Combustor wall cooling channel formed by additive manufacturing

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016281986-A1
Application number	US-201514669206-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Mar 26, 2015
Priority date	Mar 26, 2015
Publication date	Sep 29, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

A cooled wall for lining a combustor of a gas turbine engine includes an annular outer wall defining a radial passage extending therethrough, an inner wall spaced radially from the outer wall to define an axial channel in fluid communication with the radial passage, and a connecting wall joining the inner wall to the outer wall. A method of making the cooled wall includes providing a three-dimensional computer model of the cooled wall, depositing a uniform thickness layer of material on a substrate, using a laser or electron beam to melt or sinter the material to form a cross section, repeating the depositing and cross section steps to form the cooled wall, and heat treating the cooled wall.

First claim

1 . A cooled wall for lining a combustor of a gas turbine comprising:
an annular outer wall extending axially along a centerline intersecting the geometric center of the gas turbine, wherein the annular outer wall defines a radial passage extending therethrough; a first inner wall spaced radially inward from the outer wall with respect to the centerline; and a first connecting wall joining the first inner wall to the outer wall, wherein the outer wall, the first inner wall, and the first connecting wall define an axial channel therebetween that is in fluid communication with the radial passage.

2 . The cooled wall of claim 1 and further comprising:
a second inner wall spaced radially inward from the annular outer wall; and
a second connecting wall joining the second inner wall to the annular outer wall, wherein the second inner wall is axially spaced from the first inner wall to define an opening between a first end of the first inner wall and a second end of the second inner wall.

3 . The cooled wall of claim 2 , wherein the annular outer wall, the first and second inner walls, and the first and second connecting walls form a monolithic body.

4 . The cooled wall of claim 3 , wherein the cooled wall has a radially outermost portion consisting of a metallic material and a radially innermost portion consisting of a ceramic material.

5 . The cooled wall of claim 4 , wherein the cooled wall has a functionally graded distribution of the metallic and ceramic materials between the radially innermost and the radially outermost portions.

6 . The cooled wall of claim 2 , wherein the first end and the second end are angled with respect to the centerline.

7 . The cooled wall of claim 2 , wherein one of the first and second inner walls defines a hole extending therethrough, and wherein the hole is in fluid communication with the channel and is configured to film-cool one of the first and second inner walls.

8 . The cooled wall of claim 2 , wherein the first inner wall extends a first distance from the first connecting wall towards the second inner wall and a second distance substantially equal and opposite the first distance.

9 . The cooled wall of claim 2 , wherein the first inner wall extends from the first connecting wall towards the second inner wall.

10 . The cooled wall of claim 1 , wherein the annular outer wall comprises:
a first segment, wherein the first connecting wall joins the first inner wall to the first segment; and a second segment positioned radially outward and axially spaced from the first segment so as to define a stepped annular shape; and wherein the cooled wall further comprises:
a second inner wall spaced radially inward from the annular outer wall; and
a second connecting wall joining the second inner wall to the second segment of the annular outer wall, wherein the second inner wall is spaced radially outward from the first inner wall to define an annular opening between a radially outer surface of the first inner wall and a radially inner surface of the second inner wall.

11 . The cooled wall of claim 10 , wherein the first connecting wall is axially spaced from the second connecting wall a first distance, and wherein the first inner wall extends from the first connecting wall towards the second inner wall a second distance that is greater than the first distance.

12 . The cooled wall of claim 10 , wherein the first segment and the second inner wall form a contiguous surface such that the axial channel is aligned with the radially inner surface of the second inner wall.

13 . The cooled wall of claim 1 , wherein the first and second ends are curved in an axial direction.

14 . A combustor section of a gas turbine engine comprising:
a plurality of annular wall segments defining a cavity for combustion having a centerline extending axially through a geometric center of the cavity and defining a plurality of radial passages extending therethrough; a plurality of inner wall segments spaced radially inward from the annular wall segments so as to define axial channels therebetween in fluid communication with the radial passages, wherein the inner wall segments are configured to define openings between adjacent inner wall segments; a plurality of connecting walls extending in a generally radial direction from the plurality of annular wall segments to the plurality of inner wall segments.

15 . The combustor section of claim 14 , wherein the openings are configured to direct cooling air along the inner wall segments, and wherein the inner wall segments further comprise:
a first subset of inner wall segments defining a first subset of openings; and a second subset of inner wall segments defining a second subset of openings, wherein the second subset of openings is configured to direct more cooling air per unit area of the second subset of inner wall segments than the first subset of openings is configured to direct on to the first subset of inner wall segments.

16 . A method of manufacturing a cooled wall for a combustor of a gas turbine engine; the method comprising:
a.) providing a three-dimensional computer model of the cooled wall; b.) depositing a powdered material to form a uniform thickness layer on a substrate or a previously deposited layer; c.) using a laser or an electron beam to melt or sinter the powdered material to form a cross-section of the cooled wall defined by the three-dimensional computer model; and d.) repeating steps b-c to form a cooled wall, wherein the cooled wall comprises:
an annular outer wall extending axially along a centerline intersecting the geometric center of the gas turbine, wherein the annular outer wall defines a radial passage extending therethrough;
a first inner wall spaced radially inward from the outer wall with respect to the centerline; and
a first connecting wall joining the first inner wall to the outer wall, wherein the outer wall, the first inner wall, and the first connecting wall define an axial channel therebetween that is in fluid communication with the radial passage.

17 . The method of claim 16 , wherein the cooled wall further comprises:
a second inner wall spaced radially inward from the annular outer wall; and a second connecting wall joining the second inner wall to the annular outer wall, wherein the second inner wall is axially spaced from the first inner wall to define an opening between a first end of the first inner wall and a second end of the second inner wall.

18 . The method of claim 16 , wherein the powdered material comprises a metallic material deposited at a radially outermost portion of the cooled wall and a ceramic material deposited at a radially innermost portion of the cooled wall.

19 . The method of claim 18 , wherein the powdered material is deposited to form a functionally-graded distribution of the metallic and ceramic materials between the radially innermost and the radially outermost portions.

20 . The method of claim 19 , wherein the functionally graded distribution of the ceramic material linearly decreases along the first connecting wall.

Assignees

• United Technologies Corp

Inventors

• Chang Hoyt Y
• Adamopoulos Christos
• Kostka Jr Stanislav

Classifications

• F23R3/007 Primary

  constructed mainly of ceramic components · CPC title

• B22F10/66

  by mechanical means · CPC title

• B22F10/28

  Powder bed fusion, e.g. selective laser melting [SLM] or electron beam melting [EBM] · CPC title

• F23R3/002 Primary

  Wall structures (F23R3/02 and F23R3/007 take precedence) · CPC title

• F23R3/50

  Combustion chambers comprising an annular flame tube within an annular casing (toroidal combustion chambers F23R3/52) · CPC title