A numerical study of incompressible Navier-Stokes flow through rectilinear and radial cascade of turbine blades

A numerical study is conducted to analyse the two-dimensional incompressible Navier-Stokes flows through the rectilinear and radial cascade of turbine blades. The flows are turbulent and their characteristics are relevant to those of the hydraulic turbines. For the rectilinear cascade, calculations have been made for a NACA 80 series turbine blade with various angles of attack. The outflow turning angle, force coefficients and static pressure distribution have been compared between the prediction and measurement with satisfactory agreements being obtained. The implications of flow turning angles on the total pressure loss are also discussed. The effects of grid distribution on the numerical predictions are also observed.