Airfoil Baffle Insert for Uniform Cooling
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional gas turbine engine vanes face challenges in achieving uniform Mach numbers and heat transfer coefficients across different regions, leading to inefficiencies in cooling and potential high metal temperatures.
Innovation Solution
The design incorporates airfoil and baffle bodies with protrusions that extend inward from the vane surface and outward from the baffle surface, respectively, creating a tailored flow path with varying cross-sectional areas to control Mach numbers and heat transfer.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If space filling baffles are provided in the vane cavity to reduce cavity volume, then cooling air requirement is reduced, but Mach numbers and heat transfer coefficients are not uniform across various regions of the vane
Solution Approach 1:
The baffle is designed with variable cross-sectional area along its length, creating different flow characteristics in different regions of the vane cavity. This local variation in baffle geometry allows optimization of heat transfer coefficients and Mach numbers in specific regions, achieving uniformity across the entire vane surface while maintaining reduced cooling air requirements.
Solution Approach 2:
The baffle is divided into multiple sections along its length, each with different cross-sectional areas. This segmentation allows independent optimization of flow characteristics in different regions, enabling uniform distribution of Mach numbers and heat transfer coefficients across various regions of the vane while maintaining overall cavity volume reduction.
2Productivity
If conventional baffles are used to reduce cavity volume, then cooling efficiency improves, but non-uniform cooling performance occurs across different regions
Solution Approach 1:
The baffle cross-sectional area varies along its length to provide localized flow control. Regions with higher heat transfer requirements have baffle sections configured to increase heat transfer coefficients, while other regions are optimized for different flow characteristics, achieving uniform cooling performance across the entire vane surface.
Solution Approach 2:
The geometric parameters of the baffle, specifically the cross-sectional area, are changed along its length to optimize flow characteristics. This parameter variation allows the baffle to maintain high cooling efficiency while achieving uniform cooling performance across different regions of the vane by adjusting local flow velocity and heat transfer coefficients.
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 configuration enhances heat transfer coefficients and maintains consistent Mach numbers throughout the flow path, resulting in more efficient cooling and reduced metal temperatures.
Implementation Method 1
maintains consistent Mach numbers throughout the flow path
Implementation Method 2
enhances heat transfer coefficients
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2~3A
Figure 4~6
AI summary
An airfoil (100; 200) includes an airfoil body (102; 202) extending from an inner diameter platform (104; 204) to an opposed outer diameter platform (106; 206) along a longitudinal axis (A). The airfoil body (102; 202) defines a leading edge (105; 205) and a trailing edge (107; 207) and has a cavity (112; 212) defined between the leading edge (105; 205), the trailing edge (107; 207), the inner diameter platform (104; 204) and the outer diameter platform (106; 206). The cavity (112; 212) includes an airfoil (100; 200) protrusion (108) extending inward from an inner surface (110; 210) of the airfoil body (102; 202). The airfoil (100; 200) includes a baffle body (114; 214) within the cavity (112; 212) extending along a baffle body axis (Z). The baffle body (114; 214) has a baffle protrusion (120) extending along a central protrusion axis (Q) at an angle with respect to the baffle body axis (Z). The end (121) of the baffle protrusion (120) abuts an end (123) of the airfoil protrusion (108). A flow path (124; 224) is defined between the inner surface (110) of the airfoil body (102; 202) and the outer surface (122) of the baffle body (114; 214).