Abstract
Reduction of the temperature of the air used for blade cooling to below the compressor exit temperature would allow the required mass flow to be reduced and might be expected to result in an improvement in engine performance. This is demonstrated and quantified in this paper.
Improvements in both blade life and cycle efficiency are shown to be possible. For example by cooling the coolant by 50°C a reduction in coolant flow of 40 per cent is possible as well as an improvement of 20 per cent in blade life. Additionally a marginal increase in cycle efficiency is obtained and a 1.4 per cent increase in specific work output.
A concept for an integrated cooling device for producing the required reduction in temperature of the blade cooling air is described and appraised. As envisaged at present, the device would be too bulky for airborne applications. However, with further development a feasible design might be evolved.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.