A method is presented allowing the simulation of gas turbine performance with the possibility of adapting to engine particularities. Measurements along the gas path are used, in order to adapt a given performance model by appropriate modification of the component maps. The proposed method can provide accurate simulation for engines of the same type, differing due to manufacturing or assembly tolerances. It doesn’t require accurate component maps, as they are derived during the adaptation process. It also can be used for health monitoring purposes, introducing thus a novel approach for component condition assessment. The effectiveness of the proposed method is demonstrated by application to an industrial gas turbine.

A method is presented allowing the simulation of Gas Turbine performance with the possibility of adapting to engine particularities. Measurements along the gas path are used, in order to adapt a given performance model by appropriate modification of the component maps. The proposed method can provide accurate simulation for engines of the same type, differing due to manufacturing or assembly tolerances. It doesn’t require accurate component maps, as they are derived during the adaptation process. It can also be used for health monitoring purposes, introducing thus a novel approach for component condition assessment. The effectiveness of the proposed method is demonstrated by application to an industrial Gas Turbine.

The distortions of the pressure field around rotating blades of turbomachinery components due to alterations of their shape can be utilized for the identification of faults related to the blading. Measurement of the unsteady pressure field near the wall provides information on such flow and pressure distortions and can thus be used for diagnostic purposes. An experimental investigation of the compressor rotating blade pressure field of an industrial gas turbine has been undertaken, in order to demonstrate the feasibility of the abovementioned principle. Various realistic gas turbine blade faults have been examined. Application of the appropriate processing techniques demonstrates that unsteady pressure measurements can be used to identify the occurrence of minor blade faults (not traceable by standard techniques) as well as the kind of fault. The proposed methodology has the potential for being incorporated in a computerized engine health monitoring system.

In this paper, we present a method for defining the health estimation parameters and the measurements that must be used when a monitoring system for an engine is being set up. The particular engine layout, the available measuring instruments, and the accuracy by which data can be collected are the factors taken into account. The particular health condition estimation factors that have to be used are defined as a function of this information and the desired depth of fault identification. A fast selection procedure based on the method of singular value decomposition is presented. The uncertainty in the estimations is also derived, thus giving an additional element of information useful for decision making. The proposed method, together with adaptive performance modeling, provides a self-sufficient tool, which can be applied for setting up and subsequent exploitation of a health monitoring expert system. The advantage of the procedure is that it provides a frame of application, allowing quick implementation in a new engine of interest, other than the ones previously considered.

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