Gas Turbine Blade Cooling via Undulation-Induced Vortex Flow
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Solution Overview
Problem
High-pressure turbine blades in gas turbine engines face challenges in achieving effective cooling while balancing heat transfer, manufacturing complexity, and operational life, particularly at the leading edge where high external heat flux and thermal barrier coatings are vulnerable to damage.
Innovation Solution
A cooling arrangement featuring a passage with opposed undulations that generate a rotating vortex flow, shaped to divide the flow into vortices, and optionally including impingement orifices to enhance turbulence and heat transfer, reducing metal temperature and increasing coolant efficiency.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Temperature
If impingement orifices are provided to achieve impingement cooling, then heat transfer is significantly increased, but manufacturing complexity and cost increase greatly
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts the vortex-generating function from complex impingement orifice structures and implements it through simpler undulation features on passage walls. The undulations create the necessary rotational flow and vortex patterns without requiring precisely machined orifices, thereby reducing manufacturing complexity while maintaining effective heat transfer.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of using orifices to directly project coolant, the invention inverts the approach by using undulations to pre-condition the flow and generate vortices within the passage itself. This inverted methodology achieves enhanced heat transfer through distributed vortex formation rather than concentrated jet impingement, simplifying the overall structure.
2Temperature
If impingement orifices are provided to achieve impingement cooling, then heat transfer is significantly increased, but fatigue life may be reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The invention removes the fatigue-critical impingement orifices from the design and extracts their cooling function through undulation-based vortex generation. This eliminates stress concentration points and potential failure initiation sites while preserving the essential heat transfer capability through distributed vortex-induced convection.
3Loss of energy
If coolant consumption is reduced to improve engine efficiency, then fuel burn is reduced, but the ability to protect the leading edge from high temperatures and oxidation is compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The invention changes the flow parameters within the passage by introducing undulations that generate vortices. This transforms the coolant flow from simple axial movement to rotational patterns with enhanced mixing and heat transfer coefficients. The result is more effective cooling per unit of coolant consumed, allowing reduced coolant flow rates while maintaining adequate protection of the leading edge.
Solution Approach 2:
The undulations create localized vortex regions with enhanced cooling effectiveness at critical areas. By concentrating vortex-induced heat transfer where most needed, the system achieves superior cooling efficiency with reduced overall coolant consumption, thereby protecting the leading edge while improving engine thermal efficiency.
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 solution effectively increases heat transfer and reduces metal temperature at the leading edge, improving fatigue life and operational efficiency by creating stronger vortices that enhance impingement cooling with reduced coolant consumption.
Implementation Method 1
opposed undulations provided in the passage to engage the fluid flow in use to generate a lateral or rotating vortex flow aspect in the fluid flow
Implementation Method 2
generate a lateral or rotating vortex flow aspect in the fluid flow
Implementation Method 3
a shaped portion of the passage between the opposed undulations shaped to divide the vortex flow aspect into a number of vortices
Implementation Method 4
coolant fluid is projected towards that surface at high velocity, generating high heat transfer, thereby coking that part of the component
Data Source
AI summary
Providing cooling within hollow blades such as high pressure turbine blades in a gas turbine engine is important to maintain these components within operational margins for the materials from which they are formed. Traditionally, coolant flows in hollow passages have been used along with impingement apertures towards a leading passage for cooling effectiveness. It is known that opposed undulations or ribs can create rotational vortices within the passage. By shaping shaped portions between the opposed undulations and possibly providing undulations upon these shaped portions themselves it is possible to generate stronger more powerful vortices within the passage. These vortices are coupled with the impingement orifices to create proportionally greater impingement jet flow and pressure and therefore cooling effectiveness within the leading passage.