Combustor Panel Attachment Cooling via Core and Offshoot Passages

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Solution Overview

Problem

Conventional combustor panels experience reduced cooling airflow in the vicinity of attachment features, leading to potential structural damage and oxidation due to high temperatures, as existing designs often lack sufficient effusion and impingement holes in these areas.

Innovation Solution

The integration of a core passage and offshoot passages within the attachment feature, which are fluidly connected to a network of cooling passages in the combustor panel, provides enhanced cooling airflow to and around the attachment features, protecting them from high temperatures by directing cooling air from the diffuser chamber into the annular cooling cavity and then to the hot side of the combustor panel.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If conventional combustor panel attachment features are used, then the combustor panels can be attached to the combustor shell, but the cooling airflow in the vicinity of the attachment features is reduced, leading to structural damage and oxidation

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvestructural integrity of attachment featuresVSAvoidhigh temperature exposure

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies local quality by providing cooling passages specifically at the attachment features where high temperature exposure is most severe. The cooling passages are strategically located to deliver cooling air precisely to the attachment features and surrounding areas, creating localized cooling zones where thermal protection is most needed rather than uniformly cooling the entire combustor panel.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

Solution Approach 2:

The cooling passages act as intermediaries between the cooling air source and the attachment features. The passages transport cooling air from the combustor panel interior to the attachment features, mediating the thermal interaction between the hot combustion environment and the vulnerable attachment structures, thereby protecting them from direct thermal exposure.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Object-affected harmful factors

If cooling passages are added to provide adequate cooling to attachment features, then thermal protection is improved, but the device complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvetemperature distributionVSAvoidcooling system structure

Core Design Contradiction:

Object-affected harmful factorsVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent merges the cooling system with the attachment features by integrating cooling passages directly into the attachment feature structure. The attachment features serve dual purposes: structural attachment and thermal management. This integration eliminates the need for separate cooling components, reducing overall system complexity while providing effective thermal protection.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Solution Approach 2:

The attachment features are designed with multi-functionality, serving both as structural attachment elements and as carriers for cooling passages. This universal design allows the same component to perform multiple functions, reducing the total number of parts needed and simplifying the overall cooling system architecture.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

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 configuration effectively reduces hotspots and extends the operational life of combustor panels by ensuring adequate cooling airflow to the attachment features, preventing oxidation and structural damage from high-temperature combustion gases.

Implementation Method 1

a network of cooling passages in the combustor panel, wherein the network of cooling passages includes a core passage extending through a length of the attachment feature, and at least one offshoot passage extending from the core passage

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectFluid flow through passages:

Implementation Method 2

provides enhanced cooling airflow to and around the attachment features, protecting them from high temperatures by directing cooling air from the diffuser chamber into the annular cooling cavity

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectThermal cooling: Cooling

Data Source

PatentEP3453967B1Combustor panel with cooling configuration for combustor panel attachment feature

Publication Date: 2023.06.28 RTX CORP

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Figure 3A~3B

AI summary

A combustor panel (110) may include an attachment feature (106). Because conventional attachment features of conventional combustor panels may be insufficiently cooled, the present disclosure provides various combustor configurations for reducing hotspots in the vicinity of attachment features (106) and/or for providing cooling airflow to and in the vicinity of attachment features (106).