Gas Turbine Mixer Retention via Segmented Panel
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional mixer mounting techniques, such as brazing and mechanical attachment, are impractical due to packaging constraints and high maintenance costs, especially when mixers need to be replaced or serviced, as they often require the entire liner and mixer to be discarded upon failure or degradation.
Innovation Solution
A method and system where a panel is bolted to the mixer and liner, allowing for easy decoupling and recoupling, enabling separate servicing and replacement of mixers without affecting the liner, using a panel with a conical surface to provide a robust sealing mechanism and eliminating the need for retaining rings and complex welding operations.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional mounting techniques (brazing or mechanical attachment) are used to mount mixers to bulkheads, then the mixers can be securely retained, but the maintenance cost increases and the entire liner and mixer must be discarded upon failure
Solution Approach 1:
The bulkhead is segmented into a stationary portion and a removable panel portion. The mixer is mounted to the removable panel, which can be detached without removing the entire bulkhead or liner. This segmentation allows the mixer to be serviced independently, reducing maintenance costs and eliminating the need to discard the entire liner assembly.
2Reliability
If conventional mounting techniques are used, then secure retention is achieved, but packaging space is constrained and flexibility in mixer sizing and location is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
By dividing the bulkhead into stationary and removable panel portions, the design allows flexible arrangement of mixers on the removable panel without compromising the structural integrity of the stationary bulkhead. This enables better packaging optimization and adaptability in mixer sizing and location.
Solution Approach 2:
The removable panel introduces dynamic reconfigurability to the system. Mixers can be easily added, removed, or repositioned on the panel, allowing the packaging arrangement to adapt to different mixer sizes and configurations while maintaining secure retention during operation.
3Reliability
If the entire liner and mixer are discarded upon failure, then reliability is maintained through replacement, but loss of substance increases and maintenance costs rise
Solution Approach 1:
The system is divided into reusable stationary components (bulkhead, liner) and replaceable modular components (removable panel with mixer). When the mixer fails, only the small removable panel needs to be replaced, not the entire liner assembly. This dramatically reduces material waste and maintenance costs while maintaining system reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The design enables selective discarding of only the failed mixer and its small mounting panel, while recovering and reusing the expensive liner and bulkhead structures. This selective replacement minimizes material waste and reduces maintenance expenses.
Data Source
Figure 1A
Figure 1B
Figure 2A
AI summary
Aspects of the disclosure are directed to methods and systems associated with a gas turbine engine of an aircraft. In some embodiments, a surface of a liner 208 of the gas turbine engine is coupled to a fuel/air mixer 202, and a surface of a panel 204 of the engine is coupled to the mixer 202 such that a portion of the mixer 202 is disposed between the liner surface and the panel surface.