Aerodynamic Design and Testing of an Improved 1st Stage Compressor Rotor for a Heavy Duty Gas Turbine

Abstract

To evaluate the potential of the compressor of Sulzer’s Typ 3 gas turbine, a series of engine tests was analyzed with two computer codes. The comparison between measured and calculated performance map are given in the paper. The design goal was to find modifications, which can be applied easily to already operating engines. The simplest option-increase of shaft speed with the existing blades-would have caused high loss due to increased tip Mach number. The calculation revealed, that a newly designed first rotor blade is an appropriate modification to increase massflow and efficiency. No further change is required, because the calculations indicate, that all subsequent stages operate at near optimum incidence. The calculations were confirmed experimentally. The paper presents the new rotor blade and its influence on the compressor calculated and measured performance.