Cross-fire Tube Manipulation Tool for Combustor Maintenance
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Solution Overview
Problem
The existing design of cross-fire tubes within combustor assemblies of turbomachines, moved into the plenum for improved start-up and operation, complicates combustor maintenance as access is limited, making removal and replacement time-consuming and burdensome.
Innovation Solution
A combustor maintenance assembly with a tool featuring a base, pivotally connected arm, and contact member that extends into the compressor discharge casing to apply force along the longitudinal axis of cross-fire tubes, allowing for efficient manipulation and repositioning of these tubes within the combustor assembly.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If cross-fire tubes are moved into the plenum for improved start-up and operation, then start-up performance is improved, but maintenance access becomes limited
Solution Approach 1:
A maintenance tool is introduced as an intermediary device to access and manipulate cross-fire tubes from the compressor discharge casing side. The tool includes a long arm that extends through the CDC to reach the cross-fire tube in the plenum, allowing maintenance operations without direct access to the tube itself
Solution Approach 2:
The maintenance approach transitions from direct lateral access to the cross-fire tube to indirect access through the compressor discharge casing. By working through the CDC passages, maintenance can be performed from a different spatial dimension, bypassing the access limitations imposed by the tube's position in the plenum
2Reliability
If cross-fire tubes extend into combustors, then ignition reliability is improved, but combustor removal becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The cross-fire tube is extracted or detached from the combustor assembly, allowing the combustor to be removed independently. The tube can be manipulated separately through the CDC, separating the removal process into distinct steps and reducing overall complexity
Solution Approach 2:
The maintenance process is segmented into separate operations: first manipulating the cross-fire tube through the CDC using the maintenance tool, then removing the combustor. This segmentation allows each component to be handled independently, simplifying the overall process
3Productivity
If cross-fire tubes are positioned in plenum, then operational efficiency is improved, but maintenance time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The maintenance tool is prepared and positioned in advance with the long arm extended through the CDC. The tool includes pre-configured components such as the grapple or gripper mechanism ready to engage the cross-fire tube, eliminating setup time during the actual maintenance operation
Data Source
AI summary
Combustor maintenance assemblies, tools and methods for manipulating cross-fire tubes in combustor assemblies are provided. A tool includes a base and an arm pivotally connected to the base. The arm includes an effort portion and a load portion, the load portion extendable into a passage defined by the compressor discharge casing. The tool further includes a contact member extending from the load portion to contact the cross-fire tube. The contact member includes a head end for contacting a second end of the cross-fire tube, and a joint disposed between the head end and the load portion, the joint allowing movement of the head end relative to the load portion. The arm is movable such that the contact member contacts the cross-fire tube and applies a force to the cross-fire tube generally along a longitudinal axis of the cross-fire tube.