Gas Turbine Vane Cooling via Segmented Trunion Channels
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Solution Overview
Problem
Gas turbine engines face challenges in effectively cooling vanes due to limitations in the design of cooling fluid pathways, leading to inefficiencies in heat management and potential damage from high temperatures.
Innovation Solution
The design incorporates multiple cavities and channels within the vanes, with apertures and openings that allow for efficient fluid communication, enabling the routing of cooling fluid through the vanes and to radially inward locations, reducing pressure drop and enhancing cooling fluid flow rates.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Temperature
If cooling fluid is routed through the vanes to cool radially inward components, then cooling effectiveness is improved, but pressure drop increases and flow rate decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The cooling system is divided into separate cavities (first cavity for trailing edge, second cavity for leading edge, third cavity for radially inward components) with dedicated channels for each. This segmentation allows independent optimization of cooling fluid pathways, enabling effective cooling of multiple locations simultaneously while managing pressure drop through distributed flow paths rather than a single restrictive channel.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention transitions from conventional two-dimensional cooling (leading and trailing edges only) to three-dimensional cooling by adding the third cavity that extends through the airfoil to cool radially inward components. This dimensional expansion creates additional cooling zones without compromising the existing edge cooling paths, thereby improving overall cooling effectiveness while maintaining acceptable pressure drop characteristics through the multi-cavity architecture.
2Temperature
If multiple cooling channels are added to route fluid to radially inward locations, then cooling coverage is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple cooling functions (trailing edge cooling, leading edge cooling, and radially inward component cooling) are merged into a single integrated airfoil structure with interconnected cavities and channels. The outer spindle and inner spindle serve as common structural elements that house and connect the cooling pathways, unifying what would otherwise be separate cooling systems into one cohesive design that reduces overall complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The airfoil structure serves multiple functions simultaneously: it provides the aerodynamic surface, houses the cooling cavities, contains the cooling channels, and supports the spindle mechanism. The outer and inner spindles serve dual purposes as both structural support elements and as conduits for the cooling fluid pathways, thereby reducing the need for separate dedicated cooling components and simplifying the overall system architecture.
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 configuration improves the cooling efficiency of gas turbine engine vanes by ensuring smooth fluid flow and increased flow rates, thereby enhancing the engine's thermal management and operational reliability.
Implementation Method 1
route the cooling fluid through the vanes to reach components or locations positioned radially inward of the vanes
Implementation Method 2
improves the cooling efficiency of gas turbine engine vanes by ensuring smooth fluid flow and increased flow rates
Data Source
Figure 1A
Figure 1B
Figure 1C
AI summary
A component for a gas turbine engine (20) is disclosed. In various embodiments, the component includes an airfoil (124), including therein a first cavity (340; 440) and a second cavity (342; 442), and an outer spindle (204; 304; 404) extending from the airfoil (124), the outer spindle (204; 304; 404) including a first channel (344; 444) in fluid communication with the first cavity (340; 440) and a second channel (346; 446) in fluid communication with the second cavity (342; 442).