Adjustable Outer Cowl Shims for Gas Turbine Thermal Management
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Thermal management systems for gas turbine engines face challenges due to uncertainties in operational conditions and design assumptions, leading to over-sizing and increased weight, which results in performance penalties and inefficiencies, and may not adequately adapt to changing operational requirements.
Innovation Solution
A thermal management system with a bypass inner wall and outer cowl, featuring removable shims that allow for adjustable geometric areas and airflow through a heat exchanger, enabling performance adjustments based on updated operational requirements without significant modifications to the existing engine design.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If safety margins are introduced through design factors to account for uncertainties, then reliability is improved, but system weight and size increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies dynamics by making the thermal management system adjustable through removable shims. The outer cowl can be repositioned relative to the bypass inner wall to change the geometric area and airflow through the heat exchanger. This dynamic adaptability allows the system to be optimized for actual operational conditions rather than being statically oversized for all possible uncertainties, thereby reducing weight while maintaining reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes physical parameters by allowing adjustment of the heat exchanger's geometric area and airflow rate through shim removal. This enables the system to adapt its thermal management capacity to match actual operational heat rejection demands, avoiding the need for a permanently oversized system and reducing associated weight penalties.
2Reliability
If the thermal management system is oversized to account for uncertainties, then reliability is improved, but system efficiency deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The removable shims enable the system to dynamically adjust its operational parameters. By removing shims, the outer cowl repositions to optimize airflow through the heat exchanger, allowing the system to operate at peak efficiency for actual conditions rather than being constrained by an oversized design, thus improving productivity without sacrificing reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes operational parameters by adjusting geometric area and airflow rate through shim removal. This optimization allows the thermal management system to operate efficiently at part-load conditions and adapt to varying operational requirements, improving overall system efficiency while maintaining the reliability needed to handle uncertainty.
3Adaptability or versatility
If alternative means such as coolant-flow restrictors are used to adjust system performance, then adaptability is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the thermal management system into modular components: the outer cowl, bypass inner wall, heat exchanger, and removable shims. This segmentation allows simple shim removal to achieve performance adjustment without complex control systems. The modular design improves adaptability while keeping device complexity low compared to alternative means like coolant-flow restrictors.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts the adjustment mechanism from complex active control systems and simplifies it to removable shims. By taking out the complexity of active control and redundancy, the system achieves adaptability through simple physical modification - removing shims to reposition the outer cowl - rather than using complex restrictors or control systems.
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 solution allows for efficient thermal management by reducing the need for oversized systems, minimizing weight and complexity, improving engine efficiency, and simplifying maintenance, while enabling the system to adapt to changing operational conditions.
Implementation Method 1
a heat exchanger extending from the bypass inner wall towards the outer cowl and axially disposed between the inlet end and the outlet end
Data Source
AI summary
A thermal management system for a gas turbine engine includes a plurality of inlet and outlet vanes extending from a bypass inner wall towards an outer cowl, a plurality of first removable shims, a plurality of second removable shims, and a third removable shim. Each first removable shim extends between and engages the outer cowl and a corresponding inlet vane. Each second removable shim extends between and engages the outer cowl and a corresponding outlet vane. The third removable shim extends between and engages a heat exchanger and the outer cowl. Each of the plurality of first removable shims, each of the plurality of second removable shims, and the third removable shim is removable for positionally adjusting the outer cowl relative to the bypass inner wall.