Portable Induction Tempering for Turbine Nozzle Partition Repair
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional maintenance of turbine components, particularly turbine nozzle partitions, requires costly and time-consuming transportation to maintenance facilities for both minor and major repairs, with major repairs necessitating disassembly and oven tempering, which is inefficient and costly.
Innovation Solution
A portable induction-based temper system that allows for localized heating of turbine components without disassembly, using an induction member, control system, and temperature sensor to control electrical current for tempering nozzle partitions, reducing stress and improving material properties.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional furnace or oven tempering is used for major repairs, then stress relief and material property improvement are achieved, but transportation costs and time increase due to component transport to maintenance facilities
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces conventional furnace-based thermal tempering with an induction heating system that uses electromagnetic fields to generate heat directly within the workpiece. This substitution enables portable, on-site tempering operations, eliminating the need to transport heavy turbine components to centralized maintenance facilities while achieving equivalent stress relief and material property improvement
Solution Approach 2:
The invention extracts the tempering capability from fixed facility-based furnaces and integrates it into a portable induction heating system. This extraction allows the tempering function to be performed independently at the customer site, separating the tempering operation from the need for specialized facility infrastructure and component transportation
2Reliability
If conventional oven tempering is used for major repairs, then stress relief is achieved, but auxiliary hardware must be disassembled which increases complexity and cost
Solution Approach 1:
The induction heating system applies thermal energy locally to specific regions of the turbine component through targeted coil positioning and electromagnetic field concentration. This localized heating approach enables stress relief of specific affected areas without requiring disassembly of auxiliary hardware, unlike conventional furnace tempering which heats entire assemblies uniformly
Solution Approach 2:
The tempering process is segmented into targeted regional treatments rather than whole-component heating. The induction system can address specific stress-relief zones independently, allowing maintenance personnel to treat only the necessary portions of the component while leaving auxiliary hardware assembled and intact
3Reliability
If conventional furnace tempering is used, then comprehensive stress relief is achieved, but energy consumption and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces energy-intensive furnace-based thermal fields with induction heating that converts electrical energy directly into electromagnetic fields, which then generate heat internally within the workpiece through eddy currents. This substitution dramatically reduces energy consumption by eliminating heat loss to surrounding air and furnace structures, while delivering equivalent stress relief results
Solution Approach 2:
The induction heating system enables the workpiece to generate its own heat internally through electromagnetic induction, rather than relying on external furnace heating. This self-heating mechanism improves energy efficiency by directing energy directly into the component that needs tempering, minimizing energy waste and reducing overall system energy consumption
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
Enables efficient, on-site maintenance of turbine components with reduced impact on adjacent parts, minimizing transportation costs and time, and achieving stress relief and increased toughness in a more efficient manner than conventional furnace-based systems.
Implementation Method 1
induction-based temper system configured to temper nozzle partitions of a turbine
Implementation Method 2
localized heating of turbine components
Data Source
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AI summary
A turbine induction temper system 14. In one embodiment, an induction temper system for a turbine includes: an induction member 12; a control system 14 operably connected to the induction coil; and a temperature sensor 16 operably connected with the control system, wherein the control system 14 is configured to control an electrical current supplied induction member 12 in response to a temperature indicator about a component of the turbine obtained from the temperature sensor 16.