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At least 235 records · Page 13

Analysis of Thermal Radiation Effects on Temperatures in Turbine Engine Thermal Barrier Coatings

Thermal barrier coatings are important, and in some instances a necessity, for high temperature applications such as combustor liners, and turbine vanes and rotating blades for current and advanced turbine engines. Some of the insulating materials used for coatings, such as zirconia that currently has widespread use, are partially transparent to thermal radiation. A translucent coating permits energy to be transported internally by radiation, thereby increasing the total energy transfer and acting like an increase in thermal conductivity. This degrades the insulating ability of the coating. Because of the strong dependence of radiant emission on temperature, internal radiative transfer effects are increased as temperatures are raised. Hence evaluating the significance of internal radiation is of importance as temperatures are increased to obtain higher efficiencies in advanced engines.

Siegel, Robert↗

Experimental and Theoretical Studies of Volatile Metal Hydroxides

Modern superalloys used in the construction of turbomachinery contain a wide range of metals in trace quantities. In addition, metal oxides and silicon dioxide are used to form Thermal Barrier Coatings (TBC) to protect the underlying metal in turbine blades. Formation of volatile hydroxides at elevated temperatures is an important mechanism for corrosion of metal alloys or oxides in combustion environments (N. Jacobson, D. Myers, E. Opila, and E. Copland, J. Phys. Chem. Solids 66, 471-478, 2005). Thermodynamic data is essential to proper design of components of modern gas turbines. It is necessary to first establish the identity of volatile hydroxides formed from the reaction of a given system with high temperature water vapor, and then to determine the equilibrium pressures of the species under operating conditions. Theoretical calculations of reaction energies are an important check of experimental results. This presentation reports results for several important systems: Si-O-H, Cr-O-H, Al-O-H, Ti-O-H, and ongoing studies of Ta-O-H.

Thermal Barrier Coatings↗

Viscoelastic Vibration Dampers for Turbomachine Blades

Simple viscoelastic dampers have been invented for use on the root attachments of turbomachine blades. These dampers suppress bending- and torsion-mode blade vibrations, which are excited by unsteady aerodynamic forces during operation. In suppressing vibrations, these dampers reduce fatigue (thereby prolonging blade lifetimes) while reducing noise. These dampers can be installed in new turbomachines or in previously constructed turbomachines, without need for structural modifications. Moreover, because these dampers are not exposed to flows, they do not affect the aerodynamic performances of turbomachines. Figure 1 depicts a basic turbomachine rotor, which includes multiple blades affixed to a hub by means of dovetail root attachments. Prior to mounting of the blades, thin layers of a viscoelastic material are applied to selected areas of the blade roots. Once the blades have been installed in the hub and the rotor is set into rotation, centrifugal force compresses these layers between the mating load-bearing surfaces of the hub and the blade root. The layers of viscoelastic material provide load paths through which the vibration energy of the blade can be dissipated. The viscoelasticity of the material converts mechanical vibration energy into shear strain energy and then from shear strain energy to heat. Of the viscoelastic materials that have been considered thus far for this application, the one of choice is a commercial polyurethane that is available in tape form, coated on one side with an adhesive that facilitates bonding to blade roots. The thickness of the tape can be chosen to suit the specific application. The typical thickness of 0.012 in. (.0.3 mm) is small enough that the tape can fit in the clearance between the mating blade-root and hub surfaces in a typical turbomachine. In an experiment, a blade was mounted in a test fixture designed to simulate the blade-end conditions that prevail in a turbocompressor. Vibrations were excited in the blade by use of an impact hammer, and damping of the vibrations was measured by use of a dynamic signal analyzer. Tests were performed without and with viscoelastic dampers installed in the dovetail root attachment. The results of the measurements, some of which are presented in Figure 2, show that the viscoelastic dampers greatly increased the rate of damping of vibrations. Accordingly, dynamic stresses on rotor blades were significantly reduced, as shown in Figure 2.

Nguyen, Nhan↗

Abradable dual-density ceramic turbine seal system

A plasma sprayed dual density ceramic abradable seal system for direct application to the HPT seal shroud of small gas turbine engines. The system concept is based on the thermal barrier coating and depends upon an additional layer of modified density ceramic material adjacent to the gas flow path to provide the desired abradability. This is achieved by codeposition of inert fillers with yttria stabilized zirconia (YSZ) to interrupt the continuity of the zirconia struture. The investigation of a variety of candidate fillers, with hardness values as low as 2 on Moh's scale, led to the conclusion that solid filler materials in combination with a YSZ matrix, regardless of their hardness values, have a propensity for compacting rather than shearing as originally expected. The observed compaction is accompanied by high energy dissipation in the rub interaction, usually resulting in the adhesive transfer of blade material to the stationary seal member. Two YSZ based coating systems which incorported hollow alumino silicate spheres as density reducing agents were surveyed over the entire range of compositions from 100 percent filler to 100 percent YSZ. Abradability and erosion characteristics were determined, hardness and permeability characterized, and engine experience acquired with several system configurations.

Clingman, D. L.↗

Robust Low Cost Liquid Rocket Combustion Chamber by Advanced Vacuum Plasma Process

Next-generation, regeneratively cooled rocket engines require materials that can meet high temperatures while resisting the corrosive oxidation-reduction reaction of combustion known as blanching, the main cause of engine failure. A project was initiated at NASA-Marshal Space Flight Center (MSFC) to combine three existing technologies to build and demonstrate an advanced liquid rocket engine combustion chamber that would provide a 100 mission life. Technology developed in microgravity research to build cartridges for space furnaces was utilized to vacuum plasma spray (VPS) a functional gradient coating on the hot wall of the combustion liner as one continuous operation, eliminating any bondline between the coating and the liner. The coating was NiCrAlY, developed previously as durable protective coatings on space shuttle high pressure fuel turbopump (HPFTP) turbine blades. A thermal model showed that 0.03 in. NiCrAlY applied to the hot wall of the combustion liner would reduce the hot wall temperature 200 F, a 20% reduction, for longer life. Cu-8Cr-4Nb alloy, which was developed by NASA-Glenn Research Center (GRC), and which possesses excellent high temperature strength, creep resistance, and low cycle fatigue behavior combined with exceptional thermal stability, was utilized as the liner material in place of NARloy-Z. The Cu-8Cr-4Nb material exhibits better mechanical properties at 650 C (1200 F) than NARloy-Z does at 538 C (1000 F). VPS formed Cu-8Cr-4Nb combustion chamber liners with a protective NiCrAlY functional gradient coating have been hot fire tested, successfully demonstrating a durable coating for the first time. Hot fire tests along with tensile and low cycle fatigue properties of the VPS formed combustion chamber liners and witness panel specimens are discussed.

Holmes, Richard↗

Unsteady heat transfer in turbine blade ducts: Focus on combustor sources

Thermal waves generated by either turbine rotor blades cutting through nonuniform combustor temperature fields or unsteady burning could lead to thermal fatigue cracking in the blades. To determine the magnitude of the thermal oscillation in blades with complex shapes and material compositions, a finite element Galerkin formulation has been developed to study combustor generated thermal wave propagation in a model two-dimensional duct with a uniform plug flow profile. The reflection and transmission of the thermal waves at the entrance and exit boundaries are determined by coupling the finite element solutions at the entrance and exit to the eigenfunctions of an infinitely long adiabatic duct. Example solutions are presented. In general, thermal wave propagation from an air passage into a metallic blade wall is small and not a problem. However, if a thermal barrier coating is applied to a metallic surface under conditions of a high heat transfer, a good impedance match is obtained and a significant portion of the thermal wave can pass into the blade material.

Baumeister, Kenneth J.↗

Unsteady heat transfer in turbine blade ducts - Focus on combustor sources

Thermal waves generated by either turbine rotor blades cutting through nonuniform combustor temperature fields or unsteady burning could lead to thermal fatigue cracking in the blades. To determine the magnitude of the thermal oscillation in blades with complex shapes and material compositions, a finite element Galerkin formulation has been developed to study combustor generated thermal wave propagation in a model two-dimensional duct with a uniform plug flow profile. The reflection and transmission of the thermal waves at the entrance and exit boundaries are determined by coupling the finite element solutions at the entrance and exit to the eigenfunctions of an infinitely long adiabatic duct. Example solutions are presented. In general, thermal wave propagation from an air passage into a metallic blade wall is small and not a problem. However, if a thermal barrier coating is applied to a metallic surface under conditions of a high heat transfer, a good impedance match is obtained and a significant portion of the thermal wave can pass into the blade material.

Baumeister, K. J.↗

Thermal and sputtered aluminum oxide coatings for high temperature electrical insulation

Aluminum oxide coatings have been investigated as electrically insulating layers for mounting thin film Pt-Pt/Rh thermocouples on gas turbine blade and vane alloys (MAR M200 + Hf and MAR M509). Thermal oxides were grown directly onto NiCoCrAlY and FeCrAlY coatings on these alloys at temperature between 1300 and 1400 K in oxygen partial pressures 10 to the -7th to 2 x 10 to the 4th Pa. Although these thermal oxides exhibited good adherence, analytical characterizations using electron and optical microscopy, as well as X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy showed that they had defects and impurities which limited their insulating ability. The insulating quality of the coating was greatly improved however by reactively sputtering an aluminum oxide film over the thermal oxide. Results are presented on the electrical performance of the 2-5 micron thick composite layers for temperatures up to 1300 K.

Kreider, K. G.↗

Advanced thin film thermocouples

The fabrication, materials characterization, and performance of thin film platinum rhodium thermocouples on gas turbine alloys was investigated. The materials chosen for the study were the turbine blade alloy systems MAR M200+Hf with NiCoCrAlY and FeCrAlY coatings, and vane alloy systems MAR M509 with FeCrAlY. Research was focussed on making improvements in the problem areas of coating substrate stability, adhesion, and insulation reliability and durability. Diffusion profiles between the substrate and coating with and without barrier coatings of Al2O3 are reported. The relationships between fabrication parameters of thermal oxidation and sputtering of the insulator and its characterization and performance are described. The best thin film thermocouples were fabricated with the NiCoCrAlY coatings which were thermally oxidized and sputter coated with Al2O3.

Kreider, K. G.↗

Moisture-Induced TBC Spallation on Turbine Blade Samples

Delayed failure of TBCs is a widely observed laboratory phenomenon, although many of the early observations went unreported. "The weekend effect" or "DeskTop Spallation" (DTS) is characterized by initial survival of a TBC after accelerated laboratory thermal cycling, then failure by exposure to ambient humidity or water. Once initiated, failure can occur quite dramatically in less than a second. To this end, the water drop test and digital video recordings have become useful techniques in studies at NASA (Smialek, Zhu, Cuy), DECHMA (Rudolphi, Renusch, Schuetze), and CNRS Toulouse/SNECMA (Deneux, Cadoret, Hervier, Monceau). In the present study the results for a commercial turbine blade, with a standard EB-PVD 7YSZ TBC top coat and Pt-aluminide diffusion bond monitored by weight change and visual appearance. Failures were distributed widely over a 5-100 hr time range, depending on temperature. At some opportune times, failure was captured by video recording, documenting the appearance and speed of the moisture-induced spallation process. Failure interfaces exhibited alumina scale grains, decorated with Ta-rich oxide particles, and alumina inclusions as islands and streamers. The phenomenon is thus rooted in moisture-induced delayed spallation (MIDS) of the alumina scale formed on the bond coat. In that regard, many studies show the susceptibility of alumina scales to moisture, as long as high strain energy and a partially exposed interface exist. The latter conditions result from severe cyclic oxidation conditions, which produce a highly stressed and partially damaged scale. In one model, it has been proposed that moisture reacts with aluminum in the bond coat to release hydrogen atoms that 'embrittle' the interface. A negative synergistic effect with interfacial sulfur is also invoked.

Smialek, James L.↗

Moisture-Induced TBC Spallation on Turbine Blade Samples

Delayed failure of TBCs is a widely observed laboratory phenomenon, although many of the early observations went unreported. The weekend effect or DeskTop Spallation (DTS) is characterized by initial survival of a TBC after accelerated laboratory thermal cycling, then failure by exposure to ambient humidity or water. Once initiated, failure can occur quite dramatically in less than a second. To this end, the water drop test and digital video recordings have become useful techniques in studies at NASA (Smialek, Zhu, Cuy), DECHMA (Rudolphi, Renusch, Schuetze), and CNRS Toulouse/SNECMA (Deneux, Cadoret, Hervier, Monceau). In the present study the results for a commercial turbine blade, with a standard EB-PVD 7YSZ TBC top coat and Pt-aluminide diffusion bond coat are reported. Cut sections were intermittently oxidized at 1100, 1150, and 1200 C and monitored by weight change and visual appearance. Failures were distributed widely over a 5-100 hr time range, depending on temperature. At some opportune times, failure was captured by video recording, documenting the appearance and speed of the moisture-induced spallation process. Failure interfaces exhibited alumina scale grains, decorated with Ta-rich oxide particles, and alumina inclusions as islands and streamers. The phenomenon is thus rooted in moisture-induced delayed spallation (MIDS) of the alumina scale formed on the bond coat. In that regard, many studies show the susceptibility of alumina scales to moisture, as long as high strain energy and a partially exposed interface exist. The latter conditions result from severe cyclic oxidation conditions, which produce a highly stressed and partially damaged scale. In one model, it has been proposed that moisture reacts with aluminum in the bond coat to release hydrogen atoms that embrittle the interface. A negative synergistic effect with interfacial sulfur is also invoked.

Smialek, James↗

New materials for high temperature turbines; ONERA's DS composites confronted with blade problems

ONERA's refractory DS composites were cited as materials required for use in advanced aircraft turbines, operating at high temperatures. These materials were found to be reliable in the construction of turbine blades. Requirements for a blade material in aircraft turbines operating at higher temperatures were compared with the actual performance as found in COTAC DS composite testing. The structure and properties of the more fully developed 74 and 741 types were specified. High temperature structural stability, impact of thermal and mechanical fatigue, oxidation resistance and coating capability were thoroughly evaluated. The problem of cooling passages in DS eutectic blades is also outlined.

Bibring, H.↗

Gas-path seal technology

Improved gas-path seals are needed for better fuel economy, longer performance retention, and lower maintenance, particularly in advanced, high-performance gas turbine engines. Problems encountered in gas-path sealing are described, as well as new blade-tip sealing approaches for high-pressure compressors and turbines. These include a lubricant coating for conventional, porous-metal, rub-strip materials used in compressors. An improved hot-press metal alloy shows promise to increase the operating surface temperatures of high-pressure-turbine, blade-tip seals to 1450 K (2150 F). Three ceramic seal materials are also described that have the potential to allow much higher gas-path surface operating temperatures than are possible with metal systems.

Zuk, J.↗

FORTRAN program for calculating coolant flow and metal temperatures of a full-coverage-film-cooled vane or blade

A computer program that calculates the coolant flow and the metal temperatures of a full-coverage-film-cooled vane or blade was developed. The analysis was based on compressible, one-dimensional fluid flow and on one-dimensional heat transfer and treats the vane or blade shell as a porous wall. The calculated temperatures are average values for the shell outer-surface area associated with each film-cooling hole row. A thermal-barrier coating may be specified on the shell outer surface, and centrifugal effects can be included for blade calculations. The program is written in FORTRAN 4 and is operational on a UNIVAC 1100/42 computer. The method of analysis, the program input, the program output, and two sample problems are provided.

Meitner, P. L.↗

Foreign Object Damage Resistance of Uncoated and EBC Coated SiC/SiC Composites

SiC/SiC composites fabricated by the melt infiltration method are candidate materials for the turbine components such as combustor liners, nozzle vanes and blades because of their high temperature strength, and thermal conductivity. To avoid surface recession in a combustion environment containing moisture, these materials also require an environmental barrier coating (EBC). Under thermal loading condition alone, the EBC coated SiC/SiC components show microstructural and strength stability after -1 5000 hr exposure to 12OO0C in combustion environment. However, the stability of SiC/SiC composites under impact conditions is not fully understood. In this study, both uncoated and EBC coated SiC/SiC composite specimens were impact tested by steel-ball projectiles at room temperature and at 1300 C in air. After impact, the specimens were analyzed under a scanning electron microscope to assess coating damage, and then tensile and bend tested at room temperature to determine their residual strength. The extent of coating and substrate damage with increasing projectile velocity was imaged and analyzed using nondestructive evaluation (NDE) methods such as micro focus x-ray radiography, tomography, and thermal wave imaging. The mechanical property results of impacted specimens are correlated with the NDE results and the scanning electron microscopy (SEM) observations. Influence of projectile velocity on impact damage of the coating/substrate, and the implication coating damage on durability of the composite will be discussed.

Bhatt, R. T.↗

Prolonging thermal barrier coated specimen life by thermal cycle management

Thermal barrier coatings applied to the heated side of engine components such as seals, combustor, and blades of a gas turbine offer a potential increase in efficiency through the use of higher gas temperatures or less cooling air or benefits arising from extended component life by reducing component metal temperatures. The considered investigation has the objective to show that while a thermal barrier coated (TBC) specimen can be brought to a fixed temperature using various fuel-air ratio (F/A) values, lower calculated stresses are associated with lower (F/A) values. This implies that control of (F/A) values (i.e., rates of heat input) during the starting transient and to a lesser extent during shutdown and operation, offers a potential method of improving TBC lifetime through thermal cycle management.

Hendricks, R. C.↗

Effect of an Opaque Reflecting Layer on the Thermal Behavior of a Thermal Barrier Coating

A parametric study using a two-flux approximation of the radiative transfer equation was performed to examine the effects of an opaque reflective layer on the thermal behavior of a typical semitransparent thermal barrier coating on an opaque substrate. Some ceramic materials are semitransparent in the wavelength ranges where thermal radiation is important. Even with an opaque layer on each side of the semitransparent thermal barrier coating, scattering and absorption can have an effect on the heat transfer. In this work, a thermal barrier coating that is semitransparent up to a wavelength of 5 micrometers is considered. Above 5 micrometers wavelength, the thermal barrier coating is opaque. The absorption and scattering coefficient of the thermal barrier was varied. The thermal behavior of the thermal barrier coating with an opaque reflective layer is compared to a thermal barrier coating without the reflective layer. For a thicker thermal barrier coating with lower convective loading, which would be typical of a combustor liner, a reflective layer can significantly decrease the temperature in the thermal barrier coating and substrate if the scattering is weak or moderate and for strong scattering if the absorption is large. The layer without the reflective coating can be about as effective as the layer with the reflective coating if the absorption is small and the scattering strong. For low absorption, some temperatures in the thermal barrier coating system can be slightly higher with the reflective layer. For a thin thermal barrier coating with high convective loading, which would be typical of a blade or vane that sees the hot sections of the combustor, the reflective layer is not as effective. The reflective layer reduces the surface temperature of the reflective layer for all conditions considered. For weak and moderate scattering, the temperature of the TBC-substrate interface is reduced but for strong scattering, the temperature of the substrate is increased slightly.

Spuckler, Charles M.↗

Testing of Materials and Coatings at up to 1150°C and 300 bar for use in Oxy-Combustion Turbine

Various materials that may be used in a supercritical carbon dioxide (sCO2) oxy-fuel turbine in the 150-300 MWe size range are being evaluated in various environments of interest. The inlet of the turbine must be capable of 1,150 °C at 300 bar and the exhaust temperature is expected to be within the 725-775 °C range. The design requirements are pushing the known limits of high temperature materials. Little is known about the oxidation of the metallic alloys considered for turbine nozzles and blades or about the resilience of thermal management solutions, such as thermal barrier coatings (TBC), required to accommodate these high temperatures. The combinations of high temperature resistant materials and coatings must be tested in sCO2 to evaluate their reliability in an oxy-fuel turbine environment. A total of 13 alloys were chosen to be tested. They included bare samples, with nano deposited MCrAlY bond coat only, or with the addition of a TBC. A unique test facility was developed to expose those materials in sCO2 at up to 300 bar and 1150 °C for up to 5,000 hours. This was accomplished by placing an induction heater inside an autoclave to achieve those high temperature locally while the pressurized vessel is cooled externally. The specimens are weighed before and after exposure to determine the oxidation rate. The integrity, morphology, and composition of some of the coatings and thermally grown oxide will be investigated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). This paper presents the up-to-date results of the testing coated and uncoated superalloys in sCO2 at up to 1150 °C and up to 300 bar performed at Southwest Research Institute.

Bocher, Florent↗