Combustor Liner Cooling Circuit with Non-Uniform Heat Transfer Features
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Solution Overview
Problem
The combustor liners in gas turbine engines are subject to extreme heat, leading to the formation of hot spots and potential degradation due to thermal gradients and insufficient cooling.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of heat transfer features distributed in a cooling circuit within the combustor liners, which includes prioritized and restricted flow regions, to enhance convective cooling and reduce thermal gradients.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Temperature
If cooling flow is utilized to cool portions of the combustor liners at locations adjacent to the hot spots, then the temperature of the combustor liners is reduced, but the thermal gradients and hot spots still form due to insufficient and non-uniform cooling flow distribution
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by distributing heat transfer features non-uniformly around the combustor liner circumference, with higher density in prioritized flow regions and lower density in restricted flow regions. This creates localized variations in cooling efficiency that prevent hot spot formation while maintaining overall temperature reduction, directly resolving the contradiction between temperature reduction and degradation resistance.
Solution Approach 2:
The cooling circuit is segmented into multiple flow regions (prioritized and restricted) with different heat transfer feature densities. This segmentation allows independent optimization of cooling in different circumferential zones, enabling the system to reduce temperature while preventing thermal gradients that lead to degradation.
2Ease of operation
If uniform cooling flow distribution is used, then the manufacturing and operation is simplified, but thermal gradients and hot spots form leading to liner degradation
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of uniform cooling, the patent implements local quality variations through non-uniform heat transfer feature distribution. The prioritized flow regions have higher feature density to address hot spot-prone areas, while restricted flow regions have lower density. This resolves the contradiction by making the cooling system more effective at preventing harmful thermal gradients while maintaining operational simplicity through a systematic distribution pattern.
3Temperature
If heat transfer features are densely distributed throughout the cooling circuit, then convective cooling is enhanced, but the complexity of the cooling circuit increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the cooling circuit into prioritized and restricted flow regions with different heat transfer feature densities. This segmentation allows enhanced cooling (higher feature density) only where needed, rather than uniformly throughout the entire circuit. The result is improved temperature control with reduced overall complexity compared to a fully dense distribution.
Solution Approach 2:
By applying local quality through non-uniform heat transfer feature distribution, the patent achieves enhanced convective cooling in critical areas (prioritized regions) while maintaining simpler structure in less critical areas (restricted regions). This resolves the contradiction between cooling efficiency and device complexity by optimizing feature density locally rather than uniformly.
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 effectively reduces the likelihood of degradation from excessive temperature exposure by improving the distribution and efficiency of cooling flow, thereby enhancing the durability of the combustor liners.
Implementation Method 1
The heat transfer features 72 are distributed in the cooling circuit 70 to define at least one prioritized flow region 74-1, 74-2 and at least one restricted flow region 74-3 to prioritize distribution of cooling flow CF
Implementation Method 2
heat transfer features distributed in a cooling circuit within the combustor liners, which includes prioritized and restricted flow regions, to enhance convective cooling and reduce thermal gradients
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3~3A
AI summary
A combustor liner (60) for a gas turbine engine (20) at least one liner segment (68) that has an external wall (68A) dimensioned to bound a combustion chamber (64). The external wall (68A) extends between leading and trailing edges (68LE, 68TE) in an axial direction and extends between opposed mate faces (68M) in a circumferential direction. A cooling circuit (70) is defined by the external wall (68A). A plurality of heat transfer features (72) are distributed in the cooling circuit (70) to define a first restricted flow region (74-3) that tapers from the leading edge (68LE) to the trailing edge (68TE) and to define at least one prioritized flow region (74-1, 74-2) that extends substantially from the leading edge (68LE) to the trailing edge (68TE) such that the at least one prioritized flow region (74-1, 74-2) is bounded by a perimeter of the first restricted flow region (74-3), and the at least one prioritized flow region (74-1, 74-2) has a lesser concentration of the plurality of heat transfer features (72) than the first restricted flow region (74-3).