US20140161585A1

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Publication number: US20140161585A1
Application number: US13/709,578
Authority: US
Inventors: Brian Peter Arness; Robert Meyer; Lisa AMMANN
Original assignee: General Electric Co
Current assignee: General Electric Co
Priority date: 2012-12-10
Filing date: 2012-12-10
Publication date: 2014-06-12

Abstract

A component, a component manufacturing process, and a component operation process are disclosed. The component has a diffuser permitting compressible fluid to flow throughout a first region and a second region of the diffuser at a decreasing velocity. The diffuser includes a coating collection feature. The component manufacturing process includes positioning the component and applying the coating to at least a surface of the component outside of the diffuser and to at least a portion of the second region, not to the first region, to the coating collection feature, or a combination thereof. The component operation process includes positioning the component and transporting the compressible fluid through the diffuser.

Description

STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

The United States Government retains license rights in this invention and the right in limited circumstances to require the patent owner to license others on reasonable terms by the terms of Government Contract No. 9FB-05 awarded by the United Stated Department of Energy.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is directed to components, processes of manufacturing components, and processes of operating components. More specifically, the present invention relates to components and processes involving diffusers.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Diffusers permit airflow to and from systems relying upon air flow. For example, diffusers cool components or portions of components subjected to high temperature due to operation of the component, the environment of the component, or combinations thereof. For example, diffusers in turbine blades cool the blades, which operate under extreme temperatures during power generation and/or thrust generation. Diffusers in nozzles cool portions of nozzles proximal to flame regions and/or provide air to the flame region, thereby assisting with combustion.

These diffusers and other known diffusers facilitate expansion of compressible fluids and/or provide cooling in other systems by reducing airflow velocity by having a cross-sectional area at a diffuser exit that is larger than a cross-sectional area at a diffuser entrance. As the cross-sectional area increases, the velocity of the flow decreases, thereby lowering pressure of the flow. At the exit, the diffuser can be open to another component, such as a compressor, a flame region, a pressure side of a blade, or any other suitable component or environment.

Generally, the cross-sectional areas of diffusers increase at constant rates. Such constant rate increases permit the velocity to decrease at a constant rate or an increasing rate. For example, known diffusers generally have a geometry that is either partially conical, curvilinear, stepped, and/or partially tubular. Such geometries facilitate a decrease in velocity.

Clogging of diffusers can modify the internal profile of the diffuser, thereby modifying the velocity profile of the diffuser. Prior attempts to use coatings on surfaces outside of diffusers but still proximal to the diffusers have resulted in such clogging or otherwise modifying of the internal profiles of the diffusers. For example, such attempts resulted in constrictions of flow-paths within diffusers, thereby undesirably increasing velocity through certain portions within the diffuser. Such modifications to the rate of fluid flow within the diffusers could result in operational inefficiencies, inadequate fluid transport, or failure of a part.

A component, a component manufacturing process, and a component operation process that do not suffer from one or more of the above drawbacks would be desirable in the art.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

In an exemplary embodiment, a component has a diffuser that includes a first region having a first section with a first cross-sectional area, a second region having a second section with a second cross-sectional area that is greater than the first cross-sectional area, a coating collection feature at least partially positioned within the second region, and a flow-path arranged and disposed to permit compressible fluid to flow throughout the first region and the second region of the diffuser at a decreasing velocity.

In another exemplary embodiment, a component-manufacturing process includes positioning the component and applying a coating to at least a surface of the component outside of the diffuser and to at least a portion of the second region, not to the first region, to the coating collection feature, or a combination thereof. The component has a diffuser including a first region having a first section with a first cross-sectional area, a second region having a second section with a second cross-sectional area that is greater than the first cross-sectional area, a coating collection feature at least partially positioned within the second region, and a flow-path arranged and disposed to permit compressible fluid to flow throughout the first region and the second region of the diffuser at a decreasing velocity.

In another exemplary embodiment, a component operation process includes positioning the component and transporting a compressible fluid through a diffuser. The component has a diffuser including a first region having a first section with a first cross-sectional area, a second region having a second section with a second cross-sectional area that is greater than the first cross-sectional area, a coating collection feature at least partially positioned within the second region, and a flow-path arranged and disposed to permit compressible fluid to flow throughout the first region and the second region of the diffuser at a decreasing velocity.

Other features and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following more detailed description of the preferred embodiment, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings which illustrate, by way of example, the principles of the invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 shows a schematic sectional view of an exemplary component without a coating according to the disclosure.

FIG. 2 shows a schematic sectional view of an exemplary component with a coating according to the disclosure.

FIG. 3 shows a schematic sectional view of an exemplary coated component with a linear coating collection feature according to the disclosure.

FIG. 4 shows a schematic sectional view of an exemplary coated component with a curved coating collection feature according to the disclosure.

FIG. 5 shows a schematic sectional view of an exemplary coated component according to the disclosure.

FIG. 6 shows a schematic sectional view of an exemplary coated component according to the disclosure.

FIG. 7 shows a schematic sectional view of an exemplary component with a coating applied at an angled orientation according to an exemplary process of the disclosure.

FIG. 8 shows a schematic sectional view of an exemplary component having coating on a surface exterior to a diffuser but not on the diffuser according to the disclosure.

FIG. 9 shows a schematic view of an exemplary component being a turbine blade according to the disclosure.

FIG. 10 shows a schematic view of an exemplary component being a nozzle according to the disclosure.

Wherever possible, the same reference numbers will be used throughout the drawings to represent the same parts.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Provided is an exemplary component, a component manufacturing process, and a component operation process. Embodiments of the present disclosure permit airflow for cooling components, reduce or eliminate partial or complete blockages of diffusers, permit operation in more harsh environments (for example, environments having greater thermal gradients), permit additional control of fluid flow-paths and/or fluid velocity profiles within diffusers, facilitate a controlled decrease in velocity of compressible fluids within diffusers, increase operational efficiencies, or combinations thereof.

FIG. 1 shows a portion of acomponent100 according to an embodiment of the disclosure. Thecomponent100 is any suitable article for transport of a fluid. For example, in one embodiment, thecomponent100 is a turbine component, such as, a turbine blade902 (seeFIG. 9), a nozzle910 (seeFIG. 10), or any other article containing one ormore diffusers102 for transporting a fluid, such as a compressible fluid, along a predetermined flow-path114.

Generally, thediffuser102 is any suitable geometry. In one embodiment, portions of thediffuser102 include a cylindrical geometry, a tapered geometry, a partially conical geometry, a curvilinear geometry, a complex geometry, or any other geometry with an expanding cross-sectional area through a portion of thediffuser102 or throughout thediffuser102. The size, position, and shape of thediffuser102 corresponds to thecomponent100 including thediffuser102, the amount of thediffusers102 included in thecomponent100, the proximity between thediffusers102 used in thecomponent100, the amount of cooling and/or other fluid transport to be performed by thediffusers102, manufacturing technologies employed in forming thediffusers102, or combinations thereof.

Thediffuser102 includes any suitable number of regions, for example, two regions, three regions, four regions, five regions, six regions, or more. In one embodiment, thediffuser102 has afirst region104 and asecond region106. Thefirst region104 has afirst section111 with a first cross-sectional area. Overall, thefirst region104 includes constant cross-sectional areas or increasing cross-sectional areas. Thesecond region106 has asecond section113 with a second cross-sectional area. Overall, thesecond region106 includes constant cross-sectional areas or increasing cross-sectional areas. The second cross-sectional area in thesecond section113 is greater than the first cross-sectional area in thefirst section111, thereby permitting a decrease in velocity of the compressible fluid from between thefirst section111 and thesecond section113, between thefirst region104 and thesecond region106, otherwise along the flow-path114, or combinations thereof.

In one embodiment, thediffuser102 further includes athird region108 between thefirst region104 and thesecond region106. In this embodiment, thethird region108 is oriented at apredetermined angle109 in comparison to thefirst region104, for example, between about 1 degree and about 5 degrees, between about 1 degree and about 10 degrees, between about 5 degrees and about 10 degrees, between about 10 degrees and about 20 degrees, about 1 degree, about 5 degrees, about 10 degrees, about 15 degrees, about 20 degrees, or any suitable combination or sub-combination thereof.

The flow-path114 of thediffuser102 extends through thefirst region104, thesecond region106, and any other regions of thediffuser102, for example, thethird region108. The flow-path114 abuts all or a portion of one or more of thefirst region104, thesecond region106, thethird region108, the coating collection feature112, and a portion or all surfaces of a coating202 (seeFIG. 2) in thediffuser102.

Thediffuser102 includes thecoating collection feature112. Thecoating collection feature112 prevents thecoating202 from travelling into undesired portions of the diffuser102 (such as the first region104) and/or maintains thecoating202 in desired portions (such as the second region106). For example, in one embodiment, thecoating collection feature112 prevents a portion or all of thecoating202 from travelling into thefirst region104 and/or thethird region108 of thediffuser102 during application of thecoating202. In another embodiment, in addition to regions outside of thediffuser102, a portion or all of thecoating202 is maintained in thesecond region106 of thediffuser102 by thecoating collection feature112.

In one embodiment, thecoating collection feature112 is at least partially positioned within thesecond region106, between thesecond region106 and thefirst region102, between thesecond region106 and thethird region108, or a combination thereof. Thecoating collection feature112 includes a geometry controlling the travelling of thecoating202. In one embodiment, as shown inFIGS. 1-2, the geometry is anangled recess116. Theangled recess116 widens thediffuser102 along the flow-path114, thereby decreasing velocity of the compressible fluid traveling along the flow-path114.

Thediffuser102 controls the velocity of the compressible fluid flowing through thediffuser102, an amount of cooling of thecomponent100 facilitated by thediffuser102, an amount of the compressible fluid transported, or combinations thereof. In one embodiment, the flow-path114 of thediffuser102 is arranged and disposed to permit the compressible fluid to flow throughout thefirst region104 and thesecond region106 of thediffuser102 at a decreasing velocity. In a further embodiment, the flow-path114 is arranged and disposed to permit the compressible fluid to flow throughout thediffuser102 at the decreasing velocity. In one embodiment, the flow-path114 is arranged and disposed to permit the compressible fluid to decrease velocity at a predetermined rate, for example, a substantially constant rate or an increasing rate.

Referring toFIG. 2, in one embodiment, thediffuser102 includes acoating202, such as a thermal barrier coating, for example, a coating having yttria-stabilized zirconia, ytterbium zirconium, fully-stabilized gadolinia zirconia, alumina, pyrochlores, or combinations thereof. In a further embodiment, thecoating202 further includes a bonding layer, for example, a MCrAlY alloy (where M identifies one or more of Fe, Ni, and Co), intermetallic aluminide, or any other suitable material. Thecoating202 is applied to thediffuser102 by any suitable process, for example, physical vapor deposition, chemical vapor deposition, cold spray, or a combination thereof.

Thecoating collection feature112 is positioned and oriented to prevent thecoating202 and/or other debris from disrupting the flow-path114 and/or a predetermined velocity profile of thediffuser102.FIGS. 1-5 show embodiments with a portion or all of the coating collection feature112 positioned substantially directly below anupper surface118 of thecomponent100.FIGS. 6-8 show embodiments with a portion or all of the coating collection feature112 not covered by theupper surface118.

FIG. 3 shows an embodiment with the coating collection feature112 completely covered by theupper surface118. In this embodiment, thecoating202 is substantially or entirely prevented from flowing into thefirst region104, but thecoating202 is inconsistent in thickness within thesecond region106, which may impact the flow-path114, for example, by causing the decrease in velocity of the compressible fluid to be slowed or partially reversed.

FIG. 4 shows an embodiment with the coating collection feature112 completely covered by theupper surface118. In this embodiment, the coating collection feature112 tapers or curves from thefirst region104, thereby substantially or entirely preventing thecoating202 from flowing into thefirst region104. In this embodiment, the thickness of thecoating202 in the second region is more consistent than the embodiment shown inFIG. 3, but acoating thickness208 that can be applied without thecoating202 entering thefirst region104 is lower than the coating thickness of the embodiment ofFIG. 3.

FIG. 5 shows an embodiment with the coating collection feature112 defining a large bored outportion502 forming thesecond region106. In the embodiment shown inFIG. 5, thecoating collection feature112 is completely covered by theupper surface118. In this embodiment, thecoating202 fills thesecond region106 and the flow-path114 substantially decreases velocity of the compressible fluid. In a further embodiment, thecoating202 is applied at a greater thickness, thereby modifying the amount of the decrease in the velocity of the compressible fluid along the flow-path114. The embodiment shown inFIG. 6 shows the coating collection feature112 with a similar geometry but not covered by theupper surface118. Thecoating202 in thesecond region106 slightly decreases the velocity of the compressible fluid along the flow-path114.

FIG. 7 shows an embodiment with the coating collection feature112 completely uncovered relative to theupper surface118.FIG. 8 shows an embodiment with the coating collection feature112 being aligned with the edge of theupper surface118. In one embodiment, the portions of thecomponent100 and/or the diffuser that are coated are based upon the application technique employed. For example, referring toFIG. 7, in one embodiment, thecoating202 is applied at anangled orientation702. Theangled orientation702 substantially or entirely prevents thecoating202 from being applied to thefirst region104. In one embodiment, theangled orientation702 is parallel with and/or in line with a portion or all of theangled recess116. Additionally or alternatively, referring toFIG. 8, in one embodiment, thecoating202 is selectively applied to predetermined portions of thecomponent100, such as thesurface206. In this embodiment, only portions of thesecond region106 include thecoating202 and thecoating202 thickness is inconsistent.

In one embodiment, thecoating202 is applied in a predetermined portion of thediffuser102. For example, in one embodiment, thecoating202 is at least partially or fully within thesecond region106, at least partially or fully in contact with thecoating collection feature112, or a combination thereof. In one embodiment, thecoating202 abuts the flow-path114 and/or anuncoated portion204 of thesecond region106 abuts the flow-path114. In a further embodiment, thecoating202 is at least partially positioned on asurface206 of thecomponent100 outside thediffuser102.

Thecoating202 is applied at a predetermined thickness, such as thethickness208. Suitable thickness include, but are not limited to, at least about 5 mils, at least about 10 mils, at least about 20 mils, at least about 30 mils, between about 5 mils and about 30 mils, between about 10 mils and about 30 mils, between about 20 mils and about 30 mils, between about 10 mils and about 20 mils, between about 5 mils, or any suitable combination or sub-combination thereof.

In one embodiment, thecoating202 is applied by positioning thecomponent100 and applying thecoating202 to at least a surface, such as thesurface206 outside of thediffuser102 of thecomponent100. In this embodiment, thecoating202 is also applied to at least a portion of thesecond region106, does not contact thefirst region104, contacts thecoating collection feature112, or a combination thereof. The portions of thediffuser102 that are coated or remain uncoated correspond to the application technique, the thickness of thecoating202 applied, the geometry of thecoating collection feature112, the configuration of thesecond region106, or combinations thereof.

In one embodiment, the compressible fluid is transported along the flow-path114 through thediffuser102. For example, referring toFIG. 9, in one embodiment, the compressible fluid is air and thecomponent100 is aturbine blade902. Thediffusers102 are positioned along any portion of theturbine blade902, for example, on or proximal to a pressure side904, on or proximal to aleading edge906, on or proximal to a trailingedge908, on or proximal to any other portion of theturbine blade902 that benefits from cooling, or a combination thereof. In this embodiment, the properties of thecoating202 permit operation of theturbine blade902 with a greater temperature gradient and/or greater fatigue resistance.

Referring toFIG. 10, in one embodiment, the compressible fluid is air and thecomponent100 is anozzle910. Thediffusers102 are positioned in any portion of thenozzle910, for example, around aflame region912 or any region that benefits from cooling. In this embodiment, the properties of thecoating202 permit operation of thenozzle910 with a greater temperature gradient and/or greater fatigue resistance.

While the invention has been described with reference to a preferred embodiment, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes may be made and equivalents may be substituted for elements thereof without departing from the scope of the invention. In addition, many modifications may be made to adapt a particular situation or material to the teachings of the invention without departing from the essential scope thereof. Therefore, it is intended that the invention not be limited to the particular embodiment disclosed as the best mode contemplated for carrying out this invention, but that the invention will include all embodiments falling within the scope of the appended claims.

Claims

What is claimed is:

1. A component having a diffuser, the diffuser comprising:

a first region having a first section with a first cross-sectional area;

a second region having a second section with a second cross-sectional area that is greater than the first cross-sectional area;

a coating collection feature at least partially positioned within the second region; and

a flow-path arranged and disposed to permit compressible fluid to flow throughout the first region and the second region of the diffuser at a decreasing velocity.

2. The component ofclaim 1, further comprising a coating at least partially within the second region.

3. The component ofclaim 2, wherein the coating is a thermal-barrier coating.

4. The component ofclaim 2, wherein the coating abuts the flow-path.

5. The component ofclaim 2, wherein an uncoated portion of the second region abuts the flow-path.

6. The component ofclaim 2, wherein the coating is at least partially positioned on a surface of the component outside the diffuser.

7. The component ofclaim 6, wherein the portion of the coating on the surface includes a thickness of at least 5 mils.

8. The component ofclaim 6, wherein the portion of the coating on the surface includes a thickness of at least 20 mils.

9. The component ofclaim 6, wherein the portion of the coating on the surface includes a thickness of at least 30 mils.

10. The component ofclaim 1, further comprising a third region having a third section with a third cross-sectional area that is greater than the first cross-sectional area and less than the second cross-sectional area, the third section abutting the flow-path.

11. The component ofclaim 1, further comprising a coating in contact with the coating collection feature.

12. The component ofclaim 1, wherein the component is a turbine component.

13. The component ofclaim 12, wherein the component is a blade and the diffuser is arranged and disposed for air flow.

14. The component ofclaim 13, wherein the diffuser is positioned on or proximal to a trailing edge of the blade.

15. The component ofclaim 13, wherein the diffuser is positioned on or proximal to a pressure side of the blade.

16. The component ofclaim 1, wherein the flow-path in the diffuser is arranged and disposed to permit the compressible fluid to decrease velocity at a substantially constant rate.

17. The component ofclaim 1, wherein the flow-path in the diffuser is arranged and disposed to permit the compressible fluid to decrease velocity at an increasing rate.

18. The component ofclaim 1, wherein the flow-path is arranged and disposed to permit the compressible fluid to flow throughout the diffuser at the decreasing velocity.

19. A component manufacturing process, comprising:

positioning the component, the component having a diffuser, the diffuser comprising:

a first region having a first section with a first cross-sectional area;

applying a coating to at least a surface of the component outside of the diffuser and to at least a portion of the second region, not to the first region, to the coating collection feature, or a combination thereof.

20. A component operation process, the process comprising:

positioning the component having a diffuser, the diffuser comprising:

a first region having a first section with a first cross-sectional area;

a flow-path arranged and disposed to permit a compressible fluid to flow throughout the first region and the second region of the diffuser at a decreasing velocity; and

transporting the compressible fluid through the diffuser.