Turbine Blade Trailing Edge Cooling Circuit with Flow Reuse
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Solution Overview
Problem
Traditional trailing edge cooling circuits in turbine blades inefficiently use coolant by exhausting it after a single pass, failing to maximize its heat capacity for further cooling of the airfoil and blade sections.
Innovation Solution
A trailing edge cooling circuit with flow reuse, where the coolant is collected and reused to cool other sections of the multi-wall airfoil and turbine blade, including the pressure and suction sides, as well as other cooling circuits within the blade, such as tip and platform areas, through a network of internal cavities and film holes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of energy
If coolant is exhausted after a single pass through the trailing edge cooling circuit, then the cooling structure is simple, but the heat capacity of the coolant is not maximized and cooling efficiency is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent recovers the coolant after it passes through the trailing edge cooling circuit by collecting it in a cavity and redirecting it through additional cooling passages. Instead of discarding the coolant after single-use, the system recovers it and reuses it to cool other sections of the airfoil, thereby maximizing its heat capacity utilization and reducing energy loss.
Solution Approach 2:
The coolant is designed to perform multiple cooling functions by flowing through different circuits. The same coolant stream first cools the trailing edge and then is redirected to cool the pressure side, suction side, or tip regions, making the coolant serve multiple purposes and maximizing its thermal energy utilization throughout the airfoil structure.
2Productivity
If coolant is reused to cool multiple sections, then cooling efficiency is enhanced, but the cooling circuit structure becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The cooling circuit is designed with nested cavities and passages where the coolant flows through sequentially arranged cooling channels. The trailing edge cooling circuit, pressure side cooling passages, and suction side cooling passages are nested within the airfoil structure, allowing the coolant to traverse multiple cooling zones in a compact, integrated configuration that enhances efficiency while managing structural complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
Multiple cooling functions are merged into a single integrated cooling system. The trailing edge cooling circuit is combined with pressure side and suction side cooling passages, allowing one coolant stream to serve multiple cooling purposes simultaneously through a unified circuit design rather than separate independent systems.
3Power
If higher temperature flows are used to increase performance, then power output increases, but the risk of component failure increases
Solution Approach 1:
The cooling system performs preliminary cooling action by establishing coolant flow through multiple passages before the hot gas flows contact the airfoil surfaces. The coolant is pre-positioned in the trailing edge, pressure side, and suction side passages to create protective thermal barriers in advance, allowing the airfoil to withstand higher temperature flows without immediate thermal damage.
Solution Approach 2:
The multi-pass cooling circuit provides beforehand thermal cushioning by allowing the coolant to absorb heat progressively as it flows through successive passages. The coolant accumulates thermal energy absorption capacity as it travels through the trailing edge and then continues to absorb heat in subsequent passages, creating a thermal buffer that protects the airfoil structure from high-temperature gas flows.
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 approach enhances the cooling efficiency of turbine blades by maximizing the heat transfer potential of the coolant, allowing it to be reused for further cooling, thereby improving the operational temperature and performance of gas turbine systems.
Implementation Method 1
Cooling air (or other suitable coolant) provided by, for example, a compressor of a gas turbine system, may be passed through and out of the cooling passages to cool various portions of the multi-wall airfoil and/or turbine blade
Implementation Method 2
Cooling air (or other suitable coolant) provided by, for example, a compressor of a gas turbine system, may be passed through and out of the cooling passages to cool various portions of the multi-wall airfoil and/or turbine blade
Data Source
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AI summary
A turbine blade airfoil 6 including cooling circuits is disclosed. The airfoil may include a first pressure side cavity 28A positioned adjacent a pressure side 8 of the airfoil, where the first pressure side cavity is configured to receive a coolant. The airfoil may also include at least one distinct pressure side cavity positioned adjacent to and fluidly coupled to the first pressure side cavity, a trailing edge 16 positioned between the pressure and a suction side, and a trailing edge cooling system positioned adjacent the trailing edge and in direct fluid communication with the first pressure side cavity 28A. The trailing edge cooling system may be configured to receive a portion of the coolant from the first pressure side cavity.