Patent ID: 8650940

Claim:
A method of validating the performance of a test facility that is suitable for testing components of a gas turbine engine, the test facility comprising a working apparatus, the method comprising: simulating, at different times, a working aerofoil component of a gas turbine engine with a master component in the working apparatus, the working aerofoil component having one or more cooling flow inlets, one or more cooling flow outlets, and one or more cooling flow passages therethrough; measuring a parameter representative of the performance of the test facility at each different time; and comparing the parameter measured at the different times to check for variation in the performance of the test facility, wherein: simulating the working aerofoil component of the gas turbine engine with the master component comprises: substituting the working aerofoil component in the working apparatus with the master component; and operating the working apparatus in the same manner as if the working aerofoil component were present in the working apparatus, such that fluid flows into the master component through one or more flow inlets in the master component, through an internal flow passage in the master component, and out of the master component through one or more flow outlets; and the ratio of the number of flow outlets to the number of flow inlets is lower for the master component than for the working aerofoil component.