Gas Turbine Rotor Cooling via Rim Cavity Airflow
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Gas turbine engine components, particularly rotor assemblies, face challenges in maintaining optimal temperature ranges due to thermal gradients, which existing cooling methods do not adequately address, leading to reduced efficiency and service life.
Innovation Solution
A rotor assembly with a rotor disc, radially extending blades, and a cover plate defining a rim cavity with airflow openings through the rotor disc arm, allowing air to flow in and thermally condition the rotor disc and cover plate, utilizing an outer arm flange to retain the cover plate and enhance thermal conditioning.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Temperature
If cooling airflow is directed through internal passages of turbine components, then thermal conditioning is improved, but device complexity increases due to additional internal structures
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts the cooling function from complex internal passages and relocates it to a simplified external rim cavity structure. The rim cavity serves as an external cooling chamber that receives cooling airflow through openings in the rotor disc, eliminating the need for complex internal cooling passages while maintaining effective thermal conditioning of the rotor disc and cover plate.
2Reliability
If thermal conditioning is enhanced to reduce thermal gradients, then component reliability is improved, but energy consumption increases due to additional cooling airflow requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The invention segments the cooling system into distinct functional zones: the rim cavity serves as a dedicated cooling chamber, airflow openings provide controlled access to cooling air, and the cover plate with protrusion creates localized cooling regions. This segmentation allows efficient thermal conditioning with optimized airflow distribution, reducing overall energy consumption compared to uniform cooling approaches.
3Temperature
If a cover plate is added to define the rim cavity, then thermal conditioning capability is improved, but device complexity increases due to additional components
Solution Approach 1:
The cover plate serves multiple functions simultaneously: it defines the rim cavity boundary, provides mounting surface for the rotor blades, works with the outer arm flange to retain the cover plate, and facilitates cooling airflow distribution. The outer arm flange also serves dual purposes of structural support and cover plate retention. This multi-functionality reduces the need for separate dedicated cooling components.
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
This configuration effectively reduces thermal gradients by enhancing thermal conditioning, thereby improving the service life and efficiency of gas turbine engine components.
Implementation Method 1
a plurality of airflow openings extending into the cavity to allow a flow of air into the rotor cavity to thermally condition the rotor disc and the cover plate at the rotor cavity
Implementation Method 2
thermally conditioning the rotor disc and/or the cover plate at the rim cavity via a thermal energy exchange between the airflow and the rotor disc and/or the cover plate
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3
AI summary
A rotor assembly for a gas turbine engine (10) includes a rotor disc (28) having an axially extending rotor disc arm (44) and a plurality of rotor blades (26) extending radially outwardly from the rotor disc. A cover plate (40) is located at an axial face of the rotor disc and at least partially retained at a rotor disc arm. The rotor disc and cover plate define a rotor cavity (52). A plurality of airflow openings (54) extend into the cavity to allow a flow of air into the rotor cavity to thermally condition the rotor disc and the cover plate at the rotor cavity.