Reynolds Sensitivity of the Wake Passing Effect on a LPT Cascade Using Spectral/hp Element Methods

Reynolds-Averaged Navier–Stokes (RANS) methods continue to be the backbone of CFD-based design; however, the recent development of high-order unstructured solvers and meshing algorithms, combined with the lowering cost of HPC infrastructures, has the potential to allow for the introduction of high-fidelity simulations in the design loop, taking the role of a virtual wind tunnel. Extensive validation and verification is required over a broad design space. This is challenging for a number of reasons, including the range of operating conditions, the complexity of industrial geometries and their relative motion. A representative industrial low pressure turbine (LPT) cascade subject to wake passing interactions is analysed, adopting the incompressible Navier–Stokes solver implemented in the spectral/hp element framework Nektar++. The bar passing effect is modelled by leveraging a spectral-element/Fourier Smoothed Profile Method. The Reynolds sensitivity is analysed, focusing in detail on the dynamics of the separation bubble on the suction surface as well as the mean flow properties, wake profiles and loss estimations. The main findings are compared with experimental data, showing agreement in the prediction of wake traverses and losses across the entire range of flow regimes, the latter within 5% of the experimental measurements.