Session: 33-04: Particle Transport and Deposition in Gas Turbine Engines I

Submission Number: 177714

Quantification of Aviation Lubricant Deposition Kinetics: A New Method Based on the TO10 / DR10 System 

Oil degradation deposits can form in oil systems of turbofans. Their aggregation may cause clogging and obstruction, leading to system malfunctions. The kinetics of deposit formation are difficult to assess and are poorly documented. The AS5780 standard, Specification for Aero and Aero-Derived Gas Turbine Engine Lubricants, provides standardized methods for assessing the deposit amount under controlled thermal and flow conditions using test rigs such as the ERDCO Bearing Rig, HLPS Dynamic Coking and High Temperature Deposition Test. However, these standards do not allow the evaluation of deposit kinetics as a function of operational conditions. The Jet Fuel Thermal Oxidation test (JFTOT) evaluates the thermo-oxidative stability of aviation fuels according to ASTM D3241 standard. Nevertheless, reproducibility studies established that the deposit height results cannot reliably provide quantitative comparisons of fuel stability due to device and tube related variability. In 2024, a new device, the TO10 (AD System), was introduced into the list of accepted apparatus models to perform the ASTM D3241 standard. The present work demonstrates that the TO10, coupled with its interferometry detector DR10 (AD System), can quantitatively evaluate the thermo-oxidative stability of aviation lubricants. Furthermore, experimental results show, for the first time in the literature, that it is possible to follow the kinetics of deposition for a commercial lubricant as a function of temperature. Deposit heights were found to range between 53nm and 105nm over a temperature interval of 300°C to 360°C during 120min. The kinetics of deposition will enable the prediction of deposit growth under engine operating conditions.

Presenting Author: Loren Nizard Safran Aircraft Engines

Presenting Author Biography: Chemical Engineer, PhD student at Université de Lorraine, France

Authors:

Loren Nizard Safran Aircraft Engines
Mickael Matrat IFPEN
Ludovic Nowak IFPEN
Soraya Aminane Safran Aircraft Engines
Lise Ceballos Safran Aircraft Engines
Baptiste Sirjean Université de Lorraine - CNRS, LRGP
Pierre-Alexandre Glaude Université de Lorraine - CNRS, LRGP