Turbine Tip Cooling via Integral Up-Down Pass Cavities
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current cooling methods for turbine components, such as impingement sleeves and serpentine cooling, increase manufacturing time and cost, and lead to inefficiencies due to cross-flow and thermal gradients, which decrease system efficiency and component life.
Innovation Solution
The use of a body portion with integral partitions forming up-pass and down-pass cavities, and caps with apertures to direct fluid flow for impingement cooling, optimizing fluid distribution and pressure control to enhance tip cooling effectiveness and system efficiency.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If separate impingement sleeves are used for cooling, then cooling effectiveness is improved, but manufacturing time and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the impingement sleeve function directly into the turbine component by forming cooling channels within the component body itself, eliminating the need for separate impingement sleeves. This integration maintains cooling effectiveness while reducing manufacturing steps and assembly time.
Solution Approach 2:
The turbine component is designed to serve multiple functions: it performs its primary turbine function while simultaneously providing cooling through integrated cooling channels. This multi-functionality eliminates the need for separate cooling components, reducing both manufacturing complexity and assembly time.
2Reliability
If separate impingement sleeves are used, then cooling effectiveness is improved, but system efficiency decreases due to cross flow
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the impingement sleeve component entirely and replaces it with cooling channels formed directly within the turbine component body. This eliminates the cross-flow problem that occurred between separate impingement sleeves and the component surface, improving system efficiency while maintaining cooling effectiveness.
3Area of stationary object
If serpentine cooling is used to cool both walls simultaneously, then cooling coverage is improved, but thermal gradients and unnecessary heat pick-up increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by providing independent cooling control to different regions of the turbine component. Cooling channels are positioned and sized to provide appropriate cooling to specific areas, allowing optimized cooling distribution that prevents excessive thermal gradients and unnecessary heat pick-up while maintaining comprehensive cooling coverage.
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 approach increases cooling efficiency, tip cooling effectiveness, and system efficiency, while reducing manufacturing costs and thermal stresses, thereby extending component life and allowing for higher operating temperatures.
Implementation Method 1
Each cap is arranged and disposed to direct fluid from the at least one up-pass cavity, through the at least one aperture formed therein, and towards the tip of the body potion... providing impingement cooling of the tip
Implementation Method 2
directing the post-impingement fluid through the down-pass cavity and into a second up-pass cavity... cooling the tip and forming a second post-impingement fluid
Data Source
AI summary
An article and method of cooling an article are provided. The article includes a body portion having an inner surface and an outer surface, the inner surface defining an inner region, at least one up-pass cavity formed within the inner region and extending from a base of the body portion towards a tip of the body portion, and a cap formed in each up-pass cavity, each cap being adjacent to the tip of the body portion, having at least one aperture formed therein, and being arranged and disposed to direct fluid towards the tip of the body potion. The method includes directing a fluid into the first up-pass cavity, passing the fluid through at least one aperture in the cap, contacting the tip of the article with the fluid, receiving the post-impingement fluid within a down-pass cavity, and directing the post-impingement fluid through the down-pass cavity.