Multi-Wall Turbine Blade Cooling Circuits
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional gas turbine systems face challenges in efficiently cooling turbine blades subjected to high temperature flows, leading to potential component failure and reduced performance.
Innovation Solution
A multi-wall turbine blade cooling system incorporating a leading edge, mid-blade, and trailing edge serpentine cooling circuits, utilizing a lower total amount of cooling air to effectively distribute and reuse cooling flow, enhancing the efficiency and output of the gas turbine engine.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of energy
If conventional cooling channels are used in turbine blades, then cooling coverage is provided, but cooling air consumption is high and cooling effectiveness is insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The cooling system is divided into multiple independent serpentine circuits (leading edge circuit, first mid-blade circuit, second mid-blade circuit, trailing edge circuit) that operate separately. Each circuit is optimized for its specific region, allowing precise cooling control and reducing overall cooling air consumption while maintaining effective cooling coverage throughout the blade structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The cooling channels are configured in serpentine patterns that traverse multiple dimensions within the blade walls (pressure side walls and suction side walls). This multi-dimensional path arrangement increases the effective cooling surface area and improves cooling effectiveness without requiring proportional increases in cooling air flow.
2Power
If higher temperature flows are used to increase performance, then power output increases, but component failure risk increases due to overheating
Solution Approach 1:
Different regions of the blade receive customized cooling through dedicated serpentine circuits. The leading edge circuit cools the high-heat-flux leading edge region, mid-blade circuits address intermediate regions, and the trailing edge circuit handles the trailing edge thermal loads. This localized cooling approach allows the blade to withstand higher overall temperatures while preventing localized thermal failure.
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 described cooling system increases the output and efficiency of the gas turbine engine by efficiently cooling the multi-wall blade using a reduced amount of cooling air, thereby allowing operation at higher temperatures while maintaining effective heat management.
Implementation Method 1
Cooling air provided by, for example, a compressor of a gas turbine system may be passed through the internal cooling channels to cool the turbine blades
Implementation Method 2
The near wall cooling channels are typically small, requiring less cooling flow, while still maintaining enough velocity for effective cooling to occur
Data Source
AI summary
A cooling system according to an embodiment includes: a leading edge cooling circuit including a pressure side serpentine circuit and a suction side serpentine circuit; a first mid-blade cooling circuit including a suction side serpentine circuit; a second mid-blade cooling circuit including a pressure side serpentine circuit; a trailing edge cooling circuit; and at least one air feed for supplying cooling air to the leading edge cooling circuit, the first mid-blade cooling circuit, the second mid-blade cooling circuit, and the trailing edge cooling circuit.