Stator Case Design to Reduce Gas Turbine Pressure Drop
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Summary
Problems
Current gas turbine engine stator cases with struts face challenges in efficiently guiding exhaust flow and minimizing pressure drop, which affects overall engine performance.
Innovation solutions
A stator case design featuring an outer ring and inner ring supported by circumferentially spaced struts, with airfoil sections and strategically placed dimples on the struts to introduce turbulence and reduce flow separation, thereby minimizing pressure drop.
TRIZ Analysis
Specific contradictions:
General conflict description:
Principle concept:
If smooth strut surfaces are used in the stator case, then manufacturing is simpler, but flow separation occurs and pressure drop increases
Why choose this principle:
The strut surface is modified with dimples only in specific locations (leading portion and/or trailing portion) rather than being uniformly smooth or uniformly textured. This local modification creates turbulence in critical flow regions to prevent separation, while maintaining manufacturing simplicity elsewhere.
Principle concept:
If smooth strut surfaces are used in the stator case, then manufacturing is simpler, but flow separation occurs and pressure drop increases
Why choose this principle:
Instead of making the entire strut surface rough or textured, only partial regions (leading and/or trailing portions) are provided with dimples. This partial action is sufficient to generate the needed turbulence and prevent flow separation without requiring complete surface modification.
Application Domain
Data Source
AI summary:
A stator case design featuring an outer ring and inner ring supported by circumferentially spaced struts, with airfoil sections and strategically placed dimples on the struts to introduce turbulence and reduce flow separation, thereby minimizing pressure drop.
Abstract
A strut (66) for a gas turbine engine includes an airfoil section (67) extending in a spanwise direction (R) between a first platform (64P) and a second platform (62P), extending in a chordwise direction (C) between a leading edge (82) and trailing edge to define a chord length, and extending in a thickness direction (T) between a first side and a second side to define a chord width. Exterior surfaces of the airfoil section (67) define a leading portion (68) between the leading edge (82) and a widest location of the airfoil section (67) relative to the thickness direction (T), and a trailing portion (70) between the widest location and the trailing edge. The exterior surfaces establish a respective exterior contour for each span position between a 0% span position and a 100% span position. The exterior surfaces define a plurality of dimples (72) in the leading portion (68).