Proceedings of ASME Turbo Expo 2013

Turbine Technical Conference & Exposition 2013

June 11-15, 2013, San Antonio, United States

GT2013-95227

THE TEACHING PROCESS OF GAS TURBINES AT ITA:

THEORY AND LABORATORY

Jesuíno Takachi Tomita Cleverson Bringhenti

Instituto Tecnológico de Aeronáutica - ITA
Gas Turbine Group
12228-900 - São José dos Campos, SP
Brazil
55-12-3947 6952, jtakachi@ita.br
Instituto Tecnológico de Aeronáutica - ITA
Gas Turbine Group
12228-900 - São José dos Campos, SP
Brazil
55-12-3947 6951, cleverson@ita.br

João Roberto Barbosa

Instituto Tecnológico de Aeronáutica - ITA
Gas Turbine Group
12228-900 - São José dos Campos, SP
Brazil
55-12-3947 6952, barbosa@ita.br

ABSTRACT
The Technological Institute of Aeronautics (ITA) is a
Brazilian engineering school supported by the Command of
Aeronautics, Ministry of Defense. The topic Gas Turbines
taught at the Mechanical-Aeronautical Engineering under-
graduate course is focused in engine performance. Handout
containing the course essentials is available to the students. The
handout covers the basic gas turbine theory, with emphasis on
the design and off-design performance. The technological
contents are presented during the detailed real cycles study.
Simple gas turbines and the more sophisticated engines for
aeronautical and industrial applications are covered.
Calculations are supported by in-house developed software.
Among such software are the ones for component and engine
design and analysis and for flow calculation in blade passages,
including multi-stage turbomachines. Theory is complemented
with lab classes, when the students are presented to practical
aspects involving gas turbine operation. The industrial world is
presented to the students during visits to industries. The Gas
Turbine undergraduate course is described, with details of the
teaching process and the experience within the Turbomachines
Department.
Keywords: Teaching Gas Turbine, Gas Turbine Performance,
Gas Turbine Preliminary Design, Numerical
Simulation.
INTRODUCTION
ITA is a technological school focused on engineering
courses: aeronautical, mechanical-aeronautical, aerospace,
electronics, computation and civil-aeronautical. Its mission and
main aspects of original educational model is to provide
research and engineering education in support to the interests
of the Brazilian defense and aerospace industry and related
institutions. Academic excellence, self discipline, citizenship
development, full time students and professors, students living
in campus and student-centered policy are some specific
aspects of ITA.
The under-graduate Gas Turbines lectures are offered to the
students of mechanical-aeronautical engineering course in the
second semester of the 2nd professional year. The engineering
courses are of 5 years duration (2 fundamental years and 3
professional years).
The students enter the course with gook knowledge of
thermodynamics, fluid mechanics, heat transfer and flow
machines; they have already been introduced to the operational
aspects of rotating machines from the flow machines course
(compressors, turbines, pumps, velocity diagrams, losses,
surge, choke, etc.).
The Gas Turbines course (MMT02), taught during the 2nd
semester of the 2nd professional year, comprises 48 lecture-
hours of theory/exercises and 16 lecture-hours of laboratory
during one semester. The theory classes are given in two
weekdays (2 hours theory and 1 hour exercise); the labs are

1 Copyright © 2012 by ASME

given every other week, for two groups of students, therefore
decreasing the number of students in the lab. Lab classes are
for hands-on activities and visits to industries whose activities THE TURBOMACHINES DEPARTMENT
are linked to gas turbines (Propulsion Division of IAE at The Department Turbomachines has 8 staff with doctoral
DCTA, Motores Rolls-Royce in São Paulo and GE-Celma in degrees: 5 from ITA, 2 from IAE and 1 from Industry.
Rio de Janeiro). Depending on the on-going projects, researchers from other
institutions may work collaboratively. A few post-doctoral
NOMENCLATURE assignments may join the Department's workforce. It is the
Department policy to develop all computational tools needed
CDIO Concept, Design, Implement and Operate for the design the major components of a gas turbine. Several
CFD Computational Fluid Dynamics computational codes have been specially developed for such
DCTA Department of Science and Aerospace purpose, covering design and performance calculations of both
Technology engine and components, flow calculation using CFD and lateral
DP Design-Point and torsional vibration [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6]. Such in-house
FAB Brazilian Air Force developed codes are also used for teaching support, as
IAE Aeronautical and Space Institute presented in [7]. Current software development effort
ITA Technological Institute of Aeronautics concentrates on the CFD code for turbomachines, with
MIT Massachusetts Institute of Technology incorporation of chemical reactions; compressor design
MMT01 Identification of the Flow Machines course optimization and multi-fuel combustor design.
MMT02 Identification of the Gas Turbines course Presently there are xxx PhD and yyy MSc students
associated to the Department.
ODP Off-Design Point
UNIFEI Federal University of Itajubá (Brazil)
GAS TURBINES COURSE

Theory
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF ITA
The course contents and supporting literature are as
ITA was founded from a plan conceived by a pilot and
follows:
engineer of the Brazilian Air Force (FAB) who perceived the
MMT-02 - GAS TURBINES - description, classification
importance of a high level engineering school installed in
and applications: turboshafts, turboprops, turbojets, turbofans
Brazil to support strategic plans for an aeronautical industry.
and ramjets. Main components and their performance
Marshal Casemiro Montenegro Filho had his plans approved in
characteristics: compressors, combustors, turbines, dusts,
11/16/1945. ITA was conceived and initiated its activities with
intakes and exhausts, propelling nozzes, heat exchangers. Ideal
support from of MIT. Professor Richard Smith, from the
and real cycles. Enthalpy-entropy diagrams. Shaft power
Aerospace Department of MIT, took office as the first rector of
cycles. Cycles for aeronautical propulsion. Design and off-
ITA.
design performance. Performance curves. Engine decks.
Required: Flow Machines. Weekly hours: 3 theory and
exercise, 1 lab and 4 hours for home study. References:
Figure 1. Aereal view of ITA in the DCTA campus.
Barbosa, J. R., Gas Turbine Handout, 2012; Gas Turbine
Theory, Saravanamuttoo, Cohen, Rogers e Straznick, 6th. ed,
ITA is located in the city of Sao Jose dos Campos, at the
2009; Gas Turbine Performance, Walsh, P.P. and Fletcher, P.,
DCTA premises. DCTA comprises other Institutes, which work
1998. In addition to the 3 references the Handout lists other
on areas of interest of aeronautics and space technology. Figure
books and special reports. All the references are made available
1 shows an aerial view of a part the campus; ITA is framed with
to the students.
red lines. Compared to other Brazilian universities, ITA is
The course starts with an overview of the different
small, with around 140 Professors, 600 undergraduate and
applications of the gas turbines and the physics associated to
1200 graduate students.
the production of power and thrust. Cycles for production of
Gas turbine industry in Brazil is incipient. ITA is the only
shaft power is studied in detail, followed by the cycles for
Brazilian school that maintains an active Gas Turbine Group
aeronautical propulsion. Design and off-design performance
with capability to design and develop gas turbines and its
calculations are explained in details, followed by calculations
components. The gas turbines activities at ITA are concentrated
of more complex engines using in-house developed computer
in the Aeronautical-Mechanical Engineering graduate course.
programs. Engine decks, like the ones used by the aeronautical
In he undergraduate course only Flow Machines and Gas
industry, are discussed and the in-house developed high fidelity
Turbines courses are taught, so that most of the gas turbines-
gas turbine performance calculation is presented. Ggas turbine
related courses are in the graduate course: Turbomachines
modeling and performance calculations are carried out by the
Design, Gas Turbine Conceptual Design, Advanced Topics on
students. Phenomena like choke, stall and surge are presented.
Gas Turbines, Heat Transfer in Gas Turbines among others.
The classes are given in Portuguese. Invited lecturers may
Students may follow MSc, PhD or Professional Masters
contribute to the course, giving their lectures in other
programs.
languages, mainly English. The classes follow the traditional

2 Copyright © 2012 by ASME

teaching methods, with support of computational resources.
The students must attend to the lectures. If they fail to do so,
they must justify to their counselor and submit written
justification to ITA. Depending on the justification it is made
available to the student special psychological support.
To support the lectures both at under- and graduate levels,
several projects have been developed, among them a 1.2 MW/5
kN gas turbine, shown in Fig. xxx [zzzzzz]. The engine was
designed and manufactured in association with an industry,
undergone cold runs to find possible lubrication and vibration
problems, and is about to undergo a series of tests aiming at
performance checking and adequacy of the design models.
Figure xxx. View of the 1.2 MW/5 kN engine.
After tests completion, the power section will be designed
and the turboshaft version obtained. The engine will continue
development aiming at performance improvement with the
increase of the pressure ratio and maximum cycle temperature.
The course targets are set out at the first lecture, specifying
the minimum knowledge expected from the student after each
chapter is concluded. For example, at the end of the chapter 5 -
Fundamentals of gas turbine performance, the students must
master:
 Description of a gas turbine working off-design
 Calculation of steady-state operating lines for the
different types of gas turbines
 Utilization of computer programs for performance
calculations
 Correct utilization of engine deks
Assessment is made based on these targets through 2 by-
monthly tests, which include theoretical and practical exercises,
and a final exam. The minimum final score is 65%. Marks
between 50% and 64% imply the student must repeat the
course. If the student gets score below 50% his enrollment with
ITA is finished.
Laboratory
A Gas Turbine Laboratory requires special and expensive
infrastructure. ITA's gas turbine laboratory also uses IAE
installations. ITA has a 45 kW Hover turboshaft engine, whose
load is measured by a hydraulic dynamometer. The turbohaft
runs on kerosene. There is another 60 kW Hover engine, which
is used only for hands on activity (disassembling-assembling
training). IAE has a 320 N turbojet engine, designed and built
by them. The turbojet runs on liquid fuels (kerosene, diesel,
alcohol, and biofuels) and natural gas.
The gas turbine laboratory course is based on the following
activities:
 First contact with jet engine. The students are
presented to the Rolls-Royce Viper engine. The engine
had parts of its body removed, so that the major
components can be seen, as shown in Fig. 2. The students,
who have already learnt the components associated
theory, are induced to answer simple questions about the
engine operational characteristics.
Figure 2. Viper engine with its main parts exposed.
 Visit to Motores Rolls-Royce, Sao Paulo, Brazil: Is an
overhaul company. In this visit the students have the first
contact with a gas turbine overhaul industry. During this
visit the students follow the overhauling and maintenance
of small and medium engines including gas turbines used
in helicopters. A turbofan and a turboprop performance
measurement test facility are presented and its use
explained by Rolls-Royce engineer.
 Visit to GE facilities, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil: Is an
overhaul company. In this visit the students have contact
with medium and large aero gas turbine engines. All areas
are visited by students and detailed information of the
activities are explained by GE staff, associating what
lecture information with hardware: high performance fan
blades, compressor blade airfoils, LPC, HPC, LPT, HPT,
rotating groups, cooled blades, wall treatments, by-pass
duct, cold and hot parts, filters, pumps, lubrication
systems, secondary flow path, FADEC, bearings and its
installation positions, blades overhauling, blade material
analysis, corrosion, balancing and engine assembly area.
Figure 3 shows a picture taken during an explanation by
GE engineer about the wall treatment of a combustion
chamber to withstand high temperatures.
 Visit to the Propulsion Division of the Aeronautical
and Space Institute (IAE): The DCTA gas turbine project
is housed in this Institute. References 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13,
14 15, 16, 17 indicate the capability of design and develop
gas turbines. In this visit the students are presented to
several test facilities, including for piston engines. The 15
kN turbojet test facility, which is used to test the 5 kN
turbojet under development, is presented in details to the
students.
3 Copyright © 2012 by ASME
 turboshaft engine running on kerosene (Jet-A). A
technical report must submitted by the students containing
the engine performance calculation obtained from
reduction of the acquired data. Figures 7 and 8 show
views of the gas turbine lab.

Figure 3. Visit of ITA students to the GE overhaul plant in Rio.

 Engine Disassembly and Assembly. Use is made of a

small gas turbine, namely the 45 kW Rover IS/60 engine.
Firstly, the students are briefed about the engine
configuration (compressor type, combustion chamber
type, dynamometer, operational envelope, gearbox,
among others) with focus on the engine components.
Then the 60 kW Rover IS/90 engine, which is installed in
a dynamometer, is presented to the students, together with
significant engine drawings to support the disassembly. Figure 5. Engine external parts (casing, seals, ducts,
Figures 4 and 5 show some of such drawings that help the connections, etc.).
students to find the adequate order that each component
should be removed.

Figure 6. Rover IS/60 after being assembled in a lab class.

Figure 4. Rotating group (centrifugal compressor and axial
turbine) .

This is particularly interesting for the understanding of the

way the engine components are linked to each other, details of
couplings and bearings and their locations in the engine.
Although this is a simple engine, it is possible to deduce what
are the parts and their role in more sophisticated gas turbines.
Figure 6 shows the Rover IS/60 turboshaft assembled by
students during a lab class.

 Engine run and data acquisition. The students follow

an engine run, from the test preparation to the data
acquisition. They are briefed about the test rig and its
water dynamometer. The engine is the Rover IS/60 Figure 7. Lateral view of the Rover IS/60 gas turbine.

4 Copyright © 2012 by ASME


Figure 8. Front view of the Rover IS/60 gas turbine.
Recorded data are inlet temperature, fuel pump pressure,
fuel consumption, engine rotational speed, applied load,
temperatures and pressures at compressor and turbine inlet and
outlet. Required results are the engine performance showing
fuel consumption, efficiency, pressure ratio and shaft power.
Figure 9 shows the engine control and data acquisition panel.
Figure 9. Engine control and data acquisition panel.
END OF COURSE PROJECT
The Turbomachines Department encourages under-
graduated students to start their end of course projects at their
4th year, to give then time to go deeper in their researches.
References xxxxxxxxxx show some of the research carried out
by under-graduated students, in support to the gas turbine
activities of the Department.
INTEGRATED ENGINEERING-MASTER PROGRAM
Excellent students may follow the PIGM program
(integrated engineering-master program). The undergraduate
students may follow post-graduate courses concomitant with
their undergraduate courses, during the 5th year, This would
enable them to complete the Master program in one additional
year, that is, the student may leave ITA with the engineering
and the Master degrees in 6 years. It is strongly recommended
that the MSc dissertation be associated to the end of course
project. As result, the student that intends to continue with a
doctoral program would spend one less year if he joins the
PIGM program.
COMMENTS AND CONCLUSIONS
The engineering education process has been changing
during the last years. Several new techniques and
methodologies were created and evaluated to measure the
teaching quality and effectiveness. Methodology as CDIO used
at Chalmers University, MIT and Linköping University
presents the importance in update the education development
process.
At ITA the Gas Turbines course is currently focused on the
traditional methodology associating theory and lab classes, but
introduction of hands-on on more complex engineering
problems is being progressively implemented, mainly in the
graduate courses. For example, the students are requested to
follow the whole process of designing a gas turbine
part/component and its manufacturing process (machining) to
get acquainted with real life procedures.
The coupling of theory and lab has proved to be very
important so far. The students confirm that they understand
more easily the subjects taught during the lectures when they
see and feel the hardware. Moreover, lab exercises complete
the theory, since generally the book exercises have little of
practical content.
The lecturers of Turbomachines Department have plans to
implement the use of lab classes, despite the high costs. For
example, the IAE gas turbine laboratory is being improved with
engine test stand and compressor and overspeed test rigs, so
that the students will have new test facilities where to exercise
their abilities.
Taking advantage of the development of computational
tools and manufacturing processes for gas turbines
components, a small gas turbine project is being developed. A
1.2 MW/5kN thrust engine is already in the turbojet test bed
(not shown here) for the performance assessment, after a series
of cold runs to check lubrication and vibration. ITA, IAE and
TGM, a Brazilian steam turbine industry, are working in this
project. Figure 10 show the gas turbine in the test stand for cold
runs.
The engine is a 5:1 pressure ratio, 5-stage transonic axial
compressor; single stage axial turbine and multifuel annular
combustion chamber.
The students have been involved in all current
developments and it is expected that the lessons learned can
give the basis for a completely new teaching methodology.
Effort is being made to work with other universities in order to
learn their experiences and incorporating them to our courses.
5 Copyright © 2012 by ASME

Figure 10. Gas Turbine designed by ITA, IAE and TGM.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
FINEP (Financiadora de Estudos e Projetos), TGM
Turbinas, FAPESP (Fundação de Apoio à Pesquisa do Estado
de São Paulo), CNPq (Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento
Científico e Tecnológico), CAPES (Coordenação do
Aperfeiçoamento do Pessoal de Nível Superior), VSE (Vale
Soluções em Energia) and ANEEL (Agência Nacional de
Energia Elétrica) are acknowledged for their support to the
research carried out at the Department of Turbomachines (ITA).
REFERENCES
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Technology, England, 1987.
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