Airfoil Cooling Structure With 3D Intersecting Columns
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional casting methods for turbine blade and vane cooling structures limit shape and arrangement, thereby restricting cooling performance and production efficiency.
Innovation Solution
An airfoil cooling structure featuring an additive manufactured (AM) feature with intersecting column parts, integrated into the cooling path of turbine blades and vanes, enhancing contact with both surfaces and allowing for complex shapes that improve cooling efficiency and production processes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If conventional casting methods are used to produce cooling structures, then manufacturing simplicity is maintained, but the shape and arrangement of cooling structures are limited, reducing cooling performance
Solution Approach 1:
The invention transitions from conventional 2D cooling channels to 3D intersecting column structures within the airfoil. The multiple column parts (first, second, third columns) intersect to form a three-dimensional cooling network, enabling heat transfer in multiple directions and significantly improving cooling performance compared to traditional planar cooling arrangements.
Solution Approach 2:
The cooling structure is divided into multiple independent column parts (first column part, second column part, third column part) that intersect with each other. Each column can be independently designed and positioned, allowing flexible arrangement to optimize cooling paths and heat dissipation efficiency while maintaining manufacturing feasibility.
2Productivity
If conventional casting methods are used, then production processes remain simple, but cooling efficiency is limited due to restricted shape arrangements
Solution Approach 1:
The invention integrates multiple cooling columns and support structures into a single monolithic airfoil component using additive manufacturing. The first, second, and third column parts are merged with support column parts and the airfoil body in one integrated structure, eliminating the need for separate assembly operations while achieving complex cooling geometries that improve cooling efficiency.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention utilizes additive manufacturing technology to change the manufacturing parameters and capabilities, enabling the production of complex three-dimensional intersecting column structures that cannot be achieved with conventional casting methods. This parameter change in manufacturing approach allows for optimized cooling paths and improved cooling efficiency.
3Reliability
If intersecting column structures are added to improve cooling, then cooling performance increases, but structural complexity and manufacturing difficulty increase
Solution Approach 1:
The support column parts are nested within the intersecting column structure, with first support column parts positioned within the first column part and second support column parts within the second column part. This nesting arrangement provides structural support while maintaining the cooling functionality of the intersecting columns, managing complexity through hierarchical organization.
Solution Approach 2:
The support column parts act as intermediaries between the intersecting cooling columns and the airfoil walls. These support structures mediate the mechanical loads while allowing the cooling columns to maintain their geometric complexity for optimal heat transfer, separating the structural support function from the cooling function.
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
The AM feature enhances both cooling efficiency and production efficiency by providing improved heat transfer rates and structural rigidity, surpassing conventional cooling structures by 11.4% to 31.3% in Nusselt number distribution.
Implementation Method 1
an additive manufactured (AM) feature disposed in the cooling path... comprising a plurality of column parts intersecting with each other and configured to contact the first surface and the second surface
Implementation Method 2
cooling path for flow of a cooling fluid (for example cooling air or compressed cooling air) therethrough
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3
Figure 4~5
AI summary
An airfoil cooling structure comprises a cooling path (CP) for flow of a cooling fluid therethrough. The cooling path (CP) is defined by a first surface (S1) and a second surface (S2) facing the first surface (S1). At least one feature (1600) is disposed in the cooling path (CP). Each of the at least one feature (1600) comprises a plurality of column parts (1610). The column parts (1610) are integrally formed with each other and intersect each other. At least one column part (1610) of the plurality of column parts (1610) of each of the at least one feature (1600) is in contact with the first surface (S1) and/or with the second surface (S2). A turbomachine component is also disclosed.