Deaerator Impeller and Gear Rotor for Liquid-Gas Separation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing deaerators for rotational equipment, such as gas turbine engines, lack efficiency and effectiveness in separating liquid and gas components, leaving room for improvement in design and functionality.
Innovation Solution
A fluid system for a powerplant incorporating a gear rotor and a deaerator impeller rotor, where the gear rotor includes a web, a toothed rim, and liquid ports, and the deaerator impeller rotor features a vane structure, a network of passages, a fluid inlet, a liquid outlet, and a gas outlet, all designed to efficiently separate and manage fluid components.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional deaerator designs are used, then the structure is simple, but the separation efficiency of liquid and gas components is insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The deaerator is divided into multiple functional components: an impeller rotor with liquid outlet passages, a gear rotor with liquid ports and gear teeth, and a housing with gas outlet passages. This segmentation allows each component to perform its specific function optimally, improving separation efficiency while maintaining manageable complexity through modular design
Solution Approach 2:
The gear rotor serves multiple functions: it acts as a structural support element, provides liquid ports for fluid distribution, and its gear teeth interact with the impeller to enhance the separation process. This multi-functionality improves separation efficiency without requiring additional separate components
2Productivity
If the deaerator uses a basic impeller design, then the device complexity is low, but the fluid management efficiency is insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The impeller rotor is designed with pre-configured liquid outlet passages that direct liquid flow to specific locations on the gear rotor before the main separation process occurs. This preliminary action prepares the fluid distribution pattern, improving overall fluid management efficiency
Solution Approach 2:
The gear rotor acts as an intermediary element between the impeller rotor and the housing. It receives liquid from the impeller through liquid ports, distributes it further, and facilitates the separation process by interacting with the impeller gears, thereby improving fluid management efficiency
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 described fluid system effectively separates liquid and gas components, enhancing the efficiency of fluid management in powerplant systems, thereby improving the performance and reliability of rotational equipment.
Implementation Method 1
A deaerator for rotational equipment, such as a gas turbine engine, may include an impeller rotor that circumscribes and is formed integral with a shaft. The impeller rotor includes a vane structure and a network of passages that fluidly couple a fluid inlet to a liquid outlet and a gas outlet in parallel.
Implementation Method 2
The gear rotor is rotatable about an axis. The gear rotor includes a web, a toothed rim and a plurality of liquid ports. The web projects radially inward towards the axis from the toothed rim.
Data Source
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AI summary
A fluid system (10) is provided for a powerplant. This fluid system (10) includes a gear rotor (32) and a deaerator impeller rotor (34). The gear rotor (32) is rotatable about an axis (24). The gear rotor (32) includes a web, a toothed rim and a plurality of liquid ports (62). The web projects radially inward towards the axis (24) from the toothed rim. The toothed rim circumscribes the web. Each of the liquid ports (62) extends axially through the web. The deaerator impeller rotor (34) is mounted to and rotatable with the gear rotor (32) about the axis (32). The deaerator impeller rotor (34) includes a fluid inlet (22), a liquid outlet (26) and a gas outlet (30). The fluid inlet (22) is upstream of and is fluidly coupled to the liquid outlet (26) and the gas outlet (30). The liquid outlet (26) is axially adjacent the gear rotor (32) and is fluidly coupled to the liquid ports (62).