Ceramic Gas Turbine Engine Demonstration Program
Abstract
Ceramics, because of their stability at high temperature, have the potential to improve the power and fuel efficiency of gas turbine engines by allowing engine operation at higher temperature with minimum cooling penalty. The DARPA/NAVY/Garrett Ceramic Gas Turbine Engine Demonstration Program was begun in 1976 with the objective of demonstrating that ceramics could be designed, fabricated, and built into a gas turbine engine and that the engine could be operated with higher power and lower specific fuel consumption than a baseline metallic engine. Extensive design, ceramic component processing development, material property evaluation, proof testing, nondestructive evaluation development, and rig and engine testing were conducted. An engine containing first-stage ceramic rotor blades (with the other components metallic) was successfully operated at design speed (41,730 rpm) and at an average turbine inlet temperature of 2200 F under severe cyclic conditions for 15 hours. An engine containing a ceramic hot section consisting of two full turbine stages (102 separate ceramic parts) was successfully operated in single cycles at design speed and at 2200 F producing 30 percent greater power and consuming 7 percent less fuel than the baseline metallic engine. Cyclic testing of the all- ceramic hot section was not successful because of a contact stress problem that would have required engine redesign.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- May 01, 1982
- Accession Number
- ADA117088
Entities
People
- David W. Richerson
- Keith M. Johansen