System and method for air injection passageway integration and optimization in turbomachinery

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11608744-B2
Application number	US-202016927161-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 13, 2020
Priority date	Jul 13, 2020
Publication date	Mar 21, 2023
Grant date	Mar 21, 2023

Abstract

Systems and methods for air injection passageway integration and optimization in turbomachinery using surface vortex generation. An airfoil including a leading edge, a trailing edge, a pressure side, and a suction side, and is configured to influence an airflow as it passes from the leading edge to the trailing edge. The airfoil defines an aerodynamic passageway having an inlet on the pressure side and an outlet on the suction side to deliver air from the airflow through the airfoil to the suction side. The outlets are configured to inject the air at areas on either airfoil side targeted due to their propensity to generate undesirable boundary layer growth and associated flow losses. Outlet may also be included in the hub and the shroud of the turbomachine.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A turbomachine system comprising:
an airfoil including a leading edge, a trailing edge, a pressure side, and a suction side, wherein:
the airfoil is configured to influence an airflow as it passes through channels adjacent the airfoil from the leading edge to the trailing edge, the airfoil extending from a hub to a shroud,
the airfoil defines a number of aerodynamic passageways having at least one inlet and a plural number of outlets,
the number of aerodynamic passageways are configured to deliver air from the airflow through the airfoil to a target area,
the outlets are dispersed in the target area on the airfoil and are concentrated together in groups located in the target area resulting in an irregular pattern of the outlets on the airfoil, wherein the target area is targeted due to a propensity to generate undesirable flow losses, and
the outlets are located on the airfoil only adjacent the hub and adjacent the shroud, meaning none of the outlets are disposed at a middle of the airfoil between the hub and the shroud, with the outlets clustered in a first area that is closer to the hub than to the middle of the airfoil and in a second area that is closer to the shroud than to the middle of the airfoil.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the airfoil includes a maximum thickness area between the leading edge and the trailing edge where the airfoil is most thick, wherein the outlets are all located between the maximum thickness area and the trailing edge and the at least one inlet is located between the leading edge and the maximum thickness area.

3. The system of claim 1 , wherein the airfoil is disposed between the shroud and the hub, wherein at least one of the hub and the shroud includes a part of the number of aerodynamic passageways and at least some of the outlets.

4. The system of claim 3 , wherein the number of aerodynamic passageways include a cavity that has a segment in each of the airfoil, the hub and the shroud, wherein the cavity extends through the hub, the shroud and through the airfoil from the hub to the shroud.

5. The system of claim 1 , wherein the number of aerodynamic passageways couple the at least one inlet with the outlets through an internal cavity in the airfoil.

6. The system of claim 1 , comprising a first plural number of inlets, including the inlet, and a second plural number of outlets, including the outlets, wherein the first plural number is different than the second plural number.

7. The system of claim 1 , wherein the airfoil comprises at least one of a stator and a rotor in at least one of a fan, a booster and a compressor.

8. The system of claim 1 , wherein the airfoil comprises an additive manufactured structure.

9. The system of claim 1 , wherein the outlets are configured to generate surface vortices on the suction side, wherein the channels include a first channel on the pressure side and a second channel on the suction side, wherein the number of aerodynamic passageways conduct a part of the airflow from the first channel, through the airfoil, and into the second channel, wherein the outlets comprise multiple openings concentrated together to inject sheets of air on the suction side.

10. A method of manufacturing a turbomachine comprising:
forming an airfoil to include a leading edge, a trailing edge, a pressure side, and a suction side so that the airfoil is configured to influence an airflow as it passes through channels adjacent the airfoil from the leading edge to the trailing edge, with the airfoil extending from a hub to a shroud;
defining a number of aerodynamic passageways having at least one inlet on the pressure side, and having a plural number of outlets on at least one of the pressure side and the suction side;
configuring the number of aerodynamic passageways to deliver air from the airflow through the airfoil between the pressure side and the suction side;
identifying areas of a passage defined between adjacent airfoils and opposing walls that have a propensity to generate undesirable flow losses;
targeting the outlets to inject the air at the areas including dispersing the outlets in the target area on the airfoil in concentrated together groups located in the target area resulting in an irregular pattern of the outlets on the airfoil; and
locating the outlets on the airfoil only adjacent the hub and adjacent the shroud, meaning none of the outlets are disposed at a middle of the airfoil between the hub and the shroud, with the outlets clustered in a first area that is closer to the hub than to the middle of the airfoil and in a second area that is closer to the shroud than to the middle of the airfoil.

11. The method of claim 10 , comprising:
identifying a maximum thickness area of the airfoil between the leading edge and the trailing edge where the airfoil is most thick; and
locating the outlets all between the maximum thickness area and the trailing edge; and
locating the at least one inlet between the leading edge and the maximum thickness area.

12. The method of claim 10 , comprising:
connecting the airfoil between the shroud and the hub
defining a part of the number of aerodynamic passageways and at least some of the outlets through at least one of the hub and the shroud.

13. The method of claim 12 , comprising defining, as part of the number of aerodynamic passageways, a cavity that has a segment in each of the airfoil, the hub and the shroud, and extending the cavity through the hub, the shroud and through the airfoil from the hub to the shroud.

14. The method of claim 10 , comprising:
coupling, by the number of aerodynamic passageways, the at least one inlet with the outlets; and
defining an internal cavity in the airfoil as a part of the number of aerodynamic passageways.

15. The method of claim 10 , comprising forming plural inlets and plural outlets in the airfoil, wherein there is a different number of the plural outlets than of the plural inlets.

16. The method of claim 10 , comprising modifying a shape and a size of the number of aerodynamic passageways to maintain a minimum wall thickness of the airfoil.

17. The method of claim 10 , comprising building up the airfoil by an additive manufacturing process; and forming the number of aerodynamic passageways simultaneously during the building up.

18. The method of claim 10 , comprising generating, by the outlets, surface vortices on the suction side of the airfoil; defining the channels to include a first channel on the pressure side and a second channel on the suction side; constructing the number of aerodynamic passageways to conduct a part of the airflow from the first channel, through the airfoil, and into the second channel; and defining the outlets as multiple openings concentrated together to inject sheets of air on the suction side.

19. The method of claim 10 , comprising:
determining design requirements for performance of the airfoil;
determining whether the airfoil meets the design requirements; and
when the airfoil does not meet the design requirements, redesigning the number of aerodynamic passageways.

20. A turbomachine system comprising:
a shroud and a hub configured to contain an airflow;
a plurality of airfoils disposed between the shroud and the hub, each airfoil including a leading edge, a trailing edge, a pressure side, and a suction side,
wherein:
the shroud, the hub, and the airfoils define a number of airflow channels in the turbomachine;
each airfoil is configured to influence the airflow as it passes through one of the air

Assignees

• Honeywell Int Inc

Inventors

• Gluck Jeffrey
• Reynolds Bruce
• Repp John

Classifications

• F01D5/145 Primary

  Means for influencing boundary layers or secondary circulations (for compressors F04D29/68) · CPC title

• F01D9/041

  using blades (F01D5/148 takes precedence) · CPC title

• F05D2230/31

  Layer deposition · CPC title

• Y02T50/60

  Efficient propulsion technologies, e.g. for aircraft · CPC title

• F05D2240/121

  related to the leading edge of a stator vane · CPC title