This paper deals mainly with the development of a high-speed wind tunnel for the testing of turbine or compressor blade cascades under two-dimensional air flow at velocities up to that of sound. It includes a brief resume of the early history of the technique, and goes on to enumerate the variables which must be brought under the operator's control. Reference is made to methods of presentation of results, including the use of optical systems for demonstration of shock phenomena. Finally, the control system evolved for operating the high-speed tunnel is described, and some notes are added on the protection of the operators from fatigue induced by monotony and noise.
A twin-exhaust steam turbine of 60-MW output was used for a field study of a method of wet steam erosion control which had been examined previously under laboratory conditions. The last stage of one exhaust was modified so that measured quantities of steam and water could be extracted, or steam injected through slots in the trailing edges of the diaphragm blades. Variations in erosion rates of the last-stage moving blades in both exhausts were compared by recording continuously the changes in emissivity of radio-active labels attached to sample blades. An introscope was used to study flow conditions during the experiment, and after some five months' operation the set was opened up for inspection, which confirmed the estimates that water extraction reduced erosion by a factor of 5.
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