Aerothermal investigation on the effect of in-service burnout on the leakage flows over high-pressure turbine blade tip

About the Project

The aero-industry is required to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050. Therefore, it is important to continuously advance its propulsion technology to reduce its fuel burn and achieve this target by 2050. One approach to fulfil this target includes advancing the current engines for the conventional aircrafts. This project seeks to study the tip leakage flows over the unshrouded blades of high-pressure turbines in gas turbine engines. These flows are considered as important source of loss of energy in an engine and contribute to 30% of the turbine stage’s aerodynamic losses. The tip leakage flows also expose the turbine blades and particularly the blades’ tips to very high heat load and thermal damages, which degrade the blades and decrease their operational life. Hence, any improvement in reducing these flows and their adverse effects will have a significant impact on the engine performance and fuel reduction.

Due to exposure to high heat load, the blade tip geometry will change while in service and these changes affect the flow development over the blade tip and change the losses associated with these flows. Hence it is essential to predict and consider these geometrical changes (which are the result of in-service burnout) while designing the tip model and studying these flows for different designs.

This project aims to conduct a comprehensive aerothermal investigation, focusing on understanding the in-service burnout effects on the leakage flows over a high-pressure turbine blade tip, within a gas turbine engine. The objective is to study the underlying mechanisms contributing to the burnout and to develop an innovative redesign of the blade. This redesign will be optimized to minimize the impact of the in-service burnout, reducing the tip leakage flows and their associated losses, thereby improving the turbine's overall performance and the engine’s efficiency. This research will provide significant contributions to turbine blade design, potentially leading to advancements in the high-pressure turbine technology and operational sustainability.

Funding Notes

there is no funding for this project