Investigation of rotor blade roughness effects on turbine performance

Journal Article · Thu Jul 01 04:00:00 EDT 1993 · Journal of Turbomachinery; (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1115/1.2929298· OSTI ID:6257841

Boynton, J L; Tabibzadeh, R ^[1]; Hudson, S T ^[2]

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1. Rockwell International Corp., Canoga Park, CA (United States). Rocketdyne Div.
2. NASA-Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, AL (United States)

The cold air test program was completed on the SSME (Space Shuttle Main Engine) HPFTP (High-Pressure Fuel Turbopump) turbine with production nozzle vane rings and polished coated rotor blades with a smooth surface finish of 30[mu]in. (0.76 [mu]m) rms (root mean square). The smooth blades were polished by an abrasive flow machining process. The test results were compared with the air test results from production rough-coated rotor blades with a surface finish of up to 400 [mu]in. (10.16 [mu]m) rms. Turbine efficiency was higher for the smooth blades over the entire range tested. Efficiency increased 2.1 percentage points at the SSME 104 percent RPL (Rated Power Level) conditions. This efficiency improvement could reduce the SSME HPFTP turbine inlet temperature by 57 R (32K), increasing turbine durability. The turbine flow parameter increased and the midspan outlet swirl angle became more axial with the smooth rotor blades.

• OSTI ID: 6257841
• Journal Information: Journal of Turbomachinery; (United States), Journal Name: Journal of Turbomachinery; (United States) Vol. 115:3; ISSN JOTUEI; ISSN 0889-504X
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

33 ADVANCED PROPULSION SYSTEMS
330103 -- Internal Combustion Engines-- Turbine
330603* -- Vehicle Design Factors-- Engine System
42 ENGINEERING
420205 -- Engineering-- Transport & Storage Facilities-- (1980-)
AIRCRAFT
EFFICIENCY
EQUIPMENT
HYDRAULIC TURBINES
MACHINERY
PERFORMANCE
PUMP TURBINES
ROUGHNESS
SPACE SHUTTLES
SPACE VEHICLES
SURFACE PROPERTIES
TURBINE BLADES
TURBINES
TURBOMACHINERY
VEHICLES