Claims
- 1. A method of monitoring the condition of a thermal barrier coating on a turbine blade or vane comprising:
providing a means for receiving ultraviolet emissions from said blade or said vane during operation of said turbine; and monitoring said ultraviolet emissions over time to detect deterioration of said thermal barrier coating on said blade or said vane.
- 2. The method of claim 1, further comprising a means for transmitting said ultraviolet emissions to an ultraviolet sensor external to said turbine.
- 3. The method of claim 1, wherein said means for receiving said ultraviolet emissions comprise an ultraviolet light gathering lens.
- 4. The method of claim 1, wherein said means for transmitting said ultraviolet emissions comprise ultraviolet transmitting fiber optics.
- 5. The method of claim 1, wherein said ultraviolet sensor is selected from the group consisting of ultraviolet sensitive photomultiplier, photodiode and arc/flame sensor.
- 6. The method of claim 1, further comprising monitoring said ultraviolet emissions over time to detect a reduction in said ultraviolet emissions.
- 7. An apparatus for monitoring the condition of a thermal barrier coating on a turbine blade or vane comprising:
means for receiving ultraviolet emissions from said blade or said vane during operation of said turbine; and means for monitoring said ultraviolet emissions over time to detect deterioration of said thermal barrier coating on said blade or said vane.
- 8. The apparatus of claim 7, further comprising a means for transmitting said ultraviolet emissions to an ultraviolet sensor external to said turbine.
- 9. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein said means for receiving said ultraviolet emissions comprise an ultraviolet light gathering lens.
- 10. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein said means for transmitting said ultraviolet emissions comprise ultraviolet transmitting fiber optics.
- 11. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein said ultraviolet sensor is selected from the group consisting of ultraviolet sensitive photomultiplier, photodiode and arc/flame sensor.
- 12. The apparatus of claim 7, further comprising means for monitoring said ultraviolet emissions over time to detect a reduction in said ultraviolet emissions.
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. §119(e) to provisional application Serial No. 60/326,478, filed Oct. 1, 2001.
Provisional Applications (1)
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Number |
Date |
Country |
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60326478 |
Oct 2001 |
US |