Turbine Airfoil Cooling Circuit with Equalizing Cavities

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Solution Overview

Problem

Turbine engines face challenges in efficiently cooling components like the high pressure turbine, which operates at extremely high temperatures, with existing cooling methods not adequately addressing temperature differentials and thermal management.

Innovation Solution

The implementation of multiple cooling circuits within turbine blades, comprising wall sub-circuits and skin sub-circuits, with equalizing cavities to manage and distribute cooling air effectively, allowing for serial passage of cooling air between these circuits to enhance cooling efficiency.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Temperature

If multiple cooling circuits with equalizing cavities are implemented, then thermal uniformity is improved and cooling flow requirements are reduced, but device complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvethermal uniformityVSAvoidcooling circuit complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

TemperatureVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The cooling system is divided into multiple independent cooling circuits, each with its own wall sub-circuit and skin sub-circuit. These circuits are separated but connected through equalizing cavities, allowing independent optimization of each circuit while maintaining overall thermal balance. This segmentation enables better temperature distribution without requiring a single complex cooling system.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

Equalizing cavities serve as intermediary chambers that connect multiple cooling circuits. These cavities receive cooling air from one circuit and distribute it to other circuits, acting as mediators that balance the thermal load across different regions. The cavities enable thermal uniformity by equalizing pressure and flow distribution between circuits.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Temperature

If cooling air is ducted from compressors to turbine components, then cooling effectiveness is improved, but energy loss increases due to temperature differential

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecooling effectivenessVSAvoidenergy loss

Core Design Contradiction:

TemperatureVSLoss of energy

Solution Approach 1:

Different regions of the turbine component receive cooling air with different temperatures and flow rates optimized for their specific thermal requirements. The wall sub-circuits and skin sub-circuits are designed to deliver cooling air locally where needed, rather than using a uniform cooling approach. This local optimization improves cooling effectiveness while minimizing energy waste from excessive temperature differentials.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

Solution Approach 2:

The cooling system utilizes parameter changes in the cooling air as it passes through different sub-circuits. Cooling air temperature, pressure, and flow rate are modified as it moves through wall and skin sub-circuits and equalizing cavities, allowing the system to adapt to varying thermal conditions across different regions of the turbine component, thereby improving efficiency.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

3Manufacturing precision

If dedicated cooling circuits are provided for different blade portions, then cooling precision is improved, but device complexity and manufacturing difficulty increase

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecooling precisionVSAvoidmanufacturing difficulty

Core Design Contradiction:

Manufacturing precisionVSEase of manufacture

Solution Approach 1:

Multiple cooling functions for different blade portions (leading edge, trailing edge, tip) are merged into an integrated cooling system with wall and skin sub-circuits that share common equalizing cavities. This merging approach maintains the precision of dedicated cooling circuits while reducing manufacturing complexity by using a unified structure rather than completely separate circuits for each region.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #5Merging (Combining)

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 achieves improved thermal uniformity and reduced cooling air flow requirements, leading to increased efficiency and reduced specific fuel consumption while maintaining structural integrity, with potential for 30-50% less cooling flow compared to prior methods.

Implementation Method 1

multiple cooling circuits each comprising at least a wall sub-circuit and a skin sub-circuit, with the wall sub-circuit having a wall cooling passage provided within an interior of the outer wall, the skin sub-circuit having at least one channel formed in the outer surface

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectConvection: Convection

Implementation Method 2

cooling air from the high and/or low pressure compressors to the engine components that require cooling... can be used to cool the turbine

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectHeat transfer: Conduction (thermal)

Implementation Method 3

an air equalizing cavity fluidly coupled to at least one of the multiple cooling circuits from at least one of the root or tip, and at least one equalizing cavity located within the interior and fluidly coupling the multiple cooling circuits

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectFluid flow: Pressure Gradient

Data Source

PatentUS10731472B2Airfoil with cooling circuit

Publication Date: 2020.08.04 GE INFRASTRUCTURE TECH LLC

AI summary

An airfoil for a turbine engine having an engine component including an air supply circuit coupled to a plurality of passages within the outer wall of the engine component where cooling air moves from the air supply circuit to an outer surface of the engine component through the passages.