Abstract

Energy demand in world is ever increasing trend and new gas turbine portfolios is continuing to increase with improved performance, reliability, and efficiency. In new gas turbine development, designs are being developed by numerical, analytical methods with complex assessment and bench marked with previous experiences. As new development in progress, complex designs are being tried out to improve Gas turbine efficiency and performance and in that different variability arises with respect to boundary conditions and loading scenario for various operating conditions. It is important to validate the component behavior both in static behavior and dynamic behavior to predict the durability of that component. Typically, these assessments are being performed using FE analysis to validate the design analytically, but it is also important to match the FE results with past field experience or test data.

This paper discusses design validation of one such component which was introduced in flow path to turn the angle of the air flow in compressor exit. Component which considered for this study is named as Turning Vane which is part of compressor casing in gas turbine. As there is no experience in past available or field data exists to bench mark the design, FE analysis assumptions in boundary conditions are validated using ping test from component assembly. As the name suggests, turning vane is the statoric component which turns the flow to create smoother change in direction of air flow resulting in pressure loss reduction thereby increasing the efficiency of the burning of the fuel during combustion phase. This paper focuses on the pre-test preparation and post processing of test data to validate the model considered. Further, it also describes how the accuracy of FE model with respect to ping test results are arrived at using at using modal assurance criteria number.

FE model constraint and mode shapes are also discussed in this paper. Criteria for finalizing instrumentation location is also discussed in this paper. This paper also focuses on other parameters of test like Auto MAC index, reciprocity test and linearity test.

This content is only available via PDF.
You do not currently have access to this content.