Analysis of C-Spec Particle Breakage in a Turbine Engine Particle Ingestion Test Cell

Abstract

Abstract A turboshaft engine test rig based on a Rolls-Royce M250-C20B engine has been developed at Virginia Tech’s Advanced Propulsion and Power Laboratory in cooperation with its government and industry partners. The engine has been instrumented to allow measurement of the effects that dust particles have on the engine (power degradation) as well as the effects that the engine has on the particles (e.g., breakage). The work in this paper presents the first set of data collected from the engine tests and focuses on changes in the shape and size of C-Spec (quartz) dust after passage through the first five stages of the compressor and through the entire engine. Dust samples have been analyzed to determine particle size and shape distributions at the locations of interest and these have been compared with undigested material. These preliminary analyses suggest that average particle volume decreased to ∼5 % of the original size during transit through five stages of the axial compressor. No subsequent change in size and shape occurred, despite these particles then passing through one additional axial stage, the centrifugal stage, and four stages of the turbine section. Moreover, the apparent sphericity of the particles increased slightly in the axial compressor, hinting at the reduction of their erosion potential. The data presented here will assist communities interested in turbine engine environmental damage in understanding the deterioration processes and their prevention. Ultimately, the research will allow for pinpointing such degradation effects to a single compressor stage, resulting in a greater ability to predict engine damage and prevent subsequent loss of human life.