Integrally Formed Transition Nozzle Cooling via Effusion
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Gas turbine systems face leakage issues between the combustor and turbine, leading to decreased performance and emissions efficiency, and increased operating temperatures shorten the useful life of the system, while traditional seal maintenance is inefficient and costly.
Innovation Solution
A transition nozzle with an integrally formed transition and nozzle portion, featuring a plurality of openings for air cooling, which facilitates effusion and film cooling across the nozzle, allowing the combustor to operate at higher temperatures and improve emissions capabilities.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-generated harmful factors
If seals are installed between combustor and turbine to reduce leakage, then emissions capability is improved, but seal maintenance becomes tedious and costly over time
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the seals entirely from the system by redesigning the transition nozzle geometry. The nozzle is shaped to naturally guide combustion gases from the combustor to the turbine without requiring sealing elements, thereby eliminating the maintenance burden while still preventing harmful leakage.
Solution Approach 2:
The transition nozzle is integrated directly into the combustor-turbine interface, combining the flow guidance function with the structural connection. This merging eliminates the need for separate seal components while maintaining effective gas flow control between the combustor and turbine.
2Object-generated harmful factors
If operating temperature is increased to improve emissions capability, then emissions performance is improved, but useful life of combustor and turbine decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The transition nozzle incorporates localized cooling channels that deliver cooling fluid to specific high-temperature zones within the nozzle structure. This allows the combustor to operate at high temperatures for improved emissions while the nozzle itself remains protected through localized thermal management.
Solution Approach 2:
The transition nozzle acts as a thermal intermediary between the high-temperature combustor and the turbine. By incorporating cooling channels and using thermally resistant materials, the nozzle protects downstream components from excessive heat while allowing the combustor to maintain high operating temperatures for emissions control.
3Object-generated harmful factors
If multiple seals are installed to prevent leakage, then emissions capability is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent eliminates seals from the combustor-turbine interface by using a streamlined transition nozzle design. The nozzle geometry itself provides the necessary flow control and sealing function, removing multiple seal components and simplifying the overall device structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The transition nozzle integrates multiple functions into a single component: flow guidance, thermal management, and sealing. This merging of functions reduces device complexity by eliminating the need for separate seal components while maintaining effective leakage prevention.
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 cooling mechanism reduces the number of components, shortens the combustor and turbine length, lowers maintenance costs, and extends the system's operational life by enabling increased operating temperatures and improved emissions performance.
Implementation Method 1
The transition nozzle uses effusion and/or film cooling globally across the transition nozzle
Implementation Method 2
The transition nozzle uses effusion and/or film cooling globally across the transition nozzle
Data Source
AI summary
A turbine assembly includes a fuel nozzle configured to mix fuel and air and a transition nozzle oriented to receive the fuel and air mixture from the fuel nozzle. The transition nozzle includes a transition portion and a nozzle portion integrally formed with the transition portion. The transition nozzle includes a plurality of openings oriented to channel air to facilitate cooling the transition portion and/or the nozzle portion. The transition portion is oriented to channel combustion gases towards the nozzle portion.