An Investigation of Turbine Erosion by Combustor Generated Carbon in a Light Weight Marine Gas Turbine
A study has been made of the turbine erosion problem encountered in a marinized aero gas turbine which arose from the change of fuel type necessitated by the marine application. The work has involved the development of a technique for collecting carbon shed from the combustion chamber under engine operating conditions. Tests using the collector were made with a single combustor test rig and compared to engine experience. Combustion chamber modifications were developed having low solids emissions and their emissions characterized using the collector. The data from the collector show that smaller particles than hitherto collected can produce significant long-term erosion and that reduction on both size and quantity of particles is necessary to reduce erosion to acceptable levels. The data obtained in this study are compared with other published information on the basic erosion process and erosion in gas turbines by natural mineral dusts. The implications of the results to current and future engines are discussed.