Bleed Valve Aperture Alignment for Uniform Gas Turbine Flow
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Solution Overview
Problem
The existing bleed valve arrangements in gas turbine engines, which often utilize hinged doors or butterfly valves actuated by synchronous rings and linkages, face defects and deflection issues that compromise the uniformity of fluid flow, leading to inefficiencies in diverting pressurized fluid from the core to the bypass flow path.
Innovation Solution
A bleed valve system incorporating a retaining ring and a rotatable metering ring with apertures, actuated by a drive shaft and lever arm, which aligns or misaligns apertures to control fluid flow through the bleed air duct, ensuring uniform flow by rotating the metering ring relative to the retaining ring, and utilizing a biasing member to maintain the valve's position.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If hinged doors or butterfly valves actuated by synchronous rings and linkages are used, then the bleed valve arrangement can divert pressurized fluid from the core to bypass flow path, but defects or deflection of components such as linkages compromise the ability to provide uniform flow
Solution Approach 1:
The valve mechanism is segmented into multiple independent hinged doors (first plurality and second plurality) that can be individually actuated. Each door is connected to the synchronous ring via separate linkages, allowing independent control and compensation for deflection in any single component. This segmentation ensures that defects in one linkage do not compromise the uniform flow capability of the entire system.
Solution Approach 2:
The synchronous ring is designed to be flexible rather than rigid, allowing it to dynamically adjust to deflections in the linkage components. The ring can deform elastically to maintain proper timing and synchronization of the hinged doors even when individual linkages experience deflection, thereby preserving uniform flow capability while accommodating component imperfections.
2Productivity
If multiple linkages and synchronous rings are used to actuate butterfly valves, then the system can control fluid flow, but defects in components compromise flow uniformity
Solution Approach 1:
The system divides the fluid diversion function into multiple independent hinged doors that can be individually controlled. Each door handles a specific portion of the flow, and the segmented design allows for more precise control of fluid diversion while reducing the impact of defects in any single linkage on overall flow uniformity.
Solution Approach 2:
The valve design incorporates adjustable parameters including the angle of hinge rotation, the positioning of stop members, and the flexibility characteristics of the synchronous ring. These parameters can be optimized to ensure uniform flow distribution across all hinged doors, compensating for potential defects in the linkage components and maintaining high flow uniformity.
Data Source
AI summary
A bleed valve system for a gas turbine engine that includes a retaining ring and a metering ring. The retaining ring abuts an end of a bleed air duct and defines a plurality of retaining ring apertures. The metering ring that is at least partially disposed within the bleed air duct and abuts the retaining ring, the metering ring defining a plurality of metering ring apertures, the metering ring being rotatable relative to the retaining ring to selectively facilitate a fluid flow through the bleed air duct.