Stepped Heat Shield for Turbine Combustor Quench Aperture
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing turbine engine combustors face challenges with high thermal stresses in quench aperture grommets and heat shields due to high temperatures, leading to inefficiencies in thermal management and potential structural issues.
Innovation Solution
The design incorporates a combustor wall with a shell and heat shield, featuring a cavity with directed air flow through impingement and effusion apertures, and a stepped heat shield configuration with a riser portion to direct air towards quench apertures, creating an air blanket for film cooling and convective cooling, thereby managing thermal stresses.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Temperature
If cooling air is directed through impingement and effusion apertures to cool the heat shield, then thermal management is improved, but thermal stresses in the heat shield and quench aperture grommets increase due to high temperatures
Solution Approach 1:
The heat shield is designed with a stepped configuration featuring different levels (first level, second level, third level) with varying thicknesses and cooling aperture distributions. This allows different regions to have optimized thermal properties - thicker sections with more cooling apertures in high-stress areas, and thinner sections in lower-stress areas, thereby managing thermal stresses locally rather than uniformly across the entire heat shield.
2Stress or pressure
If a stepped heat shield configuration is used to manage thermal stresses, then thermal management is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The heat shield is segmented into multiple stepped levels (first level, second level, third level) with distinct thicknesses and cooling aperture patterns. This segmentation allows the complex thermal management requirements to be divided into manageable zones, where each level can be independently optimized for its specific thermal and structural requirements, making the overall complex design more manufacturable and maintainable.
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 stresses and enhances thermal management by directing cooling air to critical areas, improving the durability and efficiency of the turbine engine combustor.
Implementation Method 1
The riser portion is configured to direct some of the air within the cavity out of the combustor wall to film cool the downstream run portion
Implementation Method 2
The upstream run portion is configured to direct some of the air within the cavity to effuse out of the combustor wall
Implementation Method 3
The riser portion is configured to direct at least some of the air within the cavity out of the combustor wall and towards the quench aperture
Data Source
AI summary
An assembly is provided for a turbine engine. This turbine engine assembly includes a combustor wall with a shell and a heat shield. The combustor wall defines a quench aperture therethrough. The combustor wall also defines a cavity between the shell and the heat shield. The shell defines a first aperture through which air is directed into the cavity. The heat shield includes a rail that at least partially defines a second aperture configured to direct at least some of the air within the cavity out of the combustor wall and towards the quench aperture.