Gas Turbine Conjunction Assembly Seal Stability
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing gas turbine conjunction assemblies fail to maintain a stable seal between the combustor and turbine due to vibrations and thermal deformations, leading to gas leaks.
Innovation Solution
A conjunction assembly featuring a connecting member, connecting groove, and connection sealing member, with an elastic support and cooling channel, ensures a stable seal by maintaining contact between the conjunction ring and turbine inlet cylinder, even under vibration or thermal deformation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a conventional conjunction assembly is used to connect the combustor and turbine, then the structure is simple, but the seal stability deteriorates due to vibration and thermal deformation causing gas leaks
Solution Approach 1:
The conjunction assembly incorporates movable components including a sliding mechanism where the conjunction ring can move axially within the turbine inlet cylinder, and a movable sealing ring that adapts to positional changes. This dynamic structure maintains effective sealing contact despite vibrations and thermal deformations, resolving the contradiction between seal stability and structural simplicity.
Solution Approach 2:
The sealing mechanism utilizes elastic deformation of the sealing ring and spring force from the elastic support to maintain contact pressure. The spring constant and elastic properties are designed to compensate for thermal expansion and vibration-induced displacement, ensuring continuous sealing effectiveness while accommodating parameter changes in the operating environment.
2Reliability
If the conjunction assembly is rigidly fixed to maintain seal stability, then sealing is improved, but the ability to accommodate thermal deformation and vibration deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The conjunction ring is designed to slide axially within the turbine inlet cylinder along a guide surface, allowing the assembly to dynamically adjust its position in response to thermal expansion and vibration. The movable sealing ring further enhances this adaptability by maintaining contact through relative motion, ensuring seal stability while accommodating dimensional changes.
Solution Approach 2:
The design explicitly accounts for thermal expansion by providing axial movement capability. As the turbine inlet cylinder and conjunction ring expand thermally, the conjunction ring can move axially to maintain proper clearance and sealing contact, preventing distortion or binding that would occur in a rigidly fixed assembly.
3Device complexity
If a simple contact structure is used between the conjunction assembly and turbine inlet cylinder, then the device complexity is reduced, but gas leakage increases due to gap formation under vibration
Solution Approach 1:
The sealing ring is designed as an elastic component that can deform to conform to the contact surface between the conjunction ring and turbine inlet cylinder. This flexible sealing element maintains continuous contact even under vibration-induced displacement, preventing gas leakage paths that would form in rigid simple contact structures.
Solution Approach 2:
The elastic support acts as an intermediary element between the conjunction assembly and the sealing interface. It provides continuous contact force through spring action, ensuring the sealing ring maintains pressure against the turbine inlet cylinder surface, thereby eliminating gaps that would allow gas leakage without requiring complex active control mechanisms.
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 solution effectively prevents gas leaks by maintaining a stable connection between the combustor and turbine, ensuring efficient operation and reducing the risk of gas leakage.
Implementation Method 1
a connection sealing member disposed between the connecting member and an inner surface of the turbine inlet cylinder to provide a seal between the connecting member and the inner surface of the turbine inlet cylinder
Implementation Method 2
the position of the conjunction assembly changes due to vibration caused by a rotation drive of the turbine or by thermal deformation of a turbine inlet cylinder or the end of the combustor
Implementation Method 3
cooling channel
Data Source
AI summary
A conjunction assembly provides a seal, in a connected state, between a conjunction ring constituting an outlet of a combustor and a turbine inlet cylinder constituting an inlet of the turbine. The conjunction assembly includes a connecting member that protrudes from the conjunction ring; a connecting groove for receiving the connecting member, the connecting groove formed in the turbine inlet cylinder; and a connection sealing member disposed between the connecting member and an inner surface of the turbine inlet cylinder to provide a seal between the connecting member and the inner surface of the turbine inlet cylinder. The connecting member is a ring-like structure formed on a rear-side surface of the conjunction ring, the rear-side surface facing the turbine inlet cylinder, and the connecting groove is formed in a front-side surface of the turbine inlet cylinder in correspondence to the connecting member, the front-side surface facing the conjunction ring.