Gas Turbine Airfoil Shielded Sidewall Cooling Cavity Design
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current gas turbine engine airfoil cooling designs face limitations in effectively managing heat transfer and maintaining cooling efficiency across the airfoil surface, particularly due to the orientation and positioning constraints of internal cooling features during manufacturing, which can lead to inadequate cooling of outer diameter portions and reduced part life.
Innovation Solution
The airfoil design incorporates a unique arrangement of shielding sidewall cavities and film holes that shield cooling air from direct thermal contact with exterior surfaces, allowing it to transition and provide efficient cooling to outer diameter portions, while the core assembly forms these cavities to ensure optimal cooling paths and heat transfer characteristics.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Temperature
If cooling cavities are positioned to cool inner diameter portions, then cooling efficiency for those portions is improved, but outer diameter portions remain inadequately cooled
Solution Approach 1:
The cooling system is divided into multiple independent cavities: inner diameter cooling cavities and outer diameter cooling cavities. Each cavity type serves specific regions, with the outer diameter cavities extending from the outer surface to the inner surface to provide targeted cooling where it was previously insufficient.
Solution Approach 2:
The cooling approach transitions from only radial cooling (inner diameter to outer surface) to three-dimensional cooling by adding axial extent to the outer diameter cavities. These cavities extend along the airfoil length from the outer surface inward, creating cooling pathways in multiple spatial dimensions simultaneously.
2Temperature
If cooling cavities are extended to cool outer diameter portions, then cooling coverage is improved, but manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The core assembly is designed with multi-functional capability to form both inner diameter cooling cavities and outer diameter cooling cavities through a single investment casting process. The core assembly includes inner diameter cavity forming features and outer diameter cavity forming features that work together to create the complete cooling system in one manufacturing step.
3Use of energy by moving object
If cooling air is exposed to hot exterior surfaces, then heat transfer is improved, but cooling air temperature increases reducing effectiveness
Solution Approach 1:
The outer diameter cooling cavities serve as intermediaries that protect the cooling air from direct exposure to hot exterior surfaces. By positioning these cavities to extend from the outer surface inward, they provide a thermal barrier that maintains cooling air temperature while still enabling effective heat transfer from the airfoil surfaces to the cooling air.
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 design enhances cooling efficiency by maintaining low-temperature cooling air for outer diameter portions, improving part life and thrust-specific fuel consumption by effectively managing heat transfer and reducing thermal stress on the airfoil.
Implementation Method 1
the shielded sidewall cavity is not adjacent either of the pressure side or the suction side proximate the root such that the shielded sidewall cavity has no direct thermal contact with exterior surfaces of the airfoil body
Implementation Method 2
effectively managing heat transfer and reducing thermal stress on the airfoil
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3A~3B
AI summary
Airfoils (400) for gas turbine engines (20) are provided. The airfoils include an airfoil body (402) extending between leading (412) and trailing (414) edges in an axial direction, between pressure (416) and suction (418) sides in a circumferential direction, and between a root (406) and tip (408) in a radial direction, a first shielding sidewall cavity (424) located adjacent one of the pressure and suction sides proximate the root of the airfoil body and extending radially toward the tip, a second shielding sidewall cavity (426) located adjacent the other of the pressure and suction sides proximate the root of the airfoil body and extending radially toward the tip, and a shielded sidewall cavity (428) located between the first shielding sidewall cavity and the second shielding sidewall cavity, wherein the shielded sidewall cavity is not adjacent either of the pressure or suction sides proximate the root and transitions to be proximate at least one of the pressure and suction sides proximate the tip.