The high temperature aero gas turbine blade

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17 pointsvo2maxer2 comments

(Saving you a click): GE think they have a Ceramic Matrix Composite blade ready, replacing nickel alloys. This should result in higher turbine entry temperatures, and so higher engine efficiency. And gas turbine efficiency is already pretty astonishing tbh.

Cool stuff, pun not intended. My supervisor, who must be retiring about now, was working on this. As often it's bittersweet seeing a different team achieve the same goals, wish it was ours but I'm glad someone thinks they have it productionised.

I think this is an awesome advancement. In rocket turbopumps achieving a high enough temperature of the gas on the turbine blades improves even full-flow combustion engines - eventually the turbine is put into the combustion chamber, with significant benefits (e.g. you don't need both of gas generators anymore, but this is probably even not the biggest benefit).

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