Gas Turbine Vane Turning Nozzle for Cooling Air Pressure Loss Reduction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Gas turbine engines face efficiency losses due to inefficient cooling air routing, which results in pressure losses and increased temperature of the cooling air when passing through turbine vanes and into the rotor, potentially reducing engine performance and rotor life.
Innovation Solution
A vane assembly with a turning nozzle that smoothly turns the cooling air from a radial to a tangential direction relative to the rotor's plane, minimizing pressure losses and aligning the air flow with the rotor's speed, using a flow control insert and a turning passage with a reduced cross-sectional area to enhance air flow efficiency.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If cooling air is routed through the interior of turbine vanes to cool the rotor, then the rotor cooling effectiveness is improved, but pressure losses and temperature increase of the cooling air occur, reducing engine efficiency
Solution Approach 1:
The turning nozzle incorporates a curved turning passage that smoothly redirects the cooling air flow from a radial direction to a tangential direction. This curved geometry minimizes flow separation and pressure losses compared to sharp turns, allowing the air to maintain higher velocity and lower temperature while effectively cooling the rotor.
Solution Approach 2:
The turning nozzle changes the flow direction parameter of the cooling air from radial to tangential, aligning it with the rotor's rotational direction. This parameter change optimizes the relative velocity between the cooling air and rotor surface, improving cooling effectiveness while minimizing energy losses.
2Device complexity
If the cooling air flow direction is not aligned with the rotor rotational direction, then the routing is simpler, but efficiency losses occur due to mismatched air flow orientation
Solution Approach 1:
The turning nozzle acts as an intermediary component between the vane cooling air passage and the rotor. It mediates the transition of cooling air from the radial direction (from the vane) to the tangential direction (required by the rotor), enabling efficient cooling without requiring complex reconfiguration of the entire cooling system.
3Device complexity
If a sharp turn is used in the cooling air passage, then the device complexity is reduced, but pressure losses and frictional drag increase
Solution Approach 1:
The turning nozzle incorporates a curved turning passage that smoothly redirects the cooling air flow from a radial direction to a tangential direction. This curved geometry minimizes flow separation and pressure losses compared to sharp turns, allowing the air to maintain higher velocity and lower temperature while effectively cooling the rotor.
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 solution reduces pressure losses and frictional drag, minimizing the total temperature of the air flow and increasing the efficiency of cooling, thereby reducing the thermal stress on the rotor and extending its lifespan while maintaining high air flow velocity.
Implementation Method 1
The turning passage is such that a turning passage centerline from the turning passage outlet forms a first acute angle relative to a plane perpendicular to the rotational axis
Implementation Method 2
The turning passage has a reduced cross-sectional area downstream of the smooth turn
Implementation Method 3
cooling is accomplished by ducting cooler air from the high and/or low pressure compressors to the engine components which require cooling
Data Source
AI summary
An apparatus and method of cooling a hot portion of a gas turbine engine, such as a rotor disk, by having a vane assembly with a cooling air passage and a flow control insert located within the cooling air passage defining a conduit. A turning nozzle is mounted to the vane and has a turning passage with an inlet and an outlet, the turning nozzle is fluidly coupled to the flow control insert outlet.