Validation of CESI Blade Life Management System by Case Histories and in situ NDT

A life management system was developed for hot components of large industrial gas turbines, in the form of a software tool for predicting component lives under typical operational transients (normal and also abnormal) and steady-state periods. The method utilizes results of previous thermo-mechanical finite element and finite volume fluid mechanics analyses. The basic idea of this method is using data from structural and aero-thermal analyses (pressures and temperatures), blade life theory, and material properties as an input to algorithms, and using operational and historical data to validate the predicted damage amounts. The software developed in this project, of general applicability to all GT models, has been implemented with reference to the geometries, materials, and service conditions of a Fiat-Westinghouse model.