Ceramic Vane Cooling Circuit for Gas Turbine Thermal Stress
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Solution Overview
Problem
Ceramic components in gas turbine engines face thermal management challenges due to high thermal resistance and low thermal conductivity, leading to detrimental thermal stresses when cooled with conventional methods, which can reduce durability.
Innovation Solution
A cooling passage circuit is implemented through ceramic components, where cooling air is pre-heated in one component before being delivered to another, maintaining lower thermal gradients and reducing stress by using a network of passages and interface seals to manage heat effectively.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Temperature
If conventional cooling methods are used on ceramic components, then cooling effect is achieved, but thermal stresses increase due to high thermal resistance and low thermal conductivity
Solution Approach 1:
The cooling passage circuit is divided into multiple segments including a first passage through the blade outer air seal, a second passage through the ceramic vane, and connecting passages. This segmentation allows staged cooling where cooling air is pre-heated in the first passage before entering the ceramic vane, reducing thermal shock and maintaining durability.
Solution Approach 2:
Cooling air is pre-heated in the blade outer air seal (first passage) before being delivered to the ceramic vane (second passage). This preliminary heating action reduces the temperature differential when cooling air contacts the hot ceramic component, thereby reducing thermal stress and improving reliability.
2Productivity
If cooling air is delivered directly to ceramic components, then cooling efficiency is improved, but thermal stress increases reducing component durability
Solution Approach 1:
Cooling air undergoes preliminary heating in the blade outer air seal passage before being delivered to the ceramic vane. This pre-heating step maintains cooling efficiency while reducing the thermal shock to the ceramic component, thereby preserving durability.
Solution Approach 2:
The blade outer air seal acts as an intermediary component between the cooling air source and the ceramic vane. It serves as a thermal buffer that pre-heats the cooling air, mediating the thermal transfer to reduce stress on the ceramic component while maintaining effective cooling.
3Reliability
If cooling passages are implemented through multiple components, then thermal stress is reduced, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The cooling passage circuit merges multiple passages including the first passage in the blade outer air seal, the second passage in the ceramic vane, and connecting passages into a single integrated cooling system. This merging achieves thermal stress reduction across multiple components while managing overall system complexity through unified design.
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 pre-heated cooling air maintains desired thermal gradients in ceramic components, reducing thermal stress and enhancing durability by managing heat distribution efficiently within the engine.
Implementation Method 1
a cooling passage circuit that extends through the first component and the second component... configured to deliver the cooling air into the first component where the cooling air is heated to provide pre-heated cooling air, and then deliver the pre-heated cooling air from the first component into the second component
Implementation Method 2
deliver the cooling air into the first component where the cooling air is heated to provide pre-heated cooling air
Data Source
AI summary
A gas turbine engine includes a blade outer air seal, a ceramic vane, and a cooling passage circuit that extends through a first internal passage in the blade outer air seal and a second internal passage in the ceramic vane.