Cooling of engine components

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016169003-A1
Application number	US-201514944947-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Nov 18, 2015
Priority date	Dec 16, 2014
Publication date	Jun 16, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

A component, e.g. an aerofoil component like a turbine-blade or guide-vane, for a gas turbine engine, including first and second walls defining at least one passage for supply of cooling fluid to a portion of the component to be cooled, the portion including a slot via which cooling fluid passes from the passage to exit of slot for effecting cooling of the portion, wherein the slot includes at least one side wall, pair of opposite side walls, each having surface profile defining array of channels for passage of cooling fluid, and surface profile defining each of arrays of channels is undulating with the respective arrays of channels in two side walls being angled with respect to one another. The resulting internal cross-corrugated cooling arrangement promotes enhanced cooling of the trailing edge or other portion of the component by controlling flow rate of cooling air through slot and exhausted therefrom.

First claim

1 . A component for a gas turbine engine, comprising first and second walls defining at least one passage for supply of a cooling fluid to a portion of the component to be cooled, the said portion comprising a slot via which cooling fluid passes from the passage to an exit of the slot for effecting cooling of the portion,
wherein the slot comprises at least one side wall having a surface profile defining an array of channels for passage of cooling fluid therethrough, and wherein the surface profile defining said array of channels is undulating.

2 . A component according to claim 1 , wherein the slot comprises a first side wall having a first surface profile defining a first array of channels for passage of cooling fluid therethrough, and a second side wall, opposite the first side wall, having a second surface profile defining a second array of channels for passage of cooling fluid therethrough, wherein each of the said first and second surface profiles is undulating and the channels of the first array are oriented so as to be non-parallel to the channels of the second array.

3 . A component according to claim 1 , wherein the or each surface profile of the or the respective slot side wall is defined by a smooth, wavelike curve which changes smoothly in direction over at least a portion of its pitch, wherein the sectional profile of the surface forming each channel of the respective array is such that a tangent to the channel-defining surface, perpendicular to the channel longitudinal direction, varies in its angle of orientation, relative to the general plane of the respective side wall, substantially continuously over at least a portion of its curve between one side of the channel and an opposite side thereof.

4 . A component according to claim 3 , wherein the channels in the or the respective side wall surface are defined by a surface profile with substantially no edges or corners which present an angled boundary between two adjacent surface portions thereof.

5 . A component according to claim 3 , wherein the wave function defining the or each undulating surface profile defining the respective channels is a waveform defined by a mathematical function or a combination of two or more mathematical functions which define(s) a regular repeating wave having a substantially constant wavelength and/or amplitude.

6 . A component according to claim 5 , wherein the wave function defining the or each undulating surface profile defining the respective channels is selected from a sinusoidal wave function, a polynomial wave function, an exponential wave function, or a combination of two or more different shape or wave functions each defining a different part or region of the curve defining the surface profile of a given channel.

7 . A component according to claim 6 wherein the channels in the or the respective side wall surface are defined by a surface profile with substantially no edges or corners which present an angled boundary between two adjacent surface portions thereof.

8 . A component according to claim 1 , wherein:
the channels within the or each respective array are substantially parallel to each other, and/or the channels within the or each respective array are substantially equi-spaced relative to each other.

9 . A component according to claim 2 , wherein the channels in the first array are generally oriented with their longitudinal axes at a first angle relative to the radial direction of the component, and the channels in the second array are generally oriented with their longitudinal axes at a second angle relative to the radial direction of the component, wherein both the first and second angles are each greater than 0° and less than 180° relative to the said radial direction, both angles being defined on the same axial side of that radial direction, and the first and second angles are different from one another.

10 . A component according to claim 8 , wherein the difference between the first and the second angles is an included angle of from about 60° to about 120°.

11 . A component according to claim 2 , as dependent through claim 2 , wherein a distance transversely across the slot between peaks of the channel-defining surface of the first array and peaks of the channel-defining surface of the second array is selected from variable such values thereof, such that a minimum transverse separation or gap between the first and second arrays is selected so as to be of a predetermined value.

12 . A component according to claim 2 wherein at least one of the slot side walls and/or at least one or more of the channels themselves in either or both of the arrays is/are provided with at least one baffle element configured so as to reflect, divert or change the flow direction of a flow of cooling fluid as it impinges thereon or thereagainst during its passage through the respective channel(s) and/or through the slot.

13 . A component according to claim 2 , wherein:
(i) at least one or more of the channels of the or at least one respective array each has a downstream portion which has a longitudinal direction which is different from that of a major, upstream portion thereof; and/or (ii) at least some respective ones of the channels of one of the arrays terminate in respective mouth portions which each combine together with corresponding respective mouth portions of at least some respective ones of the channels of the other of the arrays so as to form respective exhaust apertures having a predetermined shape and/or geometry.

14 . A component according to claim 1 , which is made by a process selected from a casting process or a layered deposition or additive layer manufacturing method.

15 . A cooling arrangement for a component of a gas turbine engine, wherein the component comprises first and second walls defining at least one passage for supply of a cooling fluid to a portion of the component to be cooled, the said portion comprising a slot via which cooling fluid passes from the passage to an exit of the slot for effecting cooling of the portion,
wherein the cooling arrangement comprises at least one side wall of the slot which has a surface profile defining an array of channels for passage of cooling fluid therethrough, and wherein the said surface profile defining said array of channels is undulating; and optionally wherein the cooling arrangement comprises a first side wall of the slot having a first surface profile defining a first array of channels for passage of cooling fluid therethrough, and a second side wall, opposite the first side wall, having a second surface profile defining a second array of channels for passage of cooling fluid therethrough, wherein each of the said first and second surface profiles is undulating and the channels of the first array are oriented so as to be non-parallel to the channels of the second array.

16 . A gas turbine engine comprising at least one component according to claim 1 .

17 . A gas turbine engine comprising at least one component including a cooling arrangement according to claim 14 .

18 . A method of cooling a portion of a component of a gas turbine engine during operation thereof, wherein the component comprises first and second walls defining at least one passage for supply of a cooling fluid to the portion thereof, the said portion comprising a slot via which cooling fluid passes from the passage to an exit of the slot, wherein the slot comprises at least one side wall having a surface profile defining an array of channels for passage of cooling fluid therethrough, and wherein the surface profile de

Assignees

• Rolls Royce Plc

Inventors

• Wong Tsun H
• Ireland Peter T
• Self Kevin P

Classifications

• F05D2230/31

  Layer deposition · CPC title

• F05D2230/21

  by casting · CPC title

• F01D25/12

  Cooling · CPC title

• F01D9/041

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

• F05D2220/32

  in gas turbines · CPC title