Combustor Wall Boss Cooling Apertures for Lower Pressure Drop
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing cooling techniques for combustor wall bosses and heat shields in turbine engines require a significant pressure drop, which is inefficient and affects overall engine performance.
Innovation Solution
A cooling scheme for combustor wall bosses and heat shields that includes discrete boss cooling apertures, such as effusion and impingement apertures, to reduce thermal stress and pressure drop while enhancing cooling efficiency.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If known cooling techniques are used for combustor wall bosses and heat shields, then thermal stress is reduced, but pressure drop across the combustor wall increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The boss includes a porous internal structure with interconnected pores that allow cooling air to permeate through the boss wall. This porous architecture provides extensive internal surface area for heat transfer while maintaining low flow resistance, enabling effective cooling without significant pressure drop penalties
Solution Approach 2:
The cooling apertures are strategically positioned and sized to provide localized cooling where thermal stresses are most critical. The aperture distribution and dimensions are optimized to deliver cooling air precisely to high-temperature zones while minimizing overall pressure loss
2Temperature
If cooling cavities and apertures are added to cool the bosses and heat shield, then thermal management is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The cooling apertures are integrated directly into the boss structure itself, combining the structural support function with the cooling function. This integration eliminates the need for separate cooling channels or attachments, reducing overall device complexity while maintaining effective thermal management
Solution Approach 2:
The porous structure provides inherent cooling pathways without requiring complex channel geometries. The self-similar pore network naturally distributes cooling air throughout the boss, achieving effective thermal management through a relatively simple structural configuration
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 proposed cooling scheme effectively reduces thermal stress and pressure drop, improving engine efficiency by optimizing cooling air distribution and reducing stagnation and backflow.
Implementation Method 1
discrete boss cooling apertures, such as effusion and impingement apertures
Implementation Method 2
cooling air distribution
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3
AI summary
A combustor wall (76) includes a panel (88), a boss (86), a wall aperture (90) and multiple cooling apertures (118A, 118B). The panel (88) extends axially along and circumferentially about an axial centerline (22). The panel (88) extends radially between a first panel surface (128) and a second panel surface (130). The first panel surface (128) forms a peripheral boundary of a combustion chamber (58). The boss (86) projects out from the second panel surface (130). The boss (86) extends circumferentially around and forms an outer peripheral boundary of the wall aperture (90). The wall aperture (90) extends along a wall aperture centerline (148) through the combustor wall (76) to the first panel surface (128). The cooling apertures (118A, 118B) are arranged circumferentially about the wall aperture (90). Each of the cooling apertures (118A, 118B) extends along a cooling aperture centerline (180, 192) through the panel (88) and/or the boss (86) to the wall aperture (90). The cooling aperture centerline (180) of a first of the cooling apertures (118A) is angularly offset from the wall aperture centerline (148) by a first acute angle (190).