Short course/CPD
Gas Turbine Appreciation
Course date: Please enquire
Course overview
The gas turbine engine is a complex machine requiring operation at extremes of pressure and temperature and demanding expertise at the highest level of engineering technology.
Concurrent engineering practices in the industry require the individual to have a through appreciation of the interaction between the various components of the engine. In addition, interactions between aerodynamics, thermodynamics and mechanical integrity for a particular component must be thoroughly understood if an individual is to make a useful contribution in gas turbine design and performance assessment.
Location
Cranfield University is located at the very heart of the UK – within the innovation triangle between London and the cities of Oxford and Cambridge.
Our central location provides easy access from the M1, excellent main line rail service as well as proximity to key international airports. Set in rolling countryside, Cranfield offers a rich, rural landscape complemented by thriving towns and picturesque villages.
- Road: We are just 10 minutes from Junctions 13 & 14 of the M1 motorway. There is free parking on campus.
- Rail: Milton Keynes or Bedford
- Air: London Luton (22 miles), Heathrow (50 miles) or Birmingham (70 miles).
Course fee:
£1710
The course fee includes refreshments and lunch during the day.
Where more than five delegates are booking from within one site of one organisation, a discount of 10% will apply to the invoice for the course tuition fee. Accommodation fees are not included in the discount scheme at time of booking.
Accommodation fee:
£480
Accommodation is on a full-board basis from the evening before the course commences until the afternoon of the last day. The course fee includes refreshments and lunch during the day. The accommodation fee includes all other meals. Details of accommodation will be provided in the delegate information pack.
How to register
Further information
For more information on this course or booking details please contact:
Power and Propulsion short courses
T: + 44 (0) 1234 754683
E: k.swan@cranfield.ac.uk
Course description
Course Objectives
On completion of the course, the delegate should be able to:
- make a reasoned selection of the major performance parameters according to engine application.
- broadly understand the impact on design and performance of the joint constraints of mechanical and thermal issues and the need for adequate off-design performance.
Course Topics
Gas turbine fundamentals
Fundamental fluid mechanics applies to the gas turbine engine. Properties of gases including entropy and viscosity. Reynolds number effect and qualitative treatment of boundary layer behaviour. Adiabatic and isentropic flow, static and stagnation conditions. Mass flow functions and choking.
Gas turbine performance
An introduction to ideal cycles. Component and cycle efficiencies and their relationship with specific consumption and air miles per gallon. Design-point analysis of turbojet, turboprop and turbofan (bypass) cycles. Influence of pressure ratio, peak temperature, by-pass ratio and flight conditions on specific thrust and fuel consumption. Use of non-dimensional groupings.
Gas turbine applications
Comparison of behaviour of different engine types; choice of engine parameters for given duty.
Axial compressor design and performance
Overall problems of diffusing airflows. The overall compressor characteristic, real and ideal, stall and choke, the surge line, running line, effect of changes in inlet pressure and temperature. Off-Design performance, use of variable IGV’s air bleed, multi-spooling. Choice of annulus geometry, tip speed, etc.
Axial turbine design and performance
Overall problems of expanding airflows. The importance of passage shape. Choice of blade profile shape, prescribed velocity distribution. The axial turbine stage, velocity triangles, reaction, stage loading and flow coefficients; Limiting values. Design for maximum power, effect of Mach number, effect of choking and changes of inlet temperature and pressure. Factors affecting efficiency, efficiency correlations. Choice of design point according to application.
Combustion systems
The following topics are treated at an introductory level:
Burning velocity; effects of pressure, temperature and turbulence. Performance criteria of combustion chambers; combustion efficiency, stability and ignition performance, temperature traverse quality. Fuel injection methods; spray injection, vaporising tubes, air blast atomisers. Gaseous pollutants, mechanism of production of CO, NOx, UHC and aldehydes. Carbon formation and exhaust smoke, use of alternative and residual fuels in gas turbines. Combustor cooling.
Fuels Technology
Hydrocarbon fuel molecular structure and behaviour. Conventional petroleum fuel types and preparation. Laboratory test methods and results. Significance of test results in fuel handling and combustion performance. Aviation fuel specifications, and reasons for recent amendments. Current problems: thermal stability, linear temperature, smoke formation, etc. Expected changes in fuel quality. Alternative fuels for use in the short and long term.
Mechanical integrity
Origin of loads on gas-turbine components. Factors and strength criteria for proof, ultimate, creep, fracture and fatigue cases. Integrity of specific components such as discs, blades, shafts, combustion chambers, casings, flanges, etc. Cumulative creep. Fatigue and Fracture Mechanics -. Effects of cyclic loading. Paris Law, mean stress effects. Types of vibration encountered in the gas turbine. Blade modes of vibration, including centrifugal and thermal effects. Methods of determining natural frequencies. Production of frequency diagram and methods of overcoming vibration problems. Critical speeds of shafts and alleviation by means of squeeze-film damper bearings.
Who should Attend
The course is designed for new graduates/trainees or equivalent who will be closely involved in engine design or performance evaluation in the gas turbine manufacturing or user industries. The course will also be of value to experienced engineers in the gas turbine manufacturing and user industries who have a need for an overview of the design and performance of the whole engine.
Course Director
Dr Vassilios Pachidis
T: +44 (0) 1234 75 4663
E: v.pachidis@cranfield.ac.uk
Gas Turbine Engineering Courses
The Department of Power and Propulsion offers one of the largest gas turbine engineering training course portfolios for industry. For several years, our academics and network of industrial experts have welcomed delegates from all over the world to Cranfield.
