Vortex Throttle Drain for Gas Turbine Pressure Sensing Lines
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Solution Overview
Problem
Pressure sensing lines in gas turbine engines face issues with water accumulation and freezing, leading to blockages and inefficient engine operation due to inadequate drainage solutions that either block or cause excessive air loss, compromising engine control and efficiency.
Innovation Solution
A vortex throttle is integrated into the drain pipe of the pressure sensing line, which restricts air flow while effectively removing water by creating a vortex that reduces mass flow rate, allowing for larger orifice sizes without blockage risks and minimizing temperature increases.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the drain hole or orifice is made large to avoid blockage, then drainage effectiveness is improved, but air mass flow increases causing temperature rise and fire risk
Solution Approach 1:
The invention changes the flow regime parameter from laminar to turbulent flow by introducing a turbulence promoter in the drain hole. This turbulence increases the drainage capacity for water while simultaneously reducing the mass flow of air through the drain, thereby controlling temperature rise and eliminating fire risk even with larger drain openings.
Solution Approach 2:
The turbulence promoter acts as an intermediary element within the drain hole. It mediates between the need for large drain openings (to prevent blockage) and the need to limit air mass flow (to control temperature). The promoter creates turbulence that preferentially enhances liquid drainage while restricting gas flow.
2Reliability
If the drain hole or orifice is made large to avoid blockage, then drainage effectiveness is improved, but air mass flow increases causing efficiency loss
Solution Approach 1:
By changing the flow regime to turbulent flow through the turbulence promoter, the invention decouples the relationship between drain hole size and air mass flow. This allows the drain hole to be sized appropriately for water drainage without proportionally increasing air loss, thereby maintaining engine efficiency.
3Reliability
If the drain hole or orifice is made large to avoid blockage, then drainage effectiveness is improved, but pressure signal deterioration increases
Solution Approach 1:
The turbulence promoter changes the flow characteristics to preferentially drain water while minimizing air escape. This selective drainage maintains the integrity of the pressure signal in the sensing line, preventing the deterioration that would occur with large conventional drain holes.
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 vortex throttle provides effective drainage of water from pressure sensing lines, reducing the risk of blockages and maintaining engine efficiency by controlling air flow and temperature, thus ensuring accurate pressure signal transmission to the engine controller.
Implementation Method 1
A vortex throttle is integrated into the drain pipe of the pressure sensing line, which restricts air flow while effectively removing water by creating a vortex that reduces mass flow rate
Data Source
AI summary
A drain includes a vortex throttle, to remove water from a pressure sensing line. The vortex throttle resists the flow of air through it. Therefore, for a given diameter of inlet and outlet ports the mass flow rate through the vortex throttle is much smaller than through a plain hole of the same diameter. The inlet and outlet ports may therefore be made larger than in known arrangements (so reducing the risk of blockage), but the operation of the vortex throttle restricts the mass flow of air through the drain pipe (so minimizing the detrimental effects on the engine's operation). Collected water effectively drains from the pressure sensing line, without the disadvantages of known arrangements.