Combustor Heat Transfer Cells With Capillary Wick Cooling
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional heat transfer systems for gas turbine engine combustors are inadequate in efficiently managing high heat loads, particularly in directly transferring heat from hot structures to a coolant without the need for pumps, and there is a need for improved heat transfer arrangements and methods.
Innovation Solution
The use of heat transfer cells with sintered-dense and sintered-porous materials forming a honeycomb structure, where a wick is fused to the walls to convey liquid metal heat transfer fluid between high and low temperature regions within a fluid-tight cavity, allowing for efficient heat transfer through capillary action.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If conventional heat transfer systems are used in gas turbine engine combustors, then the system can transfer heat from hot structures to coolant, but the system requires pumps or similar devices to convey coolant through the coolant loop
Solution Approach 1:
The heat pipe system uses self-service by employing capillary wick structures that automatically convey liquid coolant from the condenser region back to the evaporator region without external pumps. The capillary forces within the porous wick material create a self-sustaining circulation loop where the coolant is drawn through the walls by capillary action, eliminating the need for mechanical pumping devices while maintaining reliable heat transfer.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention replaces the mechanical pump-based coolant circulation system with a passive capillary-driven system. The mechanical complexity of pumps, valves, and control mechanisms is substituted by utilizing capillary forces inherent in porous wick materials, which naturally drive the coolant circulation based on temperature gradients and surface tension effects without requiring external mechanical energy input.
2Device complexity
If heat pipes are used to transfer heat without pumps, then the device complexity is reduced, but the heat transfer efficiency may be insufficient for high heat loads
Solution Approach 1:
The heat pipe system employs composite materials by combining different porous wick materials with different functional properties within the same structure. The envelope wall uses a first porous material optimized for capillary transport, while the end walls use second porous materials with different pore structures optimized for heat transfer and coolant distribution. This multi-material composite approach enables the passive system to handle high heat loads by optimizing each region for its specific function.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention applies local quality by designing different regions of the heat pipe with specialized properties tailored to their specific functions. The envelope portion uses porous material optimized for liquid transport, while the end walls use different porous materials optimized for heat transfer efficiency and coolant distribution. This localized optimization of material properties throughout the structure enables high heat transfer capacity without requiring a complex active cooling system.
3Ease of manufacture
If conventional heat transfer methods are used, then heat can be transferred from structures to coolant, but intermediate structures or coolant loops are required
Solution Approach 1:
The invention merges the heat transfer function directly into the combustor liner structure itself. The liner walls are constructed as heat pipes with integrated porous wick materials and sealed cavities containing coolant, combining the structural function of the liner with the heat transfer function. This integration eliminates the need for separate intermediate heat transfer structures or external coolant loops, simplifying both manufacturing and the overall device 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
This solution provides superior thermal management by effectively transferring heat from high temperature regions to coolant channels, reducing the risk of hot spots and enhancing the tolerance of combustor liners to high heat loads.
Implementation Method 1
a wick is fused to an inner surface of one or more of the walls and is configured to wick liquid, heat transfer fluid in a liquid state, from a cold side wall to a hot side wall
Implementation Method 2
Heat pipes are passive devices which, in contrast to most cooling loops, do not require pumps or similar devices to convey coolant through the coolant loop. Instead, in heat pipe cooling systems, a liquid coolant is conveyed through a media contained within the heat pipe to a high temperature zone, where the coolant acquires heat and vaporizes. The vaporized coolant then flows along the heat pipe in the opposite direction to a heat sink, where the coolant transfers the heat into the heat sink and condenses into a liquid.
Implementation Method 3
The wick can include a sintered-porous material
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3A~3C
AI summary
A heat transfer arrangement (100) includes two or more heat transfer cells (108). The heat transfer cells (108) together define a boundary (104) between a higher temperature region and a lower temperature region. Each of the two or more heat transfer cells (108) includes two or more walls defining a fluid tight cavity (148). One or more wick (134) is fused to an inner surface of one or more of the walls to wick liquid from a lower temperature portion of the cavity (148) to a higher temperature portion of the cavity (148). Combustors having heat transfer arrangements (100) with heat transfer cells (108) and methods of making heat transfer arrangements (100) are also described.