In engineering and life, the littlest details can make a world of difference.
For Naval Surface Warfare Center, Philadelphia Division’s (NSWCPD) Kyle Hakun, paying attention to the details is mandatory. As a mechanical engineer working in NSWCPD’s Surface Combatant/Gas Turbine Engine branch, he routinely applies his keen eye down to the thousandths of an inch of specificity. The details matter. Earlier this year, Hakun’s skills saved the Navy $380,000.
On Aug. 8, 2020 twenty-five LM2500 high pressure turbine (HPT) gas turbine blades incurred some damage at a processing facility in San Diego. Made of a nickel-based superalloy material and valued at $15,000 each, these blades are designed to withstand high temperatures and produce propulsion power for Navy ships. They have been installed on DDG Class 51, CG cruiser Class 47, and Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) even class ships, where they generate power for propulsion. Hakun’s branch is responsible for the in-service engineering for over 800 gas turbine engines used aboard 95 different ships.
“Kyle is the Navy Subject Matter Expert (SME) for LM2500 hot section components,” said Matt Driscoll, lead LM2500 engineer of the Surface Combatant/Gas Turbine Engine branch and Hakun’s mentor. “These hot section parts are valued at $1.8M per engine, so their performance is critical to the fleet.”
As an SME, Hakun plays an incredibly valuable role in ensuring Navy ships continue to maintain power through rough seas. Upon hearing news of the damaged blades, his kneejerk reaction was, “Uh oh!” but he realized it was his opportunity to jump into action.
“It’s never a good thing when expensive parts are damaged, but this is the best part of my job,” said Hakun. “Analyzing damaged components – I just love doing this! For me it’s not hard for me to get up and go to work in the morning. I take a lot of pride in the work our engineering team performs, and the technical aspect of assessing components is enjoyable for me. I know how expensive these parts are, and there’s a lot of eyes on them as a result.”
After the gas turbine blades were shipped back to NSWCPD, Hakun began his evaluation and ran through his risk assessment checklist. He tried to ascertain if the parts were salvageable and to determine whether the specific elements could be safely used in an engine given their current condition. Were they repairable?
“Our goal is: One, can we salvage these parts?” Hakun explained. “If so what’s the current condition? Can they be safely used in an engine as is? If not, can they be refurbished, so that we don’t have to buy new components.”
Using a combination of a magnification apparatus, measuring calipers and his sharp eyes, Hakun inspected the damaged equipment in incredible detail. He explained, “These specific components from the contractor come standard with an overlay coating that is approximately 5/1000th of an inch thick. In this case, because the components have no operating hours and we know what caused the damage, we can measure the damage down to three decimal places.”
Then he compared this situation to where he saw other turbines in similar conditions. In this instance, he determined that the location of the wear on these blades would not be detrimental or unsafe in operation. Furthermore, Hakun recommended that the Navy utilize the damaged blades, but with some important stipulations, noting, “We need to know exactly which engine these parts are going in.”
“They should all be used in the same engine, and we will document the usage in our logs,” he continued. “There will be mandatory borescope inspections performed every 5,000 hours by the regional maintenance groups (RMC) to make sure that the damage isn’t getting worse. We can use these parts, but need to carefully monitor them so they don’t demonstrate any unexpected wear patterns. These parts will be installed in an engine in 2021.”
The timeline from when the parts were returned to NSWCPD to when the assessment was released took less than one month. His recommendations saved the Navy from purchasing all new (and expensive) turbine blades from the contractor.
“In this situation, Kyle’s efforts allowed the Navy to salvage $380,000 worth of gas turbine components through his risk assessment,” said Driscoll. “He routinely embraces NAVSEA’s (Naval Sea Systems Command) Culture of Affordability initiative to promote cost avoidance when feasible.”
“I think a lot of people forget that we’re working for the taxpayer,” added Hakun. “We directly support the fleet on behalf of the taxpayer. Any dollar that I can save, is a dollar saved for U.S. citizens. I take pride in doing everything I can to keep the fleet healthy.”
NSWCPD employs approximately 2,700 civilian engineers, scientists, technicians, and support personnel. The NSWCPD team does the research and development, test and evaluation, acquisition support, and in-service and logistics engineering for the non-nuclear machinery, ship machinery systems, and related equipment and material for Navy surface ships and submarines. NSWCPD is also the lead organization providing cybersecurity for all ship systems.