Diverging Cooling Hole with Longitudinal Ridge for Gas Turbine
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Solution Overview
Problem
Gas turbine engine components in hot sections face increased stress and wear due to high gas path temperatures and pressures, requiring effective cooling to prevent damage, but existing cooling methods can reduce engine efficiency and increase cooling flow requirements.
Innovation Solution
A cooling hole design with a longitudinal ridge that diverges continuously from the inlet to the outlet, increasing the cross-sectional area and promoting diffusive flow, reduces flow separation and corner effects, allowing for efficient distribution of cooling fluid across hot surfaces with less flow needed.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Temperature
If conventional cooling holes are used in gas turbine engine components, then cooling function is provided, but cooling flow requirements increase and engine efficiency decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The cooling hole geometry parameters are changed by introducing a longitudinal ridge that divides the hole into lobes and creating a diverging cross-sectional area from inlet to outlet. This parameter modification enables diffusive flow pattern that improves cooling efficiency and reduces the quantity of cooling air required, thereby maintaining engine efficiency while achieving effective cooling.
2Temperature
If conventional cooling holes are used in gas turbine engine components, then cooling function is provided, but service life and reliability decrease due to high temperature stress
Solution Approach 1:
The cooling hole geometry is modified with a longitudinal ridge creating lobes and a diverging cross-sectional area, which establishes diffusive flow. This parameter change improves the cooling effectiveness and temperature distribution across the component surface, reducing thermal stress and thereby extending service life and improving reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The longitudinal ridge creates localized lobes within the cooling hole that distribute cooling fluid to different regions. This local structural variation ensures more uniform cooling across the component surface, preventing hot spots and reducing localized thermal stress that would compromise reliability.
3Temperature
If conventional cooling holes are used, then cooling is achieved, but flow separation and corner effects increase
Solution Approach 1:
The cooling hole cross-sectional area is designed to diverge continuously from inlet to outlet, and a longitudinal ridge is introduced to divide the flow into lobes. This parameter modification creates a diffusive flow pattern that eliminates flow separation and corner effects, simplifying the flow pattern while maintaining effective cooling.
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 design enhances the service life and reliability of gas turbine engine components by maintaining efficiency while reducing the cooling flow requirements, ensuring effective heat management and minimizing flow separation.
Implementation Method 1
The cooling hole diverges through the gas path wall, such that cross-sectional area of the cooling hole increases continuously from the inlet through the cooling hole to the outlet
Data Source
AI summary
A component for a gas turbine engine includes a gas path wall having a first surface, a second surface exposed to hot gas flow, and a cooling hole extending through the gas path wall. The cooling hole includes an inlet formed in the first surface, an outlet formed in the second surface, cooling hole surfaces that define the cooling hole between the inlet and the outlet, and a longitudinal ridge formed along at least one of the cooling hole surfaces. The longitudinal ridge separates the cooling hole into first and second lobes. The cooling hole diverges through the gas path wall, such that cross-sectional area of the cooling hole increases continuously from the inlet through the cooling hole to the outlet.