Real Time Neutron Radiography Applications in Gas Turbine and Internal Combustion Engine Technology

Real Time Neutron Radiography (RTNR) is rapidly becoming a valuable tool for nondestructive testing and basic research with a wide variety of applications in the field of engine technology. The Phoenix Memorial Laboratory (PML) at the University of Michigan has developed a RTNR facility and has been using this facility to study several phenomena that have direct application to internal combustion and gas turbine engines. These phenomena include; 1) the study of coking and debris deposition in several gas turbine nozzles (including the JT8D), 2) the study of lubrication problems in operating standard internal combustion engines and in operating automatic transmissions (1, 2, 3), 3) the location of lubrication blockage and subsequent imaging of the improvement obtained from design changes, 4) the imaging of sprays inside metallic structures in both a two-dimensional, standard radiographic manner (4, 5) and in a computer reconstructed, three-dimensional, tomographic manner (2, 3), and 5) the imaging of the fuel spray from an injector in a single cylinder diesel engine while the engine is operating. This paper will show via slides and real time video, the above applications of RTNR as well as other applications not directly related to gas turbine engines.