Strain Tolerant Combustor Panel for Gas Turbine

Resolve Bottlenecks,
Find Innovative Solutions
Generate Solutions

Solution Overview

Problem

Gas turbine combustor liner panels suffer from low durability due to local hot spots causing high stress and cracking, which existing full hoop structures with attached heat shields fail to adequately address.

Innovation Solution

The use of heat shield floatwall panels with porosity tailored on both sides and a dense central core section to increase strain tolerance and reduce thermal stress, combined with impingement and film cooling features to enhance durability.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If full hoop structures with attached heat shields are used, then heat shielding function is provided, but local hot spots cause high stress and cracking reducing durability

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvepanel durabilityVSAvoidthermal stress in hot spot areas
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSStress or pressure

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies porous materials by incorporating a porous thermal barrier coating on the heat shield panel. This porous structure reduces thermal stress concentration in hot spot areas by approximately 30%, thereby improving panel durability while maintaining heat shielding functionality. The porosity allows for stress distribution and reduces the harmful effects of localized thermal gradients.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #31Porous materials

Solution Approach 2:

The patent employs composite materials by creating a multi-layer structure consisting of a heat shield panel with a porous thermal barrier coating. This composite construction combines the heat shielding properties of the panel with the stress-mitigating characteristics of the porous coating layer, resolving the contradiction between durability and thermal stress resistance.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #40Composite materials

2Strength

If porosity is added to reduce stress, then strain tolerance increases, but fabrication complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvestrain toleranceVSAvoidfabrication process
Core Design Contradiction:
StrengthVSEase of manufacture

Solution Approach 1:

The porous thermal barrier coating is applied as a surface treatment on the heat shield panel, rather than requiring the entire panel to be manufactured with complex internal porosity. This approach increases strain tolerance while minimizing fabrication complexity by using a coatings process rather than complex structural manufacturing.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #31Porous materials

Solution Approach 2:

The patent changes the physical parameter of the thermal barrier coating by introducing porosity at controlled levels. This parameter change enhances strain tolerance and stress resistance while the degree of porosity can be optimized to balance performance with manufacturing feasibility.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

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 solution effectively reduces maximum stress range in hot spot areas by approximately 30%, improving panel durability while maintaining existing cooling schemes and minimizing fabrication costs.

Implementation Method 1

A combustor liner panel is disclosed which defines a porosity tailored hot side and a porosity tailored cold side. The porosity reduction in the central core section maximizes flow barrier properties while the porosity in the hot and cold sides minimizes stress in hot spots.

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectPorosity: Porosity

Implementation Method 2

Impingement cooling holes are provided to communicate coolant into the space between the inner and outer support shells and the heat shield floatwall panels.

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectConvection: Convection

Implementation Method 3

Impingement cooling holes are provided to communicate coolant into the space between the inner and outer support shells and the heat shield floatwall panels.

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectThermal conduction: Conduction (thermal)

Implementation Method 4

Film cooling holes are provided in the heat shield floatwall panels to reduce temperature.

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectFilm cooling:

Data Source

PatentEP2538137B1Combustor with strain tolerant combustor panel for gas turbine engine
Publication Date: 2019.02.27 UNITED TECH CORP
  • EP2538137B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP2538137B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP2538137B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

A combustor component (68, 70) of a gas turbine engine includes a substrate (80) with a cold side (76), a central core section (82) and a hot side (78), the cold side (76) and the hot side (78) have a porosity different than the central core section (82).