Erosion and Deposition in Turbomachinery

This paper presents a review of erosion and deposition research in turbomachines and the associated degradation in engine performance caused by particulate matter ingestion. Parameters affecting surface material losses as a result of erosion and development of experimental and analytical approaches to predict flowpath erosion and deposition are discussed. Tests results that quantify the effects of temperature, impact particle composition, impact velocity and angle, and surface material composition are reviewed along with particle restitution data (ratios of rebound to impact velocities and angles). Development and application of models using these data to calculate surface erosion in turbomachinery are described. These models predict particle trajectories in turbomachinery passages to determine impact rates, impact velocities, impact angles and uses the experimentally-obtained erosion data to calculate material losses. Literature on the effects of erosion on turbomachine performance and life is surveyed. Mechanisms of particle delivery and attachment upon arrival at turbomachine flowpath surfaces are also discussed along with experiential models that have been developed to predict surface deposit buildup. Delivery to turbine surfaces can occur as a result of inertial flight, as for erosion, but also through transport mechanisms involving turbulence, Brownian diffusion, and thermophoresis. The particle size range, where each of these mechanisms is dominant for delivery to surfaces, is described. The history and experience of developing models that use these mechanisms to quantify particle delivery rates to turbine flow path surfaces is discussed, along with the use of sticking fraction data to determine the amount of material retained on the surfaces after delivery and the resulting deposit buildup rates. Finally, factors that control whether extreme rates of deposition can occur in turbomachinery are described.

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