Electroformed Turbine Heat Exchanger With Monolithic Duct-Rail Structure
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional heat exchangers in gas turbine engines face challenges in efficiently managing heat and maintaining clearance between rotating and stationary components, leading to potential leakage and reduced performance due to susceptibility to hoop stress and high temperatures.
Innovation Solution
An electroformed heat exchanger with a monolithic structure, comprising an electroformed carrier plate, ducts, and rails connected via cooling openings and stiffeners, formed through an additive manufacturing process like electroforming, which eliminates conventional coupling methods and distributes hoop stress, thereby enhancing resilience and reducing material usage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If conventional coupling methods are used to assemble heat exchanger components, then ease of manufacture is improved, but reliability deteriorates due to susceptibility to hoop stress and high temperatures
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple discrete heat exchanger components (ducts, rails, stiffeners) into a single monolithic electroformed structure. This integration eliminates conventional coupling methods and joints that are susceptible to hoop stress and high temperature degradation, thereby improving reliability while maintaining manufacturability through the electroforming process.
2Ease of manufacture
If discrete components are used in heat exchanger assembly, then ease of manufacture is improved, but device complexity increases due to multiple parts and coupling methods
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple discrete components into a single monolithic structure formed by electroforming. This integration reduces device complexity by eliminating the need for multiple parts and their associated coupling methods, while the electroforming process maintains ease of manufacture through direct additive formation of the complex geometry.
3Strength
If more material is used in heat exchanger construction, then strength is improved, but weight increases reducing engine efficiency
Solution Approach 1:
The electroformed monolithic structure enables local optimization of material distribution, placing material precisely where structural strength is needed to resist hoop stress and high temperatures, while minimizing material in non-critical areas. This reduces overall weight while maintaining or improving strength compared to conventional assembled structures.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs electroformed materials with optimized properties for high temperature and stress environments. The monolithic structure can incorporate material compositions and gradients tailored for specific structural requirements, achieving superior strength-to-weight ratio compared to conventional heat exchanger materials and constructions.
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 electroformed heat exchanger effectively manages heat, reduces leakage, and increases the lifespan and efficiency of gas turbine engines by distributing hoop stress and minimizing material weight, thus improving the overall performance and reliability of the engine.
Implementation Method 1
electroforming a duct over a first sacrificial element carried by a non-sacrificial carrier plate... electroforming a rail over a second sacrificial element
Data Source
AI summary
An electroformed heat exchanger suitable for use between rotating blades and seals in a stationary casing of a turbine engine. The heat exchanger comprising a non-electroformed carrier plate having a radial outer surface and a radial outer surface, an electroformed duct provided along the radial outer surface, an electroformed rail provided on the radial inner surface, and an electroformed stiffener formed by a portion of the electroformed duct and the electroformed rail.