Institute launches industry consortium for GTD-111 gas turbine buckets

San Antonio -- August 22, 1996 -- Southwest Research Institute^® (SwRI^®) has formed an industry consortium program to help operators of General Electric gas turbines determine the lifetime and durability of GTD-111 first stage buckets.

According to Dr. V.P. Swaminathan, consortium program manager and a staff engineer in SwRI's Materials and Structures Division, some GTD-111 buckets are not meeting their advertised lives, and some have experienced in-service failures. "This situation is unacceptable and is the driving force behind establishing the consortium," he says. "This cooperative study will help prevent failures, reduce maintenance costs, and increase bucket life and engine availability."

The objective of the consortium is to develop the necessary technology to assess the life of gas turbine buckets made from GTD-111DS and their associated coatings, GT-29 Plus and GT-33. The material properties of GTD-111 EA will also be determined. To meet that objective, degradation modes of the materials will be addressed, and life assessment methodology and software will be developed to ascertain the condition of the buckets in service. The consortium will also develop nondestructive evaluation methods to assess new, used, and refurbished bucket coatings during in-place inspection.

The consortium is a three-year effort, with three subscription levels available. A full subscription covers engines, materials, and coatings, while a half subscription covers materials and coatings only. A one-quarter subscription that is limited to coatings is also available. Subscriptions include research, documentation, and software. All material is proprietary to consortium members.

Organizations interested in joining the consortium can contact Swaminathan at (210) 522-2334 or fax (210) 522-5122.

For more information about the industry consortium, contact Deborah J. Deffenbaugh, Communications Department, Southwest Research Institute, P.O. Drawer 28510, San Antonio, Texas 78228-0510, Phone (210) 522-2460, Fax (210) 522-3547.

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