Annular Fuel Manifold Multi-Surface Channel Design
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing fuel manifolds for gas turbine engines require increased width or thickness to accommodate additional channels, leading to weight and design inefficiencies.
Innovation Solution
An annular fuel manifold with multiple peripheral surfaces featuring machined channels for fluid conduits, allowing for independent inlet and outlet communication, which minimizes thickness and weight while maintaining compactness and efficient fluid circulation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If multiple channels are added to the fuel manifold for cooling and staging, then the functional capability is improved, but the width or thickness of the manifold must be increased, thus increasing the weight
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transitions from machining all channels in a single peripheral surface to machining channels in multiple peripheral surfaces (opposite and adjacent surfaces) of the annular body. This dimensional change in channel arrangement allows multiple channels to be distributed across different surfaces, eliminating the need to increase manifold thickness or width while accommodating cooling and staging functions.
2Ease of manufacture
If channels are machined in a single peripheral surface in side-by-side or superposed configuration, then the manufacturing process is simplified, but additional channels require increased width or thickness
Solution Approach 1:
The invention distributes channels across multiple peripheral surfaces (first opposite peripheral surface and second adjacent peripheral surface) rather than concentrating them in a single surface. This spatial distribution across different dimensions allows multiple channels to coexist without increasing the overall width or thickness of the manifold, maintaining compact dimensions while enabling additional functional channels.
3Adaptability or versatility
If the manifold width or thickness is increased to accommodate additional channels, then more fluid conduits can be included, but the compactness of the design is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent utilizes multiple peripheral surfaces of the annular body to position channels in different spatial locations. By machining channels in opposite and adjacent surfaces rather than stacking them in a single surface, the design accommodates multiple fluid conduits (fuel and cooling channels) without increasing the manifold's overall volume or compromising its compactness.
Data Source
AI summary
A fuel manifold for a gas turbine engine having a first peripheral surface having a first channel defined therein and a second peripheral surface having a second channel defined therein, each of the first and second channels being sealingly enclosed to define a corresponding conduit.