Combustion Efficiency in Gas Turbine Engines

Improvement in design of a gas turbine engine depends to a great extent upon achieving the optimum temperature distribution across the combustion chamber. In order to study this and so to be able to modify design a comprehensive series of temperature readings must be made across the combustion discharge nozzle. This article describes the test-bed procedure adopted by Rolls-Royce to provide the information required, the measurements being made with platinum thermocouples housed in specially designed probes. To withstand the high temperatures and pressures involved these probes are constructed in 40 per cent rhodium-platinum.