Coolant delivery via independent cooling circuits

Abstract

A coolant delivery system for a gas turbine system component includes a plurality of independent cooling channel circuits of cooling channels embedded within an outer wall of the component, each independent cooling channel circuit including a plurality of headers and a plurality of supply pipes fluidly coupling the plurality of headers to a supply of cooling fluid; and an impingement plate connected to the outer wall of the component by the plurality of supply pipes of the plurality of independent cooling channel circuits, wherein in each of the plurality of independent cooling channel circuits, cooling fluid flows through the plurality of supply pipes and the plurality of headers into the cooling channel circuit only in response to the formation of a breach in the outer wall of the component exposing at least one of the cooling channels of the cooling channel circuit.

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates generally to turbine systems, and more particularly, to the delivery of cooling fluid to components of a gas turbine system via independent cooling circuits. [Background technology]

[0002] A gas turbine system is an example of a turbomachine that is widely used in fields such as power generation. A conventional gas turbine system generally includes a compressor section, a combustor section, and a turbine section. During operation of the gas turbine system, various components within the system, such as turbine blades, nozzle vanes, and shroud segments, are exposed to high temperature gas flows that can cause the components to fail. Since higher temperature gas flows generally result in increased performance, efficiency, and power output of the gas turbine system, it is beneficial to cool the components exposed to the high temperature gas flows, operate the gas turbine system at higher temperatures, and extend the life of the gas turbine system components.

[0003] Cooling (e.g., convection cooling, impingement cooling, etc.) is often provided by directing a flow of a cooling fluid through internal passages formed in the components of the gas turbine system. Often the cooling fluid is provided by bleeding a portion of the air discharged by the compressor section of the gas turbine system.

[0004] Thermal barrier coatings (TBCs) are often applied to gas turbine system components to provide a protective heat shield, prevent damage from high temperatures, and extend component life by reducing oxidation and thermal fatigue. Spallation of TBCs is a common problem in gas turbine systems. When a TBC spalls, a portion of the TBC breaks off and destroys the component, exposing the underlying surface to high temperatures and potentially causing damage (e.g., wall failure). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] European Patent No. 3409890 Summary of the Invention

[0006] One aspect of the disclosure relates to a cooling delivery system for selectively delivering a flow of cooling fluid to a component of a gas turbine system, the cooling delivery system including a plurality of independent cooling channel circuits of cooling channels embedded within an outer wall of the component, each independent cooling channel circuit including a plurality of headers and a plurality of supply tubes fluidly coupling the plurality of headers to a supply of cooling fluid; and an impingement plate connected to the outer wall of the component by the plurality of supply tubes of the independent cooling channel circuits, wherein in each of the plurality of independent cooling channel circuits, cooling fluid flows through the plurality of supply tubes and the plurality of headers into the cooling channel circuit only in response to the formation of a break in the outer wall of the component exposing at least one of the cooling channels of the cooling channel circuit.

[0007] Another aspect of the disclosure relates to a gas turbine system including a gas turbine system component and a cooling system for the component, the cooling system including a plurality of independent cooling channel circuits of cooling channels embedded within an outer wall of the component, each independent cooling channel circuit including a plurality of headers and a plurality of supply tubes fluidly coupling the plurality of headers to a supply of cooling fluid, and an impingement plate connected to the outer wall of the component by a plurality of supply tubes of the plurality of independent cooling channel circuits, wherein in each of the plurality of independent cooling channel circuits, cooling fluid flows through the plurality of supply tubes and the plurality of headers to the cooling channel circuit only in response to the formation of a break in the outer wall of the component exposing at least one of the cooling channels of the cooling channel circuit.

[0008] A further aspect of the disclosure relates to a method for reducing spallation-related damage to a gas turbine system component, the method including embedding a plurality of independent cooling channel circuits of cooling channels within a section of an exterior wall of the component, wherein each cooling channel of the plurality of cooling channel circuits is non-linear, interwoven and extends in one direction within the exterior wall of the component, and directing a flow of cooling fluid to at least one of the plurality of cooling channel circuits only in response to a break in the wall exposing a portion of at least one of the plurality of cooling channel circuits.

[0009] The illustrative aspects of the present disclosure solve the problems described herein and / or other problems not discussed.

[0010] These and other features of the present disclosure will be more readily understood from the following detailed description of the various aspects of the disclosure in conjunction with the accompanying drawings which illustrate various embodiments of the disclosure. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0011] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic diagram of a gas turbine system according to an embodiment. [Diagram 2] FIG. 1 illustrates a side view of a portion of a turbine section of a gas turbine system according to an embodiment. [Diagram 3] 1 is a perspective view of a turbine blade according to an embodiment; FIG. [Figure 4A] 1 illustrates an example of impingement cooling prior to the formation of a wall failure. [Figure 4B] 1 illustrates an example of impingement cooling after the formation of a wall break. [Diagram 5] FIG. 2 illustrates an independent cooling circuit for a component of a gas turbine system, looking outward from the interior of the component, according to an embodiment. [Figure 6] 6 illustrates the independent cooling circuit of FIG. 5 looking inward from the exterior of the component according to an embodiment. [Figure 7]FIG. 7 illustrates the independent cooling circuits of FIG. 6 with a portion of the outer wall removed to show the interconnected circuits of cooling channels according to an embodiment. [Figure 8] 6 is another view of the independent cooling circuit of FIG. 5 with a portion of the outer wall of the component removed according to an embodiment. [Figure 9] 6 is a cross-sectional view of the independent cooling circuit of FIG. 5 according to an embodiment. [Figure 10] 6 illustrates operation of the independent cooling circuit of FIG. 5 after partial or complete exterior wall failure according to an embodiment. [Figure 11] FIG. 4 illustrates independent cooling circuits for components of a gas turbine system according to an additional embodiment. [Figure 12] 12 is a cross-sectional view of the independent cooling circuit of FIG. 11 according to an additional embodiment. [Figure 13] 12 is another view of the independent cooling circuit of FIG. 11 according to an additional embodiment. [Figure 14] 12 is another view of the independent cooling circuit of FIG. 11 according to an additional embodiment. [Figure 15] FIG. 13 illustrates an independent cooling circuit according to yet another embodiment. [Figure 16] FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an additive manufacturing process including a non-transitory computer readable storage medium storing code representing an object in accordance with an embodiment. [Figure 17] FIG. 1 illustrates an additively manufactured wall coupon for a component of a gas turbine system according to an embodiment. [Figure 18] FIG. 1 illustrates an additively manufactured wall coupon for a component of a gas turbine system according to an embodiment. [Figure 19] FIG. 13 illustrates an additively manufactured wall coupon having powder removal openings in accordance with an embodiment. [Figure 20] FIG. 13 illustrates an additively manufactured wall coupon having powder removal openings in accordance with an embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0012] It should be noted that the drawings of the present disclosure are not necessarily drawn to scale. The drawings are intended to illustrate only typical aspects of the present disclosure, and therefore should not be considered as limiting the scope of the present disclosure. In the drawings, like numbers represent like elements between the drawings.

[0013] Reference will now be made in detail to the representative embodiments illustrated in the accompanying drawings. It should be understood that the following description is not intended to limit the embodiments to one preferred embodiment. On the contrary, it is intended to encompass alternatives, modifications, and equivalents that may be included within the spirit and scope of the described embodiments as defined by the appended claims.

[0014] At the outset, in order to clearly explain the present disclosure, it becomes necessary to select specific terminology when referring to and describing relevant machine components within the scope of the present disclosure. In so doing, common industry terminology is used and utilized wherever possible with the same meaning as its accepted meaning. Unless otherwise stated, such terminology should be given a broad interpretation consistent with the context of the present application and the scope of the appended claims. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that in many cases, a particular component may be referred to using several different or overlapping terms. What may be described herein as being a single part may include and be referred to in other contexts as being made up of multiple components. Alternatively, what may be described herein as being made up of multiple components may be referred to elsewhere as being a single part.

[0015] In addition, several descriptive terms may be used frequently herein and it will prove useful to define these terms at the beginning of this section. These terms and their definitions are as follows, unless otherwise stated. As used herein, "downstream" and "upstream" are terms that indicate a direction relative to the flow of a working fluid through a turbine engine or a fluid, such as, for example, the flow of air through a combustor or a coolant through one of the turbine's component systems. The term "downstream" corresponds to the direction of the fluid flow and the term "upstream" refers to the opposite direction of the flow. The terms "forward" and "aft" refer to directions, unless otherwise stated, with "forward" referring to the front or compressor end of the engine and "aft" referring to the rear or turbine end of the engine. Additionally, the terms "leading" and "trailing" may be used and / or understood in a similar description as the terms "forward" and "aft," respectively. It is often desired to describe parts at different radial, axial and / or circumferential positions. The "A" axis refers to the axial direction. As used herein, the terms "axial" and / or "axially" refer to the relative position / orientation of an object along an axis A that is substantially parallel to the axis of rotation of a gas turbine system (particularly the rotor section). As further used herein, the terms "radial" and / or "radially" refer to the relative position / orientation of an object along a direction "R" (see FIG. 1) that is substantially perpendicular to and intersects axis A at only one location. Finally, the term "circumferential" refers to movement or position around axis A (e.g., direction "C").

[0016] In various embodiments, components described as being "fluidly coupled" or "in fluid communication" with one another may be joined along one or more interfaces. In some embodiments, these interfaces may include joints between separate components, while in other cases, these interfaces may include seamless and / or integrally formed interconnects. That is, in some cases, components that are "coupled" to one another may be formed simultaneously to define a single continuous member. However, in other embodiments, these coupled components may be formed as separate members that are then joined by known processes (e.g., fastening, ultrasonic welding, adhesives).

[0017] When an element or layer is referred to as being "over," "engaged," "connected," or "coupled" to another element, it may be directly over, engaged, connected, or coupled to the other element, or intervening elements may be present. Conversely, when an element is referred to as being "directly over," "directly engaged," "directly connected," or "directly coupled" to another element, there may not be intervening elements or layers. Other words used to describe relationships between elements should be interpreted similarly (e.g., "directly between" versus "between," "directly adjacent to" versus "directly adjacent to," etc.). As used herein, the term "and / or" includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items.

[0018] FIG. 1 illustrates a schematic diagram of a gas turbine system 10, according to various embodiments. As illustrated, the gas turbine system 10 includes a compressor section 12 for compressing an incoming flow of air 14 and then delivering a flow of compressed air 16 to a combustor section 18. The combustor section 18 mixes the flow of compressed air 16 with a pressurized supply of fuel 20 and ignites the mixture to generate a flow of combustion gases 22. Although only a single combustor section 18 is illustrated, the gas turbine system 10 may include any number of combustor sections 18. The flow of combustion gases 22 is then delivered to a turbine section 24. The flow of combustion gases 22 drives the turbine section 24 to generate mechanical work. The mechanical work generated in the turbine section 24 drives the compressor section 12 via a shaft 26, which may further be used to drive an external load 28, such as an electrical generator.

[0019] 2 illustrates a side view of a portion of the turbine section 24 of a gas turbine system including at least one stage 30 (one shown) of turbine blades 32 and at least one stage 34 (one shown) of nozzles 36 positioned within a casing 38 of the turbine section 24. Each stage 30 of turbine blades 32 includes a plurality of turbine blades 32 coupled to and positioned circumferentially about the rotor 26 and driven by the combustion gases 22. Each stage 34 of nozzles 36 includes a plurality of nozzles 36 coupled to and positioned circumferentially about a casing 38 of the turbine section 24. In the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 2, each nozzle 36 includes an airfoil 40 positioned between an outer platform 42 and an inner platform 44.

[0020] Similar to the nozzle 36, each turbine blade 32 in the turbine section 24 includes an airfoil 46 that extends radially from the rotor 26. Each airfoil 46 includes a tip portion 48 and a platform 50 positioned opposite the tip portion 48.

[0021] The turbine blades 32 and nozzles 36 may be positioned axially adjacent one another within a casing 38. In Figure 2, for example, the nozzles 36 are shown positioned axially adjacent to and downstream from the turbine blades 32. The turbine section 24 may include multiple stages 30 of turbine blades 32 and multiple stages 34 of nozzles 36 positioned axially throughout the casing 38.

[0022] The turbine section 24 of the gas turbine system 10 may include multiple stages 52 of shrouds 54 (one stage shown in FIG. 2 ) positioned axially throughout the casing 38. In FIG. 2 , for example, the stage 52 of the shroud 54 is shown positioned radially adjacent to and substantially surrounding or encircling the stage 30 of the turbine blades 32. The stage 52 of the shroud 54 may also be positioned axially adjacent to and / or upstream of the stage 34 of the nozzles 36. Additionally, the stage 52 of the shroud 54 may be positioned between two adjacent stages 34 of the nozzles 36 located on opposite sides of the stage 30 of the turbine blades 32. The stage 52 of the shroud 54 may be coupled around the casing 38 of the turbine section 24 using a set of extensions 56, each including an opening 58 configured to receive a corresponding section of the shroud 54.

[0023] 3, a perspective view of the turbine blade 32 is shown. The turbine blade 32 includes a shank 60, a platform 50 disposed radially above the platform 50, and an airfoil 46 coupled to the platform 50 and extending radially outward from the platform 50. The airfoil 46 includes a compression side 62, an opposing suction side 64, and a tip portion 48. The airfoil 46 further includes a leading edge 68 between the compression side 62 and the suction side 64, and a trailing edge 70 between the compression side 62 and the suction side 64 opposite the leading edge 68.

[0024] Many components of a gas turbine system (e.g., turbine blades, nozzles, shrouds, etc.) may be cooled during operation by directing a fixed supply of cooling fluid through internal passages formed in the components. Often the cooling fluid is supplied by bleeding off a fixed supply discharged by the compressor section of the gas turbine system.

[0025] Many different internal cooling methods can be used to cool gas turbine system components, including, for example, convection cooling, film cooling, and impingement cooling. Convection cooling works by passing a flow of cooling fluid through passages inside the component. Heat is transferred by conduction through the component and then to the cooling fluid flowing through the component. With film cooling, the cooling fluid is projected onto the exterior surface of the component through small holes formed through the exterior wall of the component. The cooling fluid provides a thin, cool insulating blanket along the exterior surface of the component. Impingement cooling, a variation of convection cooling, works by directing a higher velocity flow of cooling fluid onto the interior surface of the component. This allows more heat to be transferred by convection than with regular convection cooling. Impingement cooling is often used in areas of the component that are exposed to high thermal loads (e.g., the leading edges of turbine blades).

[0026] When a break forms in a portion of a gas turbine system component (e.g., as a result of TBC spallation or other damage) and exposes an internal cooling passage, a portion of the fixed supply of cooling fluid may escape from the exposed internal cooling passage through the break and out of the component. This reduces the remaining amount of the fixed supply of cooling fluid available to the component, reducing cooling effectiveness and potentially resulting in failure of the component. An example of such a wall break is shown in Figures 4A and 4B.

[0027] FIG. 4A illustrates an example of impingement cooling in a component 80 of a gas turbine system (e.g., gas turbine system 10 of FIG. 1). As shown, a supply of cooling fluid 82 is directed to an inner surface 84 of an outer wall 86 of the component 80 through a plurality of openings 88 formed in an impingement plate 90. An outer surface 92 of the outer wall 86 of the component 80 is exposed to a hot gas flow 94. FIG. 4B illustrates the component 80 having a breach 96 extending through the outer wall 86. As shown, a portion of the cooling fluid 82 may leak through the breach 96 and through the outer wall 86 of the component 80, reducing the available cooling to the component 80, propagating the damage, and potentially causing failure of the component.

[0028] According to an embodiment, an independent cooling circuit is provided for delivering an additional independent supply of cooling fluid to a component of a gas turbine system in response to a partial or complete wall failure. The component may include, for example, a turbine blade, a nozzle airfoil, a shroud segment, a combustion liner, or other components that may require cooling during operation of the gas turbine system. At least one interconnected circuit of cooling channels may be embedded within an outer wall of the component. A plurality of coolant supply channels are provided in the component (e.g., in / on an impingement plate or insert, in / on an inner wall, etc.). A plurality of supply tubes fluidly couple the coolant supply channels with each interconnected circuit of cooling channels embedded within the outer wall of the component. During normal operation (e.g., no partial or complete failure in the outer wall of the component), cooling fluid does not flow through the independent cooling circuit since there is no outlet for the cooling fluid. However, when a partial or complete wall failure occurs, exposing at least a portion of the interconnected circuit of cooling channels embedded within the outer wall of the component, a flow path is formed, allowing a supply of cooling fluid to flow through the independent cooling system toward the affected area. The cooling provided by this additional, independent flow of cooling fluid can extend the life of the component after surface damage occurs (e.g., reduce / prevent additional spallation in the area of ​​the failure) without affecting the baseline cooling effectiveness within the component (e.g., impingement cooling).

[0029] A first embodiment of an independent cooling circuit 100 for a component 102 of a gas turbine system 10 (FIG. 1) according to an embodiment is shown in FIGS. 5-10. The component 102 may include any component of the gas turbine system 10 that may require cooling, including, but not limited to, a turbine blade, a nozzle airfoil, a shroud segment, a combustion liner, etc. In this example, an impingement cooling device 104 is used to cool an outer wall 106 of the component 102. For example, to provide impingement cooling, a supply of cooling fluid 108 may be directed into an internal cavity 110 of the component 102 during operation of the gas turbine system 10. The supply of cooling fluid 108 may be provided, for example, by bleeding a supply of air discharged by a compressor section 12 (FIG. 1) of the gas turbine system 10. The cooling fluid 108 flows from an interior cavity 110 through a plurality of impingement holes 112 formed in an impingement plate 114, into an impingement cavity 118, and against an inner surface 116 of an outer wall 106 of the component 102. After impinging against the inner surface 116 of the outer wall 106, the cooling fluid 108 may be directed from the impingement cavity 118 to one or more interior / exterior regions of the component 102 (e.g., for film cooling). Although described in this and other embodiments with respect to impingement cooling, the independent cooling circuit 100 may be used with other cooling arrangements (e.g., convection cooling, etc.).

[0030] The independent cooling circuit 100 shown in Figures 5-10 (viewed simultaneously) includes a number of coolant supply channels 120 (although not necessarily depending on the application), a number of supply tubes 122 connecting the impingement plate 114 to the outer wall 106, and an interconnecting circuit 124 of cooling channels 126 embedded within the outer wall 106 of the component 102 (Figures 7-10). The interconnecting circuit 124 of the cooling channels 126 is completely enclosed within the outer wall 106 of the component 102, and none of the cooling channels 126 extend to or are exposed to an outer surface 132 (e.g., a hot gas surface) of the outer wall 106. The coolant supply channels 120 may be attached to the impingement plate 114, formed as part of or formed within the impingement plate 114, or provided in any other suitable manner. According to an embodiment, the nominal location of the supply pipe 122 may be midway between the intersections 130 to ensure a supply of coolant with breaks most likely to occur at the intersections 130. In other embodiments, the supply pipe 122 may be located at or near the intersections 130.

[0031] Each of the coolant supply channels 120 is fluidly coupled to an interconnection circuit 124 of cooling channels 126 via a plurality of openings 121 and a plurality of supply tubes 122 in the impingement plate 114. The coolant supply channels 120 are each fluidly coupled to a pressurized supply of cooling fluid 128 that is independent of the supply of cooling fluid 108 supplied to the impingement cooling arrangement 104. The supply of cooling fluid 128 may be provided by bleeding a supply of air discharged by the compressor section 12 of the gas turbine system 10, or in any other suitable manner (e.g., a source of compressed air provided by a source other than the compressor section 12 of the gas turbine system 10). The interconnection circuit 124 of the cooling channels 126 does not include an outlet for the cooling fluid 128. The coolant supply channels 120 may also include individual flow paths that feed each supply tube 122, as desired. In other embodiments, the coolant supply channels 120 may be integral with the outer wall 106.

[0032] 5-10, the cooling channels 126 of the interconnect circuit 124 may be embedded within the outer wall 106 of the component 102 at approximately the same distance from the outer surface 132 of the outer wall 106 (e.g., in a planar configuration). Additionally, the supply tubes 122 may extend approximately the same distance into the outer wall 106 to the cooling channels 126 of the interconnect circuit 124. A plurality of intersections 130 may be provided to fluidly interconnect all of the cooling channels 126 of the interconnect circuit 124. The cooling channels 126 may be arranged in a grid-like pattern (e.g., a rectangular grid) within the outer wall 106 and may extend linearly between the supply tubes 122 and / or between the intersections 130.

[0033] In other embodiments, the cooling channels 126 (or portions thereof) of the interconnect circuit 124 may be embedded within the outer wall 106 at different distances from the outer surface 132 of the outer wall 106. This may require the supply tubes 122 to extend different distances into the outer wall 106 to the cooling channels 126 of the interconnect circuit 124. Additionally, in other embodiments, instead of using a single pressurized supply of cooling fluid and a single interconnect circuit of cooling channels, multiple independent circuits of cooling channels may be used. A single pressurized supply of cooling fluid may be fluidly coupled to all of the circuits of cooling channels, or multiple separate pressurized supplies of cooling fluid may be used, each fluidly coupled to one or more of the circuits of cooling channels. In embodiments where a coolant supply channel 120 is not used, the pre-impingement cooling fluid 108 may be supplied to the interconnect circuit 124 of the cooling channels 126 through multiple supply tubes 122.

[0034] 5-10, during normal operation (e.g., no partial or complete break in the exterior wall 106 of the component 102), there is no flow of cooling fluid 128 through the independent cooling circuit 100 because the interconnection circuit 124 of the cooling channels 126 is embedded and completely enclosed within the exterior wall 106 and does not include an outlet for the cooling fluid 128. However, as shown in FIG. 10, in response to the formation of a partial or complete wall break 96 in the exterior wall 106 of the component 102, at least a portion of the cooling channels 126 in the exterior wall 106 of the component 102 may be exposed and provide an outlet for the cooling fluid 128. To this extent, the cooling fluid 128 may flow through the cooling channels 126 exposed by the wall break 96. In particular, the cooling fluid 128 may flow through the coolant supply channel 120, the plurality of supply tubes 122, and the cooling channels 126 of the interconnection circuit 124 toward and out of the cooling channels 126 exposed by the wall break 96. The cooling fluid 128 eventually exits the component 102 from the exposed cooling channels 126 at the break 96. Generally, the flow rate of the cooling fluid 128 is increased in the channels closest to the break 96. The flow of the cooling fluid 128 provides additional cooling to the component 102 in the area adjacent the wall break 96, independent of the cooling provided by the impingement cooling device 104. The additional cooling provided by the cooling fluid 128 can, for example, reduce or prevent additional spallation in the area of ​​the break 96. This can prevent the crack 96 from expanding in size and can extend the operational life of the component 102.

[0035] The independent cooling system 100 includes a single pressurized supply of cooling fluid 128, a plurality of coolant supply channels 120, a plurality of intersections 130 connecting interconnected circuits 124 of cooling channels 126, and a plurality of supply tubes 122. Another embodiment of an independent cooling circuit 200 is shown in and referenced simultaneously to Figures 11-14. The independent cooling circuit 200 includes a plurality (e.g., two in this example) of independent unidirectional interwoven circuits 202, 204.

[0036] The circuit 202 includes a number of headers 206, a number of supply tubes 208 fluidly coupled to each header 206 and connecting the impingement plate 114 to the outer wall 106, and a number of cooling channels 210 extending between and fluidly coupled to the headers 206. Similarly, the circuit 204 includes a number of headers 212, a number of supply tubes 214 fluidly coupled to each header 212 and connecting the impingement plate 114 to the outer wall 106, and a number of cooling channels 216 extending between and fluidly coupled to the headers 212.

[0037] The cooling channels 210, 216 and their headers 206, 212 are embedded within the outer wall 106 of the component 102 of the gas turbine system 10 ( FIG. 1 ) and extend into the outer wall 106 in the same direction as indicated by arrow A ( FIG. 14 ). Each of the circuits 202, 204 of the cooling channels 210, 216 is completely enclosed within the outer wall 106 of the component 102, and none of the cooling channels 210, 216 extends to or is exposed to the outer surface 132 of the outer wall 106 of the component 102.

[0038] Unlike the cooling channels 126 of the interconnected circuits 124 described above with respect to Figures 5-10, which extend linearly between the supply pipes 122 and / or between the intersections 130, the cooling channels 210, 216 in the circuits 202, 204 of the independent cooling circuits 200 can have a non-linear configuration (e.g., the zigzag configuration shown, a sinusoidal configuration, etc.). For example, as shown in Figures 11-14, the cooling channels 210 in the circuit 202 may be weaved in a zigzag manner between the headers 212 in the outer wall 106 while passing around the headers 206 of the circuit 204. Similarly, the cooling channels 216 in the circuit 204 may be weaved in a zigzag manner (parallel to the cooling channels 210) between the headers 206 in the outer wall 106 while passing around the headers 212 of the circuit 202. To this extent, as shown most clearly in Figure 14, the cooling channels 210 of the circuit 202 and the cooling channels 216 of the circuit 204 form a fabric 218 of cooling channels 210, 216 in the outer wall 106 of the component 102. Furthermore, as shown most clearly in Figure 12, the distance between the cooling channels 210, 216 and the outer surface 132 of the outer wall 106 varies within and along the outer wall 106.

[0039] According to an embodiment, a supply of cooling fluid 220, 222 may be provided to the circuits 202, 204 of the independent cooling circuit 200 via supply pipes 208, 214, respectively. The supplies of cooling fluid 220, 222 may be independent of each other and may be provided by one or more different sources of cooling fluid (e.g., by bleeding different portions of the air discharged by the compressor section 12 of the gas turbine system 10, by recycling the cooling fluid 108, etc.). The cooling fluids 220, 222 may be supplied directly to the supply pipes 208, 214 (e.g., from the internal cavity 110 of the component 102 (FIG. 5)) or may be supplied via a respective set of coolant supply channels 224, 226 (only one of each is shown in FIG. 11 with a dashed line). The coolant supply channels 224, 226 (if used) may be attached to the impingement plate 114 in the component 102, may be formed as part of or within the impingement plate 114, or may be provided in any other suitable manner. None of the circuits 202, 204 of the cooling channels 210, 216 include an outlet for the supply of cooling fluid 220, 222.

[0040] As in the embodiment illustrated in Figures 5-10, an impingement cooling system 104 may be provided to cool an outer wall 106 of the component 102. To provide impingement cooling, a supply of cooling fluid 108 is directed to an internal cavity 110 (see, e.g., Figure 5) of the component 102 during operation of the gas turbine system 10. The cooling fluid 108 flows from the internal cavity 110 through a number of impingement holes 112 (e.g., formed in an impingement plate 114), into an impingement cavity 118, and against an inner surface 116 of the outer wall 106 of the component 102.

[0041] Because the circuits 202, 204 of the cooling channels 210, 216 are embedded and completely enclosed within the outer wall 106 and do not include an outlet for the cooling fluid 220, 222, during normal operation (e.g., there is no partial or complete breach in the outer wall 106 of the component 102), there is no flow of cooling fluid 220, 222 through any of the circuits 202, 204 of the cooling channels 210, 216 of the independent cooling circuit 200.

[0042] When a partial or complete wall break 96 (see, e.g., FIG. 10 ) occurs in the exterior wall 106, at least a portion of one or more of the cooling channels 210, 216 in the exterior wall 106 of the component 102 may be exposed. The exposure of one or more of the cooling channels 210 in the circuit 202 forms an outlet for the cooling fluid 220. As a result, the cooling fluid 220 can now flow into the cooling channels 210 through the supply tube 208 and the header 206 and toward (and out of) the cooling channels 210 exposed by the wall break 96. Similarly, the exposure of one or more of the cooling channels 216 in the circuit 204 forms an outlet for the cooling fluid 222. The cooling fluid 222 can now flow into the cooling channels 216 through the supply tube 214 and the header 212 and toward (and out of) the cooling channels 216 exposed by the wall break 96. Cooling fluid 220 flows through circuit 202 of cooling channels 210 only in response to the exposure of one or more of cooling channels 210. Similarly, cooling fluid 222 flows through circuit 204 of cooling channels 216 only in response to the exposure of one or more of cooling channels 216. To this extent, one or both of circuits 202, 204 of cooling channels 210, 216 can be activated depending on which cooling channel 210, 216 is exposed by wall break 96.

[0043] The flow of cooling fluid 220 and / or 222 through independent cooling circuit 200 provides additional cooling to component 102 in the area adjacent wall break 96, independent of the cooling provided by impingement cooling system 104. The additional cooling provided by cooling fluid 220 and / or 222 may, for example, reduce or prevent additional spallation in the area of ​​break 96. This may prevent crack 96 from expanding in size and may extend the operational life of component 102.

[0044] The use of multiple independent circuits 202, 204 and the non-linear configuration of the cooling channels 210, 216 may provide a longer flow path within the exterior wall 106 of the component 102 to improve heat transfer to the cooling fluids 220, 222 and increase the cooling effectiveness of the independent cooling circuits 200. Additionally, portions of the cooling channels 210, 216 located closer to the exterior surface 132 of the exterior wall 106 of the component 102 may be exposed in response to the formation of a shallower / smaller fracture 96. As a result, the independent cooling circuits 200 may operate in response to a spallation event sooner than an independent cooling circuit 100 having a planar configuration.

[0045] 14 with FIG. 8, it can be seen that the independent cooling circuit 200 can provide a higher density of cooling channels 210, 216 in the outer wall 106 of the component 102 (e.g., due to the woven configuration of the circuits 202, 204) than the independent cooling circuit 100. The higher density can increase the cooling effectiveness of the independent cooling circuit 200.

[0046] In the independent cooling circuits 100, 200, the supply of cooling fluid may be provided independent of the main supply of cooling fluid (e.g., the supply of cooling fluid 108 used for impingement cooling) to limit any reduction in back flow margin (BFM) in the event of a large area of ​​the cooling channel being exposed due to a spallation event. BFM is defined as the difference between the pressure of the cooling fluid inside the component 102 of the gas turbine system 10 and the local pressure of the combustion gases 22 ( FIG. 1 ) outside the component 102. However, in the independent cooling circuit 200 including multiple independent circuits 202, 204 of cooling channels 210, 216, a combination of cooling fluid sources may be used depending on the application. For example, one of the circuits 202, 204 of the cooling channels 210, 216 may be supplied by bleeding compressed air from the compressor section 12, while the other of the circuits 202, 204 of the cooling channels 210, 216 may recycle cooling fluid (e.g., the cooling fluid 108 used for impingement cooling of the impingement cooling arrangement 104) from the main cooling circuit of the component 102, or some combination of such sources. In such a case, a spallation event may enable additional cooling in the main cooling circuit while limiting the reduction in BFM.

[0047] A variation of the independent cooling circuit 200 shown in Figures 11-14 that utilizes a combination of cooling fluid sources is shown in Figure 15. The independent cooling circuit 300 of Figure 15 operates similarly to the independent cooling circuit 200 described above. In particular, the circuit 202 of cooling channels 210 is fluidly coupled to a source of cooling fluid 220 via a supply tube 208 and operates as described above. However, unlike the independent cooling circuit 200, the circuit 204 of cooling channels 216 in the independent cooling circuit 300 is fluidly coupled to the impingement cavity 118 (and thus the supply of cooling fluid 108) via a plurality of openings 302 formed in the outer wall 106 of the component 102. When a wall break 96 in the outer wall 106 exposes at least a portion of one or more of the cooling channels 216, the cooling fluid 108 can flow from the impingement cavity 118 through the openings 302 into the circuit 204 of cooling channels 216 toward (and out of) the cooling channels 216 exposed by the wall break 96. In this manner, the cooling fluid 108 used for impingement cooling is reused by the independent cooling circuit 300 .

[0048] Various components and features of the independent cooling circuits 100, 200, 300 of the present disclosure can be formed using additive manufacturing processes. Advantageously, additive manufacturing allows for the design and manufacture of more customizable and complex features.

[0049] As used herein, additive manufacturing can include any process that produces an object by successive layers of material rather than by removal of material, as is the case in traditional processes. Additive manufacturing can produce complex geometric shapes without the use of any kind of tooling, molds, or fixtures, and with little or no waste material. Unlike machining components from solid billets of plastic or metal, much of which would be cut off and discarded, additive manufacturing uses only the material required to produce the part. Additive manufacturing processes may include, but are not limited to, three-dimensional printing, rapid prototyping (RP), direct digital manufacturing (DDM), binder jetting, selective laser melting (SLM), and direct metal laser melting (DMLM). In the current setup, DMLM or SLM have been found to be suitable.

[0050] To illustrate an example of an additive manufacturing process, FIG. 16 shows a schematic / block diagram of an exemplary computerized additive manufacturing system 400 for generating an object 402. In this example, the system 400 is configured for DMLM, but it should be understood that the general teachings of the present disclosure are equally applicable to other forms of additive manufacturing. The AM system 400 generally includes a computerized additive manufacturing (AM) control system 404 and an AM printer 406. The AM system 400 executes code 420 including a set of computer executable instructions that define the object 402 for physically generating the object 402 using the AM printer 406. Each AM process can use different feedstock materials in the form of, for example, fine powder, liquid (e.g., polymer), sheet, etc., the stock of which can be held in a chamber 410 of the AM printer 406. According to an embodiment, the object 402 can be made of a metal or metal compound capable of withstanding the environment of the gas turbine system 10 (FIG. 1). As shown, an applicator 412 can create a thin layer of feedstock material 414 that is spread as a blank canvas on a build plate 444 of the AM printer 406 from which each successive slice of the final object is created. In other cases, the applicator 412 can apply or print the next layer directly onto the previous layer, as defined by code 420. In the illustrated example, a laser or electron beam fuses the grains of each slice, as defined by code 420. Various parts of the AM printer 406 can move to accommodate the addition of each new layer, for example, the build platform 418 can be lowered and / or the chamber 410 and / or the applicator 412 can be raised after each layer.

[0051] The AM control system 404 is shown implemented as computer program code on a computer 430. In this regard, the computer 430 is shown to include a memory 432, a processor 434, an input / output (I / O) interface 436, and a bus 438. Additionally, the computer 430 is shown to be in communication with external I / O devices / resources 440 and a storage system 442. In general, the processor 434 executes computer program code, such as the AM control system 404, stored in the memory 432 and / or the storage system 442 under instructions from the code 420 representing the object 402.

[0052] The additive manufacturing process begins with a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium (e.g., memory 432, storage system 442, etc.) storing code 420 that represents an object 402. For example, the code 420 may include a precisely defined 3D model of the object 402 and may be generated from any of a wide variety of well-known computer-aided design (CAD) software systems. The AM control system 404 executes the code 420 to divide the object 402 into a series of thin slices, which are then assembled with successive layers of liquid, powder, sheets, or other materials using an AM printer 406.

[0053] Various components of the gas turbine system 10 ( FIG. 1 ), or portions of such components, may be manufactured using additive manufacturing (AM) processes (e.g., with the AM system 400 of FIG. 16 ). For example, at least a portion of the exterior walls of the components, including the interconnected circuitry of cooling channels, may be manufactured by an AM process.

[0054] In FIG. 17, for example, a wall coupon 500 for the component 102 shown in FIGS. 5-10 is manufactured (e.g., printed) by an AM process. The wall coupon 500 includes a section 502 of the outer wall 106 of the component 102. At least a portion of the interconnection circuits 124 of the cooling channels 126 are embedded within the wall section 502. The wall coupon 500 further includes a plurality of supply tubes 122 fluidly coupled to the cooling channels 126. In this regard, the wall coupon 500 forms part of the independent cooling circuit 100 described above. According to other embodiments, the wall coupon 500 may be formed with at least a portion of the interconnection circuits 202, 204 of the cooling channels 210, 216 embedded therein.

[0055] According to an embodiment, the wall coupon 500 can be manufactured to any size via an AM process and attached to another section 504 of the component 102 to form at least a portion of the independent cooling circuit 100 (see, for example, FIG. 18). The section 504 of the component 102 can be formed in a conventional manner (e.g., machining, casting, etc.) or can be formed using an AM process. It is noted that the wall coupon 500 can be configured for use with any of the independent cooling circuits 100, 200, 300 described herein. The attachment can be achieved using, for example, brazing, welding, or other suitable metal joining processes. FIG. 18 illustrates the wall coupon 500 attached (e.g., via brazing / welding) to the impingement plate 114 of the component 102 to form at least a portion of the independent cooling circuit 100. In other embodiments, the entire cooling structure illustrated in FIG. 18 can be formed using an AM process and attached to a portion of the component 102 of the gas turbine system 10.

[0056] The independent cooling circuits 100 formed using the AM printed wall coupons 500 may be strategically provided in areas of the component 102 of the gas turbine system 10 that are susceptible to spallation. This can be done, for example, without having to manufacture the entire component 102 using an AM process. Additionally, the independent cooling circuits 100 formed using the AM printed wall coupons 500 can be retrofitted to existing components 102 of the gas turbine system 10 to repair areas previously damaged by spallation and / or selectively provide enhanced cooling to areas of the component 102 that are susceptible to spallation as described above.

[0057] When using an AM process to manufacture the independent cooling circuit 100, 200, 300 (or a portion thereof), excess powder removal may be a concern. Because the independent cooling circuit 100, 200, 300 does not have an outlet for the cooling fluid 128 (e.g., the circuit is intentionally dead-ended), there is no easy way to use forced air to try to remove excess powder.

[0058] According to an embodiment, as shown in Figures 19 and 20 and described with reference to a wall coupon 500 produced using an AM process (Figures 17 and 18), a plurality of small openings 600 for powder removal can be provided in the outer wall section 502 of the wall coupon 500 (e.g., formed during the AM process). For example, in Figures 19 and 20, the openings 600 are shown extending from the interconnecting circuits 124 of the cooling channels 126 of the independent cooling circuits 100 through the outer wall section 502 to the outer surface 132 of the wall coupon 500.

[0059] The openings 600 provide an outlet that can be used to remove excess powder. The powder can be removed, for example, using vibration or by forcing air into the interconnecting circuits 124 of the cooling channels 126 and out through the openings 600. After powder removal, the openings 600 can be filled / sealed in any suitable manner (e.g., filled with metal, sealant, etc.) to close the independent cooling circuit 100. The openings 600 can be filled / sealed prior to later application of a TBC coating to the exterior surface 132 of the wall coupon 500, or simply sealed by the TBC coating itself. In some cases, a spallation event can unblock some of the sealed openings 600 before any of the interconnecting circuits 124 of the cooling channels 126 are exposed due to the formation of a fracture. The cooling fluid 128 can then flow through the independent cooling circuit 100 towards and out of the unblocked openings 600, providing an immediate cooling effect.

[0060] The terminology used herein is merely for the purpose of describing certain embodiments and is not intended to limit the disclosure. As used herein, the singular forms "a", "an" and "the" are intended to include the plural forms unless otherwise indicated. It will be further understood that the terms "comprise" and / or "comprising" as used herein specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements and / or components, but do not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components and / or sets thereof.

[0061] This specification uses examples to disclose the invention, including the best mode, and to enable any person skilled in the art to practice the invention, including making and using any device or system, and performing any incorporated methods. The patentable scope of the invention is defined by the claims, and may include other examples that occur to those skilled in the art. Such other examples are intended to be within the scope of the claims if they have structural elements that do not differ from the literal language of the claims, or if they include equivalent structural elements that do not differ substantially from the literal language of the claims. [Explanation of symbols]

[0062] 10 Gas Turbine System 12 Compressor Section 14. Air 16 Compressed Air 18 Combustor Section 20 fuel 22 Combustion gas 24 Turbine Section 26 Shaft, rotor 28 External Load 30 steps 32 Turbine Blade 34 steps 36 Nozzles 38 Casing 40 Airfoil 42 Outer Platform 44 Inner Platform 46 Airfoil 48 Tip part 50 Platform 52 steps 54 Shroud 56 Extension 58 Opening 60 Shank 62 Compression Side 64 Suction side 68 Leading Edge 70 Trailing edge 80 Components 82 Cooling fluid 84 Inner surface 86 Exterior Wall 88 Opening 90 Impingement Plate 92 Outer surface 94 Hot Gas Flow 96 Damaged wall 100 Independent cooling circuit, independent cooling circuit system 102 Components 104 Impingement cooling device, impingement cooling system 106 Exterior Wall 108 Cooling fluid 110 Internal Cavity 112 Impingement hole 114 Impingement Plate 116 Inner surface 118 Impingement Cavity 120 Coolant Supply Channel 121 Opening 122 Supply pipe 124 Interconnecting Circuits 126 Cooling Channel 128 Cooling fluid 130 Intersection 132 External surface 200 independent cooling circuits 202 Circuit 204 Circuit 206 Header 208 Supply pipe 210 Cooling Channel 212 Header 214 Supply pipe 216 Cooling Channel 218 Fabric 220 222 Cooling fluid 224 Coolant supply channel 226 Coolant Supply Channel 300 independent cooling circuit 302 Opening 400 Additive Manufacturing (AM) System 402 Object 404 Additive Manufacturing (AM) System 406 AM Printer 410 Chamber 412 Applicator 414 Raw materials 418 Building Platform 420 Code 430 Computer 432 Memory 434 processor 436 Input / Output (I / O) Interface 438 Bus 440 External I / O Devices / Resources 442 Memory Systems 444 Build Plate 500 Wall Coupon 502 Exterior Wall Section Section 504 600 opening

Claims

1. 1. A coolant delivery system for selectively delivering a cooling fluid to a component of a gas turbine system, comprising: a plurality of independent cooling channel circuits (202, 204) of cooling channels (210, 216) embedded within an outer wall (106) of the component (102), each independent cooling channel circuit (202, 204) including a plurality of headers (206, 212) and a plurality of supply tubes (208, 214) fluidly coupling the plurality of headers (206, 212) to a supply of cooling fluid (220, 222); an impingement plate (114) connected to the outer wall (106) of the component (102) by the plurality of supply tubes (208, 214) of the plurality of independent cooling channel circuits (202, 204); an impingement cavity (118) separating the outer wall (106) of the component (102) from the impingement plate (114), the plurality of supply tubes (208, 214) of each independent cooling channel circuit (202, 204) extending through the impingement cavity (118); Equipped with a plurality of supply pipes (208, 214) and a plurality of headers (206, 212) for supplying cooling fluid to the cooling channel circuit (202, 204) only in response to the formation of a break in the outer wall (106) of the component (102) that exposes at least one of the cooling channels (210, 216) of the cooling channel circuit (202, 204).

2. The coolant delivery system of claim 1 , wherein each independent cooling channel circuit (202, 204) is fluidly coupled to an independent supply of cooling fluid (220, 222).

3. The coolant delivery system of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the independent cooling channel circuits (202, 204) is fluidly coupled to a supply of recycled cooling fluid.

4. The coolant delivery system of claim 3 , wherein the recycled cooling fluid comprises post-impingement cooling fluid.

5. 2. The coolant delivery system of claim 1, wherein in each independent cooling channel circuit, the cooling channels extend between and are fluidly coupled to the headers of the independent cooling channel circuits.

6. The coolant delivery system of claim 5 , wherein the cooling channels (210, 216) of the plurality of cooling channel circuits (202, 204) are interwoven and extend unidirectionally within the outer wall (106) of the component (102).

7. 6. The coolant delivery system of claim 5, wherein in each independent cooling channel circuit (202, 204), the cooling channel (210, 216) extends non-linearly between the plurality of headers (206, 212) such that a distance between the cooling channel (210, 216) and an outer surface (132) of the outer wall (106) of the component (102) varies.

8. The coolant delivery system of claim 5 , wherein in each independent cooling channel circuit (202, 204), the cooling channel (210, 216) extends around the plurality of headers (206, 212) of other independent cooling channel circuits (202, 204).

9. 2. The coolant delivery system of claim 1, further comprising a wall coupon (500) formed using an additive manufacturing process, the wall coupon (500) including a section (502) of the outer wall (106) of the component (102), and the multiple independent cooling channel circuits (202, 204) embedded within the section (502) of the outer wall (106).

10. 10. The coolant delivery system of claim 9, wherein the wall coupon (500) includes a plurality of powder removal openings (600) extending from at least one of the plurality of cooling channel circuits (202, 204) to an outer surface (132) of the section (502) of the outer wall (106).

11. A component (102) of a gas turbine system (10); A cooling system for said component (102); A gas turbine system (10) comprising: a plurality of independent cooling channel circuits (202, 204) of cooling channels (210, 216) embedded within an outer wall (106) of the component (102), each independent cooling channel circuit (202, 204) including a plurality of headers (206, 212) and a plurality of supply tubes (208, 214) fluidly coupling the plurality of headers (206, 212) to a supply of cooling fluid (220, 222); an impingement plate (114) connected to the outer wall (106) of the component (102) by the plurality of supply tubes (208, 214) of the plurality of independent cooling channel circuits (202, 204); Including, Each independent cooling channel circuit (202, 204) is fluidly coupled to an independent supply of cooling fluid (220, 222); 1. A gas turbine system comprising: a cooling channel circuit configured to receive cooling fluid from a cooling channel circuit; a cooling channel circuit configured to receive cooling fluid from a cooling channel circuit;

12. The gas turbine system of claim 11 , wherein at least one of the independent cooling channel circuits (202, 204) is fluidly coupled to a supply of recycled cooling fluid.

13. The gas turbine system of claim 12 , wherein the recycled cooling fluid comprises post-impingement cooling fluid.

14. 12. The gas turbine system of claim 11, wherein in each independent cooling channel circuit (202, 204), the cooling channels (210, 216) extend between and are fluidly coupled to the headers (206, 212) of the independent cooling channel circuits (202, 204), and the cooling channels (210, 216) are interwoven and extend unidirectionally within the outer wall (106) of the component (102).

15. 15. The gas turbine system of claim 14, wherein in each independent cooling channel circuit (202, 204), the cooling channel (210, 216) extends non-linearly between the plurality of headers (206, 212) such that a distance between the cooling channel (210, 216) and an outer surface (132) of the outer wall (106) of the component (102) varies.

16. The gas turbine system of claim 14, wherein in each independent cooling channel circuit (202, 204), the cooling channel (210, 216) extends around the plurality of headers (206, 212) of other independent cooling channel circuits (202, 204).

17. 12. The gas turbine system of claim 11, further comprising a wall coupon (500) formed using an additive manufacturing process, the wall coupon (500) including a section (502) of the exterior wall (106) of the component (102), and the multiple independent cooling channel circuits (202, 204) embedded within the section (502) of the exterior wall (106).

18. 18. The gas turbine system of claim 17, wherein the wall coupon (500) includes a plurality of powder removal openings (600) extending from at least one of the plurality of cooling channel circuits (202, 204) to an outer surface (132) of the section (502) of the outer wall (106).

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