Turbine Ring Segment Cooling via Air Pouch and Shield Wall Holes
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Solution Overview
Problem
Gas turbines face challenges in maintaining the integrity of ring segments due to high heat loads, leading to potential breakage, and existing cooling structures are not optimized for efficiency and production simplicity.
Innovation Solution
The design incorporates an air pouch and multiple first cooling holes within the ring segment's shield wall, with the air pouch extending circumferentially and parallel to the second hook, and side holes that communicate with both the air pouch and cooling holes, allowing for improved cooling performance and a simplified production process through casting and machining.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If multiple cooling passages are formed in the ring segment to prevent breakage from heat load, then the reliability of the ring segment is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The cooling structure is divided into multiple discrete cooling holes distributed throughout the ring segment. Each cooling hole acts as an independent cooling channel, allowing cooling gas to be delivered to specific high-heat zones. This segmentation approach provides effective heat management while maintaining manufacturing feasibility through standardized hole patterns.
Solution Approach 2:
Cooling holes are strategically positioned in regions experiencing highest thermal loads, such as near the combustion gas exposure zones and structural stress points. The density and distribution of cooling holes vary according to local heat generation and dissipation requirements, optimizing cooling efficiency without uniformly complicating the entire ring segment structure.
2Reliability
If a complex cooling structure is designed to improve cooling efficiency, then the reliability is improved, but the ease of manufacture deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The cooling holes are integrated directly into the ring segment manufacturing process, combining the cooling structure creation with the primary component fabrication. This merging eliminates separate assembly steps for installing cooling components and allows the cooling features to be created as inherent parts of the ring segment casting or machining operations.
Solution Approach 2:
Cooling hole locations and patterns are predetermined during the design and tooling preparation phase. The positions, diameters, and orientations of cooling holes are established in advance through casting patterns or machining fixtures, enabling consistent reproduction without complex real-time adjustments during manufacturing. This preliminary planning simplifies production while ensuring reliable cooling performance.
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 enhances cooling efficiency and reduces production complexity by allowing for effective heat management and streamlined manufacturing, minimizing vortex and turning losses while maintaining the structural integrity of the ring segments.
Implementation Method 1
the ring segment has a plurality of cooling passages formed therein
Implementation Method 2
one surface of each of the ring segments facing the internal space of the turbine casing may be exposed to high-temperature and high-pressure combustion gas, resulting in a high heat load
Data Source
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AI summary
Disclosed herein are a ring segment having an air pouch and a first cooling hole formed therein, and a turbine including the same. The air pouch and the first cooling hole are formed in a shield wall, thereby achieving an improvement in cooling performance as well as simplification of production process.