Additive Combustor Dome Integrating Cooling Channels

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Solution Overview

Problem

The assembly of gas turbine engine combustor sections is complex and involves mechanical coupling of components, which can lead to thermal stress and requires separate heat shields and cooling features that are difficult to manufacture and integrate effectively.

Innovation Solution

The combustor dome is formed using Additive Layer Manufacture (ALM) techniques, integrating swirler retainers, heat shields, and cooling features into a single component, reducing assembly complexity and enabling complex cooling channels that improve thermal dissipation without the need for separate heat shields.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of manufacture

If traditional manufacturing techniques (drilling, punching, welding, brazing) are used to create cooling features and assemble combustor components, then manufacturing precision and component strength can be achieved, but device complexity and assembly difficulty increase significantly

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveease of manufactureVSAvoidassembly complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of manufactureVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent combines multiple separate combustor components (heat shield, swirler, cooling features, and dome structures) into a single integrated combustor assembly. The cooling channels are embedded within the monolithic structure during additive manufacturing, eliminating the need for separate cooling components and their associated drilling, punching, and assembly operations. This merging of functions into one component directly reduces assembly complexity while maintaining manufacturing capability.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Solution Approach 2:

The additive-manufactured combustor component serves multiple functions simultaneously: it acts as a structural dome, a heat shield, a swirler housing, and a cooling system. The single component performs thermal protection, fluid mixing, and thermal management functions that traditionally required separate parts, thereby simplifying the overall device while maintaining all necessary functionalities.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

2Reliability

If separate heat shields and cooling components are used to manage thermal stress, then thermal protection can be provided, but weight increases and assembly complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvethermal stress managementVSAvoidcombustor weight

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSWeight of moving object

Solution Approach 1:

The heat shield function is merged into the main combustor dome structure through additive manufacturing. The cooling channels are integrated within the dome itself rather than being separate components. This integration eliminates the weight of separate heat shield assemblies and cooling components while maintaining effective thermal stress management through the embedded cooling system.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #5Merging (Combining)

3Manufacturing precision

If complex cooling channels are manufactured using traditional drilling or punching techniques, then cooling features can be created, but manufacturing precision and ease of manufacture deteriorate

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecooling feature precisionVSAvoidease of manufacture

Core Design Contradiction:

Manufacturing precisionVSEase of manufacture

Solution Approach 1:

The patent replaces traditional mechanical manufacturing methods (drilling, punching, milling) with additive layer manufacturing to create complex cooling channels. The additive process builds three-dimensional cooling pathways layer by layer, enabling precise and complex geometries that are impossible to achieve with subtractive methods. This substitution dramatically improves both manufacturing precision for complex features and ease of manufacture by eliminating multiple machining steps.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

Applied Scientific Principles

This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.

Function Achieved in This Case

This approach simplifies assembly, reduces weight, and enhances the lifespan of combustor components by providing effective thermal dissipation through integrated cooling features that are difficult to manufacture with traditional methods.

Implementation Method 1

additive layer manufacturing, which forms a three-dimensional object by successively adding and melting new layers of material

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectMelting: Melting

Implementation Method 2

The cooling channels may include bends, curves, and/or intersections that improve thermal dissipation

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectConvection: Convection

Data Source

PatentUS11402096B2Combustor dome via additive layer manufacturing

Publication Date: 2022.08.02 ROLLS ROYCE CORP

AI summary

A combustor dome may be formed by way of additive layer manufacturing. The combustor dome may further include a raised outer surface and a recessed outer surface on a hot side of the combustor dome. The recessed outer surfaces may be closer to the cold side than the raised outer surfaces. The combustor dome may include a shadow surface defined between the raised outer surface and recessed outer surface. The shadow surface may define a corresponding cooling outlet in fluid communication with an internal cooling channel defined inside of the combustor dome. The cooling outlet may release air from the internal cooling channel to the hot axial side of the combustor dome.