Design of Slot Antenna Based Sensors for Blade Tip Clearance Measurement in Turbine Engines

Real time and accurate tip clearance measurement and monitoring are one of the effective ways to improve the turbine engine's efficiency and ensure its safety. A novel sensor based on slot antenna structure for tip clearance measurement in turbine engine is presented in this paper. The sensor measure the tiny tip clearance distance using a phase-based principle, its main structure is a cylindrical metal cavity with a slot at one end wall, which can keep stability in the harsh environment of gas and temperature variations in the engine. The sensor was optimized and calculated by simulation; the results show excellent measurement sensitivity and accuracy, verified its suitability for blade tip measurement of the sensor.