Turbine Vane Convex Ablative Region for Nozzle Erosion Life

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Solution Overview

Problem

Gas turbine engines used in life-limited applications often employ less durable materials and simpler designs to reduce costs, making them less defect tolerant and susceptible to erosion or burn through in the turbine nozzle due to combustor instabilities.

Innovation Solution

The use of ablative turbine vanes with a convex ablative region on the concave sidewall, which is designed to ablate during acceptance testing, forming an aerodynamic surface and mitigating erosion or burn through damage.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of manufacture

If less durable materials and simpler designs are used to reduce costs, then manufacturing cost decreases, but erosion resistance and durability worsen

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvemanufacturing costVSAvoiderosion resistance

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of manufactureVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies preliminary action by incorporating a convex ablative region on the concave sidewall of turbine vanes before acceptance testing. This pre-positioned sacrificial material is designed to erode during testing, protecting the main vane structure from damage and ensuring the component achieves its full design life without premature erosion-related failures.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The convex ablative region functions as a disposable sacrificial element that is intentionally designed to be consumed during acceptance testing. This temporary protective feature allows the use of less durable base materials while still achieving the required reliability, as the ablative region absorbs the erosion damage that would otherwise affect the main vane structure.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #27Cheap short-living objects (Disposable)

2Temperature

If combustor instabilities cause hot spots in turbine nozzle, then local temperature increases, but erosion and burn through damage worsen

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvelocal temperatureVSAvoiderosion and burn through damage

Core Design Contradiction:

TemperatureVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The patent implements beforehand cushioning by placing a convex ablative region on the concave sidewall at locations susceptible to hot spot damage. This sacrificial material acts as a cushion that absorbs and dissipates the harmful effects of localized high temperatures and combustion instabilities, protecting the underlying vane structure from erosion and burn through damage.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #11Beforehand cushioning (Prior cushioning)

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 helps retain the design life of the turbine nozzle by offsetting damage during acceptance testing, ensuring mission life remains at the desired level without significant additional cost.

Implementation Method 1

The combustion section exhaust gases impinge on the convex ablative region of the ablative turbine vane causing the convex ablative region to ablate to form an aerodynamic surface on the concave sidewall

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectAblation: Ablation

Data Source

PatentEP4538504A1Erosion compensated vane geometry

Publication Date: 2025.04.16 RTX CORP

Figure 1
Figure 2

AI summary

A turbine vane (34) for use in a gas turbine engine includes an airfoil section having a concave sidewall (36) and a convex sidewall (38). Both the concave sidewall (36) and convex sidewall (38) extend spanwise between a platform and a radially outward airfoil tip (42) and chordwise between a leading edge (44) and a trailing edge (46). The concave sidewall (36) includes a convex ablative region (48).