Numerical study on the biomimetic trailing edge in the environment of a high-pressure turbine stage

In this study, the whisker structure of a harbor seal is applied to the trailing edge of a high-pressure turbine stage to reduce energy loss. The method to produce biomimetic geometry is provided. Two cases are studied in this paper including a prototype of a high-pressure turbine stage and this stage with the biomimetic trailing edge. The delayed detached-eddy simulation (DDES) method is used to simulate the flow of the stages. The energy loss coefficient of the turbine stage with the biomimetic trailing edge is significantly reduced. The analysis of the local entropy generation rate shows that the wake loss of the biomimetic stage and the loss in the blade passage are greatly reduced. Two reasons for the widening of the wake of the prototype vane during the downstream movement are analyzed. For the biomimetic stage, the Karman vortices are completely suppressed and transformed into small vortices with strong three-dimensional motion. The wake width of the biomimetic trailing edge is narrowed and the speed recovery becomes faster. This leads to the reduction of the wake loss and the interaction between the wake of the vane and the downstream blade.