Brush Seal Housing Segmentation for Turbine Repair
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing brush seal systems for thermal gas turbines are difficult to repair and not tolerant of rubbing, as the design is limited and integral, leading to potential damage to the rotor and high maintenance costs.
Innovation Solution
Designing the support element and brush seal housing as separate components, allowing for increased geometric and structural flexibility, with the support element being replaceable independently of the brush seal housing, and incorporating a stiffening element for enhanced mechanical properties.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If the brush seal housing is designed as an integral structure combining support element and housing, then the structural strength is improved, but the ease of repair deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The brush seal housing is divided into separate components: a support element and a housing body. This segmentation allows the support element to be replaced independently when worn or damaged, without replacing the entire housing structure, thereby improving ease of repair while maintaining structural integrity through the designed connection between components.
2Reliability
If the brush seal housing design is varied to improve rubbing tolerance, then the reliability is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
By separating the support element from the housing, the design allows the support element to be optimized specifically for rubbing tolerance (e.g., using softer or more resilient materials) without complicating the overall housing structure. The housing maintains its simple structural role while the replaceable support element provides the specialized rubbing resistance.
Solution Approach 2:
The support element can be designed with different material parameters or geometric parameters optimized for rubbing conditions, such as using materials with appropriate hardness or elasticity, while the housing structure remains relatively simple. This parameter optimization at the component level improves reliability without significantly increasing overall device complexity.
3Manufacturing precision
If the support element is integrated into the brush seal housing, then the manufacturing precision is improved, but the adaptability deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The separation of the support element from the housing allows each component to be manufactured and precision-tested independently, then assembled together. This modular approach maintains manufacturing precision for each component while enabling adaptability, as different support elements can be fitted to the same housing for different applications or brush seal configurations.
Solution Approach 2:
The standardized housing design can accommodate different support elements and brush seal configurations, making the housing a universal component. This universality improves adaptability across different applications while the manufacturing precision is maintained through standardized production processes for each component type.
Data Source
Figure 1~2
AI summary
The invention relates to a brush sealing system (10) for sealing a gap between components of a thermal gas turbine that are movable relative to one another. The brush sealing system (10) comprises a brush sealing housing (12), which accommodates at least one brush head (14) of a brush seal (16), and a support element (30) by means of which a brush assembly (28) projecting from the brush head (14) of the brush seal (16) can be supported against deflection. The support element (30) and the brush sealing housing (12) are designed as separate components. The invention further relates to a method for manufacturing such a brush sealing system (10) and to a thermal gas turbine with such a brush sealing system (10).