Investigation on the effects of blade corrosion on compressor performance

Abstract Corrosion is a common reason for marine gas turbine blade failure, and salt spray is largely responsible for corrosion of metallic objects near the coastline. It will directly lead to geometrical deviations of the compressor blade, forcing an increase in roughness height of the surface of the blade. By using a three-dimensional numerical method, this paper deals with the corrosion of a 1.5 stage axial compressor. Two different schemes, respectively based on blade geometrical model modification and turbulent near wall functions, were employed in numerical simulations for corrosion rate of the blades. The compressor map, derived from the numerical simulations by adjusting the back pressure, shows that there is a decline of compressor efficiency and pressure ratio when the blade is corroded, which will result in performance degradation of the compressor. The corrosion properties of stainless steel were studied, using the static salt spray corrosion test under laboratory conditions. Additionally, combined with numerical methods, the compressor performance parameters along the extension of operating time were simulated and a binomial relationship between performance degradation and corrosion time was established. This research provides a technical guide for compressor performance prediction under less than ideal conditions.