Gas Turbine Guide Vane Ring Radial Step Cooling

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Solution Overview

Problem

The guide vanes of a gas turbine's stage 1 guide vane ring, located downstream of the combustion chamber, face challenges in effective cooling due to mixing of cooling air with hot gases caused by axial and radial movements between the combustion chamber and the guide vane ring, reducing the cooling effect.

Innovation Solution

A gas turbine design featuring a segment-shaped turbine guide vane ring with radially stepped platforms that overlap with heat shingles, allowing for effective cooling air supply parallel to the platform surfaces, forming a film cooling effect and preventing hot gas mixing through a smooth, inclined surface curvature and strategically aligned cooling air openings.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Temperature

If cooling air is supplied through the interface between combustion chamber and guide vane assembly, then cooling effect is provided, but cooling air mixes with hot gas flow due to axial and radial relative movements, reducing cooling effectiveness

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecooling effectVSAvoidcooling effectiveness
Core Design Contradiction:
TemperatureVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The platform is divided into multiple sections with different functions: a first section receives cooling air, a second section forms an overlap with heat shields, and a third section transitions between them. This segmentation allows cooling air to be supplied effectively while preventing mixing with hot gases through the geometric arrangement of the segments.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The platform is designed with a radial step that creates an axial overlap with the heat shields, adding a dimensional aspect to the cooling air supply path. This three-dimensional arrangement ensures cooling air flows along the platform surface rather than mixing with hot gases in the combustion chamber.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #17Another dimension (Dimensionality change)

2Ease of manufacture

If platforms are designed with simple geometry, then manufacturing is easier, but cooling air cannot maintain contact with platform surfaces effectively, reducing film cooling

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveplatform geometryVSAvoidcooling efficiency
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of manufactureVSTemperature

Solution Approach 1:

The platform is segmented into three distinct sections with specific geometric characteristics. The first section is optimized for cooling air intake, the second section creates radial overlap with heat shields, and the third section provides smooth transition. This segmentation maintains manufacturability while achieving effective film cooling through the geometric design of each segment.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

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

Enhances cooling efficiency by maintaining cooling air in contact with the platform surfaces and reducing hot gas infiltration, thereby improving thermal protection and maintaining a sealed interface between the combustion chamber and guide vane ring.

Implementation Method 1

cooling air is supplied to the guide vane ring along the radial step of the outer platform and/or along the radial step of the inner platform... the cooling air to adhere particularly effectively to the platform, providing film cooling

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectFilm cooling:

Data Source

PatentEP3290644B1Gas turbine
Publication Date: 2020.06.03 ROLLS ROYCE DEUT LTD & CO KG
  • EP3290644B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP3290644B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP3290644B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

The invention relates to a gas turbine which has a combustion chamber (3) and a segment-shaped turbine guide vane ring (200) downstream of the combustion chamber (3) in a main flow path (5), wherein the combustion chamber (3) comprises an outer combustion chamber wall (31) and an inner combustion chamber wall (32) which are provided with heat shingles (33, 34) towards the combustion chamber, and the turbine guide vane ring (200) comprises a plurality of guide vanes (21), an outer platform (22) and an inner platform (23).It is provided that the outer platform (22) and/or the inner platform (23) forms a radial step (222, 221, 220; 232, 231, 230) towards the main flow path (4) such that the upstream end (224) of the outer platform (22) is arranged radially outside and upstream of the downstream end (331) of the heat shingles (33) of the outer combustion chamber wall (31) and/or the upstream end (234) of the inner platform (23) is arranged radially inside and upstream of the downstream end (341) of the heat shingles (34) of the inner combustion chamber wall (32), so that the outer platform (22) and heat shingles (33) of the outer combustion chamber wall (31) and/or the inner platform (23) and heat shingles (34) of the inner combustion chamber wall (32) are located in overlap in the axial direction.Furthermore, it is provided that the gas turbine is designed in such a way that cooling air is supplied to the guide vane ring (200) along the radial stage (222, 221, 220) of the outer platform (22) and/or along the radial stage (232, 231, 230) of the inner platform (23).