Integral Casing Thermal Control Rings for Gas Turbine Clearance
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional gas turbine engine casings face issues with excessive deformation and thermal expansion, leading to undesired contact with turbine rotors, which affects performance and operability, and are often heavy due to the need for separable flanges and additional assembly parts that inhibit effective thermal control.
Innovation Solution
A gas turbine engine design featuring a unitary, integral casing structure with thermal control rings and a manifold system formed through additive manufacturing, eliminating flanges and sub-assemblies to reduce weight and enhance thermal control, while allowing for improved clearance control and heat transfer efficiency.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If separable flanges and additional assembly parts are used in conventional casings, then the casing can be assembled and disassembled, but the weight of the engine increases and thermal control effectiveness is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the casing structure with thermal control rings and manifold portions into a unitary, integral structure formed through additive manufacturing. This integration eliminates the need for separate flanges and assembly parts, directly reducing engine weight while maintaining structural functionality and thermal control effectiveness.
2Ease of manufacture
If separable flanges are used in conventional casings, then the casing can be assembled, but the deformation and displacement control during engine operation is insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The integral structure combines the casing, thermal control rings, and manifold portions into a single unitary component. This merging creates a more rigid and stable structure that better resists deformation and displacement during engine operation and thermal cycling, while the integrated thermal control features actively manage thermal expansion.
3Ease of manufacture
If conventional casing designs with flanges are used, then the casing can be assembled, but the inclusion and placement of thermal control structures is inhibited
Solution Approach 1:
The patent integrates thermal control rings and manifold portions directly into the casing structure as a unitary component. This merging allows thermal control features to be precisely positioned and optimally configured within the casing, improving thermal control effectiveness while eliminating the need for separate assembly parts.
Solution Approach 2:
The additive manufacturing process enables local optimization of the integral structure, allowing thermal control rings and manifold portions to be strategically positioned and shaped in specific areas where they are most needed for thermal management, rather than using uniform conventional designs.
4Weight of moving object
If unitary integral structure with additive manufacturing is used, then the weight is reduced and thermal control is improved, but the manufacturing process complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces traditional mechanical manufacturing and assembly processes with additive manufacturing technology. This substitution enables the creation of complex integral structures with internal thermal control features that would be difficult or impossible to manufacture using conventional methods, while actually simplifying the overall manufacturing by eliminating multiple assembly steps.
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 design achieves reduced weight, improved thermal control, and enhanced engine efficiency by positioning thermal control rings radially and axially to mitigate deformation and thermal gradients, ensuring optimal clearance control and heat transfer without the need for additional assembly parts.
Implementation Method 1
excessive deformation, thermal expansion or contraction, or bowing may result in excessive rub and undesired contact with the turbine rotors
Implementation Method 2
a plurality of walls forming thermal control rings extended outward along the radial direction from the outer casing wall
Data Source
AI summary
A gas turbine engine including a first turbine rotor assembly having a plurality of first turbine rotor blades extended within a gas flowpath, and a second turbine rotor assembly positioned aft along the gas flowpath of the first turbine rotor assembly. The second turbine rotor assembly is rotatably separate from the first turbine rotor assembly. A casing surrounds the first turbine rotor assembly. The casing has a unitary, integral outer casing wall extended forward of the first turbine rotor assembly and aft of the first turbine rotor assembly. The casing includes a plurality of vanes extended from the outer casing wall and through the gas flowpath aft of the first turbine rotor assembly and forward of the second turbine rotor assembly. The casing includes a plurality of walls forming thermal control rings extended outward along the radial direction from the outer casing wall. The outer casing wall and the thermal control rings is a unitary, integral structure.