Turbomachine Guide Vane Supports Joint Flange Mounting
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Solution Overview
Problem
Turbomachines, such as gas turbines, require multiple flange connections for stator-side guide vane supports, leading to expensive machining costs and complex assembly, especially in compact designs where axial and radial layering is necessary.
Innovation Solution
At least two guide vane supports are jointly fastened and centered on a single flange of the housing using connecting elements that extend through the flanges, reducing the number of required flanges and fastening elements, and employing centering elements with bore-like cutouts for compact design and force distribution.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If each guide vane support is connected via its own separate flange connection to a corresponding flange of the housing, then the fastening and centering of guide vane supports is secure, but the number of flanges increases leading to higher machining costs and increased device complexity
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple guide vane supports (at least two) are jointly fastened to a single flange of the housing instead of each support having its own separate flange. This merging approach reduces the total number of flanges required, thereby reducing machining costs and simplifying the overall structure while maintaining secure fastening through multiple connecting elements on the same flange.
2Ease of manufacture
If multiple flanges are used for fastening guide vane supports, then each support can be independently fastened, but the axial and radial layering becomes complex especially in compact designs
Solution Approach 1:
By combining multiple guide vane supports onto a single flange, the axial and radial layering is simplified. The supports are arranged in a radial pattern around the same flange plane, eliminating the need for multiple stacked flange layers and enabling a more compact overall design.
3Device complexity
If a single flange is used to jointly fasten multiple guide vane supports, then the number of flanges and machining costs are reduced, but the centering of multiple supports on one flange becomes challenging
Solution Approach 1:
Centering elements are introduced as intermediary components between the guide vane supports and the flange. These centering elements extend through the flange and the guide vane support flanges, providing precise radial and circumferential centering. The centering elements act as mediators that ensure accurate positioning while allowing the simplified single-flange structure to be maintained.
4Reliability
If multiple connecting elements are used to fasten multiple guide vane supports to one flange, then the fastening is secure, but the number of fastening elements increases
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple guide vane supports are fastened to a single flange using multiple connecting elements, but these connecting elements share the common flange base. This merging approach reduces the total number of fastening elements compared to having separate flanges for each support, as the single flange serves as a common mounting platform for all supports.
Data Source
AI summary
A turbomachine includes: a stator-side housing having: a plurality of stator-side guide vane supports fastened to the stator-side housing, stator-side guide vanes fastened to the stator-side guide vane supports, and axially spaced guide vane rings; and a rotor having a plurality of rotor-side moving blades. At least two guide vane supports are jointly fastened to and centered on a flange of the stator-side housing.