Borescope Port Engine Fluid Wash System
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional methods for cleaning gas turbine engines are time-consuming and difficult due to limited access to rotor blades and stator vanes, leading to inefficient cleaning processes.
Innovation Solution
A fluid wash system with a spray nozzle and attachment mechanism that allows for precise orientation and direction of pressurized wash liquid towards components, utilizing a base with an alignment key for secure attachment and fixed orientation, enabling effective cleaning through borescope ports.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If conventional washing methods are used to clean gas turbine engine components, then cleaning can be performed, but the process is time-consuming and difficult due to limited access to rotor blades and stator vanes
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces borescope ports as intermediary access points integrated into the engine structure. These ports provide direct pathways to interior components such as rotor blades and stator vanes, eliminating the need for complex disassembly procedures. The borescope ports serve as mediators that enable wash nozzles to reach difficult-to-access areas efficiently, thereby reducing cleaning time while improving accessibility.
Solution Approach 2:
The engine is segmented with multiple distributed borescope ports positioned at strategic locations throughout the engine structure. This segmentation allows wash nozzles to access different components (rotor blades, stator vanes, struts, flow path surfaces, combustor panels) through separate dedicated ports, enabling parallel cleaning operations and significantly reducing total cleaning time compared to conventional sequential methods.
2Ease of operation
If borescope ports are used to provide access to engine interior for cleaning, then accessibility is improved, but precise orientation and direction of wash liquid may be difficult to achieve
Solution Approach 1:
The wash nozzles are pre-configured with predetermined orientations and directions during manufacturing. Each nozzle is designed with specific angular orientations (e.g., within 0-90 degrees radial inward direction) to match the geometry of target components. This preliminary configuration ensures that when nozzles are inserted through borescope ports, the wash liquid is automatically directed at the correct angles for effective cleaning without requiring complex real-time adjustment mechanisms.
Solution Approach 2:
The system employs adjustable and reconfigurable wash nozzles that can be dynamically positioned and oriented within the borescope ports. The nozzles can be adjusted to different angles and directions to accommodate various component geometries and cleaning requirements, allowing operators to optimize the direction of wash liquid for precise cleaning of different engine components as needed.
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 system provides efficient and precise cleaning of gas turbine engine components by ensuring the pressurized wash liquid is directed accurately, improving cleaning efficiency and accessibility within the engine.
Implementation Method 1
a spray nozzle having an attachment mechanism configured for attachment to the borescope port and configured to direct a pressurized flow of wash liquid in a predetermined direction toward a component within the core flow path
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2A~2C
Figure 3A~3C
AI summary
A fluid wash system (100) for a gas turbine engine (20) is disclosed, the gas turbine engine defining an axial direction and comprising a borescope port (114; 214; 314; 414) that provides access to a component within a core flow path (C) of the gas turbine engine. In various embodiments, the fluid wash system includes a wash line (210; 310; 410; 510) fluidly connected to a pump (104) configured to provide a pressurized flow of wash liquid; a spray nozzle connected to the wash line and configured for extending into the borescope port to provide the pressurized flow of wash liquid to the component within the core flow path; and an attachment mechanism configured to releasable mount the spray nozzle to the borescope port, the attachment mechanism including an alignment mechanism configured to orient the spray nozzle and direct the pressurized flow of wash liquid in a predetermined direction toward the component.