Turbine Bucket Tip Plenum Cooling Flow Expulsion
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Solution Overview
Problem
Turbine buckets in gas turbine engines face challenges in achieving a sufficient pressure differential for cooling flow expulsion due to static pressures, which impede the motive force for cooling flow to be effectively exhausted into the main flow path, especially in lightly loaded turbines.
Innovation Solution
Incorporating a plenum within the tip portion of the turbine bucket, directly coupled with the cooling passage outlet, featuring at least one outlet hole proximate the trailing edge to facilitate a pressure drop and enhance the expulsion of cooling fluid into the main flow path, thereby creating a sufficient pressure differential.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Temperature
If cooling flow is routed through turbine bucket in lightly loaded turbine, then cooling function is provided, but static pressure impedes sufficient pressure differential for cooling flow expulsion
Solution Approach 1:
The tip portion of the turbine bucket is segmented into multiple functional zones: a plenum chamber volume and multiple cooling passage outlets. This segmentation allows the cooling system to create distinct pressure zones, with the plenum acting as a collection chamber that builds up cooling flow before expulsion through strategically positioned outlets, thereby overcoming the static pressure impediment in lightly loaded turbines
Solution Approach 2:
The plenum chamber serves as an intermediary element between the cooling passages and the main flow path. It collects cooling flow from multiple passages and provides a common chamber that facilitates pressure equalization and creates the necessary pressure differential for effective cooling flow expulsion, mediating between the cooling system and the external environment
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 ensures effective expulsion of cooling fluid into the main flow path, enhancing the cooling efficiency and motive force, even in lightly loaded turbines by managing static pressures and creating a favorable pressure differential.
Implementation Method 1
facilitate a pressure drop and enhance the expulsion of cooling fluid into the main flow path, thereby creating a sufficient pressure differential
Data Source
AI summary
A turbine bucket includes a leading edge, a trailing edge, a root portion, and a tip portion. The turbine bucket also includes one or more cooling passages extending through a body of the turbine bucket from an inlet to an outlet. The cooling passages are configured to route a cooling flow of fluid through the turbine bucket. The turbine bucket further includes a plenum defined within the tip portion to receive the fluid from the outlet of the cooling passages for expulsion of the cooling flow of fluid into a main flow path via at least one outlet hole proximate the trailing edge of the turbine bucket.