Turbine Inducer Profiled Throat Geometry Adjustment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional inducer designs in gas turbine engines are difficult to adjust without distorting or damaging the optimized geometry, making it challenging to achieve adequate cooling air supply and efficient performance under varying field conditions.
Innovation Solution
The design incorporates a profiled throat with a convergent-divergent nozzle geometry, allowing for adjustable minimum and maximum flow levels, enabling cost-effective machining to fine-tune the throat geometry without affecting the trailing edge outlet.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If conventional inducer design with cylindrical throat is used, then trailing edge outlet geometry is optimized for aerodynamic performance, but throat geometry cannot be adjusted without distorting or damaging the optimized outlet geometry
Solution Approach 1:
The inducer is divided into two distinct geometric sections: a cylindrical region for the outlet and a profiled throat region. This segmentation allows independent optimization and adjustment of each section, enabling throat geometry modification without affecting the trailing edge outlet geometry.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces adjustability to the throat geometry through a profiled design that can be machined to different configurations. This dynamic capability allows the inducer to adapt to varying field conditions and performance requirements while maintaining the fixed optimized outlet geometry.
2Quantity of substance
If throat is machined to enlarge for better performance, then cooling air supply is improved, but conventional cylindrical design makes adjustments impossible without distorting trailing edge geometry
Solution Approach 1:
By segmenting the inducer into a profiled throat section and a cylindrical outlet section, the patent enables independent modification of the throat area to adjust cooling air supply without impacting the precision and optimization of the trailing edge outlet geometry.
Solution Approach 2:
The profiled throat geometry allows for parameter changes in the throat area through machining adjustments. This enables optimization of cooling air supply quantity by modifying the throat cross-sectional area while keeping the outlet geometry parameters fixed and optimized.
3Ease of manufacture
If conventional inducer design is used, then manufacturing is simpler, but field adjustments require expensive and complex modifications
Solution Approach 1:
The profiled throat design incorporates built-in adjustability that allows for relatively simple field modifications. This dynamic feature reduces the complexity and cost of field adjustments compared to conventional designs, enabling cost-effective optimization after installation.
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 allows for efficient and cost-effective adjustment of the inducer throat geometry, ensuring optimal cooling air supply and engine performance without damaging the optimized geometry, outweighing potential aerodynamic performance penalties.
Implementation Method 1
The profiled throat comprises an approximate convergent-divergent nozzle geometry
Implementation Method 2
In addition, inducers reduce the pressure of the cooling air, which reduces the relative temperature of the flow
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2~3
AI summary
An inducer (140) that includes a profiled throat (144). In some embodiments, the inducer (140) includes a conical shape upstream of the profiled throat (144) with a relatively large circular inlet (142) that narrows to the profiled throat (144) and, downstream of the profiled throat (144), a downstream section that broadens from the profiled throat (144). The profiled throat (144) may include an approximate convergent-divergent nozzle geometry.