Gas turbine gas path condition monitoring

Sponsored by Cranfield University, the studentship will provide partial funding for the candidate.

Applications are invited for a PhD studentship in the Centre for Propulsion Engineering, Cranfield University, in the area of gas turbine gas path condition monitoring.

Applications are invited for a PhD studentship in the Centre for Propulsion Engineering, Cranfield University, in the area of gas turbine gas path condition monitoring, mainly including gas path diagnostics and life consumption analysis.

Cranfield has developed a unique methodology and software to analyze the health and life consumption of gas path components of gas turbine engines. The critical components for the condition monitoring will be key gas path components of an engine, i.e. the compressors, the combustor and the turbines. The research in this area at Cranfield will be a good starting point for the PhD project.

Gas turbine performance will deteriorate over time and engine life will be consumed during their operations. Scheduled maintenance is normally used to maintain their operations but has the disadvantages of having unexpected failures and corresponding economic losses. To improve the availability and reduce the maintenance costs of the engines, the gas turbine maintenance should move from scheduled maintenance to condition-based maintenance. One of the key technologies to support such a move is the condition monitoring of gas turbine engines.

The objective of the proposed research is to further develop the methodology in the area of one or a combination of the following: gas path diagnostics, life consumption monitoring, data management, online applications, etc. The developed new methods will be implemented into Cranfield software Pythia for the testing and validation of the methods and for the application of the technology to the condition monitoring of an aero turbofan engine. The developed technology will provide a strong support to condition-based maintenance of gas turbine engines and provide potential benefits to wider users in both academic and industrial societies.

Entry requirements:
Applicants should have or expect to gain a UK 1st or upper 2nd class degree or equivalent in aeronautical or mechanical engineering. An MSc or knowledge and experience in thermodynamics, gas turbine performance, fatigue and fracture, etc. are essential. Good computer programming skills will be an advantage. The PhD candidate is expected to start as soon as possible.

Funding:
Partial funding will be available for a candidate from either UK/EU or overseas depending on the background and competitiveness. The candidate should be able to fund the shortfall of his or her total costs.

How to apply:
For informal inquiry please contact: Dr Yiguang Li, Centre for Propulsion Engineering, by email at [Email Address Removed]