Passive Reduction of Leakage by Transverse Jet

This article presents investigations of mass flow reduction in a gap above a fin by the air curtain technique. The proposed method uses slots in the fin to generate a bypass flow and to create a fluidic barrier in the gap above the fin. Both numerical and experimental researches were conducted and the air curtain proved to be effective, showing the mass flow reduction up to about 20%. The comparison of numerical simulations and experimental data showed good agreement, and the flow structure details were analyzed based on the numerical results. The analysis shows that the blown air in the gap leads to creation of streamwise vortices. They enforce crosswise nonuniformity of the flow velocity in the gap and downstream, what finally influences on higher dissipation effects and mass flow reduction in the gap.