WE CLAIM
1. A method of cleaning a turbine engine that includes at least one internal
impingement cooling circuit with a baffle plate configured to air cool a
component of the turbine engine, the method comprising:
introducing detergent to a back side of a baffle plate of the turbine engine such that the detergent passes through at least one aperture in the baffle plate and acts at least upon the component that the baffle plate is configured to air impingement cool to clean matter from the component.
2. The cleaning method as claimed in claim 1, wherein introducing detergent to a back side of a baffle plate of the turbine engine comprises introducing detergent into a pre-baffle cavity positioned proximate to the back side of the baffle plate.
3. The cleaning method as claimed in claim 1, comprising accessing the back side of the baffle plate of the turbine engine through a port in an outer wall of the turbine engine.
4. The cleaning method as claimed in claim 3, wherein the port in the outer wall of the turbine engine provides a passageway to an internal cooling air channel of a respective internal impingement cooling circuit that feeds the baffle plate with air to air cool the component.
5. The cleaning method as claimed in claim 3, wherein the port is an aperture in an outer case of the turbine engine configured to house a fuel line coupled to a fuel nozzle.
6. The cleaning method as claimed in claim 3, wherein accessing a back side of a baffle plate of the turbine engine through a port in an outer wall of the turbine engine includes positioning a detergent delivery mechanism through the port and proximate to the back side of the baffle plate.

7. The cleaning method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the component is a shroud coupled to a shroud hanger positioned at least partially on the back side of the shroud.
8. The cleaning method as claimed in claim 7, wherein the detergent is passed through at least one aperture in the hanger and is introduced into a pre-baffle cavity formed between the hanger and the back side of the shroud.
9. The cleaning method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the detergent acts on a front side of the baffle plate that substantially faces the component that the baffle plate is configured to air impingement cool.
10. The cleaning method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the detergent includes an acidic, water-based reagent including an organic surfactant and a corrosion inhibitor designed to selectively dissolve at least one of sulfate, chloride and carbonate based species while being substantially unreactive with the material forming the component.
11. The cleaning method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the turbine engine is
attached to an aircraft.
12. The cleaning method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the internal impingement cooling circuits include a plurality of circumferentially arranged cooling circuits each including a baffle plate configured to cool a respective one of circumferentially arranged components.
13. The cleaning method as claimed in claim 1, comprising substantially simultaneously introducing detergent to the back side of a plurality of the circumferentially arranged baffle plates such that the detergent passes through apertures in the baffle plates and acts at least upon the respective circumferentially arranged components that the baffle plates are configured to air cool.
14. The cleaning method as claimed in claim 1, comprising introducing detergent to a back side of a baffle plate of the turbine engine such that the detergent passes through a plurality of apertures in the baffle plate to form a plurality of discrete jets of detergent that act at least upon the component that the

baffle plate is configured to air impingement cool to clean matter from the component.
15. A method of cleaning a turbine engine, the method comprising:
obtaining a turbine engine including circumferentially arranged internal
impingement cooling circuits each with a baffle plate configured to air impingement cool a respective circumferentially arranged component of the turbine engine, wherein the baffle plates each include a back side, a front side positioned proximate to the respective component, and at least one aperture extending from the front side to the back side;
positioning a detergent delivery mechanism through at least one access aperture in the outer wall of the turbine and proximate to the back side of the baffle plates; and
introducing detergent to the back side of the baffle plates via the detergent delivery mechanism such that the detergent passes through the at least one aperture in the baffle plates and acts upon the components and the front sides of the baffle plates to clean matter therefrom.
16. The cleaning method as claimed in claim 15, wherein the components are circumferentially arranged shrouds each coupled to a shroud hanger positioned at least partially on the back side of the shrouds, and wherein the method further comprises passing the detergent through an aperture in each of the hangers and into a pre-baffle cavity formed between the hangers and the back sides of the baffle plates.
17. The cleaning method as claimed in claim 16, wherein the aperture in each of the hangers is in communication with a respective internal cooling passageway of a respective circumferentially arranged internal impingement cooling circuit to feed air to a respective baffle plate to air cool a respective component.
18. The cleaning method as claimed in claim 15, wherein the turbine engine is attached to an aircraft.

19. The cleaning method as claimed in claim 15, wherein the detergent includes an acidic, water-based reagent including an organic surfactant and a corrosion inhibitor designed to selectively dissolve at least one of sulfate, chloride and carbonate based species while being substantially unreactive with the material forming the components.
20. A system for cleaning a turbine engine that includes at least one internal impingement cooling circuit with an internal cooling passageway in communication with a baffle plate that is configured to air cool a component of the turbine engine, the system comprising:
a detergent delivery mechanism extending through an opening in the outer wall of the turbine and proximate to a back side of the baffle plate; and
a source of a detergent including an acidic, water-based reagent with an organic surfactant and a corrosion inhibitor in fluid communication with the detergent delivery mechanism.
21. The system as claimed in claim 20, wherein the component is a shroud coupled to a shroud hanger positioned at least partially on the back side of the shroud, and wherein the detergent delivery mechanism extends to an aperture in the shroud hanger to deliver the detergent into a pre-baffle cavity that is formed between the shroud hanger and the back side of the baffle plate.
22. The system as claimed in claim 20, wherein the detergent delivery mechanism extends to a pre-baffle cavity that is proximate to a back side of the baffle plate.
23. The system as claimed in claim 20, wherein the source of a detergent including an acidic, water-based reagent is configured to deliver the detergent to the back side of the baffle via the detergent delivery mechanism such that the delivered detergent passes through apertures in the baffle plate and acts upon the component and a front side of the baffle plate to clean matter from therefrom.