Gas Turbine Combustor Fuel Manifold Support Structure
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Solution Overview
Problem
The high temperature difference between the combustion tube and the fuel manifold in gas turbines generates excessive stress, reducing the durability of both components.
Innovation Solution
A support structure with a gap between the combustion tube and the fuel manifold, featuring a support plate and legs that spread circumferentially, reduces the temperature gradient and allows for deformation, thereby lowering stress and enhancing durability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If the fuel manifold is directly connected to the combustion tube, then the structure is simple, but the temperature difference causes extremely high stress and reduced durability
Solution Approach 1:
A support structure is introduced as an intermediary element between the combustion tube and the fuel manifold. This support includes a support plate and support legs that create a physical separation, preventing direct thermal contact while maintaining structural connection. The intermediary structure allows thermal isolation while preserving mechanical integrity, solving the contradiction between structural simplicity and durability under thermal stress.
Solution Approach 2:
The connection between the combustion tube and fuel manifold is segmented into separate components: the combustion tube, the support structure (support plate and support legs), and the fuel manifold. This segmentation allows each component to be optimized independently for its thermal and mechanical requirements, preventing stress concentration at a single connection point while maintaining overall structural integrity.
2Device complexity
If the fuel manifold is directly connected to the combustion tube, then the structural complexity is low, but the stress in the connecting portion becomes extremely high
Solution Approach 1:
The support structure acts as a thermal intermediary that breaks the direct thermal path between the high-temperature combustion tube and the lower-temperature fuel manifold. This intermediary arrangement significantly reduces heat transfer and thermal stress in the connecting portions while adding only moderate structural complexity through standardized support components.
3Reliability
If a support structure with gap is introduced, then the durability is enhanced, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The support structure employs thin-walled support plates and support legs that provide adequate mechanical support while maintaining flexibility to accommodate thermal expansion and contraction. These thin-walled components achieve the required durability and stress reduction while minimizing the added complexity and weight compared to bulky rigid structures.
Solution Approach 2:
The support structure is segmented into modular components (support plate, support legs) that can be manufactured and assembled separately. This modular segmentation simplifies manufacturing and maintenance while achieving the durability benefits of thermal isolation, balancing the trade-off between enhanced reliability and increased structural complexity.
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 support structure effectively mitigates stress between the combustion tube and fuel manifold, improving the durability of both components by moderating the temperature gradient and allowing for easy deformation.
Implementation Method 1
a temperature difference between the temperature of the combustion tube and the temperature of the fuel manifold becomes several hundred degrees or more
Implementation Method 2
The support has a support plate which is separated from the combustion tube to the radially outer side and spreads in a circumferential direction with respect to the axis
Data Source
AI summary
A combustor includes a combustion tube which has a tubular shape around an axis; a secondary fuel nozzle which is able to inject a secondary fuel in a radially inner direction with respect to the axis, inside the combustion tube; a fuel manifold which is disposed external to the combustion tube, and defines a fuel space which is able to temporarily store the secondary fuel; and a support which supports the fuel manifold with a gap extending radially from the combustion tube. The support has a support plate which is separated from the combustion tube by the gap and spreads in a circumferential direction with respect to the axis, and a support leg which is attached to the combustion tube and supports the support plate to define the gap between the support plate and the combustion tube.