Gas Turbine Vane Serpentine Cooling Divider Rib
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Solution Overview
Problem
The existing serpentine cooling passageways in gas turbine engines suffer from poorly developed flow structure and significant cooling losses due to low flow rate per unit area and low aspect ratio in channels, leading to flow separation issues.
Innovation Solution
Incorporating a U-shaped divider rib in the serpentine cooling passageway to split the cooling fluid into two streams, enhancing the aspect ratio and creating a double vortex flow structure with angled trip strips, which improves heat transfer coefficients and minimizes flow separation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Area of stationary object
If a serpentine cooling passageway is used with long channels, then the cooling coverage is improved, but the flow structure becomes poorly developed and flow separation occurs
Solution Approach 1:
The intermediate channel is divided into multiple segments by transverse divider ribs, creating a series of shorter channel sections. This segmentation improves flow development in each section while maintaining comprehensive cooling coverage across the entire airfoil surface.
2Ease of manufacture
If the channel aspect ratio is kept low to simplify manufacturing, then manufacturing ease is improved, but heat transfer efficiency deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
Divider ribs are added in the transverse dimension, perpendicular to the main cooling flow direction. This creates a three-dimensional flow structure with improved heat transfer characteristics without requiring changes to the basic channel geometry or manufacturing complexity.
3Temperature
If cooling fluid flow rate per unit area is increased to improve heat transfer, then heat transfer efficiency is improved, but cooling losses increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the reliance on high flow rate (mechanical parameter) with optimized flow structure and enhanced heat transfer surfaces (geometric parameters). The divider ribs create improved flow distribution and heat transfer pathways that achieve better cooling efficiency at lower flow rates, reducing energy losses.
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
The U-shaped divider rib enhances heat transfer efficiency, reduces cooling losses, and increases the airfoil's oxidation and thermal mechanical fatigue cracking life without altering the cooling air supply pressure or flow rate, offering improved design flexibility and performance in convective applications.
Implementation Method 1
Vanes currently used in gas turbine engines use a three pass serpentine cooling passageway to convectively cool a mid-body region of the airfoil
Implementation Method 2
Inclined trip strips are provided in the channels upstream of the second turn and downstream of the first turn to promote a double vortex flow structure
Implementation Method 3
Heat transfer tests have shown that this configuration can be inadequate and cooling losses may be encountered
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3
Figure 4~5
AI summary
A cooling passageway (110) for use in an airfoil portion (111) of a turbine engine component (100) having a pressure side wall (134) and a suction side wall (132) is provided. The cooling passageway (110) comprises a serpentine flow passageway (110) through which a cooling fluid flows. The passageway (110) has an inlet (112) through which cooling fluid is introduced into the passageway (110), an inlet channel (114) for receiving the cooling fluid, an intermediate channel (118), and an outlet channel (122). A divider rib (124) extends from a location in the inlet channel (114) to a termination (125) in the intermediate channel (118) to improve the heat transfer coefficients associated with the passageway (110).