Turbine Blade Airfoil Profile Design for Flow Separation Control
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Gas turbine engine airfoils face design challenges due to flow separation, limiting the work transferred to the compressor and overall engine power capability, necessitating improvements in airfoil design to meet thermal and mechanical requirements.
Innovation Solution
A turbine blade airfoil with an external surface defined by Cartesian coordinates, extending from a platform to a tip, with specific cross-sectional profiles that incorporate axial, circumferential, and spanwise coordinates to optimize the airfoil geometry, enhancing the design conformance and performance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If conventional airfoil designs are used, then manufacturing and design simplicity is maintained, but flow separation occurs which limits work transfer and engine power capability
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies parameter changes by precisely controlling the geometric parameters of the airfoil cross-sectional profiles. The specific coordinates defining the pressure and suction sides are optimized to control flow attachment and reduce flow separation, thereby increasing work transfer capability while preventing the harmful effects of flow separation.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies local quality by optimizing different regions of the airfoil cross-section with different geometric characteristics. The leading edge, trailing edge, and various span locations each have specifically tailored coordinates that locally control flow behavior, preventing flow separation in critical regions while maximizing work transfer.
2Productivity
If airfoil design is optimized to reduce flow separation, then work transfer and power capability improve, but design complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies segmentation by defining the airfoil geometry through multiple discrete cross-sectional profiles at different span locations. Each cross-section is defined by specific Cartesian coordinates that can be independently optimized, allowing complex three-dimensional flow control to be achieved through a series of manageable two-dimensional profile definitions.
Data Source
AI summary
A turbine blade for a gas turbine engine has an airfoil including leading and trailing edges joined by spaced-apart pressure and suction sides to provide an external airfoil surface extending from a platform in a spanwise direction to a tip. The external airfoil surface is formed in substantial conformance with multiple cross-sectional profiles of the airfoil defined by a set of Cartesian coordinates set forth in Table 1, the Cartesian coordinates provided by an axial coordinate scaled by a local axial chord, a circumferential coordinate scaled by a local axial chord, and a span location.