Computational design of a louver particle separator for gas turbine engines

The extreme temperatures in a jet engine require the use of thermal barrier coatings and internal cooling channels to keep the components in the turbine section below their melting temperature. The presence of solid particles in the engine's gas path can erode thermal coatings and clog cooling channels, thereby reducing part life and engine performance. This study uses computational fluid dynamics to design the geometry of a static, inertial particle separator to remove small particles, such as sand, from the engine flow. The concept for the inertial separator includes the usage of a multiple louver array followed by a particle collector. The results of the study show a louver design can separate particles while not incurring large pressure loss.