Turbomachine Air Intake Swirler with Aerodynamic Deflector
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current turbomachine injection systems face inefficiencies in air supply quality, leading to suboptimal mixing of air and fuel, which affects the overall performance of the combustion chamber and thermodynamic cycle.
Innovation Solution
The introduction of an air intake swirl with an aerodynamic deflector that extends radially outward from the downstream wall, featuring a concavity towards the upstream, to better manage air flow and reduce pressure drops, along with fins that create air inlet channels with radially outer inlets and inner outlets, and a second air intake swirl arranged axially between the sleeve and bowl.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional air intake spirals are used, then the structure is simple, but the air supply quality is insufficient leading to suboptimal mixing
Solution Approach 1:
The air intake spiral is divided into multiple functional zones: an aerodynamic deflector section that guides airflow, and a swirling section with fins that generate rotation. This segmentation allows each zone to perform its specific function optimally, improving air supply quality while keeping the overall structure manageable through modular design.
Solution Approach 2:
The aerodynamic deflector acts as an intermediary element between the combustion chamber and the air intake spiral. It preconditions the airflow by reducing turbulence and guiding it smoothly into the spiral, thereby improving the quality of air supplied to the mixing process without requiring complete redesign of the entire injection system.
2Reliability
If air intake spirals with fins are used, then mixing is improved, but pressure drops increase
Solution Approach 1:
The aerodynamic deflector performs preliminary airflow conditioning before the air enters the finned swirling section. By pre-guiding and smoothing the airflow, it reduces the energy losses that would otherwise occur when air encounters the fins, thereby maintaining mixing quality while reducing overall pressure drop.
Solution Approach 2:
The aerodynamic deflector features a curved, aerodynamic profile that smoothly guides airflow around the air intake spiral. This curved geometry reduces flow separation and turbulence, minimizing pressure losses while still enabling effective air-fuel mixing through the finned section.
3Productivity
If the aerodynamic deflector extends radially outward, then air flow management is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The aerodynamic deflector serves multiple functions simultaneously: it guides airflow into the spiral, reduces incoming turbulence, and preconditions the air before it reaches the finned section. This multi-functionality improves air flow efficiency without requiring additional separate components, thereby limiting the increase in device complexity.
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 enhances the performance of the turbomachine combustion chamber by improving air supply quality and thermodynamic efficiency, specifically by optimizing the air flow and pressure management within the injection system.
Implementation Method 1
an aerodynamic deflector (120) which extends the downstream wall (104) radially outwards to a free end (122) of the aerodynamic deflector (120), and which has a concavity facing upstream so that the aerodynamic deflector (120) extends radially opposite the respective inlets (110) of the air intake channels (108)
Implementation Method 2
Each spiral 56, 58 thus comprises an annular row of fins inclined so as to rotate the airflow 64 and thereby improve the atomization of the fuel jet from the fuel injection nozzle 54
Implementation Method 3
some of this fuel flows in liquid form over the inner surface of the venturi 62 and is sheared by the swirling air at the downstream end of the venturi 62
Data Source
Figure 1~3
Figure 2
Figure 4
AI summary
An air intake swirler (100, 200) for a turbomachine injection system (70) comprises an upstream wall (102, 202) and a downstream wall (104, 204), both of revolution about an axis (44) of the air intake swirler, and fins (106, 206) distributed about the axis (44) and connecting the upstream wall to the downstream wall so as to delimit, between the upstream wall and the downstream wall, air inlet channels (108, 208) each having an inlet (110, 210) and an outlet (112, 212).The swirler comprises two aerodynamic deflectors (120, 220) that respectively extend the downstream walls (104, 204) radially outward and that have a concavity oriented upstream. The aerodynamic deflectors extend radially facing the respective inlets (110, 210) of the air inlet channels and thus make it possible to limit the loss of pressure of the air supplied to the air inlet channels (108, 208).