[R-390] Cosmos Dis-assembly

[rbethman]

Yep!

I was mostly replying about the desiccant and the nitrogen pressurization.

I was trying to put it into ANOTHER context.

Sorry - Got a little carried away!

The GS-13 or whatever he was that was one of the honchos at the 
facility, used to get one of us in the test chamber, while adjusting the 
stator vanes that change angle, cause a compressor stall for the 
visitors that were watching the test chamber in use.  "Smitty" would 
smile at which ever of us was performing the vane scheduling and give a 
head/chin jut to indicate *HE* wanted a compressor stall to try and make 
someone wet themselves.

None of us really liked it.  But - Bosses are bosses.  Since you had the 
vane hydraulic input adjustment in your hand to rotate the uniball link, 
you were VERY aware that any "extra" movement would cause the stall.

Anyway, when the BOSS wanted one, you provided it, with your eyes closed 
tightly!  You were NEVER sure which one *MIGHT* cause failure and parts 
leaving the casing very near you!

Let's stick with the desiccant and nitrogen!  Sometimes "old memories" 
are best left locked away!

Bob - N0DGN

On 4/16/2010 2:16 PM, mikea wrote:
> On Fri, Apr 16, 2010 at 01:51:47PM -0400, rbethman wrote:
>    
>> We had upwards of a hundred outgoing containers, and fluctuating close
>> to the same number of incoming containers.  We used to tear them down in
>> a rotating frame.  Had to do an inspection,, and then determine whether
>> it was going to be the whole enchilada tore apart, or if it went through
>> a shorter line only doing repairs and the SAME complete checkout as the
>> whole enchilada.  (This included, at that time, a full compressor
>> stall.  Not for the faint hearted!  Have you ever seen a 15,000 HP jet
>> engine shoot a flame out both the intake and exhaust about 15 foot long,
>> visible in bright light?  It begins with a tiny runble, a very short
>> silence, followed by an entire test chamber that suddenly has both ends
>> fill with flame and a VERY loud BOOM!
>>
>> They finally determined that this test was NOT necessary.  It destroyed
>> too many of the engines that were perfectly good.
>>
>> Sometimes Uncle Sam got carried away!
>>
>> <This is based on years of work on gas turbines, especially the J-79s. (
>> GE LM-1500s )>
>>      
> Compressor stalls happen in real life, too. I've never been on an aircraft
> when one took place, but I know some folks who have, and they say they were
> *AWAKE* for the rest of the flight.
>
> The recent volcanic eruption in Iceland brought to mind some images I saw a
> few years ago, of a jet engine in a test cell with all the lights out and
> the throttle set wide open. The entire engine was yellow-hot, with parts of
> it even hotter. Much of the interior from the burner cans aft would have
> been at white or blue heat.
<SNIP>