Turbine Vane Leaf Seals for Leakage Reduction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Turbine vane and carrier ring components experience air leakage due to thermal and mechanical loads, leading to distortion and relative movement, which existing sealing methods fail to adequately address.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of at least four leaf seals at strategic interfaces between the vane and carrier element, allowing for relative movement while maintaining a sealed condition, with the option to include openings for fluid flow to facilitate cooling.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If direct face-to-face contact is used to minimize air leakage, then sealing effectiveness is improved, but the system becomes prone to unknown leakage rates during service due to thermal and mechanical distortion
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs thin film seals (such as lip seals or blade seals) made of flexible material that can adapt to thermal and mechanical distortion. These flexible seals maintain contact with the mating surface while accommodating relative movement and distortion, ensuring consistent sealing performance under varying service conditions without the unknown leakage rates associated with rigid direct contact seals.
Solution Approach 2:
The seal design incorporates dynamic elements that allow the seal to adapt its position and contact pressure in response to thermal expansion and mechanical distortion. The flexible seal can deform and reposition itself to maintain effective sealing despite changes in geometry caused by thermal and mechanical loads, transforming a static sealing problem into a dynamic adaptation solution.
2Reliability
If rigid sealing is used to prevent leakage, then sealing performance is improved, but relative movement between vane and carrier element is restricted
Solution Approach 1:
The flexible nature of the thin film seal allows it to bend and deform as the vane and carrier element move relative to each other. This flexibility enables the seal to maintain its sealing function while accommodating the necessary relative movement, eliminating the need for rigid constraints that would restrict thermal expansion and mechanical adjustment.
Solution Approach 2:
The seal system is designed to be dynamic rather than static, allowing the seal to continuously adjust its configuration in response to relative movement between components. This dynamic adaptation maintains sealing effectiveness while fully permitting the required relative motion between the vane and carrier element.
3Reliability
If multiple leaf seals are installed at strategic interfaces to reduce leakage, then sealing coverage is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The sealing system is divided into multiple discrete leaf seal segments positioned at strategic interfaces between the vane and carrier element. Each seal addresses a specific interface, and the modular nature of individual leaf seals allows for easy installation, replacement, and maintenance of specific segments without affecting the entire sealing system, thereby managing complexity through systematic division.
Solution Approach 2:
The leaf seals serve as intermediary elements between the vane and carrier element, providing a simple yet effective sealing mechanism at each interface. These intermediary seals are relatively simple components that can be independently installed and maintained, reducing the overall system complexity compared to integrated sealing solutions while achieving comprehensive leakage reduction across multiple interfaces.
Data Source
AI summary
A component of a turbine includes a vane, a carrier element and at least four interfaces between the vane and the carrier element. The at least four interfaces are sealed via leaf seals. A method for sealing against leakage between a vane and a carrier element of the above-mentioned turbine component includes sealing the at least four interfaces by way of leaf seals.