Gas Turbine Regenerator Reinforcing Hoops Structural Integrity
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Solution Overview
Problem
Gas turbine regenerators face structural integrity issues due to internal pressure forces and thermal expansion, leading to potential material failure and limited operating temperature ranges, necessitating an improved design that can withstand thousands of heating and cooling cycles without leakage or excessive maintenance.
Innovation Solution
The design incorporates integral manifold openings with reinforcing hoops and gusset material, along with brazed stainless steel construction, to enhance structural integrity and efficiency, featuring a counter-flow heat exchanger core with alternating plates and fins, and additional side bars for reinforcement.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If traditional box-like structures with tie straps are used, then the regenerator can be manufactured with conventional techniques, but the end frame structures warp or bow under high operating pressures leading to potential material failure
Solution Approach 1:
The regenerator is divided into multiple plate-fin assemblies that are stacked and joined together. Each assembly is a self-contained unit with integrated manifolds, eliminating the need for separate end frames and tie straps that caused warping. The segmentation allows each component to be optimized independently for pressure resistance.
Solution Approach 2:
The manifold structures are merged directly with the plate-fin assemblies through integral manifold openings. This integration eliminates the need for separate connection components like tie straps and end frames, creating a unified structure that resists warping under pressure without requiring additional fastening elements.
2Productivity
If compression-fin designs are used to increase heat transfer area, then the regenerator efficiency improves, but unbalanced internal pressure-area forces develop causing the regenerator core to split apart
Solution Approach 1:
Reinforcing hoops and gusset material are strategically placed at specific locations within the plate-fin assemblies where pressure forces are most intense. The reinforcement is localized to the manifold regions and fin roots, providing strength exactly where needed without compromising the overall heat transfer efficiency of the compression-fin design.
Solution Approach 2:
The regenerator employs composite construction combining different materials with complementary properties. Stainless steel plates and fins are used for corrosion resistance and thermal conductivity, while reinforcing hoops and gussets provide additional structural strength. This composite approach allows the structure to withstand unbalanced pressure forces while maintaining heat transfer performance.
3Ease of manufacture
If conventional materials and fabrication techniques are used, then manufacturing is simpler, but the regenerator is limited in operating temperature ranges and requires excessive maintenance
Solution Approach 1:
The patent specifies precise material parameters and fabrication parameters to enable high-temperature operation. Stainless steel materials with specific compositional ranges are selected for their high-temperature strength and oxidation resistance. Fabrication parameters such as brazing temperatures and cooling rates are controlled to ensure structural integrity at elevated operating temperatures, expanding the temperature range beyond conventional designs.
4Stress or pressure
If the regenerator is designed to withstand high pressures, then compressor discharge air can be effectively heated, but thermal expansion and contraction cause significant dimensional changes requiring accommodation design
Solution Approach 1:
The regenerator design incorporates dynamic accommodation for thermal expansion and contraction. The stacked plate-fin assemblies are arranged to allow relative movement between sections, and the manifold connections are designed with flexibility to accommodate dimensional changes. This dynamic approach allows the structure to maintain pressure resistance while adapting to thermal dimensional changes without causing 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 improved design effectively addresses structural weaknesses, enabling the regenerator to operate at higher temperatures with increased efficiency and reduced maintenance costs, while maintaining structural integrity across multiple thermal cycles.
Implementation Method 1
brazed together into a complete unit comprising manifolds and a heat exchanging core
Implementation Method 2
Heat is transferred to the compressor discharge air from hot turbine exhaust gases which pass through the regenerator in heat transfer relation with the compressor discharge air
Data Source
AI summary
A regenerator core for use in a gas turbine regenerator has integral manifold openings formed in the tube plates used to make up the core and has special reinforcing elements which provide high pressure containment in critical portions of the plate-and-fin heat exchanger construction. The reinforcing elements include a series of hoops of U-shaped cross section which are used to bridge the juncture lines of the heat exchanger manifolds. An outer channel region of the hoops is provided with a reinforcing strip of gusset material. The hoops with their reinforcing strips provide structural reinforcement in the region between the manifolds and the conventional side bar reinforcing members in the central core section.