Turbine Bucket Platform Serpentine Cooling Channel Design
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing turbine bucket cooling arrangements for gas turbine engines are costly to manufacture and require excessive cooling medium, leading to inefficiencies and reduced component lifetime due to high thermal stresses from hot combustion gases.
Innovation Solution
A turbine bucket design featuring a serpentine cooling channel within the platform, with film cooling holes and a single cooling input, reduces manufacturing complexity and minimizes cooling medium usage while effectively cooling the platform and adjacent components.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Temperature
If traditional platform cooling arrangements (film cooling holes or cored platform) are used, then cooling effect is achieved, but manufacturing complexity and cost increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The cooling system is segmented into multiple serpentine channels within the platform, allowing cooling air to flow through distinct pathways that cover different regions of the platform. This segmentation enables effective cooling without requiring complex external cooling structures, as the cooling function is distributed throughout the platform interior.
Solution Approach 2:
The serpentine cooling channels are nested within the platform structure itself, utilizing the internal volume of the platform for cooling purposes. This nesting approach eliminates the need for separate external cooling components while achieving comprehensive platform cooling, thereby reducing manufacturing complexity.
2Temperature
If traditional platform cooling arrangements are used, then cooling effect is achieved, but excessive cooling medium is required
Solution Approach 1:
The serpentine cooling channels provide continuous cooling coverage across the entire platform surface through a single integrated flow path. Cooling air enters once and continuously flows through the serpentine channels, ensuring uniform temperature distribution without requiring multiple separate cooling streams or excessive cooling medium volume.
Solution Approach 2:
The cooling approach transitions from localized point cooling (film holes) or simple cavity cooling to a two-dimensional serpentine network within the platform. This dimensional expansion of the cooling architecture allows efficient heat removal across the entire platform surface using a single cooling air input, optimizing cooling medium utilization.
3Device complexity
If serpentine cooling channel is implemented, then manufacturing complexity is reduced, but cooling effectiveness must be maintained
Solution Approach 1:
The serpentine cooling channels incorporate curved and serpentine pathways rather than straight linear channels. This curvature increases the effective cooling surface area within the platform and improves heat transfer efficiency, maintaining cooling effectiveness while using a simpler single-channel architecture compared to multiple complex cooling systems.
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 serpentine cooling channel design enhances the operational lifetime of turbine buckets by reducing thermal distress and maintaining efficient operation with reduced cooling medium losses, thereby lowering costs and extending component lifespan.
Implementation Method 1
a serpentine cooling channel (280) positioned within the platform (130)
Implementation Method 2
cooling the platform (130) and adjacent components
Implementation Method 3
Cooling air may be introduced into a hollow cavity of the shank portion and then may be directed through the film cooling holes to cool the platform in the localized region of the holes
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3
Figure 4~5
AI summary
The present application provides a turbine bucket 100 for use with a gas turbine engine 10. The turbine bucket 100 may include a platform 130, an airfoil 100 extending from the platform 130, and a number of cooling circuits 96 extending through the platform and the airfoil. One of the cooling circuits 96 may be a serpentine cooling channel positioned within the platform 130.