Mr Ricky Mahay

Research project: Aerothermal Optimisation Study of a High-Pressure Turbine Blade Tip Exposed to In-Service Thermal Damages

Abstract

The aero industry is one of the main contributors to poor air quality. Therefore, for the aero industry to reach a long-term aspirational goal (LTAG) of net-zero carbon dioxide emissions by 2050, it requires continuous advances in its current technology to reduce fuel burn and its adverse effects on the environment.

Within the high-pressure turbine stage, there is an unavoidable gap between the blade tip and casing for unshrouded blade tips. The tip gap clearance causes a pressure difference across the blade's surface, causing the formation of leakage flows. Due to immense thermal and pressure loads within turbomachinery, the turbine blade tip experiences the burnout effect. Therefore, the geometrical design of the once sharp-edged blade tip is altered, becoming rounder the more prolonged the blade is in service. As a result, as the geometry is changed, the blade tip becomes less efficient, reducing its operational life. Findings by both Chen et al. and Saleh et al. highlight that tip leakage flows contribute to approximately 30% of total losses within this engine stage. Therefore, technological advances can aid in more efficient turbomachinery by reducing fuel burn.

This study aims to reduce fuel burn by advancing the current engine for the existing aircraft, focusing on improving the efficiency of the high-pressure turbine stage of the gas turbine engine by measuring the effect of different degrees of burnout effect as a measure of the efficiency at various life cycles