Process for testing a compressor or a combustor of a gas turbine engine using a large compressed air storage reservoir
A process for testing a compressor of a gas turbine engine, where a large volume of compressed air is stored in a large reservoir of at least 10,000 m 3 such as an underground storage cavern, compressed air from the storage reservoir is passed through an air turbine to drive a compressor to produce high pressure and temperature compressed air, and where the compressed air can be discharged into a combustor and burned with a fuel for testing of the combustor under simulated conditions of a real gas turbine engine.
1 . A process for testing a compressor of a gas turbine engine comprising the steps of:
filling an underground storage reservoir with compressed air;
securing a compressor to be tested on a test stand;
passing compressed air from the storage reservoir into an air turbine to drive the air turbine;
driving the compressor to be tested with the air turbine; and,
monitoring the compressor during the testing.
2 . The process for testing a compressor of claim 1 , and further comprising the steps of:
passing compressed air from the underground storage reservoir through a heater to increase a temperature of the compressed air; and,
passing the heated compressed air from the heater into an inlet of the compressor that is being tested.
3 . The process for testing a compressor of claim 2 , and further comprising the step of:
the compressed air is heated in the heater to a normal inlet temperature for the compressor being tested.
4 . The process for testing a compressor of claim 1 , and further comprising the steps of:
passing compressed air from the underground storage reservoir through an air turbine to decrease a temperature of the compressed air; and,
passing the compressed air with the lower temperature from the air turbine into an inlet of the compressor being tested.
5 . A process for testing a combustor of a gas turbine engine comprising the steps of:
filling an underground storage reservoir with compressed air;
securing a combustor to be tested in a test stand;
passing compressed air from the underground storage reservoir through an air turbine to drive the air turbine;
driving a compressor with the air turbine to produce compressed air where the compressor is sized for the combustor being tested;
passing the compressed air into the combustor; and,
burning a fuel with the compressed air within the combustor.
6 . A process for testing a compressor of a gas turbine engine comprising the steps of:
filling an underground storage reservoir with compressed air;
securing a compressor to be tested in a test stand;
passing compressed air from the underground storage reservoir through an air turbine to drive the air turbine; and,
driving the compressor with the air turbine to produce compressed air for testing of the compressor.