Turbine Casing Cooling via Liquid Metal Circulation
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Solution Overview
Problem
The existing cooling methods for turbine casings in aeroengines result in excessive air consumption from outer ducts, leading to increased total pressure loss of mainstream gas and inefficient cooling, which can cause thermal stress and reduce engine thrust.
Innovation Solution
An integral cooling system utilizing an electromagnetic pump, heat exchanger, expansion joint, and cooling pipeline filled with liquid metal or alloy, where the cooling liquid flows in a closed loop to reduce air loss and enhance cooling efficiency by circulating through the turbine casing and guide vanes, increasing the residence time of the cooling liquid within the guide vanes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Temperature
If air from outer ducts is used to cool the turbine casing through ventilation holes, then the turbine casing surface temperature is reduced, but excessive air consumption occurs resulting in excessive total pressure loss of mainstream gas
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the harmful factor (excessive air consumption from outer ducts) by introducing a separate cooling liquid circulation system that does not rely on mainstream gas. The cooling liquid is pumped through pipelines embedded in the turbine casing, extracting heat directly from the casing walls without consuming valuable mainstream air, thus resolving the contradiction between cooling effectiveness and pressure loss.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces cooling liquid as an intermediary substance to transfer heat from the turbine casing. Instead of using mainstream gas directly for cooling, the cooling liquid acts as a mediator that absorbs heat through embedded pipelines and dissipates it through the heat exchanger, thereby achieving cooling without causing pressure loss in the mainstream gas flow.
2Temperature
If excessive amount of air in outer ducts is consumed for cooling, then the turbine casing cooling effect is enhanced, but the engine thrust is reduced due to excessive total pressure loss
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the cooling function from the mainstream gas flow by implementing a separate cooling liquid circulation system. This extraction prevents the trade-off between cooling effectiveness and thrust, as the cooling liquid operates independently without consuming mainstream air that would otherwise contribute to engine thrust.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent transitions from pneumatic cooling (using gas flow) to hydraulic cooling (using liquid circulation). The electromagnetic pump drives cooling liquid through pipelines embedded in the turbine casing, providing efficient heat transfer without the pressure loss issues associated with pneumatic cooling, thereby maintaining engine thrust while achieving effective cooling.
3Stress or pressure
If the turbine casing is cooled to reduce surface temperature, then thermal stress is reduced, but the cooling system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent embeds cooling pipelines directly within the turbine casing structure, nesting the cooling system inside the component it serves. This integration reduces overall system complexity by eliminating separate external cooling components and directly incorporating the heat exchange function into the turbine casing itself, while effectively reducing thermal stress through internal cooling.
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 solution reduces air loss in outer ducts, enhances cooling efficiency, and increases engine thrust by effectively circulating cooling liquid through the turbine casing and guide vanes, ensuring uniform temperature distribution and reducing thermal stress.
Implementation Method 1
the cooling system comprises an electromagnetic pump, a heat exchanger, an expansion joint and a cooling pipeline
Implementation Method 2
another end of the expansion joint communicates with one of connecting ports of the heat exchanger, and another connecting ports of the heat exchanger communicates with the cooling pipeline
Implementation Method 3
the cooling pipeline is mounted on an inner wall of the annular cavity and periodically and uniformly distributed along a circumferential direction of the turbine casing, and the cooling pipeline is filled with cooling liquid
Data Source
AI summary
An integral cooling system for a turbine casing and guide vanes in an aeroengine is provided, belonging to the field of research on flow and heat exchange of a turbine casing in an aeroengine. An inner guide ring and multiple of guide vanes are mounted on the turbine casing; the cooling system includes an electromagnetic pump, a heat exchanger, an expansion joint and a cooling pipeline; an annular cavity is provided in the turbine casing, the cooling pipeline is mounted on the inner wall of the annular cavity and periodically and uniformly distributed along the circumferential direction of the turbine casing, and the cooling pipeline is filled with cooling liquid; a mounting cavity is further provided in the turbine casing, and the mounting cavity communicates with the annular cavity; the electromagnetic pump, the expansion joint and the heat exchanger are all mounted in the mounting cavity.