🔍 Key Concepts

• Combustor liner design and purpose in a gas turbine • How thermal and pressure loads can deform inner vs. outer liners • Effect of liner deformation on airflow (flow path blockage or misalignment)

💭 Think About

• Visualize the normal position of the inner and outer combustor liners relative to the gas flow path. If they distort under heat or stress, which way are they most likely to move? • Think about which component (inner or outer liner) is more constrained or supported by the casing. Which one is more free to bend toward or away from the flow path? • Consider which option would create the most obvious, abnormal restriction or change in the flow path that an inspector would notice as ‘distortion’ rather than just minor movement.

✅ Before You Answer

• Be clear on which surfaces form the inner boundary and the outer boundary of the gas flow path in the combustor • Check which answer choices involve both liners moving in the same direction versus opposite directions, and how realistic that is given typical thermal distortion • Ask yourself which configuration would most likely cause uneven heating or localized hot spots due to changed airflow, a key sign of liner distortion