Design and experimental evaluation of a dynamic thermal distortion generator for turbomachinery research

This thesis involves the design and experimental evaluation of a dynamic thermal distortion generator for turbomachinery research. The detailed design of a thermal distortion generator, its individual components, and its associated hardware was performed. Details of the preliminary design concepts and also the combustion test cell are discussed. Instruments and controls were developed and installed to regulate the distortion generator’s operation and to obtain data. The complete geometry of the thermal distortion generator and the layout of the combustion test cell was established. Operating and safety procedures were also established.

A set of experiments was conducted to confirm the operation of the thermal distortion generator and to obtain experimental data. This data was used to visualize the dynamics of the thermal distortions produced and to show the temperature ramps produced by the generator. This data was used to verify that the distortion generator operated correctly and met all of the design constraints and requirements set forth.