Small particle impingement comparator and method of determining numerical estimation of a steam path component surface roughness

摘要

A small particle impingement comparator for surface finishes in excess of 1000 micro-inches standardizes the evaluation of such surface finishes within a turbine steam path. The small particle impingement comparator includes a plurality of sample cells arranged side-by-side in ascending order of roughness from 1190 micro-inches to 6950 micro-inches. With this comparator, users can compare the steam path component surface roughness with the roughness of the plurality of sample cells using a visual and tactile feel comparison.