“Freezing” Engine Blades to Test Performance

Pratt & Whitney and Rolls Royce Jet Engines

MDS Aero Support Corp. built the world class Global Aerospace Center for Icing and Environmental Research (GLACIER) in Thompson, Manitoba. Two major jet engine manufacturers, Pratt & Whitney and Rolls Royce, test their various products and capture faultless visual performance data at this facility. The “eyes” of the facility were fully designed and developed by Boulder Imaging. The custom solution included high-speed video recorder technology, an array of six high-speed megapixel cameras, microsecond-accurate high-intensity illuminators, and ruggedized enclosures and mounting platforms rated for -45° F. The system captures detailed imagery of jet engine blades even when spinning at maximum speed to a resolution of less than 1 mm over a 3-meter engine diameter. Capturing quality imagery requires “freezing” the motion of these blades down to less than 4 microseconds at frame rates of up to 120 Hz.

This project required an ultra-high-performance imaging solution designed to capture high resolution images of engine turbine blades with a diameter of up to 140 inches rotating at supersonic speed under harsh conditions. These demanding requirements were met by Boulder Imaging developing the imaging solution around its Quazar High-Performance Digital Video Recorder (HPDVR)™ platform. The solution included simultaneously recording uncompressed video with six carefully selected and matched high-speed cameras, powerful strobe lighting to provide proper illumination, and appropriate optics for this difficult imaging task. Boulder Imaging also developed custom camera enclosures and provided on-site installation.

Due to the testing facility being outdoors, the cameras, lighting, optics, and enclosures had to reliably and continually operate in subzero temperatures. Boulder Imaging provided extensive pre-deployment testing. The selected cameras and other components needed to be optimized for capturing specific imagery and able to tolerate the extended exposure to extremely low temperatures. Boulder Imaging’s custom camera enclosures were carefully designed to maximize performance by balancing interior heat from the cameras with the extremely low outside temperature.

Boulder Imaging rapidly and successfully implemented this integrated imaging solution on time and on budget. Accurate, uncompressed visual data was the cornerstone of the entire project. Pratt Whitney and Rolls Royce are able to design and build safer and more efficient engines. Boulder Imaging’s Quazar system continues to simultaneously capture high-speed and high-resolution images from multiple high definition cameras during testing events. The spectacular details of individual snowflakes and ice crystals moving into the engine are used by the design, mechanical, and aerospace engineers to gain valuable insight.