A small gas turbine performance modeling and testing project has been completed as part of a DSTO research program. The main objective of the program was to enhance capability in understanding and modeling the thermodynamic and performance characteristics of gas turbine engines. The secondary objective of the program was development of a simple, low-cost test apparatus for basic thrust augmentation technologies and infrared suppression studies. Engine performance modeling was conducted using commercial software (Gasturb) and an in-house developed code. Various techniques were used in predicting component performance which included scaling of published performance data, use of standard empirical performance models, mean-line and through flow codes and detailed Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) analysis. A comparison of the advantages and disadvantages of each method was made and compared with engine test data. The AMT Olympus HP turbojet engine was used as the test engine. The engine was instrumented using a bell mouth to measure mass flow rate, load cell to measure thrust, tachometer to measure engine rotational speed, thermocouples to measure flow total temperature and pressure transducers to measure wall static pressure at various stations along the engine. A pair of Olympus engines were tested for comparison during baseline testing, with consistent results between the two. The first engine was fully instrumented and used in all of the tests. This engine was used to test the engine standard operating line tests to determine bulk performance and establish compressor operating line. Tests were repeated and error analysis conducted to ensure repeatability and validity of the data. The second engine was used as a control engine with only the OEM supplied instrumentation, thrust and bell mouth used for benchmarking purposes. The data from both engines have been compared with the engine performance model and OEM data. A number of other tests were completed to “stress” the engine and shift its operating line closer to the compressor stall line. This was accomplished through various types of exhaust blockage. Stall behaviour was clearly evident in the initial commissioning tests where a large nozzle blockage resulted in engine stall and incomplete start-up. Engine performance and compressor map results from the tests have been compared to the engine performance model with good agreement.
Spectrometric oil analysis has been a popular technique used by oil analysis laboratories to determine the concentration of elements in an oil sample. The primary application of this technique has been the identification of fine wear in lubricated systems as an indicator of abnormal wear in order to prevent failure. It has also found some use for monitoring contaminants and fluid additives. While the literature has varying accounts of the effectiveness of this technique for machinery condition monitoring purposes, the introduction of fine filtration to many modern machines has profound implications for the effectiveness of spectrometric oil analysis. This paper will assess the effectiveness of spectrometric oil analysis in a fine filtered system and compare it with the results from an inductive wear debris sensor. The inductive wear debris sensor is a relatively new sensor for detecting abnormal wear in recirculating lubrication systems. A combination of experimental data and aircraft data is presented.
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