Problem 5

Transformers
E371 Turbine Engine Systems
 Turbine
Turbine Section
The turbine section is bolted to the combustor and contains the
turbine wheels and stators. The turbine transforms a portion of the
kinetic energy and heat energy in the exhaust gases into mechanical
work, so that it can drive the compressor, fan and accessories. As
the gas exits the turbine, its function is also to produce thrust.
The compressor adds energy to air by increasing
the pressure and the turbine extracts the energy
by reducing the pressure into velocity at the
nozzles formed at the trailing edge of the stator
vanes and rotor blades. The mass of the airflow
is not changed by the transfer of energy to the
rotor system, but the velocity of the air flowing
through the engine is decreased as the power is
taken to drive the compressor.
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Turbine
The turbine section operates in the most hostile environment in the
engine. The temperature of the gases is at its highest as they enter
the first stage of the turbine through the turbine inlet guide vanes,
and the velocity of the gases is at the highest as they leave the
turbine.

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Turbine Assembly
The turbine assembly consists of 4 basic
elements, the turbine inlet guide vanes,
stator and rotor and the case.
The inlet guide vanes are located directly aft
of the combustion chambers and
immediately forward of the turbine wheel.
The stator and rotor of similar layout as the
compressor, is used to extract the energy
from the gases after the combustion
chamber. Rotor Element
The turbine casing
encloses the turbine
rotor and stator
assembly giving either
direct support or
indirect support to the stator elements. Stator Element

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Turbine Construction
Turbine Inlet Guide Vanes(TIGV) & Stator
Elements
The function of the turbine inlet guide vanes or
nozzle is two-fold.
•After combustion, when heat energy is
transferred to the gas, the function of the guide
vanes is to prepare the mass airflow to drive the
turbine rotor. The inlet guide vanes are
contoured and set at such an angle that they form
a number of small nozzles discharging the gas at
extremely high speed. Thus the nozzle converts
a varying portion of the heat and pressure energy
to velocity energy which can then be converted to
mechanical energy to drive the rotor blades.

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Turbine Construction
• The second purpose of the turbine
nozzle is to deflect the gases a Hollow Vanes to
accommodate cooling air
specific angle in the direction of the
turbine wheel rotation. Since the
gas flow from the nozzle must enter
the turbine blade passageway while
it is still rotating, it is essential to aim
the gas in the general direction of
the turbine rotation.

The IGV and Stator are contoured and set at such an angle that
they form a number of converging nozzles that convert some of the
exhaust gas pressure energy to velocity energy.

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Turbine Construction
Turbine Case
The turbine case encloses the turbine rotor and stator assembly,
giving either direct or indirect support to the stator elements. A
typical case has flanges on both ends that provide a means of
attaching the turbine section to the combustion section and exhaust
assembly. Turbine Case

Rotor Element

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Turbine Construction
Rotor Element
The rotating elements of a
turbine section consist of a
shaft and a turbine rotor, or
wheel. The turbine wheel is
dynamically balanced unit
consisting of blades attached
to a rotating disk. The turbine
disk is the anchoring
component for the turbine
blades and is bolted or welded
to the main shaft. The shaft
rotates in bearings that are
lubricated by oil.

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Turbine Construction
Turbine Blades
The turbine blades are aerofoil shaped components designed to
extract the maximum amount of energy from the flow of hot gases.
Blades are either forged or cast,
depending on their alloy composition.
Turbine blades fit loosely into the
turbine disk when the engine is
cold, but expand to fit tightly at
normal operating temperatures.
The most commonly used method
of attaching turbine blades is by
the fir tree slots cut into the turbine
disk rim and matching bases cast or
machined into the turbine blade base.
Once installed, a turbine blade may be
retained in its groove by peening,
welding, rivets or lock tabs. 9
Turbine Blade Design
Types of turbine blades
Turbine blades are generally classified as impulse, reaction or a combination of
impulse-reaction type. The highest turbine bearing temperature takes place at
the shutting down of the engine.

Impulse Type
In a turbine that uses impulse
blades, the blades merely
change the direction of airflow
coming from the stator and
Stators or IGV’s
cause relatively no change
in gas pressure. The velocity
decreases due to work done
on the blades. The turbine
simply absorbs the force
required to change
the direction of airflow and
converts it to rotary motion.

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Turbine Blade Design
Reaction Type
Reaction turbine blades
produce a turning force
based on aerodynamic
action. To do this the
turbine blades form a
series of converging
ducts that increase the
gas velocity and reduce
pressure. However, the
net velocity of air is reduced due
to work done to rotate the
turbine wheel. The result is
similar to what happens to an aero foil in that the reduced pressure
produces a lifting force. However in a turbine the force is exerted in
the direction of rotation.
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Turbine Blade Design
Impulse-Reaction Type
To more evenly distribute the workload along
the length of the blade, most modern turbine
engines incorporate impulse-reaction turbine
blades. With this type of blade, the blade
base is impulse shaped while the blade tip is
reaction shaped. The design creates a
uniform velocity and pressure drop across
the entire blade length.

To account for the different rotational speeds along the length of

the turbine blade, most turbine engines use impulse- reaction
type turbine blades.

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Turbine Blade Design

Shrouded Tip Shrouded Tip Blades

Turbine blades can be
open or shrouded at
their ends. Open
ended blades are used
on high speed turbines
while shrouded blades
are commonly used on
turbines having slower
rotational speeds. Once installed, the shrouds of the blades
contact each other, thereby providing support. This added
support reduces vibration substantially. The shrouds also
prevent air from escaping over the blade tips, making the turbine
more efficient.

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Turbine Blade Cooling
When a turbine section is designed, temperature is an important
consideration. The most limiting factor in running a gas turbine
engine is the temperature of the turbine section. However the
higher an engine raises the temperature of the incoming air, the
more power, or thrust an engine can produce.

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Turbine Blade Cooling
The effectiveness of a turbine engine cooling system plays a big
role in engine performance. In fact, many cooling systems allow
the turbine vane and blade components to operate in a thermal
environment 600 to 800 degrees Fahrenheit above the temperature
limits of their metal alloys.

One of the most common ways of

cooling the components in the
turbine section is to use engine
bleed air. Compressor bleed
air is typically directed in through
the hollow blades and out through
the holes in the tip, leading edge
and trailing edge. This type of
cooling is known as
convection cooling or film cooling.
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Turbine Blade Defects
Blade Creep
The gradual, but permanent elongation of the blades over time, due to
centrifugal loading and operating at high temperatures. The rate at which a
turbine blade creeps depends on its operating temperature, design and
cooling. Creep is usually described in 3 categories;
Primary Creep.
Early creep that occurs at a higher rate
when a blade is new and whilst running in.
Secondary Creep
The predominant working life of the blade
where the rate of creep is significantly
reduced.
Tertiary Creep
An accelerated rate of elongation at the
end of a blade’s life normally leading to blade tip rubbing, necking, and
total failure. The older the blade and the higher the temperature of
operation, the faster the onset of Tertiary creep.
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Turbine Blade Defects
Nozzle Bowing
The bowing outwards of the thin
trailing edges of the nozzle guide
vanes, caused by the pressure of the
heated gas stream.
It is brought on by extended operations
at max Turbine Inlet Temperature and
causes a loss of the convergent shape
of the duct between the Nozzles, and
therefore a loss in acceleration of the
air onto the turbine blades, and a
consequent loss of power available at
the turbine.

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Turbine Blade Defects
Blade Untwist
Loss of blade pitch usually in the
outer third of the blade, caused
by gas loads on the surface
of the blades and extended
high temperature operation.
This has the effect of reducing
the efficiency of the blade, and its
ability to extract power from the
gas stream. It also has an
unfortunate side effect of
extending the length of the
blade, leading to blade tip rubbing.

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Turbine Blade Defects
Blade Rubbing
This is usually due to the turbine
blades rubbing on the turbine case
after elongating due to Creep. It
can also be caused by blade
untwist. If the rubbing is severe
enough it will cause considerable
wear on the turbine case or
shroud (termed Galling), and if
left unchecked will cause blade
failure and engine disintegration.
Blade Tip Curling
This is when the thin un-shrouded tips bend and curl as a result of
tip rubbing on the turbine case.

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Turbine Blade Defects
Foreign Object Damage
This can be anything from a minor dent
in the finer edges of the blades, to total
fracture of the blade.
In the more significant damage case, it is
a common cause of total engine failure,
due to either a large foreign object being
ingested into the engine (e.g. Stones on
the ground, or Birds in the air), or as a
secondary result of another part of the
engine failing upstream, then being
swallowed by the rest of the engine,
causing havoc as it travels.

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 Turbine Blade Defects
Burning
Burning is evident by a discolouration and roughening of the surface
of the metal, and can be found anywhere in the hot section.
In extreme cases it
can lead to blistering
of the coatings on the
blades, and a
characteristic
orange peel look.
Sometimes the sulphur
bi-products in the fuel can
lead to additional chemical
burning called Sulphurdation,
and this often leaves a greenish colouration around the burned
region.
.
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Turbine Blade Defects

Metallization
A coating of molten metal on
blades and nozzles sprayed
through the turbine and
deposited on other blades
and Nozzles, from other
failed hot-end parts
overheated upstream.
This is obviously a serious
overheat but it may be an
indication of fuel nozzle or
combustor problems leading to the flame extending through the
combustion chamber and melting the nozzle and turbine.

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Objectives
1. To understand the location and purpose of the
turbine on the engine.

2. To be able to identify the parts of the turbine section

and the function of each component.

3. To know the different turbine blade designs.

4. To understand why turbine blade cooling is

necessary.

5. To be able to state and explain and some of the

turbine blade defects.
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