This invention is directed generally to cooling systems for airfoils in turbine engines, and more particularly to systems for identifying blockages in airfoil cooling systems.
Typically, gas turbine engines include a compressor for compressing air, a combustor for mixing the compressed air with fuel and igniting the mixture, and a turbine blade assembly for producing power. Combustors often operate at high temperatures that may exceed 2,500 degrees Fahrenheit. Typical turbine combustor configurations expose airfoils, such as turbine blade and vane assemblies, to these high temperatures. As a result, the airfoils must be made of materials capable of withstanding such high temperatures. In addition, the airfoils often contain cooling systems for prolonging the life of the airfoils and reducing the likelihood of failure as a result of excessive temperatures.
Typically, airfoils are formed from an elongated portion, a leading edge, and a trailing edge. The inner aspects of most airfoils typically contain an intricate maze of cooling channels forming a cooling system. The cooling channels in the airfoils receive air from compressors of turbine engines and pass the air through the airfoils. The cooling channels often include multiple flow paths designed to maintain all aspects of the airfoils below design temperature. However, centrifugal forces and air flow at boundary layers often prevent some areas of the airfoils from being adequately cooled, which results in the formation of localized hot spots. In addition, contaminants in the cooling fluid flowing through the airfoils can clog impingement orifices and film cooling orifices in the airfoils, which can also produce localized hot spots. Localized hot spots, depending on their location, can reduce the useful life of a turbine blade and can damage a turbine blade to an extent necessitating replacement of the blade.
Operating turbine engines having airfoils with plugged impingement cooling orifices or film cooling orifices can result in catastrophic damage to the airfoil or the turbine engine, or both. For instance, airfoils having plugged impingement cooling orifices or film cooling orifices operate at elevated temperatures, which if elevated to too high a temperature can cause failure of the airfoils. During failure of an airfoil, portions of the airfoil break off and strike downstream components of a turbine engine, thereby damaging the airfoil. Thus, a need exists for a system for identifying airfoils in turbine engines having plugged cooling orifices before failure of these airfoils.
This invention relates to a detection system for use in airfoils having internal cooling systems, such as, but not limited to, turbine vanes and blades. The detection system may include a plurality of sensors for determining pressures at different locations throughout the airfoil. These pressure measurements may be used to determine differential pressures between locations. The differential pressures may, in turn, be compared with known benchmark differential pressures to determine whether the airfoil contains plugged impingement orifices, plugged film cooling orifices, or has suffered a loss of a portion of, or all of, a showerhead of the airfoil. The known benchmark differential pressure may be determined using sensors to sense the pressure of cooling fluids, which may originate from a compressor of a turbine engine, at various locations throughout the airfoil while cooling fluids pass through an airfoil containing no obstructions in the cooling orifices. Alternatively, the differential pressures may be determined by measuring the differential pressure when the new vanes or blades are first installed.
In at least one embodiment, the detection system may be used in a turbine vane. For instance, the turbine vane may be formed from a generally elongated hollow vane formed from an outer wall. The turbine vane may include a leading edge, a trailing edge, a first end configured to be coupled to a shroud of a turbine engine, a second end opposite the first end for sealing the turbine vane to a rotatable disc, and one or more cavities forming a cooling system in the hollow vane. The turbine vane may also include one or more impingements inserts in the at least one cavity forming an inner cooling cavity and an outer cooling cavity, whereby the at least one impingement insert includes at least one impingement orifice providing a gas pathway between the inner cooling cavity and the outer cooling cavity. One or more pressure sensors may be included in the detection system for measuring pressure in the inner cooling cavity, and one or more pressure sensors may be included in the detection system for measuring pressure in the outer cooling cavity between the impingement insert and the outer wall of the turbine vane.
The detection system may be configured to be placed in a variety of airfoils having internal cooling systems. In addition, the detection system is not limited to being used only in turbine vanes. However, the detection system is described herein as being installed in a turbine vane for example and not as a limitation. In at least one embodiment, the turbine vane may include a forward cavity, an aft cavity, and a mid cavity. These cavities may include impingement inserts mounted in one or more of the cavities. The detection system may be used to determine whether impingement orifices in the impingement inserts are plugged, whether film cooling orifices in the outer wall forming the vane are plugged, or whether a portion of, or all of, the showerhead has burned off. In addition, the detection system may be used to determine the answers to any combination of these queries. The detection system may also be used to determine one or more of these queries in one or more of the forward, aft and mid cavities of the turbine vane.
For example, the detection system may be used to determine a first pressure in an inner cavity of the turbine vane and a second pressure in an outer cavity between an impingement plate and the outer wall of the turbine vane. A differential pressure may be calculated or measured from the first and second pressures. The differential pressure may then be compared to a known benchmark differential pressure. An increase in differential pressure may indicate that impingement orifices in the impingement insert are plugged. On the other hand, a decrease in differential pressure may indicate that at least some of the film cooling holes are plugged. The orifices may be cleaned to open the plugged orifices and resume safe operation.
The detection system may also be used to determine whether the showerhead of the airfoil has been burned off. For example, the detection system may be used to measure a first pressure in an inner cavity of a turbine vane proximate to a showerhead of the turbine vane and to measure a second pressure at a combustor shell. The differential pressure may be measured and compared against a known benchmark value. Decreases in differential pressure may indicate that portions of or all of the showerhead has burned off.
An advantage of this detection system is that the detection system may be used to indicate when a specific vane is in need of servicing. In addition, the detection system of this invention requires little expense to be installed in airfoils of conventional turbine engines in use today. Furthermore, the detection system reduces the likelihood of catastrophic failure caused by an airfoil disintegrating because of thermal stresses. These and other advantages will become apparent upon review of these and other embodiments are described in more detail below.
The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and form a part of the specification, illustrate embodiments of the presently disclosed invention and, together with the description, disclose the principles of the invention.
As shown in
In at least one embodiment, the detection system 10 may be adapted to be used in a turbine vane 22, as shown in
The cooling system 14 may include a forward cooling cavity 48, an aft cooling cavity 50, and a mid cooling cavity 52. As shown in
In another embodiments, the turbine vane 22 need not have a plurality of cavities forming the cooling system 14. Instead, the turbine vane 22 may include an impingement insert 54 forming an inner cooling cavity 55 and an outer cooling cavity 57 from the cooling system 14.
The detection system 10 may be configured to be positioned in an airfoil 12, such as a turbine vane 22. The detection system 10 may be configured to sense a pressure in a first location, for instance, in an inner cooling cavity 55 and sense a pressure in a second location, for instance, in an outer cooling cavity 57. The pressures identified using the detection system 10 may be used to calculate a differential pressure between the two locations. The differential pressure may be calculated by a microprocessor, personal computer, or other electronic device, measured by a differential pressure transmitter, or may be calculated by a user or in another manner.
As shown in
The detection system 10 may be capable of determining the existence of plugged impingement orifices 18 in the impingement inserts 54, 56, 62, or 68, or any combination thereof. Alternatively, or in addition, the detection system 10 may determine the existence of plugged in film cooling orifices 76, 80, 82, and 84 in the outer wall 42 forming the vane 24. Alternatively, or in addition, the detection system 10 may determine whether a portion of the showerhead 20 has burned off. For instance, the detection system 10 may measure a first pressure in an inner cooling cavity 55 of the airfoil 12 and measure a second pressure in an outer cooling cavity 57 of the airfoil 12. A differential pressure may be determined between the inner cooling cavity 55 and the outer cooling cavity 57 by comparing the first pressure measurement taken in the inner cooling cavity 55 with the second pressure taken in the outer cooling cavity 57. The differential pressure may be compared with a known benchmark differential pressure to determine whether impingement orifices 18 in the impingement insert 54 or film cooling orifices 76, 80, 82, and 84 in the outer wall 42 are plugged or whether the showerhead 20 has suffered a loss of material.
In the turbine vane shown in
The detection system 10 may also be used to determine when film cooling orifices 76, 80, 82, and 84 are plugged. For instance, the detection system 10 may identify when film cooling orifices 76 and 80 are plugged by identifying decreases in differential pressure measured between a first pressure in the inner forward cooling cavity 60 and a second pressure in the outer forward cooling cavity 58, as shown in
The detection system 10 may also be used to determine whether a portion or all of a showerhead 20 has burned off of the vane 24 or whether the showerhead 20 has plugged orifices 32. In particular, the detection system 10 may be used to identify decreases in differential pressure measured between a first pressure at an forward cooling cavity 48 and a second pressure outside of the outer wall 42 at the showerhead 20, as shown in
The foregoing is provided for purposes of illustrating, explaining, and describing embodiments of this invention. Modifications and adaptations to these embodiments will be apparent to those skilled in the art and may be made without departing from the scope or spirit of this invention.
Development for this invention was supported in part by U.S. Department of Energy Contract No. DE-FC26-01 NT41232. Accordingly, the United States Government may have certain rights in this invention.
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Number | Date | Country | |
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20050042075 A1 | Feb 2005 | US |