A Comparative Study of Internal Cooling Strategies for Aeronautical Gas Turbines

Abstract

Gas turbines operate under extremely high temperatures to maximize efficiency. However, these conditions generate intense thermal stresses and material degradation, which can compromise component integrity and shorten service life. This study evaluates the thermal and the fluid-flow performance of various internal cooling passage geometries used in aircraft gas turbines through Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulations performed with ANSYS Fluent. Three different materials have been analyzed at four injection rates in order to identify the combination that offers the most effective cooling and the longest component lifespan. The results indicate that cooling efficiency is strongly dependent on injection rate, with titanium performing optimally at lower rates, while nickel exhibits superior behavior at higher rates. Temperature analyses show that an injection Mach number of 0.7 provides optimal thermal protection and a uniform heat distribution across all materials. Pressure-distribution results reveal that material differences are more pronounced at low injection rates but diminish as the rate increases, indicating enhanced overall cooling performance. These findings highlight the critical role of injection rate in cooling effectiveness and emphasize the importance of selecting suitable materials for specific operating conditions.