Turbine Rotor Blade Platform Cooling via Segmented Pressure Zones
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional platform cooling designs for turbine rotor blades face challenges such as inadequate sealing, limited coolant control, inefficient coolant usage, high manufacturing costs, and lack of flexibility, leading to ineffective and costly cooling solutions that are difficult to repair or refurbish.
Innovation Solution
A platform cooling arrangement that includes a detachable plate with a serpentine channel connecting high-pressure and low-pressure coolant regions within the rotor blade, allowing for efficient coolant circulation and flexible configuration to enhance cooling efficiency and durability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional platform cooling designs are used, then cooling is provided to the platform region, but inadequate sealing and limited coolant control result in inefficient cooling and wasted coolant
Solution Approach 1:
The cooling system is segmented into distinct high-pressure and low-pressure regions separated by a seal at the platform interface. This segmentation allows independent control of coolant flow in each region, preventing coolant waste while maintaining effective cooling across the platform area.
Solution Approach 2:
A seal acts as an intermediary element at the platform interface between high-pressure and low-pressure coolant regions. This seal prevents mixing of the two pressure zones, enabling precise coolant control and eliminating waste while maintaining cooling effectiveness.
2Temperature
If interior cooling passages extend through the root and airfoil, then coolant can reach the platform region, but the thin radial profile of the platform makes it difficult to circulate coolant effectively
Solution Approach 1:
The cooling system uses dynamic pressure differentiation between high-pressure and low-pressure regions to drive coolant circulation through the thin platform. This dynamic approach allows effective coolant flow despite the limited radial space, avoiding complex passive cooling structures.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention transitions from relying solely on radial thickness for coolant circulation to utilizing axial and circumferential flow paths within the platform. This dimensional shift allows effective cooling of the thin platform region without requiring increased radial profile or complex three-dimensional passages.
3Weight of moving object
If the platform is designed with thin radial profile for structural reasons, then weight is reduced, but coolant circulation becomes difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses pneumatic pressure differentials between high-pressure and low-pressure coolant regions to drive fluid circulation through the thin platform. This hydraulic approach enables effective coolant flow in the constrained thin radial profile without requiring additional mechanical complexity or increased weight.
4Reliability
If conventional cooling designs are used, then platform cooling is provided, but high manufacturing costs and lack of flexibility make repair and refurbishment difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The cooling system is divided into separable high-pressure and low-pressure components that can be manufactured independently and assembled. This segmentation reduces manufacturing complexity and cost while maintaining platform durability, and enables modular replacement during refurbishment.
Solution Approach 2:
The system allows adjustment of coolant pressure parameters and flow distribution between high-pressure and low-pressure regions to optimize cooling performance. This parameter flexibility enables adaptation to different operating conditions and simplifies repair procedures without requiring complete system replacement.
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 provides improved cooling efficiency, cost-effectiveness, and flexibility, enabling better heat exchange and extended blade life while being adaptable to various turbine rotor blade configurations.
Implementation Method 1
A platform cooling arrangement may include a serpentine channel that promotes exchange of heat between a coolant flowing through the serpentine channel and a region of the platform
Data Source
AI summary
A platform cooling arrangement in a turbine rotor blade having a platform at an interface between an airfoil and a root, wherein the rotor blade includes an interior cooling passage that in operation, includes at least a high-pressure coolant region and a low-pressure coolant region, and wherein the platform includes a platform underside. The platform cooling arrangement may include: a plate that comprises a plate topside; a channel formed on the plate topside, the channel comprising an upstream end and a downstream end, and being open through the plate topside such that, upon attaching the plate to the platform, the platform underside comprises a channel ceiling; a high-pressure connector that connects the upstream end of the channel to the high-pressure coolant region of the interior cooling passage; and a low-pressure connector that connects the downstream end of the channel to the low-pressure coolant region of the interior cooling passage.