Physics-Based Simulation in Support of a Through-Life Gas Turbine Service Business Model

The overall aim of the work reported in this paper is to explore whether a physics-based simulation approach has the potential to reduce the uncertainty & variability associated with both predicting & managing maintenance costs and improving engine design to optimise through-life economic performance. The main novelty in the paper is to demonstrate how an innovative Digital Geometry model can represent typical in-service component degradation and then support appropriate simulation meshes to permit degraded performance to be predicted. Two examples are given: blade erosion from particulates; and a simulated cooled blade burn-through event.