The present invention relates to turbine engines. In particular, the invention relates to cooling pedestals for a turbine engine.
A turbine engine ignites compressed air and fuel in a combustion chamber, or combustor, to create a flow of hot combustion gases to drive multiple stages of turbine blades. The turbine blades extract energy from the flow of hot combustion gases to drive a rotor to perform useful work, for example, driving a fan to provide thrust or a generator rotor to provide electrical power. The turbine blades also drive a compressor to provide the compressed air.
A flow of cooling air is typically provided by the compressed air produced upstream of the combustor. Some of the energy extracted from the flow of combustion gases must be used to provide the compressed air, thus reducing the energy available to do useful work and reducing an overall efficiency of the turbine engine. Improvements in the efficient use of compressed air for cooling engine components can improve the overall efficiency of the turbine engine.
Some turbine engine components are directly exposed to the flow of combustion gases and must survive in a high-temperature environment. Often, surfaces of the engine components exposed to high temperatures are cooled by the flow of cooling air to remove heat and prolong the useful life of the component. The efficiency by which heat is exchanged between a component surface to be cooled and the flow of cooling air is often enhanced by the use of cooling pedestals (also known as pin fins). The cooling pedestals project away from the surface to be cooled and into the flow of cooling air. The pedestals increase the heat transfer area as well as the speed of the flow of cooling air, thereby increasing heat transfer efficiency. As heat transfer efficiency improves, less cooling air is necessary to adequately cool the component improving the overall efficiency of the turbine engine.
While the use of cooling pedestals improves heat transfer efficiency between turbine engine components exposed to the flow of combustion gases and the flow of cooling air, further improvement in the heat transfer efficiency of cooling pedestals can improve overall turbine engine efficiency.
A turbine engine component includes a surface to be cooled by a flow of cooling air and a plurality of pedestals projecting from the surface to be cooled. At least one of the pedestals includes a pedestal surface oriented such that a ray normal to the pedestal surface and directed away from the pedestal surface intersects a line defined by an intersection between the surface to be cooled and the pedestal.
Another embodiment is a gas turbine engine including a compressor section, a turbine section, and a combustor section arranged between the compressor section and the turbine section. The compressor provides a flow of cooling air. The combustor section includes a plenum in fluid communication with the compressor section to receive the flow of cooling air, a combustion chamber in fluid communication with the turbine section, and at least one combustor heat shield between the combustion chamber and the plenum. The combustor heat shield includes a surface to be cooled by a flow of cooling air and a plurality of pedestals projecting from the surface to be cooled. At least one of the pedestals includes a pedestal surface oriented such that a ray normal to the pedestal surface and directed away from the pedestal surface intersects a line defined by an intersection between the surface to be cooled and the pedestal.
A turbine engine component includes pedestals projecting from a surface to be cooled by a flow of cooling air. At least some of the pedestals include a pedestal surface oriented such that a ray normal to the pedestal surface and directed away from the pedestal surface intersects a plane defined by an intersection between the surface to be cooled and the pedestal. The component may be formed by a direct digital manufacturing process.
As illustrated in
In operation, air flow F enters compressor 14 through fan 12. Air flow F is compressed by the rotation of compressor 14 driven by high-pressure rotor 20 producing a flow of cooling air Fc. Cooling air Fc flows between combustor 16 and each of outer case 24 and inner case 25. A portion of cooling air Fc enters combustor 16, with the remaining portion of cooling air Fc employed farther downstream for cooling other components exposed to high-temperature combustion gases, such as rotor blades 26 and stator vanes 28. Compressed air and fuel are mixed and ignited in combustor 16 to produce high-temperature, high-pressure combustion gases Fp. Combustion gases Fp exit combustor 16 into turbine section 18. Stator vanes 28 properly align the flow of combustion gases Fp for an efficient attack angle on subsequent rotor blades 26. The flow of combustion gases Fp past rotor blades 26 drives rotation of both high-pressure rotor 20 and low-pressure rotor 22. High-pressure rotor 20 drives a high-pressure portion of compressor 14, as noted above, and low-pressure rotor 22 drives fan 12 to produce thrust Fs from gas turbine engine 10. Although embodiments of the present invention are illustrated for a turbofan gas turbine engine for aviation use, it is understood that the present invention applies to other aviation gas turbine engines and to industrial gas turbine engines as well.
Combustion chamber 40 within combustor 16 is bordered radially by combustor liner 30, and by bulkhead 32 on the upstream axial end, with a combustion gas opening on the downstream axial end. Swirler 38 connects fuel nozzle 36 to bulkhead 32 through an opening in bulkhead 32. Bulkhead 32 is protected from the hot flow of combustion gases Fp generated within combustion chamber 40 by bulkhead heat shield 34. Aft ID heat shield 46 and forward ID heat shield 48 are attached to inner shell 44 to make up the inside diameter portion of combustor liner 30. Similarly, aft OD heat shield 50 and forward OD heat shield 52 are attached to outer shell 42 to make up the outside diameter portion of combustor liner 30. Heat shields 46, 48, 50, 52 are attached to their respective shell 42, 44 by studs 52 projecting from heat shields 46, 48, 50, 52. Heat shields 46, 48, 50, 52 are made of a high-temperature metal alloy.
In operation, fuel from fuel nozzle 36 mixes with air in swirler 38 and is ignited in combustion chamber 40 to produce the flow of combustion gases Fp for use by turbine 18 as described above in reference to
The curved hourglass shape of cooling pedestals 60 illustrated in FIGS .3A and 3B is merely exemplary.
Another exemplary pedestal shape is illustrated in
In some embodiments, cooling pedestal 60, cooling pedestal 160, or cooling pedestals 260 may be symmetrical about pedestal axis A. Pedestal axis A is perpendicular to surface to be cooled 58. Cross-sections of cooling pedestals 60, 160, 260 perpendicular to pedestal axis A may be one of an ellipsis, for example, a circle; and a parallelogram, for example, a diamond.
In the embodiments illustrated above, all cooling pedestals are of the same shape. However, it is understood that the present invention encompasses embodiments where cooling pedestal arrays include cooling pedestals of mixed shapes. For example, a heat shield embodying the present invention may include a pedestal array including a mix of cooling pedestals 60, cooling pedestals 160, and cooling pedestals 260, as described above, in addition to cooling pedestals not including a reentrant profile.
Turbine engine components embodying the present invention may be formed by a rapid, economical, and reproducible direct digital manufacturing process. This replaces investment casting processes typically employed to form turbine engine components such as combustor heat shields. The unique reentrant pedestal shapes of the present invention may be either commercially impractical or impracticable to form by investment casting. The reentrant slope and blind hole necessary to form such pedestals combine to make moving material into and out of the molds very difficult. In contrast, direct digital manufacturing processes do not require a mold. One embodiment of the process is outlined in
Direct digital manufacturing of the present invention may be by, but not restricted to, selective laser sintering, electron beam sintering, and direct metal laser sintering. Selected laser sintering is taught in U.S. Pat. No. 4,863,538 to Deckard and is incorporated herein in its entirety by reference. Electron beam sintering is taught in U.S. Pat. No. 7,454,262 to Larsson and is incorporated herein in its entirety by reference. Direct metal laser sintering is taught in U.S. Pat. No. 6,042,774 to Wilkening et al. and is incorporated herein in its entirety by reference. The Deckard and Wilkening et al. processes use scanning lasers as energy sources. One form of direct digital manufacturing for the present invention is direct metal laser sintering.
The following are non-exclusive descriptions of possible embodiments of the present invention.
A turbine engine component according to an exemplary embodiment of this disclosure, among other possible things includes a surface to be cooled by a flow of cooling air; and a plurality of pedestals projecting from the surface to be cooled, at least one of the pedestals including a pedestal surface oriented such that a ray normal to the pedestal surface and directed away from the pedestal surface intersects a line defined by an intersection between the surface to be cooled and the pedestal.
A further embodiment of the foregoing turbine engine component, wherein the plurality of pedestals and the surface to be cooled can be formed as a single piece.
A further embodiment of any of the foregoing turbine engine components, wherein the plurality of pedestals and the surface to be cooled can be formed of a high-temperature metal.
A further embodiment of any of the foregoing turbine engine components, wherein the plurality of pedestals and the surface to be cooled can be formed by direct digital manufacturing technology from metal alloy powder.
A further embodiment of any of the foregoing turbine engine components, wherein the direct digital manufacturing technology can include at least one of direct metal laser sintering, electron beam sintering, and selected laser sintering.
A further embodiment of any of the foregoing turbine engine components, wherein the direct digital manufacturing technology can include direct metal laser sintering.
A further embodiment of any of the foregoing turbine engine components, wherein the pedestal can be symmetrical about a pedestal axis perpendicular the surface to be cooled.
A further embodiment of any of the foregoing turbine engine components, wherein sections of the pedestal perpendicular to the pedestal axis can be one of ellipses and parallelograms.
A further embodiment of any of the foregoing turbine engine components, wherein each pedestal of the plurality of pedestals projecting from the surface to be cooled can include a pedestal surface oriented such that a ray normal to the pedestal surface and directed away from the pedestal surface intersects a line defined by an intersection between the surface to be cooled and the pedestal.
A further embodiment of any of the foregoing turbine engine components, wherein the turbine engine component can be a combustor heat shield.
A gas turbine engine according to an exemplary embodiment of this disclosure, among other possible things includes a compressor section, a turbine section, and a combustor section arranged between the compressor section and the turbine section. The compressor provides a flow of cooling air. The combustor section includes a plenum in fluid communication with the compressor section to receive the flow of cooling air, a combustion chamber in fluid communication with the turbine section, and at least one combustor heat shield between the combustion chamber and the plenum. The combustor heat shield includes a surface to be cooled by a flow of cooling air and a plurality of pedestals projecting from the surface to be cooled. At least one of the pedestals includes a pedestal surface oriented such that a ray normal to the pedestal surface and directed away from the pedestal surface intersects a line defined by an intersection between the surface to be cooled and the pedestal.
A further embodiment of the foregoing gas turbine engine, wherein combustor heat shield can be formed as a single piece.
A further embodiment of any of the foregoing gas turbine engines, wherein the combustor heat shield can be formed of a high-temperature metal.
A further embodiment of any of the foregoing gas turbine engines, wherein the combustor heat shield can be formed by direct digital manufacturing technology from metal alloy powder.
A further embodiment of any of the foregoing gas turbine engines, wherein the direct digital manufacturing technology can include at least one of direct metal laser sintering, electron beam sintering, and selected laser sintering.
A further embodiment of any of the foregoing gas turbine engines, wherein the direct digital manufacturing technology can include direct metal laser sintering.
A further embodiment of any of the foregoing gas turbine engines, wherein the combustor section can further include a plurality of combustor heat shields, each of the plurality of combustor heat shields having an inner surface facing the combustion chamber and an outer surface facing away from the combustion chamber, and the a surface to be cooled by the flow of cooling air is the outer surface.
A further embodiment of any of the foregoing gas turbine engines, wherein the pedestal can be symmetrical about a pedestal axis perpendicular the surface to be cooled.
A further embodiment of any of the foregoing gas turbine engines, wherein sections of the pedestal perpendicular to the pedestal axis can be one of ellipses and parallelograms.
A further embodiment of any of the foregoing gas turbine engines, wherein each pedestal of the plurality of pedestals projecting from the surface to be cooled can include a pedestal surface oriented such that a ray normal to the pedestal surface and directed away from the pedestal surface intersects a line defined by an intersection between the surface to be cooled and the pedestal.
Although the present invention has been described with reference to preferred embodiments, workers skilled in the art will recognize that changes may be made in form and detail without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.
This application claims the benefit of PCT application PCT/US2014/031168 filed Mar. 19, 2014, for “TURBINE ENGINE AND TURBINE ENGINE COMPONENT WITH IMPROVED COOLING PEDESTALS” by Ronald R. Soucy and Robert P. Delisle, and U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/805,171 filed Mar. 26, 2013, for “TURBINE ENGINE AND TURBINE ENGINE COMPONENT WITH IMPROVED COOLING PEDESTALS” by Ronald R. Soucy and Robert P. Delisle.
Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
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PCT/US2014/031168 | 3/19/2014 | WO | 00 |
Number | Date | Country | |
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61805171 | Mar 2013 | US |