Performance of Gas Turbine Compressor Cleaners

Kolkman, H.J.

doi:10.1115/1.2906759

Cited by 7 publications

(3 citation statements)

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“…This technique does not require the engine to be stopped or dismounted, and, in case of heavy-duty gas turbines, can be carried out on site. Many attempts have been done by maintenance operators to improve the effectiveness of aero-engines washing by developing new techniques and cleaner products [15]. Helicopter engine washing and rinse allow to restore the engine conditions after the machine has operated in polluted environments.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Performance losses and washing recovery of a helicopter engine compressor operating in ground-idle conditions

et al. 2021

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Helicopters operate often in dusty environments. During landings and takeoffs the engine ingests huge amounts of contaminants that might deposit inside the compressor. In this paper, the ground-idle operation of a helicopter engine compressor has been reproduced on a compressor test unit. The Allison 250 C18 compressor has been subjected to multiple runs under severe conditions of dust ingestion. At the end of each run, the performance curve was recorded while the performance loss has been measured during the operations. Finally, the compressor washing has been carried out and the performance curve has been recorded again. The characteristic curve are representative of the level of contamination of the machine, while the exposure time directly affects the performance loss. The results show the modification and the downward shift of the characteristic curves that lead to a gradual loss of the compressor performance. A detailed photographic report of the first compressor stages has been included in this work. The pictures show the deposition patterns on the blades and the compressor surfaces. The comparison of the pictures of the internal surfaces, before and after the removal of the deposits by the droplet action, highlights the parts that are more critical to clean.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Performance losses and washing recovery of a helicopter engine compressor operating in ground-idle conditions

et al. 2021

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“…Beyond the cleaning aspect, mandatory aspects for a reliable compressor cleaner are related to human and environmental safety. Commercial cleaners, especially those produced in the early 1980s, contain aromatic hydrocarbon chains that, despite being effective for deposit removal (Kolkman, 1993), are thought to be dangerous for living species if released into the environment. Stringent requirements were introduced by the Oslo and Paris Commission (OSPAR) in 1998 to prevent the discharge of pollutants or substances harmful for the ecosystem into the North Sea region.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Assessment of the Washing Effectiveness of on-Purpose Designed Eco-Friendly Cleaner Against Soot Deposits

Casari

Pinelli

Suman

et al. 2020

J. Glob. Power Propuls. Soc.

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The increment of the industrialization processes led to even more release of carbonaceous particulate into the environment. These airborne contaminants are produced by endothermic machines, coal combustion, heating systems, and production plants. Soot particles suspended into the air can overpass the inlet filters (if present) of gas turbines and deposit onto the internal parts of the compressor. This phenomenon, leading to the modification of the aerodynamic surface of the airfoils, is the main responsible for the gas turbine performance losses over time. This detrimental effect can be partially recovered by washing the compressor unit, frequently. In this work, the assessment of the washing effectiveness against soot deposits of an on-purpose designed eco-friendly cleaner is provided. The removal effectiveness of this water-based cleaner is related to the capability to collect soot particles from surfaces, limiting redeposit phenomena over the stages. The experimental investigation has been carried out by injecting soot particles, under controlled conditions, into a multistage test axial compressor. Using image post-processing techniques, carried out over the entire compressor flow path, a quantitative evaluation of the washing capability has been assessed. Compared with demineralized water, the cleaner was found to be effective if high cleaning performances are expected.

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“…Toplisek and Gustafson [3] discuss using citrus-based terpenes for industrial degreasing as an alternative to chlorinated solvents. Kolkman [4] has tested four commercially available new cleansers (citrus based) which are reported to be 'ecologically sound' for the cleaning of compressor blades. Of the new cleansers tested, all were found to have poor performance compared with those that have previously been used in practice.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Two-phase jet impingement for non-volatile residue removal

Klausner

Mei

Near

et al. 1998

Proceedings of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, Part E:

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A high-speed jet impingement facility, which was developed for non-volatile residue removal from aerospace components in contact with liquid oxygen, has been fabricated and tested. A two-phase mixture, consisting of water droplets suspended in air, expands through a converging-diverging nozzle and the resulting jet impacts the target surface at high speed. The advantage of this facility over conventional high-speed water jets is that the water consumed is extremely low, typically 1.67 × 10 ¹4 -16.7 × 10 ¹4 kg/s. Thus the disposal of the waste water is greatly simplified. This work explores the performance of the jet impingement facility over a range of operating conditions using different nozzle configurations. The performance is characterized by the rate of residue removed, which is measured using a laser reflectivity technique. It is demonstrated that the optimum rate of residue removal is achieved when the air/liquid mixture temperature is as high as possible without evaporating liquid and the water flowrate is as high as possible without water droplets agglomerating. Based on theoretical considerations in conjunction with the experimental results, it is demonstrated that the residue removal mechanism is due to emulsification upon liquid droplet impact with the target surface. Potential applications for the jet impingement facility reach far beyond the aerospace industry.Keywords: two-phase jet, residue removal, droplet impingement NOTATION a r radius of emulsified residue (m) E r rate of kinetic energy consumed for emulsification (J/s) m l liquid mass flowrate (kg/s) m r residue removal rate (kg/s) U droplet velocity (m/s) k rate of droplet kinetic energy discharging nozzle (J/s) r r residue density (kg/m 3 ) j lr liquid/residue interfacial tension (N/m) f energy utilization parameter INTRODUCTION

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Performance of Gas Turbine Compressor Cleaners

Cited by 7 publications

References 0 publications

Performance losses and washing recovery of a helicopter engine compressor operating in ground-idle conditions

Performance losses and washing recovery of a helicopter engine compressor operating in ground-idle conditions

Assessment of the Washing Effectiveness of on-Purpose Designed Eco-Friendly Cleaner Against Soot Deposits

Two-phase jet impingement for non-volatile residue removal

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