Topic No.

-6
THE TURBINE ASSEMBLY
The turbine of a gas turbine engine can be likened to the axial flow compressor in
reverse.
Initially a stator section (nozzle guide vane) directs the air axially onto a rotor section.
The turbine extracts energy from the hot gases that flow through it, and converts it into
mechanical energy which it uses to drive the compressor and gearboxes.
The energy available in the gases flowing through the turbine take the form of heat
energy, potential (pressure) energy, and kinetic (velocity) energy.
However, the velocity of the gas in the combustion chamber is lower than the velocity of
the gas in the exhaust unit.
THE STRESSES IN THE TURBINE

This tensile loading, coupled with the tremendous heat, causes a

phenomenon called creep, the stretching of the metal of the blade beyond its ability to
reform back to its original length. (DGCA)

Whatever materials have been used to produce the turbine, and however carefully the
temperature and rpm limits of the engine have been observed, creep will cause the
length of the blade to increase over a period of time and engine operational cycles.
 A blade will have a finite life before failure occurs.

THE TURBINE STAGE

The compressor adds energy to the air by increasing its pressure, in the turbine
that energy is extracted by reducing the pressure of the gases flowing through it.

This drop in pressure occurs both as it is converted to velocity in the nozzle guide
vanes, and also as it is converted into mechanical energy in the turbine blades.

The turbine stage therefore consists of two elements, one row of stationary nozzle guide
vanes and one row of rotating turbine blades.

The divergent gas flow annulus affords longer blades to be fitted moving backwards in
the turbine to enable velocity to be controlled as the gas expands into the larger area.

The blade shroud is an attempt to minimise losses due to leakage across the turbine
blade tips and also reduces vibration. (How ? The air wont be escaped out ,so there wont
be much vibrations)

The clearance between the blade tips and the turbine casing varies because of the
different rates of expansion and contraction of the materials involved.

An abradable lining has been used in the casing area to reduce gas leakage through this
clearance.

THE FREE (POWER) TURBINE

When a turbine is coupled to a compressor to form a spool, it must rotate at a
speed which conforms to the demanding requirements of the compressor, the
speed of which is set at the point of best compression.

A free turbine is a turbine which is not connected to the compressor, it is

connected only to the propeller or rotor reduction gearbox. This allows the turbine
to seek its optimum design speed.
 There are further advantages to the free turbine, some of which are listed below:

a. The propeller can be held at low r.p.m. during taxying, reducing noise pollution
and wear on the brakes.
b. Less starting torque required.
c. A rotor parking brake can be fitted which eliminates the dangers inherent in having
propellers rotating in windy conditions on the ground.

MULTI – SPOOL ENGINES

The power output of a turbine can be increased by increasing its diameter.(But
increasing diameter increase drag factor because of larger size of engines and
stressed imposed through the greater centrifugal forces created.)

But this of course would increase both the drag factor, because of the larger size of
the engine, and the stresses imposed through the greater centrifugal forces
created.

A simpler method was shown in where an increase in the number of stages

allowed an increase in power output with a reduction in turbine diameter.

It is a fact that the efficiency of a turbine blade increases as its rotational speed
increases.

The advent of the high ratio by-pass engine with its much greater propulsive
efficiency means that for a given thrust it can have a smaller turbine.

This type of engine features three spools

The high pressure (H.P.) turbine driving the high pressure compressor at relatively high speeds
and to the rear of that is the intermediate
pressure (I.P.) turbine, driving the
intermediate pressure compressor through a
shaft inside that of the high pressure turbine.

The rearmost, or the low pressure (L.P.)

turbine, the illustration features one with
two stages drives the fan, which is also the
low pressure (L.P.) compressor. This rotates
at the lowest speed of all.
BLADE SHAPE
 Nozzle guide vanes are of aerofoil shape and form convergent ducts where some of the
potential (pressure) energy in the gas stream is converted to kinetic (velocity) energy.
 The turbine blades themselves can be:
a. Impulse type, like a water wheel(Used in air starter motor)
b. Reaction type, which rotate as a reaction to
the lift they create.

c. A mixture of the two called impulse /

reaction. (The inner half
is impulse and the outer half is reaction.)
 Shape of the combination impulse /
reaction blade changes from its base to
its tip.
 The shape change is accomplished by the
blade having a greater angle at the tip
than at its base.
 This gives it a twist which ensures that
the gas flow does equal work along the
length of the blade and enables the gas flow to enter the exhaust system with a uniform
axial velocity.
TURBINE BLADE FIXING
 The fir tree fixing is most commonly
used on modern engines.

 The serrations which form the fir tree

are very accurately machined to ensure
that the enormous centrifugal load is
shared equally between them.

 The blade is free in the serrations while

the engine is not rotating, but the
centrifugal force imposed during
operation holds it firmly in place.

TEMPERATURE MEASUREMENT
 The maximum temperature that the turbine assembly can withstand limits the thrust or
power available.
 Exceeding the maximum temperature will cause irreparable damage to the engine
therefore monitoring the turbine temperature is imperative.

 The temperature is measured by thermocouples(two dissimilar metals connected at one

point) placed in the gas flow somewhere in the turbine assembly, typically after the high
or low pressure turbine and termed Exhaust Gas Temperature (EGT).
 Other terms for gas temperature are:
Turbine Inlet Temperature (TIT)
Turbine Gas Temperature (TGT)
Jet Pipe Temperature (JPT)
So named because of the position of the thermocouples.

 In modern engines the thermocouple probes are fitted inside selected fixed nozzle guide
vanes to enable temperature to be sensed without the probe being battered by the high
velocity gas flow.
 As the engine is accelerated to produce more thrust (or more SHP) the EGT will increase
in proportion with the extra fuel flow and vice-versa.

Questions
1. The effect on the temperature and pressure of the gases as they pass across the turbine is:
 a. their temperature decreases and their pressure rises.
b. both their temperature and pressure increase.
c. both their temperature and pressure decrease. **
d. their temperature increases and their pressure falls.
2. Nozzle guide vanes are fitted before the turbine:
a. to increase the velocity of the airflow.
b. to decrease the velocity of the gas flow therefore increasing its pressure.
c. to increase the velocity of the gas flow therefore reducing its pressure. **
d. to increase the temperature of the gas flow.
3. One reason for shrouding turbine blades is:
a. to reduce “creep” which may occur in the blades.
b. to improve efficiency and reduce vibration. **
c. to enable thinner blades to be used.
d. to minimize blade end erosion.
4. The blades are usually attached to the turbine disc by a “Fir Tree” root. A tight fit is ensured during operation:
a. by the action of centrifugal force. **
b. by thermal expansion of the disc.
c. by blade compression loads and thermal expansion.
d. by torque loading and thermal expansion.
5. The main contributory factors which cause creep in turbine blades are:
a. high temperature and tensile loading. **
b. high rpm and torque loading.
c. high rpm and high gas speeds.
d. high temperature and high gas speeds.
6. A free power turbine:
a. has a clutch between the compressor and the power output shaft.
b. has no mechanical connection with the other turbine or compressor shafts. **
c. has a direct drive with a free wheel unit.
d. comes free with every 2000 gallons of AVTUR.
7. The mixture of impulse and reaction blade shape in the average turbine blade is such that:
a. the inner half is impulse and the outer half is reaction. **
b. the inner half is reaction and the outer half is impulse.
c. the leading edge is reaction and the trailing edge is impulse.
d. the trailing edge is reaction and the leading edge is impulse.
8. Blade creep is:
a. movement of the turbine blades around the turbine disc.
b. temporary expansion due to temperature change.
c. temporary elongation due to centrifugal forces.
d. permanent elongation due to heat and centrifugal force. **
9. The net operating temperature of a gas turbine engine is limited by:
a. the materials from which the combustion chamber is constructed.
b. the amount of fuel which can be fed into the combustion chamber.
c. the ability of the compressor to pass sufficient air rearwards.
d. the materials from which the nozzle guide vanes and the turbine blades are constructed. **
10. The impulse-reaction blade is twisted along its length so that:
a. there is a greater angle at the base than at the tip.
b. the gas flow is accelerated through the turbine.
c. the gas does equal work along the whole of its length. **
d. the gas flow is decelerated through the nozzle guide vanes.