Gas Turbine Trailing Edge Ejection Holes Cooling Circuit
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Solution Overview
Problem
Gas turbine engines face challenges in effectively cooling high-temperature components like the high pressure turbine, where existing cooling methods may not adequately manage the temperature differences and airflow dynamics to enhance efficiency and durability.
Innovation Solution
The design incorporates a cooling circuit within the airfoil with trailing edge ejection holes featuring a circumferentially radiused inlet, converging, metering, and diverging sections to accelerate and decelerate the cooling fluid flow, optimizing the airflow and heat dissipation through a span-wise direction from the root to the tip of the airfoil.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Temperature
If conventional cooling circuits are used in turbine blades, then cooling air can be routed through the blade, but the cooling efficiency is insufficient to adequately manage the extreme temperature differences (1000°C to 2000°C turbine temperature vs. 500°C to 700°C cooling air temperature)
Solution Approach 1:
The cooling circuit is divided into multiple dedicated cooling circuits, each serving specific portions of the turbine blade (leading edge, trailing edge, tip). This segmentation allows each circuit to be optimized for its specific thermal requirements, improving overall cooling efficiency without requiring a single complex circuit to handle all temperature zones.
Solution Approach 2:
Different portions of the turbine blade are provided with tailored cooling solutions through dedicated cooling circuits. Each circuit is designed with specific passage configurations and ejection hole arrangements suited to the local thermal conditions of that blade region, enabling optimized heat dissipation where most needed.
2Use of energy by moving object
If cooling air is ducted from compressors to turbine components, then temperature differences can be utilized for cooling, but the airflow dynamics and temperature management remain challenging to optimize
Solution Approach 1:
The cooling air is pre-conditioned and directed through specifically designed passages before reaching the turbine blade surfaces. The cooling circuits are configured to distribute the cooling air in advance to various blade portions, ensuring optimal temperature management before the hot gas contact occurs.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent utilizes fluid dynamics principles to design the cooling passages and ejection holes, optimizing the flow of cooling air through the blade structure. The pneumatic design of the cooling circuits maximizes the effectiveness of the cooling air in removing heat from the turbine blade surfaces.
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 cooling efficiency by accelerating the cooling fluid flow into the ejection holes and decelerating it upon exit, improving the thermal management of the turbine blades and reducing the airfoil wake, thereby increasing the engine's operational efficiency and longevity.
Implementation Method 1
The cooling circuit includes a circumferentially radiused inlet section, a converging section, a metering section, and a diverging section that accelerates the flow of cooling fluid into the trailing edge ejection holes and decelerates the flow of cooling fluid exiting the trailing edge ejection holes
Data Source
AI summary
An apparatus and method for an airfoil for a gas turbine engine includes a trailing edge cooling circuit utilizing a plurality of trailing edge ejection holes. The ejection holes can include a circumferentially radiused inlet, a converging section, a metering section, and a diverging section to improve airfoil cooling as well as castability.