Cooling Tube Holder With Spring Clearance Control for Turbomachine Casings
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current turbomachine casing cooling systems face challenges in maintaining a minimal air gap between cooling tubes and the casing while avoiding contact, especially due to operational expansions and tolerance stack-ups, which affects cooling efficiency.
Innovation Solution
A holding device with a fixing frame and connection assembly that includes a resilient return member and a bolt system, allowing for easy mounting without adjustment, ensures a minimal clearance by compressing the connection assembly between the fixing frame and the holding member, which secures two axially adjacent cooling tubes, allowing for radial displacement and expansion.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Temperature
If cooling tubes are positioned closer to the casing to improve cooling efficiency, then cooling performance is improved, but the risk of contact and damage between parts increases
Solution Approach 1:
The connection assembly incorporates a resilient return member (spring) that enables dynamic adjustment of the holding member's position. This allows the system to adapt to thermal expansions and operational variations, maintaining optimal clearance between cooling tubes and casing while preventing contact damage through elastic deformation and automatic position correction.
Solution Approach 2:
The resilient return member changes the physical state of the connection assembly from rigid to elastic, allowing it to absorb dimensional variations and maintain consistent clearance. The spring's elastic properties enable the system to accommodate thermal expansion and manufacturing tolerances while keeping cooling tubes at the optimal distance from the casing for maximum cooling efficiency.
2Stability of the object's composition
If traditional fixing frames with multiple intermediate parts are used, then structural stability is improved, but tolerance stack-up increases making minimal clearance difficult to guarantee
Solution Approach 1:
The connection assembly is divided into functional segments: a resilient return member for absorption of dimensional variations, a connection part for secure attachment, and an holding member for positioning. This segmentation allows each component to be optimized independently and reduces the cumulative effect of manufacturing tolerances compared to traditional multi-part fixing frames.
Solution Approach 2:
The resilient return member acts as an intermediary element between the fixing frame and the holding member, absorbing tolerance variations and preventing direct transmission of dimensional errors. This mediator component ensures that minimal clearance is maintained despite variations in the dimensions of other parts in the assembly.
3Temperature
If complex adjustment mechanisms are added to achieve minimal clearance, then cooling efficiency is improved, but mounting complexity and time increase
Solution Approach 1:
The resilient return member enables the holding member to automatically adjust its position to achieve and maintain optimal clearance without requiring manual adjustment during mounting. The spring's elastic force automatically compensates for dimensional variations, allowing workers to simply install the components without time-consuming fine-tuning operations.
Solution Approach 2:
By changing the physical state of the connection from rigid to elastic through the resilient return member, the system automatically adapts to achieve minimal clearance without requiring complex adjustment mechanisms. This parameter change transforms the mounting process from a precision-adjustment task to a simple installation procedure.
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 simplifies the mounting process, ensures a consistent minimal clearance, and enhances cooling efficiency by bringing cooling tubes closer to the casing without requiring fine adjustments, thus improving the turbomachine's cooling performance.
Implementation Method 1
the outer portion comprises a resilient return member urged in compression towards the fixing frame by the connection part
Implementation Method 2
the outer portion comprises a resilient return member urged in compression towards the fixing frame by the connection part
Data Source
AI summary
A device for holding (101) at least one cooling tube (120) of a turbomachine casing (10) cooling system (100), the holding device including a fixing frame (104), a holding member (160) being configured to hold two cooling tubes (120), and a connection assembly (140) between the holding member (160) and a fixing frame (104), extending on either side of the frame, the connection assembly (160) comprising a connection part (150) extending through an opening (108) of the fixing frame from an outer portion (141) to the inner portion (142) of the connection assembly, the inner portion (142) being disposed between two cooling tubes (120) and secured to the holding member (160) while the outer portion (141) comprises a resilient return member (170) urged in compression towards the fixing frame by the connection part (150).