Accessible Debris Separator for High-Pressure Turbine Cooling Air
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
The presence of debris in the cooling air exiting a high-pressure combustor of a gas turbine engine reduces the effectiveness of blade outer air seal (BOAS) cooling, leading to increased metal temperatures, pressure ratios, and potential failures due to premature oxidation, thermo-mechanical fatigue, and creep.
Innovation Solution
An accessible debris separator is introduced, comprising a chamber with inlet and outlet openings, and a component that forces cooling air with debris to take a circuitous path, separating the debris from the air before it exits.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If debris separator is added to remove debris from cooling air, then cooling air cleanliness is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The debris separator is divided into multiple chambers (first chamber, second chamber, third chamber) with distinct functions: the first chamber receives cooling air and forces it through a circuitous path for debris separation, the second chamber stores separated debris, and the third chamber receives clean cooling air. This segmentation allows each chamber to perform a specific function, improving debris removal effectiveness while keeping each individual chamber relatively simple in structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The debris separator extracts and removes debris particulates from the cooling air stream by forcing the air through a circuitous path that causes debris to separate from the airflow. The separated debris is then stored in the second chamber, effectively taking the harmful debris out of the cooling system before the air reaches the blade outer air seal.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If cooling air is forced to take circuitous path for debris separation, then debris removal effectiveness is improved, but pressure ratio increases
Solution Approach 1:
The debris separator performs preliminary debris removal from the cooling air before the air reaches the blade outer air seal and turbine components. By forcing the cooling air through a circuitous path in the first chamber, debris is separated and stored in the second chamber in advance, preventing debris from causing damage downstream while minimizing pressure ratio increase.
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 debris separator significantly improves the cleanliness of the cooling air, reducing the risk of premature failures and maintaining the efficiency of the gas turbine engine by effectively removing debris from the cooling air stream.
Implementation Method 1
a component within the chamber forcing cooling air with debris particulates entering the chamber via an inlet opening of the plurality of inlet openings to take a circuitous path thereby separating the debris particulates from the cooling air
Data Source
AI summary
An accessible debris separator for a gas turbine engine is provided. The accessible debris separator including a chamber formed by a entrance wall, an exit wall, an inner wall, and an outer wall; a plurality of inlet openings in the entrance wall; a plurality of outlet openings in the exit wall; and a component within the chamber, the component forcing cooling air with debris particulates entering the chamber via an inlet opening of the plurality of inlet openings to take a circuitous path thereby separating the debris particulates from the cooling air prior to the cooling air exiting the chamber via an outlet opening of the plurality of outlet openings.