With the increased demand for lighter, more fuel efficient, gas turbine engines, the impetus to reduce engine weight has become apparent. One approach to reduce this weight is to reduce the number of blades in the turbine. However, to maintain power output, each blade must be capable of supporting a greater amount of lift. While several high-lift turbine profiles have been detailed in literature, most of these profiles have increased endwall losses, despite their desirable mid-span characteristics. The current effort documents significant manipulation and reduction in strength of endwall flow features via active control. The localized low-momentum active forcing manipulation of the pressure side leg of the horseshoe vortex, formed at the leading edge of the turbine profile, has been shown to reduce overall pressure loss near the endwall in certain active flow control conditions. A combination of stereographic particle image velocimetry measurements at several planes throughout the passage, along with total pressure loss measurements within and beyond the passage, has led to a deeper understanding of the fluid dynamic mechanisms responsible for the reduction in endwall losses.
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