Apparatus and process for testing an industrial gas turbine engine and components thereof

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9200983-B2
Application number	US-201214008308-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 15, 2012
Priority date	Mar 29, 2011
Publication date	Dec 1, 2015
Grant date	Dec 1, 2015

Abstract

A system and a process for testing a gas turbine engine or component thereof, especially for a large aero gas turbine engine, and for a process for testing a large industrial gas turbine engine that requires large flow capacity and pressure ratios. The system and process may include the use of a large compressed air storage reservoir to provide compressed air to the testing system. Further, the system and process may also include the use of a pre-heating system, which may include a heater and a heat exchange device, to warm the compressed air from the compressed air storage reservoir to a temperature suitable to simulate normal operating conditions of the gas turbine engine or component thereof.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A process for testing a component of a gas turbine engine, comprising:
providing a component for testing, the test component being one of a full annular combustor, a high Mach number aero engine, a high Mach number aero vehicle, a turbine connected in its non-operating condition, or an afterburner of an aero engine;
providing at least one compressed air reservoir having a total volume of at least 10,000 m 3 ;
placing the test component in fluid communication with the at least one compressed air reservoir;
providing a heating device upstream of the test component and downstream of the compressed air reservoir, the heating device increasing a temperature of compressed air from the compressed air reservoir; and
directing the compressed air from the compressed air reservoir through the heating device and into the test component.

2. The process of claim 1 , wherein the test component is at least one of a gas turbine engine, a combustor, a compressor, and a turbine.

3. The process of claim 1 , wherein the heating device heats the compressed air from the compressed air reservoir to a temperature of between approximately 300° C. and approximately 900 ° C. before the compressed air enters the test component.

4. The process of claim 1 , further comprising:
providing a heat exchange device having a first flow path and a second flow path, the first flow path and second flow path being in thermal communication with each other;
directing compressed air from the compressed air reservoir into the first flow path;
directing compressed air from the first flow path to test component; and
directing compressed air from the test component to the second flow path.

5. The process of claim 4 , further comprising:
providing a heater upstream of the test component;
directing compressed air from the first flow path to the heater;
directing compressed air from the heater to the test component; and
directing compressed air from the test component to the second flow path.

6. The process of claim 5 , wherein the heater and heat exchange device heat the compressed air from the compressed air reservoir to a temperature of between approximately 300 ° C. and approximately 900 ° C. before the compressed air enters the test component.

7. The process of claim 1 , wherein the heating device is at least one of an electric heater, a plurality of electric heaters arranged in series, a gas-powered heater, a plurality of gas-powered heaters arranged in series, a heat exchange device, a thermal storage device, and a high pressure combustion heater.

8. The process of claim 1 , further comprising:
providing an air compressor downstream of the test component;
operating the test component, the test component providing energy to the compressor to produce compressed air; and
storing the compressed air in the at least one compressed air reservoir.

9. The process of claim 8 , wherein the compressed air has a pressure of between approximately 10 bars to approximately 200 bars.

10. The process of claim 1 , wherein the at least one compressed air reservoir comprises a low pressure compressed air reservoir, a medium pressure compressed air reservoir, and a high pressure compressed air reservoir.

11. The process of claim 10 , further comprising:
driving a low pressure compressor with the test component to produce a low pressure compressed air, the compressed air having a pressure of between approximately 10 bars to approximately 20 bars;
driving a medium pressure compressor with the test component to produce a medium pressure compressed air, the compressed air having a pressure of between approximately 20 bars to approximately 50 bars; and
driving a high pressure compressor with the test component to produce a high pressure compressed air, the compressed air having a pressure of between approximately 50 bars to approximately 200 bars; and
storing the low pressure compressed air in the low pressure compressed air reservoir, storing the medium pressure compressed air in the medium pressure compressed air reservoir, and storing the high pressure compressed air in the high pressure compressed air reservoir.

12. The process of claim 11 , further comprising:
using the low pressure compressed air to test a test component under low pressure conditions;
using the medium pressure compressed air to test a test component under medium pressure conditions; and
using the high pressure compressed air to test a test component under high pressure conditions.

13. The process of claim 1 , wherein the heating device is an energy-fed, non-vitiating heating device, the energy fed to the non-vitiating heating device being one of fossil fuel and electricity.

14. A testing facility for a test component, the testing facility comprising:
one or more compressed air reservoirs having a total volume of approximately 10,000 m 3 to approximately 1,000,000 m 3 ;
one or more air flow paths in fluid communication with the one or more compressed air reservoirs;
an energy-fed, non-vitiating heating device downstream of the one or more compressed air reservoirs being in thermal communication with at least one air flow path and upstream of the test component, the energy fed to the non-vitiating heating device being one of fossil fuel and electricity, the non-vitiating heating device increasing a temperature of compressed air from the one or more compressed air reservoirs; and
the test component being one of a full annular combustor, a high Mach number aero engine, a high Mach number aero vehicle, a turbine connected in its non-operating condition, and an afterburner of an aero engine.

15. The testing facility of claim 14 , further comprising:
a testing chamber having a first end and a second end, the first end being in fluid communication with the compressed air storage reservoir;
a vacuum chamber in fluid communication with the second end of the testing chamber; and
a vacuum pump in fluid communication with the vacuum chamber,
wherein a directional air flow is generated in the testing chamber from the first end to the second end from at least one of the vacuum chamber and the compressed air reservoir.

16. The testing facility of claim 14 , wherein the compressed air reservoir contains at least some compressed air, the heating device heating the compressed air from the compressed air reservoir in at least one air flow path to a temperature of between approximately 300 ° C. and approximately 900 ° C.

17. The testing facility of claim 14 , further comprising:
a heat exchange device having a first flow path and a second flow path, the first flow path and the second flow path being in thermal communication with each other, and the first flow path being upstream of the heating device and the second flow path being downstream of the heating device.

18. The testing facility of claim 17 , wherein the compressed air reservoir contains at least some compressed air, the heating device and heat exchange device heating the compressed air from the compressed air reservoir in at least one air flow path to a temperature of between approximately 300 ° C. and approximately 900 ° C.

19. The testing facility of claim 14 , wherein the heating device is at least one of an electric heater, a plurality of electric heaters arranged in series, a gas-powered heater, a plurality of gas-powered heaters arranged in series, a heat exchange device, a thermal storage device, and a high pressure combustion heater.

20. The testing facility of claim 14 , wherein the one or more co

Assignees

• Brostmeyer Joseph D
• Florida Turbine Tech Inc

Inventors

• Brostmeyer Joseph D

Classifications

• G01M15/14 Primary

  Testing gas-turbine engines or jet-propulsion engines · CPC title