Gas Turbine Engine Particulate Matter Measurement

The primary method of particle mass measurement for industrial processes uses sampling via extraction and filtration, and this method will probably remain as the standard. While this approach is reliable if carefully performed, it generally requires manual operation and long sample times for a single data point. Long sample times are specifically a problem for measurements of industrial gas turbine engines, and as stated in the solicitation, are virtually impractical for short term operation of military gas turbine engines. The Navy would like to find a fast and accurate substitute measurement technique for the conventional mass sampling EPA Method 5. There is no current cost-effective technology for a real-time particle monitor that is reliable as a continuous and robust sensor for the gas turbine/expander industry. The ideal requirement is that an advanced sensor obtain both particle size distributions and concentrations in a relatively short period of time, and that the instrument provide a direct or correlated mass measurement. The device should also be simple to operate, portable, and robust for operation under high temperature field conditions. The overall objectives of this project will be the design, fabrication, testing, and validation of a quantitative LAPS prototype instrument that can obtain size and concentration measurements of gas turbine soot in the size range of 20 - 500 nm. The LAPS technique will be combined with the PPC single particle counting technique to provide an instrument that can measure dilute (100 ìg/m3 to 5 g/m3) particle concentrations in the range of 30 nm to 100 microns. Primary objectives of the phase II project will be design, fabrication, testing and validation of the combined instrument on full-scale gas turbines. The ultimate goal is development of a quantitative mass equivalent particle concentration measurement instrument.