Session: 05-08 CDI Topics on Additive Manufacturing

Paper Number: 124155

124155 - Evaluating Thin-Film Thermocouple Performance on Additively Manufactured Turbine Airfoils 

As gas turbine engine designs continue to target higher turbine entry temperatures for increased thermal efficiency, gas turbine manufacturers and operators require additional feedback from life-limited engine components. Moreover, additively manufactured (AM) hardware is becoming more prevalent in the engine development cycle to reduce component lead times and associated costs. Although additive manufacturing unlocks unique capabilities for sensor integration, the inherent roughness from additive surfaces poses unique challenges to the direct-write sensor installation processes. The current study addresses these realities by demonstrating sensor operation on additively manufactured vane hardware in a turbine research facility operating at scaled conditions. Low-profile thermocouples were deposited on fully-cooled AM turbine vanes and tested over a range of operating conditions in a one‑stage research turbine at Penn State University. The low-profile surface-mounted sensors were compared with traditional small-diameter embedded thermocouples in terms of calibration accuracy and durability. Different sensor deposition methods were also evaluated as part of the integration strategy for the AM vanes. Ultimately, this study will show direct-write thermocouples on additively manufactured airfoils can operate reliably over an extended test campaign in rig-scaled conditions. Furthermore, the measurement accuracy of direct-write thermocouples demonstrated through this study is equivalent to traditional mineral-insulated thermocouple sensors showing the utility of these technologies for future turbine research and development applications.

Presenting Author: Reid A. Berdanier The Pennsylvania State University

Presenting Author Biography: Dr. Reid Berdanier is an Associate Research Professor in the Steady Thermal Aero Research Turbine (START) Laboratory at Penn State University. In this role, Dr. Berdanier develops new instrumentation and measurement technologies for integration with high pressure turbine research programs.

Authors:

Reid A. Berdanier The Pennsylvania State University
Margaret R. Nunn The Pennsylvania State University
Justin T. Brumberg The Pennsylvania State University
Michael D. Barringer The Pennsylvania State University
Scott Fishbone The Pennsylvania State University
Karen A. Thole The Pennsylvania State University