Qualification of an Afterburner Thrust Augmentation System for an Aero Gas Turbine Engine

Qualification of afterburner thrust augmentation system in stand-alone mode prior to its flight trials plays a vital role in aero engine application. A full-scale afterburner system was studied to demonstrate its performance parameters such as pressure loss, combustion efficiency, liner temperature at full and part load conditions. Light-off characteristics at different altitude-flight Mach combination were also established. The afterburner system also was activated for considerable time to validate its integrity and performance. The paper presents the various tests carried out on the afterburner and their results. The paper also highlights the jet nozzle matching at various throttle position and studies on combustion instability from qualification point of view. Satisfactory demonstration of performance of the afterburner without encountering screech or buzz over the operating range qualifies the system for its application in the aero engine for limited operation.