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DOE OSTI · 2336687

Integrated Turbine Component Cooling Designs Facilitated by Additive Manufacturing and Optimization

Bogard, David G.·Oliver, Todd·Thole, Karen A.
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Abstract

This research program involved the development of improved gas turbine cooling by optimizing the combined internal and film cooling configurations used for turbine blades and vanes. Improved cooling of turbine airfoils allows the gas turbines to be operated at higher temperatures which improves efficiency for gas turbine-based power generation. This also facilitates operation with hydrogen-based fuels which inherently generate higher operating temperatures. Designs of the new cooling configurations were based on the added geometric flexibility that is available when using metal additive manufacturing techniques. When making these designs, adjustments were made to account for imperfections occurring in the metal additive manufacturing process. New designs for film cooling holes were developed using computational adjoint gradient optimization techniques which generated a unique film cooling hole with 70% greater film cooling effectiveness compared to conventional shaped film cooling holes. A major factor in improving the film cooling effectiveness were small external protrusions on either side of the new hole which generated vortices that pushed coolant towards the surface and increased the lateral spreading of the coolant. Our studies also included optimization of film cooling holes that can be built with conventional manufacturing techniques and optimizing the internal coolant channels that supply coolant to the film cooling holes. Various internal coolant channel shapes were investigated and designs that maximized the cooling of the airfoil while minimizing pressure losses in the channel flows were identified. Testing and verification of the performance of the final configurations was done with a transonic wind tunnel facility which allowed testing at engine realistic high velocities. Final testing of the combined internal and film cooling configurations was done by incorporating the configurations in Penn State’s National Experimental Turbine (NExT) vane. These tests confirmed the enhanced overall cooling effectiveness provided by the new cooling configuration designs.

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03 NATURAL GAS20 FOSSIL-FUELED POWER PLANTS42 ENGINEERINGFilm CoolingOptimized ConfigurationsOverall Cooling EffectivenessTurbine Cooling

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Bogard, David G., Oliver, Todd, Thole, Karen A.. 2024-04-12. Integrated Turbine Component Cooling Designs Facilitated by Additive Manufacturing and Optimization. https://doi.org/10.2172/2336687

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