Advanced Optical Sensor for Monitoring and Control of Multiple Gas and Turbine-blade Properties Final Report

2/26 DISCLAIMER " This report was prepared as an account of work sponsored by an agency of the United States Government. Neither the United States Government nor any agency thereof, nor any of their employees, makes any warranty, express or implied, or assumes any legal liability or responsibility for the accuracy, completeness, or usefulness of any information, apparatus, product, or process disclosed, or represents that its use would not infringe privately owned rights. Reference herein to any specific commercial product, process, or service by trade name, trademark, manufacturer, or otherwise does not necessarily constitute or imply its endorsement, recommendation, or favoring by the United States Government or any agency thereof. The views and opinions of authors expressed herein do not necessarily state or reflect those of the United States Government or any agency thereof. " 3/26 ABSTRACT Fiber-optic sensors for monitoring gas properties in turbine engines were developed in this project. The sensors are designed to measure information such as the temperature profile of combustion gases at the turbine inlet. We have also demonstrated the sensor's ability to monitor temperatures in the turbine blades themselves. This capability is not offered by thermocouples or similar instrumentation, which can only be used to monitor temperatures of stationary parts. We have regularly visited gas turbine test facilities to demonstrate our sensing technology and to remain abreast of challenges to practical optical sensors. We have also investigated the possibility of using the sensors for real-time control of gas turbine performance, with the goals of reduced emissions and increased efficiency.