High-Speed Noncontacting Instrumentation for Jet Engine Testing

1980 ◽  
Vol 102 (4) ◽  
pp. 912-917 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. J. Scotto ◽  
M. E. Eismeier
Keyword(s):  
Experimental Data ◽  
High Speed ◽  
Tip Clearance ◽  
Jet Engines ◽  
Blade Surface ◽  
Operating Characteristics ◽  
Jet Engine ◽  
Blade Tip ◽  
Engine Testing ◽  
Blade Tip Clearance

This paper discusses high-speed, noncontacting instrumentation systems for measuring the operating characteristics of jet engines. The discussion includes optical pyrometers for measuring blade surface temperatures, capacitance clearanceometers for measuring blade tip clearance and vibration, and optoelectronic systems for measuring blade flex and torsion. In addition, engine characteristics that mandate the use of such unique instrumentation are pointed out as well as the shortcomings of conventional noncontacting devices. Experimental data taken during engine testing are presented and recommendations for future development discussed.

Turbine Blade Tip Clearance Measurement Instrumentation

2007 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eric B. Holmquist ◽  
Peter L. Jalbert
Keyword(s):  
Control System ◽  
Real Time ◽  
Tip Clearance ◽  
Engine Control ◽  
Operating Characteristics ◽  
Static Structure ◽  
Engine Operation ◽  
Area Of Interest ◽  
Blade Tip ◽  
Blade Tip Clearance

New and future gas turbine engines are being required to provide greater thrust with improved efficiency, while simultaneously reducing life cycle operating costs. Improved component capabilities enable active control methods to provide better control of engine operation with reduced margin. One area of interest is a means to assess the relative position of rotating machinery in real-time, in particular hot section turbo machinery. To this end, Hamilton Sundstrand is working to develop a real-time means to monitor blade position relative to the engine static structure. This approach may yield other engine operating characteristics useful in assessing component health, specifically measuring blade tip clearance, time-of-arrival, and other parameters. UTC is leveraging its many years of experience with engine control systems to develop a microwave-based sensing device, applicable to both military and commercial engines. The presentation will discuss a hot section engine demonstration of a blade position monitoring system and the control system implications posed by a microwave-based solution. Considerations necessary to implement such a system and the challenges associated with integrating a microwave-based sensor system into an engine control system are discussed.

scholarly journals Mounting Troubles

2011 ◽  
Vol 133 (03) ◽  
pp. 46-49
Author(s):  
Lee S. Langston
Keyword(s):  
Fuel Consumption ◽  
Compressor Blade ◽  
Tip Clearance ◽  
Jet Engines ◽  
Successful Resolution ◽  
Blade Tip ◽  
Leading Edges ◽  
The 1960S ◽  
Blade Tip Clearance

This article analyzes the problems encountered in developing the first jumbo jet, the Boeing 747. In the 1960s, the jumbo jet—a wide-body aircraft with two aisles and up to 10 seats per row—was the logical next step in the progression of the airliner. For the Pratt & Whitney JT9D, which was causing the 747 trouble, the engine skin casing was both bending and ovalizing—exhibiting non-circular distortion—under thrust loading that could be as high as 43,500 pounds on takeoff. The ovalizing distortion resulted in turbine and compressor blade rubbing against the interior of the engine case and necessitated power-robbing increases in blade tip clearance gaps. The result was a serious reduction in thrust, and increased fuel consumption as much as 7 percent above guaranteed rates. Boeing chose to mount the JT9D engines well forward of the 747 wing leading edges. The successful resolution of ovalization problems encountered in mounting the JT9D to the first Boeing 747s has provided guidance for future installations of large fan commercial jet engines.

scholarly journals High-Precision Extraction Method for Blade Tip-Timing Signal with Eddy Current Sensor

2020 ◽  
Vol 2020 ◽  
pp. 1-13
Author(s):  
Ji-wang Zhang ◽  
Ke-qin Ding ◽  
Guang Chen
Keyword(s):  
Measurement Error ◽  
Eddy Current ◽  
Background Noise ◽  
High Speed ◽  
Ensemble Empirical Mode Decomposition ◽  
Tip Clearance ◽  
Mode Decomposition ◽  
Blade Tip ◽  
The Asymmetry ◽  
Blade Tip Clearance

Online monitoring of high-speed rotating blades has always been a hot topic. Of the various methods, the blade tip timing (BTT) technique, based on eddy current sensors, is considered to be the most promising. However, BTT signals are easily influenced by various factors, which means that the accurate extraction of BTT signals remains a challenge. To try to solve this problem, the causes of measurement error were analyzed. The three main reasons for the error were established: the variation in blade tip clearance, the interference of background noise, and the asymmetry of the blade tip shape. Further, pertinent improvement methods were proposed, and a compensation method was proposed for the errors caused by the variation of tip clearance. A new denoising and shaping algorithm based on ensemble empirical mode decomposition (EEMD) was introduced for the errors caused by background noise. Additionally, an optimal installation position of the sensor was also proposed for the errors caused by the asymmetry of the blade tip shape. Finally, simulations and experiments were used to demonstrate the improved methodology. The results show that the measurement error on vibration amplitude and vibration frequency using the proposed method is less than 2.89% and 0.17%, respectively, which is much lower than the traditional method (24.44% and 0.39%, respectively).

scholarly journals An Optical Fiber Measurement System for Blade Tip Clearance of Engine

2017 ◽  
Vol 2017 ◽  
pp. 1-9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jia Binghui ◽  
He Lei
Keyword(s):  
Optical Fiber ◽  
Measurement System ◽  
High Speed ◽  
Dynamic Performance ◽  
Measurement Range ◽  
Tip Clearance ◽  
Processing Unit ◽  
Blade Tip ◽  
Optical Fiber Measurement ◽  
Blade Tip Clearance

The benefits of reducing the tip clearance have been receiving many scholars’ attention all the time, which bring turbine efficiency increasing, emissions reduction, payloads increasing, and mission range abilities extension. In order to gain the blade tip clearance dynamically, a prototype optical fiber measurement system was built and tested based on the rotor test rig. The optical fiber tip clearance measurement system consists of the reflective intensity-modulated optical fiber bundle (sensor), main signal processing unit, high-speed data acquisition card, and a computer. The static performance and dynamic performance experiments were conducted to verify the performance of the system we designed. In addition, the results show that the accuracy of the system is 25 μm or better; the stability of the measurement system was evaluated in room temperature. The clearance measurement range is about 5 mm, and sensitivity of the sensor is 0.0733/mm. Furthermore, the typical tip clearance dynamic measurement experiment results show that the system has good dynamic response characteristics as well. The system will provide a new tool for engine health monitoring or fast active tip clearance control.

Blade Tip Clearance Measurement Systems for High Speed Turbomachinery Applications and the Potential for Blade Tip Timing Applications

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jack David Stubbs ◽  
Muhammad Arslan Shahid
Keyword(s):  
Measurement Uncertainty ◽  
High Speed ◽  
Radial Displacement ◽  
Measurement Techniques ◽  
Test System ◽  
Tip Clearance ◽  
Optical Systems ◽  
Measurement Systems ◽  
Blade Tip ◽  
Blade Tip Clearance

Abstract As turbomachinery OEMs focus efforts to further increase reliability, power and efficiencies, the running clearance between blade tips and stator continue to be of the utmost importance. This paper investigates the capability of capacitive tip clearance systems to perform individual blade tip clearance measurements on high speed rotors of up to 90,000rpm. A rotor was designed using finite element analysis; unique blade responses have been predicted. The objective of this investigation was to consider two different approaches to the application of blade tip clearance measurements and the system requirements to accurately measure low levels of radial displacement of a target rotating between 1,000rpm and 90,000rpm. The first uses the standard approach with passive probes and the second, a new technique using active probes that have demonstrated bandwidths of 1.2MHz and increased measuring range with a lower level of measurement uncertainty. Both systems’ approaches are compared, and their capabilities are evaluated for high-speed applications. The higher bandwidth capabilities of the latter system, combined with smaller sensor diameters, produces comparable signal rise times to the optical systems used in blade tip timing measurements. The difference in approach offers the potential of contamination resistant sensors for long term blade tip timing applications and measurement probes that do not require cooling systems to withstand higher temperature applications. The use of different probe configurations, in a number of applications, has demonstrated a two-fold improvement in the measurement range whilst producing lower levels of noise and uncertainty when applied to blade targets made from composites, aluminium and nickel-alloy materials. The measurement data presented includes individual blade’s radial displacement, identified shaft axial displacement, effects of resonance in the test system and the identification of the main drivers of measurement uncertainty along with an achievable value. The capacitive measurement systems’ performance for blade tip clearance is analysed and reported. The capability to perform other measurement techniques such as blade tip timing with a dual use measurement probe is also analysed and reported. This is done by correlating measurement results between the capacitive systems with that of a repeat measurement of the same target using an optical BTT system.

Unsteady Analysis on the Effects of Tip Clearance Height on Hot Streak Migration Across Rotor Blade Tip Clearance

2013 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhaofang Liu ◽  
Zhao Liu ◽  
Zhenping Feng
Keyword(s):  
Rotor Blade ◽  
High Speed ◽  
Stokes Equations ◽  
Tip Clearance ◽  
Navier Stokes ◽  
Inlet Temperature ◽  
Leakage Flow ◽  
Blade Tip ◽  
Hot Streak ◽  
Blade Tip Clearance

This paper presents an investigation on the hot streak migration across rotor blade tip clearance in a high pressure gas turbine with different tip clearance heights. The blade geometry is taken from the first stage of GE-E3 turbine engine. Three tip clearances, 1.0%, 1.5% and 2.5% of the blade span with a flat tip were investigated respectively, and the uniform and non-uniform inlet temperature profiles were taken as the inlet boundary conditions. By solving the unsteady compressible Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes equations, the time dependent solutions were obtained. The results indicate that the large tip clearance intensifies the leakage flow, increases the hot streak migration rate, and aggravates the heat transfer environment on blade tip. However, the reverse secondary flow dominated by the relative motion of casing is insensitive to the change of tip clearance height. Attributed to the high-speed rotation of rotor blade and the low pressure difference between both sides of blade, a reverse leakage flow zone emerges over blade tip near trailing edge. To eliminate the effects of blade profile variation due to twist along the blade span on the aerothermal performance in tip clearance, the tested rotor (straight) blade and the original rotor (twisted) blade of GE-E3 first stage with the same tip profile are compared in this paper.

scholarly journals Measuring Rotor and Blade Dynamics Using an Optical Blade Tip Sensor

1990 ◽  
Author(s):  
Harold R. Simmons ◽  
Douglas L. Michalsky ◽  
Kenneth E. Brewer ◽  
Anthony J. Smalley
Keyword(s):  
Measurement System ◽  
High Speed ◽  
High Performance ◽  
Optical Measurement ◽  
Tip Clearance ◽  
Calibration Data ◽  
Rotor Vibration ◽  
Position Sensing ◽  
Blade Tip ◽  
Blade Tip Clearance

This paper describes an optical measurement system for monitoring combustion turbine blade tips. The sensor measures distance to a blade tip using triangulation of reflected laser light. The system accomplishes triangulation using an optical position sensing device and high speed data acquisition. In this way, it is able to monitor not only average and minimum blade tip clearances, but to monitor the variations of individual blade tip clearances. By appropriate signal processing, it is possible to determine rotor vibration at the probe axial location, variations in shaft DC position, transient losses in blade tip clearance, the potential for tip and seal rubs, vibrations of individual blades in the tangential direction, and rotor torsional vibration at the probe location. Some aspects of blade and torsional vibrations would require more than one probe. The paper presents static calibration data for the measurement system, showing its degree of linearity and range. The paper also presents data obtained on a dynamic blade test rig with tip passing speeds and blade widths comparable to those encountered in high performance industrial combustion turbines. Data from this rig have been processed to show rotor vibration, shift in shaft average position, blade-to-blade tip clearance variation, and variation with speed of minimum blade tip clearance. The measurement system is designed to produce data suitable for use in the monitoring of advanced combustion turbine durability and the diagnosis of turbine functional problems, static and dynamic.

scholarly journals Creep-Based Reliability Evaluation of Turbine Blade-Tip Clearance with Novel Neural Network Regression

Materials ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 12 (21) ◽  
pp. 3552 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chun-Yi Zhang ◽  
Jing-Shan Wei ◽  
Ze Wang ◽  
Zhe-Shan Yuan ◽  
Cheng-Wei Fei ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Neural Network ◽  
High Pressure ◽  
Reliability Analysis ◽  
Response Surface ◽  
Response Surface Method ◽  
Tip Clearance ◽  
Strong Nonlinearity ◽  
Surface Method ◽  
Blade Tip ◽  
Blade Tip Clearance

To reveal the effect of high-temperature creep on the blade-tip radial running clearance of aeroengine high-pressure turbines, a distributed collaborative generalized regression extremum neural network is proposed by absorbing the heuristic thoughts of distributed collaborative response surface method and the generalized extremum neural network, in order to improve the reliability analysis of blade-tip clearance with creep behavior in terms of modeling precision and simulation efficiency. In this method, the generalized extremum neural network was used to handle the transients by simplifying the response process as one extremum and to address the strong nonlinearity by means of its nonlinear mapping ability. The distributed collaborative response surface method was applied to handle multi-object multi-discipline analysis, by decomposing one “big” model with hyperparameters and high nonlinearity into a series of “small” sub-models with few parameters and low nonlinearity. Based on the developed method, the blade-tip clearance reliability analysis of an aeroengine high-pressure turbine was performed subject to the creep behaviors of structural materials, by considering the randomness of influencing parameters such as gas temperature, rotational speed, material parameters, convective heat transfer coefficient, and so forth. It was found that the reliability degree of the clearance is 0.9909 when the allowable value is 2.2 mm, and the creep deformation of the clearance presents a normal distribution with a mean of 1.9829 mm and a standard deviation of 0.07539 mm. Based on a comparison of the methods, it is demonstrated that the proposed method requires a computing time of 1.201 s and has a computational accuracy of 99.929% over 104 simulations, which are improvements of 70.5% and 1.23%, respectively, relative to the distributed collaborative response surface method. Meanwhile, the high efficiency and high precision of the presented approach become more obvious with the increasing simulations. The efforts of this study provide a promising approach to improve the dynamic reliability analysis of complex structures.

scholarly journals Influence of Large Relative Tip Clearances for a Micro Radial Fan and Design Guidelines for Increased Efficiency

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Patrick H. Wagner ◽  
Jan Van herle ◽  
Lili Gu ◽  
Jürg Schiffmann
Keyword(s):  
Pressure Rise ◽  
Leading Edge ◽  
High Sensitivity ◽  
Design Guidelines ◽  
Tip Clearance ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Blade Tip ◽  
Dynamics Simulations ◽  
Experimental Findings ◽  
Blade Tip Clearance

Abstract The blade tip clearance loss was studied experimentally and numerically for a micro radial fan with a tip diameter of 19.2mm. Its relative blade tip clearance, i.e., the clearance divided by the blade height of 1.82 mm, was adjusted with different shims. The fan characteristics were experimentally determined for an operation at the nominal rotational speed of 168 krpm with hot air (200 °C). The total-to-total pressure rise and efficiency increased from 49 mbar to 68 mbar and from 53% to 64%, respectively, by reducing the relative tip clearance from 7.7% to the design value of 2.2%. Single and full passage computational fluid dynamics simulations correlate well with these experimental findings. The widely-used Pfleiderer loss correlation with an empirical coefficient of 2.8 fits the numerical simulation and the experiments within +2 efficiency points. The high sensitivity to the tip clearance loss is a result of the design specific speed of 0.80, the highly-backward curved blades (17°), and possibly the low Reynolds number (1 × 105). The authors suggest three main measures to mitigate the blade tip clearance losses for small-scale fans: (1) utilization of high-precision surfaced-grooved gas-bearings to lower the blade tip clearance, (2) a mid-loaded blade design, and (3) an unloaded fan leading edge to reduce the blade tip clearance vortex in the fan passage.

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