General Electric Company

Dan Ivkovich

John Frederick Ackerman

William Randolph Stowell

Robert Alan Johnson

Sang Yeng Park

Soon Jai Khang

An engine, according to an exemplary embodiment of the invention, comprises a compressor which compresses inlet air; a combustor in which a mixture of fuel and air is combusted; a turbine which is driven by gases from the combustor; and a dielectric coating applied to a surface of at least one of: the compressor and the turbine, the dielectric coating having a dielectric constant of at least 3.0 and a loss tangent of at most 0.1, wherein the dielectric coating reduces the magnitude of an electrostatic force which attracts particles flowing through the engine to the surface of the engine. In operation, only a thin layer of particles typically accumulates on the dielectric coating. While the dielectric coating reduces the magnitude of the electric field which attracts particles, the repulsive force produced by the accumulated particles repels additional particles of the same charge. By reducing particle deposits, exemplary embodiments of the invention can reduce degradation in engine performance and provide significant cost savings through avoidance of maintenance.

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Fairfield, OH, United States of America

Dan Ivkovich