Numerical Simulation of Blade Fault Signatures From Unsteady Wall Pressure Signals

Abstract

A method for establishing signatures of faults in the rotating blades of a gas turbine compressor is presented. The method employs a panel technique for the calculation of the flow field around blade cascades, with disrupted periodicity, a situation encountered when a blade fault has occurred. From this calculation, time signals of the pressure at a location on the casing wall, facing the rotating blades, are constituted. Processing these signals, in combination with “healthy” pressure signals, allows the constitution of fault signatures. The proposed method employs geometric data, as well as data about the operating point of the engine. It gives the possibility of establishing the fault signatures without the need of performing experiments with implanted faults. The successful application of the method is demonstrated by comparison of signatures obtained by simulation to signatures derived from experiments with implanted blade faults, in an industrial gas turbine.