Tip Rubbing as a Rare Metallurgical Root Cause of Gas Turbine Compressor Blade Failure
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A. Neidel
was born in 1986 and joined the Siemens Energy Sector in 2005 as apprentice in the Berlin Gas Turbine Works. As materials testing technician, his main field of expertise is metallographic target preparation of laser-drilled holes in turbine blading. Also, he is expert in the field of portable metallography by means of the replica technique with both putty and replica foils which he regularly applies to microstructural analyses of large gas turbine casings made of ductile iron and steel castings. He is a lecturer in the DGM seminar on portable metallography. Metallurgical failure analysis of gas turbine engine hot gas path components are
completed a training as State Certified Technical Assistant for Metallography and Physical Material Analysis at Lette-Verein in Berlin. After a few years at Siemens AG in the high voltage department, she is now an employee in the laboratory of the Siemens Gas Turbine Plant in Berlin. Her main areas of work are various preparation methods of metallic components, damage analysis, structure characterization, especially with regard to heat treatment, as well as assessments of welded joints and various coatings.
Abstract
A heavy-duty gas turbine engine at the heart of a seawater desalination plant on the Arabian Peninsula exhibited multiple impact damages on their compressor airfoils that were detected during an inspection. Many blades showed heavily damaged airfoils and some even lost fractured-off parts. One moving blade in row 8 lost 50 % of its airfoil. Most compressor blade tips from stages 4 to 15 were damaged and bent. It was reported from the site that turning gear operation had been omitted once after engine shut-down in the recent past, i. e., the still hot rotor had not been turned until cool-down, resulting in rotor bend. This is believed to have caused the tip rubbing and airfoil break-off during the next engine start.
Kurzfassung
Bei Verdichterschaufelblättern einer Großgasturbine im Herzen einer Meerwasserentsalzungsanlage auf der Arabischen Halbinsel sind bei einer Inspektion Mehrfach-„Impact“-Schäden (auf Schläge oder Stöße zurückzuführende Schäden) festgestellt worden. Zahlreiche Schaufeln wiesen stark beschädigte Blätter auf. Bei einigen von ihnen brachen sogar Teile ab. Dabei kam es bei einer der Laufschaufeln der achten Reihe zu einem Verlust von 50 % des Schaufelblatts. Die meisten Verdichterschaufelspitzen der Stufen 4 bis 15 waren beschädigt und verbogen. Es hieß von der Anlage, nach einer Turbinenabschaltung in jüngster Vergangenheit sei einmalig auf den Betrieb der Drehvorrichtung verzichtet worden, so dass der noch heiße Rotor nicht bis zur Abkühlung gedreht wurde. Hierdurch verbog der Rotor. Es wird davon ausgegangen, dass es infolgedessen beim nächsten Turbinenstart zu einem Anstreifen der Schaufelspitze und zum Abbrechen von Schaufelblättern kam.
About the authors
was born in 1986 and joined the Siemens Energy Sector in 2005 as apprentice in the Berlin Gas Turbine Works. As materials testing technician, his main field of expertise is metallographic target preparation of laser-drilled holes in turbine blading. Also, he is expert in the field of portable metallography by means of the replica technique with both putty and replica foils which he regularly applies to microstructural analyses of large gas turbine casings made of ductile iron and steel castings. He is a lecturer in the DGM seminar on portable metallography. Metallurgical failure analysis of gas turbine engine hot gas path components are
completed a training as State Certified Technical Assistant for Metallography and Physical Material Analysis at Lette-Verein in Berlin. After a few years at Siemens AG in the high voltage department, she is now an employee in the laboratory of the Siemens Gas Turbine Plant in Berlin. Her main areas of work are various preparation methods of metallic components, damage analysis, structure characterization, especially with regard to heat treatment, as well as assessments of welded joints and various coatings.
References / Literatur
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Articles in the same Issue
- Inhalt
- Editorial
- Editorial
- Gruson’s chilled cast iron – a legendary wonder material of the 19th century
- Automated quantitative microstructural analysis using the open-source server-client platform OMERO
- Tip Rubbing as a Rare Metallurgical Root Cause of Gas Turbine Compressor Blade Failure
- Picture of the Month
- Picture of the Month
- News
- News
- Meeting Diary
- Meeting Diary
Articles in the same Issue
- Inhalt
- Editorial
- Editorial
- Gruson’s chilled cast iron – a legendary wonder material of the 19th century
- Automated quantitative microstructural analysis using the open-source server-client platform OMERO
- Tip Rubbing as a Rare Metallurgical Root Cause of Gas Turbine Compressor Blade Failure
- Picture of the Month
- Picture of the Month
- News
- News
- Meeting Diary
- Meeting Diary
