GLTRS--Glenn
TITLE AND SUBTITLE:
Test Rig for Evaluating Active Turbine Blade Tip Clearance Control Concepts

AUTHOR(S):
Scott B. Lattime, Bruce M. Steinetz, and Malcolm G. Robbie

REPORT DATE:
July 2003

FUNDING NUMBERS:
WBS-22-708-87-06

PERFORMING ORGANIZATION NAME(S) AND ADDRESS(ES):
National Aeronautics and Space Administration
John H. Glenn Research Center at Lewis Field
Cleveland, Ohio 44135-3191

PERFORMING ORGANIZATION REPORT NUMBER:
E-14097

SPONSORING/MONITORING AGENCY NAME(S) AND ADDRESS(ES):
National Aeronautics and Space Administration
Washington, DC 20546-0001

REPORT TYPE AND DATES COVERED:
Technical Memorandum

SPONSORING/MONITORING AGENCY REPORT NUMBER:
NASA TM-2003-212533
AIAA-2003-4700

SUPPLEMENTARY NOTES:
Prepared for the 39th Joint Propulsion Conference and Exhibit cosponsored by AIAA, ASME, SAE, and ASEE, Huntsville, Alabama, July 20-23, 2003. Scott B. Lattime, Ohio Aerospace Institute, Brook Park, Ohio 44142; Bruce M. Steinetz, NASA Glenn Research Center; and Malcolm G. Robbie, Analex Corporation, Brook Park, Ohio 44142. Responsible person, Scott B. Lattime, organization code 5950, 216-433-5953.

ABSTRACT:
Improved blade tip sealing in the high pressure compressor and high pressure turbine can provide dramatic improvements in specific fuel consumption, time-on-wing, compressor stall margin and engine efficiency as well as increased payload and mission range capabilities of both military and commercial gas turbine engines. The preliminary design of a mechanically actuated active clearance control (ACC) system for turbine blade tip clearance management is presented along with the design of a bench top test rig in which the system is to be evaluated. The ACC system utilizes mechanically actuated seal carrier segments and clearance measurement feedback to provide fast and precise active clearance control throughout engine operation. The purpose of this active clearance control system is to improve upon current case cooling methods. These systems have relatively slow response and do not use clearance measurement, thereby forcing cold build clearances to set the minimum clearances at extreme operating conditions (e.g., takeoff, re-burst) and not allowing cruise clearances to be minimized due to the possibility of throttle transients (e.g., step change in altitude). The active turbine blade tip clearance control system design presented herein will be evaluated to ensure that proper response and positional accuracy is achievable under simulated high-pressure turbine conditions. The test rig will simulate proper seal carrier pressure and temperature loading as well as the magnitudes and rates of blade tip clearance changes of an actual gas turbine engine. The results of these evaluations will be presented in future works.

SUBJECT TERMS:
Blade tip seal; Active clearance control; Test rig design

NUMBER OF PAGES:
29

PDF AVAILABLE FROM URL:
2003/TM-2003-212533.pdf ( 2,749 KB )
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