Use of Cascade and Small Turbine Tests to Determine Erosion of Utility Turbines

Experiments using cascades and small turbines have been conducted or are being considered to simulate large utility turbine operation with future coal-fired power plants. The purpose of these experiments is to evaluate utility turbine tolerances to particulates and to determine gas cleanup requirements for successful turbine performance. Since these tests do not fully reproduce the flow and erosion conditions in large utility turbines, this paper explores the interpretation of data from simulation experiments to assess erosion in large utility turbines. Effects of physical scale, rotation speed, and pressure differences between test cascades and small test turbines and large utility turbines are considered.