Radial and circumferential flow surveys at the inlet and exit of the Space Shuttle Main Engine High Pressure Fuel Turbine Model

Abstract

The main objective of this test was to obtain detailed radial and circumferential flow surveys at the inlet and exit of the SSME High Pressure Fuel Turbine model using three-hole cobra probes, hot-film probes, and a laser velocimeter. The test was designed to meet several objectives. First, the techniques for making laser velocimeter, hot-film probe, and cobra probe measurements in turbine flows were developed and demonstrated. The ability to use the cobra probes to obtain static pressure and, therefore, velocity had to be verified; insertion techniques had to be established for the fragile hot-film probes; and a seeding method had to be established for the laser velocimetry. Once the measurement techniques were established, turbine inlet and exit velocity profiles, temperature profiles, pressure profiles, turbulence intensities, and boundary layer thicknesses were measured at the turbine design point. The blockage effect due to the model inlet and exit total pressure and total temperature rakes on the turbine performance was also studied. A small range of off-design points were run to obtain the profiles and to verify the rake blockage effects off-design. Finally, a range of different Reynolds numbers were run to study the effect of Reynolds number on the various measurements