Gas Turbine Shaft Plug Deflecting Air Flow for Cooling
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Solution Overview
Problem
In gas turbine engines, existing cooling methods often result in some components receiving excessive air while others receive insufficient cooling, leading to inefficient air distribution and suboptimal cooling of critical components.
Innovation Solution
A plug system for hollow shafts in gas turbine engines, featuring a deflection surface that redirects a portion of the incoming air flow away from the shaft bore, allowing only the necessary amount to cool the shaft while diverting the rest to other components for enhanced cooling and pressure management.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Temperature
If cold air is redirected to cool components in the hot section, then cooling effectiveness is improved, but air distribution becomes unbalanced with some components receiving excessive air while others receive insufficient cooling
Solution Approach 1:
The plug incorporates a deflection surface that creates localized flow control, directing cold air preferentially to the shaft while allowing other components to receive appropriate amounts of cooling air. This local modification to the flow path ensures each component receives the quantity of cooling air it needs rather than a uniform distribution
Solution Approach 2:
The incoming cold air flow is segmented into different paths by the deflection surface: one portion is directed through the shaft bore to cool the shaft, while another portion is deflected away to cool other components. This segmentation of the air flow resolves the imbalance where previously all components competed for the same air supply
2Temperature
If more cold air is directed through the shaft bore, then shaft cooling is improved, but less air is available for cooling other components
Solution Approach 1:
The deflection surface is positioned and shaped to dynamically balance the air flow distribution based on the relative sizes of the shaft bore and plug bore. As the shaft rotates or operating conditions change, the fixed geometric relationship between the deflection surface and the two bores automatically maintains an optimal flow split, ensuring both the shaft and other components receive adequate cooling air
3Quantity of substance
If the plug inlet diameter is made smaller than the shaft bore diameter, then air flow to the shaft is controlled, but the deflection surface must effectively redirect the remaining air flow
Solution Approach 1:
The deflection surface is designed with a curved or conical geometry that smoothly redirects the air flow away from the shaft bore. This curved surface is more effective at guiding the air flow than a sharp edge would be, and it can be integrated into the plug body as a single continuous feature, minimizing the increase in device complexity while maximizing flow control effectiveness
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 ensures that only the minimum amount of air required to cool the shaft is used, while redirecting the remaining air to other components for effective cooling and pressure optimization, thereby improving the overall cooling efficiency and air distribution within the engine.
Implementation Method 1
the plug including a deflection surface adapted to deflect a second portion of the incoming air flow away from the shaft bore
Data Source
AI summary
A gas turbine engine comprises a shaft assembly including a hollow shaft of the gas turbine engine and a plug connected to the inlet end of the shaft. The hollow shaft has a shaft bore having a bore diameter. The hollow shaft has an inlet end for receiving a first portion of an incoming air flow. The plug has a plug bore therethrough, and an inlet end having an inlet diameter. The inlet diameter of the plug is smaller than the bore diameter. The plug includes a deflection surface adapted to deflect a second portion of the incoming air flow away from the shaft bore. A plug for connecting to an end of a hollow shaft of a gas turbine engine and s method of controlling a flow of fluid through a shaft having a bore therethrough of a gas turbine engine are also presented.