Butterfly Bleed Valve Layout for High-Flow Gas Turbine Relief
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional poppet valves used in gas turbine engines for bleed air relief during startup have limited flow area for a given valve size, leading to envelope challenges and increased size and weight of engine components, exacerbated by rising compressor ratios in newer engine designs.
Innovation Solution
A bleed valve design featuring a butterfly disc rotatably mounted within a housing, with a link and biasing member configured to move the butterfly disc between open and closed positions, providing a larger flow area while minimizing valve size and weight.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If conventional poppet valves are used for bleed air relief, then the valve can effectively relieve compressor surge, but the flow area is limited for a given valve size leading to increased component size and weight
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs a dynamic butterfly disc that rotates between open and closed positions to control bleed air flow. This dynamic mechanism allows the valve to achieve a larger effective flow area compared to static poppet valves of similar size, directly resolving the contradiction between flow area and valve size/weight
Solution Approach 2:
The butterfly disc configuration utilizes rotational motion in a different dimensional approach compared to linear poppet valve movement. By rotating the disc within the cylindrical flow path, the valve achieves superior flow control and larger flow area without increasing the valve's envelope dimensions or weight
2Productivity
If more or larger poppet valves are used to increase flow area, then bleed air relief capability improves, but the envelope size and weight of engine components increase
Solution Approach 1:
The rotating butterfly disc provides dynamic flow control that maximizes bleed air relief capability within a compact envelope. The rotational mechanism allows the single valve to perform the function of multiple smaller valves without increasing the overall component envelope size
Solution Approach 2:
The patent combines the functions of flow control and bleed air relief into a single integrated butterfly valve assembly. This merging of functions eliminates the need for multiple separate valves, reducing the overall envelope size while maintaining or improving bleed air relief capability
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 butterfly disc bleed valve design achieves improved size and weight efficiency for a given flow area compared to traditional poppet valves, effectively addressing the challenges of compressor surge and envelope constraints in gas turbine engines.
Implementation Method 1
A biasing member is engaged between the housing and the link to bias the butterfly disc toward the open position
Implementation Method 2
A link is rotatably connected to a pivot point on the butterfly disc for relative rotation of the link and the butterfly disc along a pivot axis
Implementation Method 3
The piston can be engaged to the link for biasing of the butterfly disc. A pin can connect the link to the piston. The link and the piston can be rotatable relative to one another about a pin axis
Implementation Method 4
The butterfly disc, the link, the biasing member, and the housing can be configured to move the butterfly disc from the open position to the closed position at 11 ± 2 psi (0.75 ± 0.14 atm) as pressure differential rises between the inlet and the outlet
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3~5
AI summary
A bleed valve includes a housing (102). The housing includes an inlet (104) and an outlet (106) with a cylindrical flow path (108) defined between the inlet and the outlet. A diametral plane is defined diametrically spanning the cylindrical flow path. A butterfly disc (110) inside the housing is rotatably mounted to the housing along a rotation axis for rotation between an open position and a closed position. A link (112) rotatably is connected to a pivot point on the butterfly disc for relative rotation of the link and the butterfly disc along a pivot axis parallel to the rotation axis. The pivot axis is on an opposite side of the diametral plane from the rotation axis.