Gas Turbine Combustor Effusion Cooling via Additive Manufacturing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing combustors for gas turbine engines face challenges in effectively cooling complex geometries, which can lead to overheating and reduced component lifespan, particularly due to the difficulty in machining or casting effusion cooling holes.
Innovation Solution
A combustor design featuring an outer and inner liner with a double wall structure and an effusion cooling system, where the liners are additively manufactured to include complex geometries that facilitate improved cooling, allowing for the integration of effusion cooling holes without the need for supports and reducing maintenance costs.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Shape
If traditional machining or casting methods are used to create effusion cooling holes, then the manufacturing process is simpler, but complex geometries cannot be achieved and cooling efficiency is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the manufacturing method from traditional machining/casting to additive manufacturing, which fundamentally alters the capability to create complex geometries. Additive manufacturing enables the creation of effusion cooling holes with complex three-dimensional geometries that cannot be achieved through conventional methods, directly resolving the contradiction between geometry complexity and manufacturing ease.
2Temperature
If effusion cooling holes with complex geometry are implemented, then cooling efficiency is improved, but manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transitions from conventional manufacturing to additive manufacturing, changing the process parameters and capabilities. This enables the creation of complex effusion cooling hole geometries that improve cooling efficiency while the additive manufacturing process itself handles the complexity, avoiding the need for complex assembly procedures.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent combines the effusion cooling holes with the combustor liner as a single integrated component manufactured in one piece through additive manufacturing. This merging eliminates the need for separate manufacturing and assembly processes for the cooling holes, reducing manufacturing process complexity while maintaining geometric complexity for improved cooling.
3Duration of action of stationary object
If combustor components are cooled to prevent overheating, then component lifespan is extended, but the manufacturing process becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The patent integrates the effusion cooling system directly into the combustor liner through additive manufacturing, creating a single monolithic component. This integration ensures that cooling functionality is built-in from manufacturing, extending component lifespan through effective cooling while avoiding the complexity of separate cooling system assembly.
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 design enhances cooling efficiency, extends the lifespan of combustor components, and reduces maintenance costs by enabling the use of additive manufacturing to create complex geometries within the combustor, allowing for effective heat management and operation in high-temperature environments.
Implementation Method 1
the combustor may include effusion cooling holes to assist in cooling the combustor
Data Source
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AI summary
A combustor (200) for a gas turbine engine includes an outer liner (202) having a first end interconnected to an opposite second end by an outer liner wall (214) composed of a plurality of outer segments. The inner liner (204) has a first inner end interconnected to an opposite second inner end by an inner liner wall (304) composed of a plurality of inner segments. The outer liner wall (214) and the inner liner wall define a combustion chamber (206), and each of the outer wall segments extend at an angle of at least 40 degrees relative to a longitudinal axis. The outer wall segments include a first segment (218), a second segment (220) that extends at a second angle relative to the first segment (218), which is less than a third angle defined between the second segment (220) and a third segment (222) and is substantially the same as a fourth angle defined between the third segment (222) and a fourth segment (224).