Description

For the experimental investigation and evaluation of new cooling methods for high-pressure turbine rotor blades, the Institute of Thermal Turbomachinery has a test rig with which the aerodynamic and thermal boundary conditions of a real turbine blade can be simulated. Thanks to the modular design of the test rig, modern blade cooling methods can be investigated with regard to their overall cooling effectiveness. For this purpose, any scaled rotor blades can be installed and examined. Due to the highly stable boundary conditions and the good optical accessibility in conjunction with newly developed measurement and calibration methods with regard to infrared thermography, the overall cooling effectiveness of new systems can be assessed with a high degree of accuracy.

Possibilities

• Machine-like environment for scaled turbine rotor blades
• 3 optical access points for infrared thermography
• Hot gas parameters:
  • Maximum mass flow: 1.4 kg/s
  • Maximum temperature: 400°C
  • Maximum pressure: < 2 bar absolute
• Cooling air parameters:
  • Maximum mass flow: 60 g/s
  • Maximum temperature: 100°C
  • Maximum pressure: > 2 bar absolute

Measurement technology & control

• Pressure sensors for static and total pressures (single and multiple pressure sensors)
• Type K thermocouples
• Infrared thermography for surface temperature measurement
• Mass flow measurements (measuring orifice, impeller meter)
• Data acquisition and control using NI LabVIEW and Beckhoff