Data requirements and assessment of technologies enabling a product passport within products exposed to harsh environments: a case study of a high pressure nozzle guide vane

Abstract

The circular economy production model challenges the limitations of the current linear economic model of production. An improved product lifecycle management (PLM) system, such as in a product passport, can support the circular model. In order for such a system to be robust and reliable, knowledge needs to be created from raw data acquired by sensors in a product through its life. Nevertheless, data acquisition can be challenging or even impossible in harsh environments. Through a case study of a high pressure nozzle guide vane (HPNGV) in a jet engine (a product exposed to harsh environments), this paper aims to define what are the data requirements supporting use cases within a product passport and explore and propose novel applications of sensing technologies acquiring data in hostile environments. A systematic analysis of required data sets of an HPNGV supporting an enhanced knowledge was carried out. Furthermore, a state-of-the-art review in sensing technologies surrounding those sets of data was conducted; those technologies were then assessed, leading to recommendations for feasible and novel applications, which would facilitate a proof-of-concept-stage. Finally, the methodology framework presented is recommended for use with products with similar limitations.