Turbine Guide Vane Cooling via Rotor Blade Roots
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Solution Overview
Problem
High-pressure turbines in aircraft engines face issues with non-uniform cooling due to transverse cooling air flows and require extensive external pipelines, leading to increased weight, specific fuel consumption, and nitrogen oxide emissions, as well as sealing air gap instability due to temperature expansion.
Innovation Solution
A turbine design featuring a rotor device with blade platforms upstream of the guide vanes, where the blade roots guide a swirling cooling air flow into an annular space, allowing for efficient cooling and sealing without external pipelines, utilizing a secondary air system and diffuser channel geometry to optimize pressure and flow for robust and efficient cooling.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Temperature
If external pipelines are used to supply cooling air to turbine guide vanes, then cooling air can be delivered to the vanes, but the turbine weight increases and specific fuel consumption rises
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the cooling air supply function with the turbine rotor device by integrating cooling air passages directly into the rotor blade roots and platform structure. This eliminates the need for separate external pipelines, reducing turbine weight while maintaining effective cooling air delivery to the guide vanes.
Solution Approach 2:
The rotor device serves dual purposes: it performs its primary function of directing gas flow while simultaneously acting as the cooling air supply system through its integrated passages. The rotor structure itself provides the cooling function, eliminating the need for additional dedicated cooling infrastructure.
2Temperature
If external pipelines are arranged to conduct cooling air, then cooling air supply is enabled, but the turbine requires more space and has higher weight
Solution Approach 1:
The cooling air supply system is merged with the rotor device structure, combining what were previously separate functions (flow direction and cooling supply) into a single integrated component. This simplifies the overall device architecture by eliminating external pipeline arrangements.
Solution Approach 2:
The rotor device is designed to perform multiple functions simultaneously: it directs the working gas flow through the turbine and also serves as the cooling air distribution system. This multi-functionality reduces the number of separate components needed in the turbine assembly.
3Temperature
If cooling air is supplied via external pipelines, then turbine guide vanes can be cooled, but nitrogen oxide emissions increase due to higher specific fuel consumption
Solution Approach 1:
The cooling air supply is segmented and delivered through multiple distributed passages in the rotor blade roots and platform, allowing efficient localized cooling. This reduces the total cooling air flow required compared to external pipeline systems, thereby reducing fuel consumption and nitrogen oxide emissions.
4Duration of action of stationary object
If turbine guide vanes are cooled, then service life is extended, but transverse cooling air flow causes non-uniform cooling distribution
Solution Approach 1:
The rotor device incorporates multiple locally distributed cooling air passages in its blade roots and platform structure, delivering cooling air directly to specific regions of the guide vanes. This localized delivery ensures uniform cooling distribution across all guide vanes, preventing the non-uniform cooling caused by transverse flows in external pipeline 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
This design reduces weight, lowers specific fuel consumption, decreases nitrogen oxide emissions, and enhances turbine service life by ensuring uniform and efficient cooling, while maintaining robustness and eliminating the need for external pipelines and sealing plates.
Implementation Method 1
the blade roots of moving blades of this rotor device having a passage for guiding a swirling cooling air flow into an annular space subjected to a swirling flow
Implementation Method 2
The cooling air passage is designed to deflect and decelerate the cooling air flow guided therein and thus to increase the pressure
Implementation Method 3
cooling air flow, via which the interior of the turbine guide vane can be supplied with cooling air for cooling the turbine guide vane
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2~3
Figure 4A~4C
AI summary
A turbine (1), in particular a high-pressure turbine, for an aircraft engine (2) is proposed, comprising a casing (18) on which turbine guide vanes (17) are arranged circumferentially, wherein the turbine guide vanes (17) have at least one interior space (31) through which cooling air flows during operation of the turbine (1). At least one turbine guide vane (17) has a cooling air passage (30) in the region of a wall (29) located radially (R) inside the turbine (1), through which the interior space (31) of the turbine guide vane (17) can be supplied with cooling air.