measurements should be taken at more span heights and also at various flow rates.

[1] Han, J., Dutta, S., and Ekkad, S. Gas Turbine Heat Transfer and Cooling Technology. (New York: Taylor &
Francis, 2000), p. 20.