Rotary Machine Endwall Cooling Serpentine Core Design
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing hot gas path components in rotary machines face challenges with inefficient cooling due to direct fluid flow through pin banks, leading to increased thermal stresses and degradation, and difficulty in modulating pressure drop in serpentine or circuitous passages.
Innovation Solution
A serpentine core design with split pass inlets, multiple passes, and turns is introduced, allowing cooling fluid to flow in a serpentine path with adjustable pressure drop, enhancing heat transfer and circulation, and incorporating core ties for temperature replenishment and inspection access.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If cooling fluid is channeled directly through pin banks to exit openings, then the cooling system is simple, but the cooling efficiency is reduced and thermal stresses increase
Solution Approach 1:
The cooling passage is divided into multiple segments including first and second passes with turns between them, creating a serpentine configuration. This segmentation increases the cooling fluid's contact time and surface area interaction with the endwall, thereby improving cooling efficiency while maintaining a manageable structural complexity through modular passage design.
2Reliability
If serpentine or circuitous passages are used to channel cooling fluid through the endwall, then cooling efficiency is improved, but difficulty in modulating pressure drop occurs
Solution Approach 1:
The passage configuration includes adjustable elements that allow dynamic modulation of pressure drop. The serpentine geometry with turns and varying passage sections can be designed with adjustable components enabling operators to optimize pressure drop characteristics based on operational requirements, thereby maintaining cooling efficiency while improving ease of operation.
3Power
If higher temperature gases are used to increase performance and efficiency, then power output increases, but thermal stresses and thermal degradation of components increase
Solution Approach 1:
A cooling fluid serves as an intermediary substance that absorbs heat from the hot gas path components. The serpentine passage allows this cooling fluid to circulate through the endwall, extracting thermal energy and transferring it away from the component, thereby enabling higher operating temperatures to be sustained without excessive thermal stress or degradation.
4Device complexity
If a single inlet opening is used for serpentine passages, then the structure is simple, but pressure drop modulation is difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The inlet structure is segmented into multiple inlet openings that feed into different sections of the serpentine passage. This segmentation allows independent control and modulation of pressure drop across different passage sections, enabling optimized flow distribution and pressure characteristics while maintaining relatively simple individual inlet structures.
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 serpentine core design effectively increases heat transfer between the cooling fluid and the hot gas path components, reduces thermal stresses, and maintains pressure equal to combustion gases, improving the efficiency and longevity of rotary machine components.
Implementation Method 1
The serpentine core design effectively increases heat transfer between the cooling fluid and the hot gas path components
Implementation Method 2
at least some known cores are formed with an inlet opening that channels the cooling fluid into the core and directs the cooling fluid to impinge on internal surfaces of the core, thus increasing cooling of the endwall
Data Source
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AI summary
A core (300) for use in cooling a component (207) used in a rotary machine (100) is provided. The core (300) includes a passage (600) including a divider (620) separating a first inlet portion (606) and a second inlet portion (608) to define a split pass inlet (610), which is fluidly coupled to at least one first pass (612), at least one second pass (614), and at least one turn (616). The at least one first pass (612) channels a flow of cooling fluid in a first direction (630) from the split pass inlet (610). The at least one second pass (614) channels the flow of cooling fluid in a second direction (632) opposite the first direction (630). The at least one turn (616) changes a direction of flow of the cooling fluid from the first direction (630) to the second direction (632). The at least one first pass (612), the at least one second pass (614), and the at least one turn (616) are arranged, such that the passage (600) defines a serpentine passage (600).