The Dynamics of Suspended Solid Particles in a Two-Stage Gas Turbine

Gas turbine engines operating in dusty environments are exposed to erosion and performance deterioration. In order to provide the basis for calculating the erosion and performance deterioration of turbines using pulverized coal, an investigation is undertaken to determine the three-dimensional particle trajectories in a two-stage turbine. The solution takes into account the influence of variation in the three-dimensional flow field. The change in particle momentum due to their collision with the turbine blades and casings is modeled using empirical equations derived from experimental laser-Doppler velocimetry (LDV) measurements. The results show the three-dimensional trajectory characteristics of the solid particles relative to the turbine blades. The results also show that the particle distributions in the flow field are determined by particle–blade impacts. The results obtained from this study indicate the turbine blade locations which are subjected to more blade impacts and hence more erosion damage.