Cooling Air Manifold Splash Plate for Gas Turbine Engine
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Solution Overview
Problem
Turbine vanes in gas turbine engines often receive uneven cooling air distribution, with more air flowing to vanes near the cooling air conduit opening than to those further away, leading to inadequate cooling for vanes displaced from the opening.
Innovation Solution
A cooling air manifold splash plate with an air deflector positioned outside the conduit opening, redirecting cooling air circumferentially within the manifold to ensure even distribution to turbine vanes, utilizing struts to space the deflector and enhance flow characteristics.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If cooling air is delivered directly through the conduit opening to the vanes, then the cooling air flow rate to vanes near the opening is high, but the cooling air distribution becomes uneven with vanes further away receiving insufficient cooling
Solution Approach 1:
The splash plate divides the cooling air flow into multiple streams by redirecting air onto the struts, which then distribute air to different vane sections. This segmentation of the flow path ensures more uniform distribution across all vanes rather than direct concentrated flow to nearby vanes only
Solution Approach 2:
The struts act as intermediary elements between the cooling air conduit and the turbine vanes. The air is redirected onto the struts first, which then serve as secondary distribution points, mediating the flow to achieve more uniform coverage across the vane array
2Device complexity
If the air deflector is positioned close to the base, then the structure is compact, but the air flow redirection effectiveness is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The air deflector is positioned at an optimized distance from the base to dynamically interact with the cooling air flow. This spacing allows the deflector to effectively redirect the radial flow onto the struts while maintaining a compact overall structure, balancing spatial constraints with flow control effectiveness
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 splash plate ensures more uniform cooling air distribution across turbine vanes, improving cooling efficiency by redirecting air to cover a wider area within the manifold and reaching vanes that would otherwise receive less airflow.
Implementation Method 1
the air deflector being operative to redirect at least some of the received air circumferentially
Implementation Method 2
the air deflector is operative to direct at least some of the air provided through the aperture outwardly across an exterior surface of the struts
Data Source
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Figure 5
AI summary
Cooling air manifold splash plates and gas turbine engine systems involving such splash plates are provided. In this regard, a representative cooling air manifold splash plate (124) includes: a base (140) having an aperture (144); and an air deflector (128) supported by the base, the air deflector being positioned relative to the base to receive, from the aperture, a radial flow of gas turbine engine cooling air, the air deflector being operative to redirect at least some of the air received circumferentially.