Gas Turbine Combustor End Cover Integrally Formed Wall
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing gas turbine combustor end cover configurations require costly and time-consuming brazing processes and complex inspection methods due to the need for tight tolerance gaps and visual inspection limitations, which increase manufacturing costs and risk of fluid mixing.
Innovation Solution
An end cover with an integrally formed wall separates multiple fluid manifolds and openings, eliminating the need for braze joints and allowing for separate flow of fluids without mixing, fabricated from a single machined plate to improve structural integrity and reduce manufacturing complexity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If brazing processes are used to join inserts to end cover, then joint strength capable of handling temperature gradients and pressures is achieved, but manufacturing cost and time increase due to tight tolerance requirements and complex inspection procedures
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the insert and end cover into a single integrally formed component. The wall structure is formed as one piece during end cover manufacturing, eliminating the need for separate brazing operations. This integration maintains structural integrity while removing the complex multi-step brazing process, tight tolerance machining requirements, and expensive inspection procedures associated with joining separate components.
2Manufacturing precision
If tight tolerance gaps are machined for brazing inserts, then proper braze joint formation is achieved, but manufacturing cost increases due to more costly machining operations
Solution Approach 1:
By forming the wall and end cover as a single integral structure, the patent eliminates the need to machine tight tolerance gaps for insert installation. The integral design removes the brazing interface entirely, allowing standard machining tolerances to be used instead of expensive tight tolerance machining, thereby reducing manufacturing cost while maintaining precision where needed.
3Reliability
If brazed joints are used to separate fluid manifolds, then fluid separation is achieved, but inspection difficulty increases due to inability to perform visual inspection
Solution Approach 1:
The integral wall structure forms continuous internal barriers that separate fluid manifolds without requiring brazed joints. These integral walls can be fully inspected using standard non-destructive testing methods during manufacturing, and their continuity provides inherent reliability for fluid separation. The design eliminates hidden brazed interfaces that are difficult to inspect, allowing for complete verification of fluid separation integrity.
Data Source
AI summary
An end cover for a gas turbine combustor that eliminates the use of braze joints within the plate portion of the end cover is disclosed. The end cover comprises a plate and a plurality of fluid inlets with the fluid inlets directing fluids to first and second manifolds machined into the end cover. The fluids within the end cover are kept separate proximate each of the plurality of first openings by a wall that is integrally formed from a portion of the end cover plate.