Swirler Mount Interface for Gas Turbine Combustor
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Solution Overview
Problem
The existing methods for repairing or replacing fuel nozzle swirlers in gas turbine engines are either cumbersome due to the need for replacing entire bulkhead sections or complicated and heavy due to the use of bolts and nuts, which can also block cooling holes, posing thermal challenges.
Innovation Solution
A swirler with a threaded section and an anti-rotation lock, mountable to a bulkhead support shell via a threaded interface, allowing for easy removal and replacement while preventing axial displacement, utilizing a ramped flange and circumferentially arranged arms for secure locking.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If fuel nozzle swirler is mounted with bolts and nuts, then the connection is secure and effective, but the arrangement becomes complicated and heavy with safety wires blocking cooling holes
Solution Approach 1:
The mounting system is segmented into distinct functional components: a threaded section for secure attachment and a separate anti-rotation lock mechanism. This segmentation allows each component to perform its specific function optimally while reducing overall complexity compared to traditional bolt-and-nut assemblies with safety wires.
Solution Approach 2:
The anti-rotation lock acts as an intermediary element between the threaded mounting section and the cooling holes. It provides the necessary rotational constraint while maintaining clear pathways for cooling airflow, thereby mediating between the need for secure mounting and the requirement for unobstructed thermal management.
2Reliability
If fuel nozzle swirler is mounted with bolts and nuts, then the connection is secure, but weight increases due to fasteners and safety wires
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts and eliminates the heavy fasteners (bolts, nuts, and safety wires) from the mounting assembly, retaining only the essential threaded section integrated into the swirler body. This extraction maintains secure mounting capability while dramatically reducing the weight of the mounting hardware.
3Reliability
If traditional mounting methods are used, then the swirler is securely fixed, but repair requires replacement of entire bulkhead sections
Solution Approach 1:
The mounting system is designed as a segmented, modular interface where the swirler can be independently removed from the bulkhead support shell. The threaded section and anti-rotation lock create a self-contained mounting mechanism that allows the swirler to be serviced separately, eliminating the need to replace entire bulkhead sections during repair.
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
Facilitates the easy and secure replacement of fuel nozzle swirlers without blocking cooling holes, reducing complexity and weight, and enhancing thermal management by providing a robust and fail-safe threaded mount interface.
Implementation Method 1
A swirler is provided for a combustor of a gas turbine engine. The swirler includes a swirler outer body with a swirler threaded section defined around a swirler central longitudinal axis
Implementation Method 2
an anti-rotation lock may be included which at least partially surrounds the swirler threaded section. the anti-rotation lock may include a multiple of circumferentially arranged arms
Data Source
AI summary
A swirler for a combustor of a gas turbine engine includes a swirler outer body with a swirler threaded section defined around a swirler central longitudinal axis. A bulkhead support shell for a combustor of a gas turbine engine includes a swirler boss with a boss threaded section defined around a swirler central longitudinal axis. A combustor of a gas turbine engine includes a bulkhead support shell with a swirler boss. The combustor also includes a swirler mountable to the swirler boss at a threaded interface defined around a swirler central longitudinal axis.