Inverted Turbulators for Stator-Rotor Gas Leakage Containment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Turbine engines face significant challenges in reducing hot gas leakage from the stator-rotor assembly gaps, leading to energy loss and potential damage to components, with existing solutions like coolant air being costly and inefficient, particularly when compressor systems fail to provide sufficient purge air pressure.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of a pattern of inverted turbulators on the stator or rotor surfaces adjacent to the gaps, which impedes gas flow by creating local vortices that restrict leakage, thereby reducing the need for coolant air and maintaining engine efficiency.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If coolant air is used to reduce hot gas leakage, then hot gas leakage is reduced, but energy loss increases due to the cost of diverting compressor air
Solution Approach 1:
The inverted turbulators create vortices that automatically restrict hot gas leakage through the gap between stator and rotor. The system uses the kinetic energy of the leaking gas itself to generate vortices that contain the flow, eliminating the need for external coolant air supply and its associated energy costs.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention converts the harmful hot gas leakage flow into a beneficial vortex flow that helps contain the gas. The kinetic energy of the leaking gas is transformed into rotational vortices through the inverted turbulators, which then act to restrict further leakage and protect downstream components.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If compressor systems are used to provide purge air pressure, then hot gas leakage is reduced, but reliability decreases when compressor systems fail to provide sufficient pressure
Solution Approach 1:
The inverted turbulators create vortices that automatically restrict hot gas leakage through the gap between stator and rotor. The system uses the kinetic energy of the leaking gas itself to generate vortices that contain the flow, eliminating the need for external coolant air supply and its associated energy costs.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention extracts the dependency on compressor purge air systems by implementing a passive vortex generation mechanism. The inverted turbulators directly interact with the leaking gas to create containing vortices, removing the need for active compressor air supply and improving system reliability.
3Ease of operation
If gaps are maintained at the stator-rotor interface, then ease of operation is improved, but hot gas leakage increases into wheel-space
Solution Approach 1:
The inverted turbulators are placed specifically at the stator-rotor interface gap region where hot gas leakage occurs. This localized feature modifies the flow characteristics only in the critical leakage path, allowing gaps to be maintained for operational ease while preventing hot gas intrusion into the wheel-space through vortex containment.
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 use of inverted turbulators effectively minimizes hot gas leakage into undesirable regions, reducing energy loss and component damage, while maintaining overall engine efficiency and adaptability to various designs, including lower-temperature gases.
Implementation Method 1
The inverted turbulators create vortices that restrict flow through the gap
Data Source
AI summary
A stator-rotor assembly which includes at least one interface region between the stator and rotor is described. At least one stator or rotor surface in the interface region includes a pattern of inverted turbulators. The inverted turbulators restrict gas flow through a gap between the stator and the rotor. Various turbomachines which can contain such a stator-rotor assembly are also described. The disclosure also discusses methods to restrict gas flow through gaps in a stator-rotor assembly utilizing the inverted turbulators.