Particle Ingestion Research on a Turboshaft Engine
Abstract
A four-year experimental research program is proposed which investigates the effect of sand ingestion on the operation and performance degradation of a turboshaft engine, with real time measurements of particles at the engine inlet and subsequent particle breakup and evolution in the compressor, including the exit of the first-stage rotor and the exit of the centrifugal compressor.This is a follow-on proposal to a funded ONR DURIP project (N00014-20-1-2538, $653K), in which a test stand system for a Rolls-Royce Model 250 engine will be developed and completed in May 2021, to provide the capability of testing the effect of sand ingestion on engine performance. (The DURIP project supports the development of an engine test cell, a sand deliverysystem for engine testing, and the purchase of two overhauled Rolls-Royce Model 250 engines.)Past research in this field has been largely focused on simple rig testing with coupons, results from which are difficult to translate to an engine. Past engine tests have generally focused on qualification of the engine to an operational specification. While there are papers in the literature which examine full engine tests with sand ingestion, there is no real-time measurement of particlesize, shape, and distribution within the engine during such testing. This proposal builds on the DURIP-funded engine test facility; and the objective of this new program is to provide the entire community with a fully documented test case of particle-laden inlet, first axial stage compressor exit, and centrifugal compressor exit flow fields.Virginia Tech and Rolls-Royce are uniquely positioned to offer a well-rounded approach withinthis program, as they are alreadyence, multiphase flow CFD, transport phenomena model development, as well as engine and rig testing. The co-location of these capabilities ensures that Virginia Tech is well positioned to make intelligent decisions aboutwork done in this program, such as sand selection and instrumentation design. The research being conducted in this center will complement the work in this proposal by providing details on the fundamental physics of particle bounce and breakage.The system proposed in this effort will use the Rolls-Royce Model 250-C20B/T63-A-720, a turboshaft engine with the following attributes: 4 lbm/s airflow, 420 shp, 6 stage axial, 1 stage centrifugal compressor. (Note: this version of M250 engine does not have a high enough turbineinlet temperature for molten sand and glassified accretion in the turbine section. Therefore,evaluation of these influences will not be a part of this research scope.) In order to achieve the stated goals of the research, i.e. characterize the interaction between the sand particles ingested and the first stage compressor damage to the engine with progressive, incremental sand loading levels, it is important to understand how the characteristics of the particles change within theengine. Previously developed measurement & analysis tools will be used to measure particle size, distribution, and concentration at the inlet of the engine. Over the last several years, Virginia Tech, in collaboration with Rolls-Royce, has developed an optical technique (scattering and extinctionbased) that we intend to apply through an optical access port located near the inlet to the first stage compressor and at the transition duct between the exit of the centrifugal compressor and the combustor. Such in situ measurements, unique to this program, may provide unprecedented levels of detail of particle behaviors, filling some of the important gaps between rig knowledge andengine system models and applications.
Document Details
- Document Type
- DoD Grant Award
- Publication Date
- May 05, 2021
- Source ID
- N000142112397
Entities
People
- Wing Fai Ng
Organizations
- Office of Naval Research
- United States Navy
- Virginia Tech