Gas Turbine Airfoil Metallic Insert Ribs
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Solution Overview
Problem
Gas turbine engine airfoil components face challenges in cooling efficiency due to insufficient cooling flow characteristics, particularly in high-temperature applications where traditional cooling methods are inadequate for materials like ceramic matrix composites (CMCs) and refractory metal alloys, which limit durability and thermal performance.
Innovation Solution
The integration of radially extending ribs and heat transfer augmentation features on a metallic insert member within the airfoil body, allowing for improved turbulence and convective heat transfer, along with optimized cooling passage design to enhance cooling efficiency without the need for purging cooling holes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Temperature
If traditional cooling methods are used in high-temperature airfoil components, then the structure remains simple, but cooling effectiveness is insufficient and thermal performance deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The cooling structure is segmented into multiple functional components: a metallic insert member with radially extending ribs creating passageways, heat transfer augmentation features on the insert member surface, and feed slots for cooling air introduction. This segmentation allows each component to perform its specific function optimally while achieving overall enhanced cooling effectiveness
Solution Approach 2:
Heat transfer augmentation features are strategically placed at specific locations on the metallic insert member where thermal gradients are highest. The radially extending ribs are positioned to create turbulence in critical cooling passages, providing localized enhancement of heat transfer where most needed rather than uniformly throughout the entire structure
2Temperature
If cooling passages are extended to improve cooling coverage, then cooling effectiveness increases, but cooling air flow requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The design utilizes pneumatic principles by introducing cooling air through feed slots into radially extending passages formed by the metallic insert member. The radially extending ribs create turbulence and enhance convective heat transfer, allowing more effective use of the cooling air flow and reducing the total quantity of cooling air required to achieve adequate cooling coverage
3Temperature
If purging cooling holes are used to manage heat flux, then thermal performance improves, but device complexity and manufacturing difficulty increase
Solution Approach 1:
The design extracts and eliminates the need for purging cooling holes by using an alternative approach: a metallic insert member with radially extending ribs that creates natural turbulence and enhances heat transfer in the cooling passages. This removes the complex manufacturing requirement of drilling and purging cooling holes while maintaining effective thermal management through convective heat transfer enhancement
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 increases cooling effectiveness, reduces cooling air flow requirements, and extends the durability and thermal performance of high-temperature-material airfoils by optimizing internal convective heat transfer and managing heat flux and temperature gradients.
Implementation Method 1
improved turbulence and convective heat transfer
Implementation Method 2
improved turbulence and convective heat transfer
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3A
AI summary
Airfoil assemblies (400; 500) for gas turbine engines (20) are described. The airfoil assemblies include an airfoil body (401; 501; 654) having a leading edge (662), a trailing edge (664), a pressure side (666), and a suction side (668), the airfoil body extending in a radial direction between a first end (782) and a second end (784), wherein the airfoil defines an internal cavity bounded by interior surfaces of the airfoil body (401; 501; 654), the airfoil body (401; 501; 654) formed from a high-temperature-material material and a metallic insert member (402; 502; 652; 780; 896) installed within the internal cavity. One or more radially extending ribs (406; 506; 676; 786a, 788a, 790a; 892, 894) are arranged on an exterior surface of the metallic insert member (402; 502; 652; 780; 896) and defining one or more radially extending passages (408; 508; 674; 786b, 788b, 790b) between the exterior surface of the metallic insert member (402; 502; 652; 780; 896) and the interior surface of the airfoil body (401; 501; 654).