Gas Turbine Platform Trench Cooling for Thermal Stress
Solution Overview
Problem
Gas turbine engine components, such as blades and vanes, face repetitive thermal cycling and extreme operating conditions, leading to potential gas ingestion and hot spots, necessitating dedicated cooling airflow to maintain performance.
Innovation Solution
Incorporating a platform trench with cooling holes that direct bleed airflow from the compressor section to cool internal surfaces, allowing the airflow to travel along the trench and radially within the platform to mitigate thermal stress.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Temperature
If dedicated cooling airflow is provided to cool components, then thermal stress is reduced and hot spots are prevented, but device complexity increases due to additional cooling structures
Solution Approach 1:
The cooling structure is segmented into multiple functional elements: a platform trench formed on the platform surface, multiple cooling holes distributed within the trench, and a cavity positioned radially inward. This segmentation allows cooling airflow to be distributed to multiple locations simultaneously, effectively cooling the platform and adjacent components while maintaining a compact overall structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The cooling holes are nested within the platform trench, which itself is positioned on the platform surface. The cavity is positioned radially inward from the trench, creating a nested arrangement where cooling features are integrated within each other. This nesting eliminates the need for separate external cooling components, reducing device complexity while providing effective cooling.
2Productivity
If cooling holes are positioned within the platform trench, then cooling efficiency is improved by directing airflow along the trench, but manufacturing precision requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The platform trench is formed on the platform surface before the cooling holes are created within the trench. This preliminary formation of the trench provides a pre-defined pathway that guides the subsequent positioning and drilling of cooling holes along the trench length, thereby improving cooling efficiency while managing manufacturing precision requirements through sequential processing.
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
Effectively cools components by distributing cooling airflow, reducing thermal stress and preventing hot spots, thereby enhancing the durability and efficiency of gas turbine engine components.
Implementation Method 1
allowing the airflow to travel along the trench and radially within the platform to cool internal surfaces
Implementation Method 2
cool internal surfaces, allowing the airflow to travel along the trench and radially within the platform
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2~3
Figure 4~5
AI summary
A component for a gas turbine engine according to an exemplary aspect of the present disclosure includes, among other things, a platform that axially extends between a leading edge and a trailing edge and circumferentially extends between a first mate face and a second mate face and a trench disposed on at least one of the first mate face and the second mate face. A plurality of cooling holes are axially disposed within the trench.