Influence of Rotor Blade Aerodynamic Loading on the Performance of a Highly Loaded Turbine Stage

This paper describes the performance of a highly loaded single-stage transonic turbine with a pressure ratio of 3.76 and a stage loading factor of 2.47. Tests were carried out with three rotors, covering a range of blade Zweifel coefficient of 0.77 to 1.18. Detailed traversing at rotor inlet and exit allowed an assessment of rotor and stage performance as a function of blade loading under realistic operating conditions. The effect of stator endwall contouring on overall stage performance was also investigated using two different contours with the same vane design.