On Rotor-Blade Deterioration and Pressure Losses in a Gas-Turbine Plant

Sustenance of rotor-blade design shape is fundamental to the gas-turbine compressor performance. Blade deterioration causes adverse pressure gradient which imposes unfavourable force on the boundary layer, resulting in aerodynamic losses. This paper investigates the relationship between rotor-blade deterioration and pressure losses in a gas-turbine plant. This was achieved by measuring certain performance characteristics of an operational gas-turbine. Corresponding theoretical predictions were obtained from computer simulations. Rotor-blade deterioration result in 1.2 percent drop in pressure ratio across the compressor, with a corresponding drop in isentropic efficiency from 0.83 to 0.72.