Turbine Rotor Blade Platform Cooling via Feedhole Branching
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Solution Overview
Problem
The platform region of turbine rotor blades in gas turbine engines experiences elevated temperatures and mechanical loading, making it challenging to cool effectively due to its thin radial thickness and complex geometry, which complicates the installation and testing of existing cooling circuits.
Innovation Solution
A platform cooling arrangement that includes an interior cooling passage extending from the root to the platform, with a feedhole and branch holes that distribute coolant from the interior passage to the platform's suction side, allowing for efficient cooling without altering the original manufacturing process of the rotor blade.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Temperature
If interior cooling passages are installed in the platform region, then cooling effectiveness is improved, but the thin radial thickness and complex geometry make installation and testing difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The cooling system is segmented into three distinct components: interior cooling passages in the root region, a feedhole extending through the platform thickness, and branch holes extending from the feedhole to the suction side slash face. This segmentation allows each component to be manufactured and tested separately before final assembly, overcoming the installation difficulties posed by the platform's thin radial thickness and complex geometry.
Solution Approach 2:
The cooling arrangement extends into the radial dimension by using a feedhole that penetrates through the platform's thin radial thickness, connecting the interior cooling passages to the suction side slash face. This dimensional approach allows coolant delivery to the platform region without requiring complex in-plane routing, simplifying both installation and testing procedures.
2Temperature
If cooling channels are integrated into the rotor blade, then cooling performance is improved, but manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The cooling system is divided into separable components that can be manufactured independently using different processes. The interior cooling passages can be formed during blade casting, while the feedhole and branch holes can be added through post-casting drilling or machining operations. This segmentation provides manufacturing flexibility and reduces overall complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The interior cooling passages are formed as part of the original blade manufacturing process, preparing the root region for coolant flow before the blade is assembled. The feedhole and branch holes are then added in subsequent steps, allowing each manufacturing stage to focus on specific features without requiring the entire complex geometry to be created in a single operation.
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 provides effective cooling of the platform region through convection and impingement, reducing temperature gradients and simplifying the installation process by allowing the integration of cooling channels into both new and existing turbine rotor blades without complex manufacturing modifications.
Implementation Method 1
This solution provides effective cooling of the platform region through convection and impingement
Implementation Method 2
This solution provides effective cooling of the platform region through convection and impingement
Data Source
AI summary
Platform cooling arrangements in a turbine rotor blade include a feedhole that extends from the suction side slash face to the interior cooling passage, and, one or more branch holes that each extends from the feedhole to the suction side slash face such that coolant flows from the interior cooling passage, through the feedhole to the one or more branch holes and exits the platform along the suction side slash face.