Gas Turbine Cooling Conduit for Pressure Loss Reduction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing gas turbine engines face challenges in providing cooling air with minimal pressure loss, particularly due to the complex airflow paths and bends that lead to inefficiencies in cooling air delivery to hot components like turbine vanes and rotors.
Innovation Solution
A conduit formed by radially spaced shells provides a separate cooling air flow path that bypasses the pressure drop issues by directing airflow in a smooth, axial direction, reducing pressure losses and ensuring efficient cooling delivery to turbine vanes and rotors.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If cooling air is diverted from the combustor section through existing airflow paths, then cooling air is supplied to turbine components, but pressure loss increases due to sharp bends and complex flow paths
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the cooling air supply function from the main combustor airflow path by introducing a separate dedicated conduit. This separation allows the cooling air to be diverted directly from the compressor outlet to the turbine components without following the complex combustor path with sharp bends, thereby reducing pressure loss while ensuring reliable cooling air supply.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a dedicated cooling air conduit as an intermediary structure between the compressor outlet and turbine components. This intermediary provides a optimized flow path specifically for cooling air, isolating it from the main combustor airflow and eliminating the pressure losses associated with sharp bends and complex routing in the original path.
2Ease of operation
If airflow is turned through sharp bends to reach turbine components, then cooling air can be delivered to components, but pressure loss and flow efficiency deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the cooling air flow path from the main combustor airflow path, creating a separate dedicated conduit. This extracted path is designed with smooth transitions and minimal bends, directly connecting the compressor outlet to the turbine components, thereby maintaining high flow efficiency while ensuring effective cooling air delivery.
3Quantity of substance
If cooling air is tapped from downstream of compressor rotor and upstream of diffuser, then cooling air is available, but pressure loss occurs due to complex airflow paths
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a dedicated cooling air conduit as an intermediary structure that directly connects the compressor outlet to the turbine components. This intermediary conduit provides a streamlined flow path with minimal bends, allowing cooling air to be tapped from the compressor outlet while avoiding the pressure losses associated with the complex airflow paths in the combustor section.
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 enables more efficient use of cooling air, reducing pressure losses and enhancing the cooling efficiency of turbine components by maintaining airflow pressure and avoiding sharp bends, thus improving the overall performance of gas turbine engines.
Implementation Method 1
A gas turbine engine comprises a compressor delivering compressed cooling air to a diffuser. A conduit is provided by a pair of radially spaced shells and defines a cooling air flow path separate from a combustor flow path. The cooling airflow path, through the shells, delivers the compressed cooling air directly to a use, such as to a turbine vane or to a turbine rotor.
Data Source
Figure 1
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AI summary
In a featured embodiment, a gas turbine engine has a compressor section having a downstream rotor and a diffuser downstream of the compressor section. A combustor receives air downstream of the diffuser. A turbine section has at least one component to be cooled. A conduit is spaced from the diffuser and defines a cooling airflow path. The cooling airflow path is separate from an airflow downstream the diffuser, and passing to the combustor. The conduit passes cooling air to the component to be cooled.