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Copyright 1993 by ASME

A REVIEW OF THE FULL CAPABILITIES

OF BLADE PATH THERMOCOUPLES
Howard H. Wisch
Analysis & Technologies Division
Sargent & Lundy
Chicago, Illinois

ABSTRACT
Thermocouples have been installed in gas turbine exhaust gas
paths for decades for control functions. Since the late 1970s, such
thermocouples have also been used for combustion monitoring.
The purposes for these thermocouples and the use of the
information they provide are sometimes misunderstood. When
properly situated and incorporated into a control system, these
devices provide data that can ensure a properly operating
combustion system, prevent catastrophic hot parts failures, extend
component life, and increase availability. Although the use of
blade path thermocouples for combustion monitoring has generally
been associated with later model gas turbines using cannular
combustors, their advantages can also be realized by the modification of older cannular gas turbines as well as turbines with
annular or silo combustors. This paper reviews the concept and
summarizes the benefits of blade path monitoring and the use of
the temperature information obtained. A recommendation is made
for the retrofit of older engines and the enhanced instrumentation
of some later frames.
BACKGROUND
For many years, thermocouples have been located in the
exhaust gas path of combustion turbines for control and overtemperature protection. Ideally such thermocouples would be
located at the hot gas entry to the first stage nozzles. In this
location they could measure actual turbine inlet temperatures.
The temperatures present at this location, however, exceed the
operating limits of long-life thermocouples. Consequently, it is
necessary to locate them downstream of the last turbine stage.
Various and increasingly sophisticated hot gas path thermocouple schemes have been used. Earlier arrangements employed
relatively few devices for control and temperature protection.

Later concepts increased the number of hot gas path thermocouples in a single plane to obtain a more accurate indication of
energy input by enabling data averaging. Still later arrangements
placed blade path thermocouples in two planes in the exhaust
path. The upstream plane thermocouples were used for monitoring combustion system performance. The downstream plane
devices, benefiting from gas mixing, were used for fuel control
information. The data being provided by later design arrangements can be used to ensure a properly operating combustion
system, prevent hot parts failures, extend component life, and
increase availability.

DISCUSSION
Combustion systems used in most gas turbines are of cannular,
annular, or silo configurations. In each, hot gases are generated
in the combustor primary zone, cooled in the secondary or diluent
section, and directed to the first turbine stage through a suitable
transition arrangement. Considerable effort is expended in the
design of gas turbines to ensure that the hot gas entering the
turbine section is as uniform in temperature as possible to prevent
damaging excitation of the rotating blades and to prevent hot
erosion or corrosion of blades and vanes.
Figure 1 depicts a typical single combustor test rig used by a
manufacturer to determine the performance, including profile and
pattern factor, of a candidate cannular combustor under test. Each
of these parameters is an index of the uniformity of the hot gas
exiting the transition section. Each directly affects the operational
or service life of the turbine section components. Since pattern
factor and profile are well established for a production gas
turbine, thermocouples can be used to reliably detect excursions
from normal operation.

Presented at the International Gas Turbine and Aeroengine Congress and Exposition
Cincinnati, Ohio May 24-27, 1993

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VIEW
PORTS

EMISSION
SAMPLING
RAKES (7)

SUPERVISORY
THERMOCOUPLES (3)

FLOW
BAFFLE
CHAMBER

ACCESS
PORT

TRANSITION
PIECE

THERMOCOUPLE
RAKES (7)

TEST
COMBUSTOR
SPARK
IGNITER -FUEL
NOZZLE
LOCATION
COVER
PLATE -------

RIG
EXHAUST

AIR
INLET

DIFFUSER INLET
INSTRUMENTATION

WATER JACKETED
PRESSURE SHELL

DIFFUSER OUTLET
PRESSURE RAKES

Combustor Development Rig

Figure 1
CANNULAR COMBUSTION SYSTEMS
In gas turbines with cannular combustors, the energy release to
the turbine section is intended to be divided equally among the
several combustors. Fuel, for example, may be directed through
flow dividers to ensure that flow differences between combustors
do not exceed 0.5%. In practice, some combustors in an engine
will inherently behave differently than others for reasons as subtle
as a cooling pipe in the combustor shell affecting air entries.
These differences in performance are usually acceptably small and
consistent between engines of a given type or frame. The hot gas
from each combustor will be directed to the first turbine stage
through a transition piece.
Figure 2 shows a typical isotherm pattern from each of the
several transition pieces. The example shows that first stage
nozzles are individually affected by the behavior of the combustor
and transition directly ahead. Rotating blades, by comparison,
traverse each transition discharge and are affected by differences
in temperatures both radially and circumferentially during rotation.
If the energy release of each transition piece discharge is not
within acceptable limits, turbine blading will be subjected to
damagingly high cycle fatigue and can fail in a period of a
relatively few hours.
The gases discharged by each transition piece will pass through
the turbine section relatively intact, but with some angular
displacement, or swirl, as shown by Figure 3. This swirl will
vary with load and may be as much as 90 at idle and be on the
order of 45 0 at the baseload conditions. This permits the place-

ment of blade path thermocouples to monitor the performance of

each combustor. These thermocouples can then provide assurance
that all combustors within a set are operating within acceptable
limits. They can also provide trend information that can detect
progressive or sudden changes in individual combustor
performance.

Maximum
temperatures

Minimum
temperatures

900
910 920 930

02857.001 01-93

Transition Pie of Exit Isotherms

Figure 2

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THE USE OF BLADE PATH THERMOCOUPLES

Combustor
0 0

Transition
Turbine
Blade path
thermocouple

Stage 1
:x>^

/ ^,

Stage 2
^,

Stage 3

-^ Swirl
V/^N.Jisplacement

c2657.003 01-93

Swirl Pattern

\ Engine
q_

Figure 3

ANNULAR COMBUSTION SYSTEMS

Annular combustion systems in industrial gas turbines built to
date have usually been associated with aircraft-derivative frames.
The annular combustion system has an inherently more consistent
hot gas path energy release to the turbine section since there are
no discrete combustors. There are, however, usually more fuel
nozzles in annular-type combustion turbines than in cannular or
silo versions. Fuel to individual nozzles is normally supplied by
a common rail system, or manifold. Since this type of fuel
system has no flow divider, fuel flow can vary between nozzles,
particularly if nozzle fouling develops. The annular combustor
may also have nonuniform airflows caused by disturbed entries or
developing component distress. For these and other reasons, the
temperature profiles of the gas into the turbine section will vary
radially and circumferentially and may change with time. Again,
the use of an array of blade path thermocouples can assure
acceptable performance and provide notification of changes from
normal operation.

SILO COMBUSTION SYSTEMS

Although silo combustion systems usually have one or two
very large combustors, the size of the combustors and the
complexities of turning and distributing the hot gas flows into the
turbine section complicate the problem of providing uniform
radial and circumferential temperatures. The temperature patterns,
however, as with other combustor types, are predictable and
repeatable. Again, the hot gas will pass through the turbine stages
with a consistent, known swirl for each running condition. The
use of blade path thermocouples can provide the advantages
previously discussed.

Placement
As discussed, the hot gas flow through the several turbine
stages will occur with a consistent swirl and without undue
mixing of the gases. Consequently, if thermocouples are located
immediately behind the last turbine stage, the data they provide
will be directly representative of the flow into the first stage
nozzles. The location of the temperature measurements must be
closely controlled to obtain accurate readings. In an engine with
cannular combustors, for instance, the temperature can normally
vary as much as 100F from one point to another in the exhaust
path. Therefore, it is essential that each thermocouple be equally
spaced about the turbine centerline to correspond with individual
combustors, and that the insertion depth of each be identical. The
exact placement of the thermocouples in engines with annular or
silo combustors is less sensitive, but there should be a sufficiently
large number of devices to fairly sample the energy input to the
turbine for the full circle of rotation. A minimum number considered would be eight thermocouples, located 45 apart.
Combustion Monitoring
In a new or recently refurbished combustion turbine, the
differences in blade path thermocouple readings will be
minimized, since there will be no degradation of combustion
system components. In a new or refurbished cannular combustor
gas turbine, the difference in readings should be approximately
50F with natural gas fuel, and approximately 80F with distillate
fuel. In all combustion turbines, the readings of the individual
thermocouples will be consistent with load and repeatable from
run to run if the combustion system is functioning normally.
Individual readings will conform to a unique pattern for a
given engine. For instance, the topmost thermocouple might be
the third hottest of the set; the next the sixth hottest, and so on.
This is normal and acceptable so long as all readings are within
prescribed limits. Since the temperature measurement of each
thermocouple can be used to infer a turbine inlet temperature, it
is essential that the gas turbine not be run if any blade path
thermocouple reading exceeds a trip limit.
Since turbine blading can be subjected to high cycle fatigue if
excessive blade path spread over the range of readings exists, a
turbine trip function is also normally provided in the combustion
monitoring system for this situation. Of course, the thermocouple
readings should be used to provide high suitable temperature
alarms or blade path spread alarms to permit appropriate action to
preclude the engine from reaching trip limits. In practice this is
normally accomplished by operating the gas turbine at reduced
load until an outage can be used to determine and correct the
cause of the high temperature or blade path spread condition.
Catastrophic hot parts failure can quickly result from either

condition.
Overtemperature conditions can quickly result in failed vanes
or nozzles in any turbine stage. High blade path temperature
spreads may be indicative of an outfired or underfired combustor.
An example exists of a gas turbine losing a last row turbine blade

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as the result of a combustor that outfired on natural gas. In this

case the operator failed to respond to the reported alarm
condition, believing that an outfire on natural gas could not occur
at load. The blade separation occurred in the 58th hour of
operating under alarm. In this unit, the combustion monitoring
provision accurately reported the excessive blade path temperature
spread for the full 58 hours, but a trip function had not been
elected by the user. High blade path temperature spread should
be normally implemented as a trip function since the protection
of the turbine otherwise is totally dependant upon the operator.
Blade path thermocouples should be situated at peak temperature locations in the hot gas path. The maximum temperature is
normally at the intended preferential location in the profile
presented to the first stage blades, usually being two-thirds or
more of the span above the blade platform. This location ensures
that the higher temperature gases are present at a lower stressed
region of the blade. As combustion system components degrade,
there will generally be a reduction in firing temperature or a
deviation from the intended hot gas exit profile. Either of these
conditions will result in a reduced temperature reading by the
corresponding blade path thermocouple. Conditions that can
reduce such readings include fouled fuel nozzles, holes or cracks
in combustors or transition pieces, and leaking transition piece
seals.
Figure 4 illustrates a daily record of blade path temperatures
for a base-loaded engine. The figure shows a decay in blade path
temperature for one combustor, indicating that attention will be
required. Higher than normal individual blade path thermocouple
readings are usually the result of overfueling. The overfueling of
some fuel nozzles in a manifolded set can result from the fouling
of others. The overfueling of all fuel nozzles is usually the result
of the loss of fuel regulation. High temperature readings have
also been observed as the result of outfired combustors. This can
occur when fuel not burned in the combustor bums in the turbine
section.
Since overfueling and resultant overtemperature can quickly
damage turbine section components, blade path overtemperature
protection is applied during all phases of operation, including
acceleration. In a properly operating gas turbine, the blade path
temperature is predictable within a small range for specific load
or acceleration conditions. Blade path spread monitoring, by
comparison, is usually provided during acceleration but not active
as an alarm or trip function since the combustion system is
operating considerably off of design point conditions, and higher
spread indications will be inevitable. Blade path temperature
spread alarms and trip functions are typically activated at high
turbine speeds and remain active for all idle and load conditions.
Blade path thermocouples can play a significant role during
startup. Fuel ramp scheduling is often initiated by flame confirmation from UV-detectors. Since UV-detectors are normally
located in two combustors in a cannular system, it is possible to
accelerate an engine without all combustors firing. An outfired
combustor will typically be indicated by a blade path thermocouple reading of 200F less than those for adjacent combustors.
Such a reading is not cause for stopping acceleration since it is
possible for fired combustors to have 200 F spreads during
acceleration. This is not a cause for concern since the turbine

Corrected
combustor
location
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
Spread

Day
1
952
947
938
955
961
939
955
940
33

2
951
948
943
956
964
940
955
939
25

3
952
945
942
958
965
938
956
938
27

4
949
952
937
955
963
905
957
940
58

5
951
949
937
955
964
890
954
941
74

6
951
945
936
954
963
890
955
940
73

7
948
939
935
954
963
880
956
941
83

Note: Lower blade path temperature indicates No. 6

combustor requires attention. Alarm spread limit
of 80F has been exceeded
t28e7.002 01-93

Trend Data
Figure 4

blading is not being damaged by the lighter loading and the

changing speeds. If a combustor is actually outfired, the control
system will normally provide an alarm indication or trip the unit
as the motor nears synchronous speed. Most of these points are
also directly applicable to noncannular combustion turbines.
Important trending and diagnostic information is provided by
blade path thermocouples. As stated earlier, temperatures
recorded will assure a repeatable day-to-day pattern. If one
thermocouple or several adjacent thermocouples begin to report
different operating conditions with time, changes in combustion
hardware or fuel distribution are indicated. The proximity of
blade path thermocouples to the turbine section enables the
necessary correlation of specific thermocouple readings with the
location of combustion components requiring attention.

FURTHER APPLICATIONS
Blade path monitoring is provided as a standard capability with
many new combustion turbines. Such capability can be readily
incorporated into older units, particularly those being retrofitted
with computer control systems. Thermocouples can easily be
fitted to the low alloy or steel exhaust ducts with compression
fittings, located and traversed as discussed previously. The
monitoring, alarm, and trip functions can be readily accomplished
with simple programs.
CONCLUSION
All industrial combustion turbines can benefit from the use of
blade path thermocouples. The number and location of the
thermocouples depends on the configuration of a given frame, but
the thermocouples should be relatively close to the last turbine
stage. The number of thermocouples should be sufficient to
monitor the energy inputs to the turbine section for the full circle

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of rotation. The information provided by the devices can provide

significant engine protection by detecting combustors which have
lost flame or are late in achieving ignition, by reporting changes
in temperatures indicative of component degradation, and by the
sensing of any overtemperature conditions. The real-time
information provided enables a timely operator decision to reduce
load, shut down, or take other appropriate action. It is proposed
that all industrial combustion turbine users consider the benefit
afforded by blade path temperature monitoring relative to the
nominal cost of incorporating such protection.

REFERENCES
Gabriel, F. K.. and V. Donato. "Telemetry Measurement of
Combustion Turbine Blade Vibration in a High Temperature
Environment," ASME Paper No. 86-GT.207, 1992.
Scalzo, A. J. "High-Cycle Fatigue Design Evolution and
Experience of Free-Standing Combustion Turbine Blades,"
Transactions of the ASME, Vol. 114, April 1992.
Scalzo, E. J., J. M. Allen, and R. J. Antos. "Analysis and
Solution of a Nonsynchronous Vibration Problem in the Last Row
Turbine Blade of a Large Industrial Combustion Turbine, ASME
Journal of Engineering for Gas Turbines and Power, Vol 108,
1986.

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