Title of Invention

" A RECIRCULATION STRUCTURE FOR AXIAL AND/OR DIAGONAL AND/OR RADIAL COMPRESSORS ADAPTABLE TO GAS TURBINES, IN PARTICULAR AIRCRAFT ENGINES"

Abstract

A recirculation structure for turbocompressors, having an annular chamber which is arranged in the area of the free blade ends of a blade rim and is radially adjacent to the main flow channel, and having a large number of guide elements which are arranged in the annular chamber and are distributed over its circumference, with the annular chamber in the front and/or rear area allowing flow to pass through in the circumferential direction, and the guide elements being firmly connected to at least one wall of the annular chamber and apart from this being freestanding. The tips, which face the annular area, of the guide elements run on and/or close to the contour of the main flow channel and axially overlap the free blade ends, or are axially adjacent to the area of the free blade ends.

Full Text

Recirculation structure for turbocompressors The invention relates to a recirculation structure for turbocompressors as claimed in the precharacterizing clause of patent claim 1, to a turbocompressor and to an aircraft engine and a stationary gas turbine. Recirculation structures for turbocompressors have been known for a long time and are generally referred to in the specialist world as "casing treatments". The primary object of these recirculation structures is to extend the aerodynamically stable operating range of the compressor, with the so-called surge limit being shifted towards higher compressor pressures, that is to say towards a higher compressor load. The disturbances which are responsible for local flow separation and in the end for compressor surging occur on the casing side of the rotor blade ends of one or more compressor stages, and on the hub side on the radially inner guide blade ends, since the aerodynamic load is at its greatest in these areas. The flow in the area of the blade ends is stabilized again by recirculation of the "air particles", which circulate between the blade tips at the blade rotation speed and have reduced energy, into the main flow, with the energy being increased. Since flow disturbances generally do not occur uniformly over the stage circumference, compensation from the flow point of view should also be possible in the circumferential direction, in addition to the essentially axial recirculation. The major disadvantage of the known "casing treatments" is that although they increase the surge limit, they reduce the compressor efficiency at the same time. DE 33 22 295 C3 protects an axial fan with a "casing treatment". An annular chamber (8) in which guide elements (9) are arranged in a fixed form can be seen there. An area which is open in the circumferential direction and into which the guide elements do not P803036/WO/1 - 2 - extend is located in the downstream area above the rotor blade ends. One characteristic of this type of "casing treatment" is a closed ring (7) which is approximately aligned with the contour of the main flow channel, separates the rear inlet area from the front outlet area of the recirculation structure, and forms a smooth, closed surface area. DE 35 39 604 Cl discloses a rather similar "casing treatment" with an area which is open in the circumferential direction being provided in the front and rear area here. The radially internal ring 6 is also evident here. US 5,282,718 A discloses a more recent "casing treatment". In this case, the annular chamber (18, 28) and the guide elements (24) are refined from the flow point of view. In this case as well, the inlet and outlet of the recirculation flow are separated by means of a solid ring, which is smooth and closed towards the blades. Rings such as these in the blade area generally have to be provided with a rubbing or running-in coating in case of contact with the blade tips. There are further "casing treatments" with axial or axially oblique grooves, for example as disclosed in US 5,137,419 A. These will be ignored here since no flow compensation in the circumferential direction is possible in these versions owing to the lack of any connection between the grooves. US 4,511,308 A protects fans and blowers with different forms of "casing treatments". The simplest embodiment, a shown in Figure 6, has only one annular chamber without any guide elements. In the embodiments shown in Figures 1 and 3, guide elements are mounted in the annular chamber, the upstream casing wall (22) is lengthened in the form of a cylindrical or conical P803036/WO/1 - 3 — connecting stub to beyond the radially inner edges of the guide elements (21), so that it is not possible for any recirculation flow to emerge into the main flow at the upstream, front end of the annular chamber. Figure 5 shows guide elements (21) which are attached to the front end wall and to.the outer circumference of the annular chamber, and which apart from this are freestanding. In this case, there is no tubular or annular element connecting or covering the guide elements in the circumferential direction. The free, radially inner edges of the guide elements (21) rise from front to rear from the diameter of the inlet area (15) to the largest diameter of the annular chamber {16) . The guide elements thus admittedly overlap the upstream area of the blade ends (14) in the downstream area, but the large radial gap between the guide elements (21) and the blade ends (14) means that effective and defined guidance of the recirculation air is not possible. A further disadvantage is the large volume of the annular chamber (16) with respect to the rotor blade dimensions. An embodiment such as this is not suitable for a turbocompressor, either aerodynamically or by design. Against the background of the disadvantages of the solutions according to the prior art, the obj ect of the invention is to provide a recirculation structure for turbocompressors which allows a considerable increase in the surge limit and thus a considerable widening of the stable operating range without any relevant deterioration in the compressor efficiency. This object is achieved by the features specified in patent claim 1, in conjunction with the generxc features in its precharacterizing clause. The essence of the invention is that the tips, which face the annular area, of the guide elements are P803036/WO/1 _ 4 - located on or close to the contour of the main flow channel and axially overlap the free blade ends, or are axially adjacent to the area of the free blade ends. There is no need for any annular elements with rubbing coatings, etc., in this case. The patent specifications cited above show that, until now, the specialist world has generally attempted to design recirculation structures to be smooth, with a small gap and closed over as large an axial area as possible towards the main flow channel, that is to say towards the so-called annular area, in order to lengthen the contour of the main flow channel with losses that are as low as possible and as aerodynamically as possible. In contrast, the invention leads to gaps, and broken surfaces etc., and thus appears to be disadvantageous and not expedient. However, experiments have shown that the recirculation structure according to the invention is superior to known solutions both in terms of increasing the surge limit and with regard to efficiency. Aerodynamically, this can be explained by the fact that the free, unforced formation of the recirculation flow in the open annular chamber with freestanding guide elements and flow connections in the circumferential direction is more important than lengthening the contour of the main flow channel in a manner which is as free of gaps as possible. The lack of a closed ring has the further advantages that there is no need for a rubbing or running-in coating for the guide elements so that radial space and weight are saved, thus leading to structural mechanical advantages. Defined guidance of the recirculation flow - without any annular elements - is, however, achieved only if the free edges of the guide elements run relatively close to the blade edges and axially partially overlap the latter, or at least are adjacent to their area. In the end, this is the only way to achieve a compact "casing treatment" which is suitable for compressors. P803036/WO/1 - 5 - The ratio of the axial length of the annular chamber to the axial length of the blade ends is preferably 0.2 to 1.5. In the case of broad blades with a large axial extent at the blade end, the ratio will be closer to 0.2, while in the case of thin blades with little axial extent at the blade end, it will be closer to 1.5. In one preferred refinement, the ratio of the radial height to the axial length of the annular chamber is 0.1 to 1.0. In the case of aircraft engines which are subject to very stringent requirements in terms of the space requirement, contour profile etc., attempts will be made to manage with a rather low ratio, that is to say a small physical height. In the case of stationary applications where sufficient space is available, it is possible to move towards the upper limit, instead. It is also better to approach the upper limit in the case of axially short annular chambers. It is also preferable for the tips, which face the annular area, of the guide elements to be set back radially, at least in the area of the free blade ends to such an extent that there is no contact between the blade ends and the guide elements during normal operation. This takes account of the fact that the rotor blade tips can be damaged if they rub, particularly against hard, inflexible guide element tips. Setting back the guide element tips does not contradict the requirement that the tips be located on or close to the contour of the main flow channel, since the small radial gap sizes are virtually irrelevant from the flow point of view in terms of avoiding rubbing, that is to say they have no negative influence on the recirculation. Preferred refinements of the recirculation structure according to the main claim as well as a P803036/WO/1 - 6 - turbocompressor, an aircraft gas turbine and a stationary gas turbine are also characterized in the further dependent claims. The invention will be explained in more detail in the following text with reference to the drawings. In this case, illustrated in a simplified form and not to scale: Figure .1 shows a partial longitudinal section through an axial compressor in the area of the recirculation structure on the casing side, Figure 2 shows a comparable partial longitudinal section in the area of the recirculation structure on the hub side, Figure 3 shows a partial cross section through the recirculation structure shown in Figure 1, Figure 4 shows a partial view of the recirculation structure shown in Figures 1 and 3, radially from the inside, Figure 5 shows a partial longitudinal section in the area of recirculation structure on the casing side which has been modified from that shown in Figure 1, Figure 6 shows a partial longitudinal section in the area of the recirculation structure on the casing side which has been modified from that shown in Figure 1 and Figure 5, and Figure 7 shows a further partial longitudinal section in the area of a recirculation structure on the casing side, which has once again been modified. The recirculation structure 1 shown in Figure 1 is integrated in the casing 5 of a turbocompressor and can thus be referred to as a "casing treatment". The flow direction in the main flow channel 9, in which there are blades, is indicated by an arrow on the left, that is to say it runs from left to right. In the illustrated area, the flow first of all strikes a guide P803036/WO/1 - 7 — blade rim 13, then a rotor blade rim 20 and, finally, a guide blade rim 14 once again. The radially outer contour 11 of the main flow channel 9 corresponds to the internal contour of the casing 5 and is continued by dashed-dotted lines to the left and right of the actual illustration, for illustrative purposes. The static recirculation structure 1 interacts with the rotor blade rim 20, with the majority of it being located axially in front of it, that is to say upstream. The annular chamber 29 which, together with the guide elements 37, forms the recirculation structure 1 is radially adjacent to the main flow channel 9 on the outside, and is open towards it. The tips 41 of the guide elements 37 are located on or close to the contour 11 of the main flow channel 9, that is to say they are at least approximately aligned with the casing internal contour. The guide elements 37 may be composed of a metal, such as a nickel--based alloy, or of a light metal, such as aluminum, or of a plastic, such as thermoplastics, thermosetting plastics or elastomers. The front wall 33 and the rear wall 34 of the annular chamber 29 are inclined forwards starting from their radially inner edges 35, 36 in order to be advantageous from the flow point of view for the recirculation, which is indicated by a small arrow. The inclination angle of the front wall is annotated a, and may be the same as or different to the angle of the rear wall 34. Cutouts 45, 46 are provided between the front wall 33, the guide elements 37 and the rear wall 34, allowing flow processes in the circumferential direction within the annular chamber in addition to the predominantly axially running recirculation. 25 denotes the free blade ends of the rotor blade rim 2 0 in whose area flow disturbances are most likely to occur. The axial overlap between the guide elements 37 and the blade ends 2 5 is annotated UE 1. P803036/WO/1 - 8 - In contrast to Figure 1, Figure 2 shows a recirculation structure 2 which is integrated in a rotating hub 8. From left to right in the main flow channel 10, the figure shows a rotor blade rim 21, a guide blade rim 15 with radially inner, free blade ends 26 and a rotor blade rim 22. A novel arrangement of a recirculation structure such as this could, in a consistent manner, be referred to as a "hub treatment". The recirculation structure 2, which comprises the annular chamber 30 and the guide elements 38, together with the front and rear cutouts 47, 48 between the front and rear wall of the annular chamber 30 and the guide elements 38 which are at a distance from them, interacts with a guide blade rim 15, the majority of which is located downstream. Since the "hub treatment" rotates in this case and the guide blade rim 15 is stationary, the rotor rotation speed acts completely as a difference rotation speed. Fundamentally, the method of operation does not differ from that of a "casing treatment". A "casing treatment" and a "hub treatment" may also be combined in a turbocompressor and may be used in a number of stages. The radially inner contour 12 of the main flow channel in this case corresponds to the external contour of the hub 8. UE 2 is the axial overlap of the guide elements 38 with the blade ends 26 of the rotor blade rim 15. The guide elements 38 are rounded at the junction with the walls of the annular chamber 30, in order to increase the strength. Figure 3 shows a detail from Figure 1, in the form of a cross section. The guide elements 37 are inclined through an angle ß with respect to the radial, such that the blade ends 25 of the rotor blade rim 20 assist the recirculation flow into the annular chamber 2 9 without any major losses, taking into account the rotation direction (see the arrow). The inclination angle p can decrease radially outwards from the inside P803036/WO/1 - 9 - to a value of " 0" with appropriately curved guide elements. A radial arrangement of the guide elements, that is to say ß = 0° is possible, but is not as good from the flow point of view. The view shown in Figure 4 with respect to Figure 3 shows the blade profiling of the rotor blade rim 20 in conjunction with its rotation direction (arrow) and provides a good idea of the aerodynamic profiling and curvature of the guide elements 37. Those skilled in the art may see that the recirculation outlet in the area of the upstream edge 35 of the annular chamber 29 should have the opposite spin with respect to the rotor blade rim 2 0. 36 denotes the downstream edge of the annular chamber. The recirculation structure 3 shown in Figure 5 is a "casing treatment" with an annular chamber 31 integrated in a casing 6. The guide elements 3 9 in this case extend as far as the front wall of the annular chamber 31, with cutouts 49 being provided in the rear area, in the immediate vicinity of the blade ends 27 of the rotor blade rim 23. UE 3 denotes the axial overlap of the guide elements 39 with the blade ends 27. LR is the axial length of the annular chamber 31, and HR is its radial height. LS denotes the axial length of the blade ends 27. The ratio LR to LS should be 0.2 to 1.5, and the ratio of HR to LR should be 0.1 to 1.0. The tips 43 of the guide elements 3 9 are in this case offset radially outwards in the rotation area of the blade ends 27, in order to avoid touching. 16 and 17 denote guide blade rims. The recirculation structure 4 shown in Figure 6 with the annular chamber 32 and guide elements 40 is likewise a "casing treatment" which is integrated in a P803036/WO/1 - 10 - casing 7 and interacts with a rotor blade rim 24. In contrast to Figure 5, the guide elements 40 in this case extend as far as the rear wall of the annular chamber 32. In this case, cutouts 50 are provided in the front area, since the guide elements 40 are at a distance from the front wall of the annular chamber 32. The tips 44 of the guide elements 40 extend into the rotation area of the blade ends 28. The recirculation structure 51 shown in Figure 7 differs from the embodiments described above in that openings 58, 59, which are bounded on all sides, are provided in the front and rear area of the guide elements 56 for flow processes in the circumferential direction of the annular chamber 53. Webs 60, 61 which increase the strength thus remain, via which the guide elements 5 6 are firmly connected to the front and rear wall 54, 55 of the annular chamber 53 in the casing 52. Alternatively, an opening 58 or 59 may be replaced by a cutout,, as already described, because of a gap between the guide elements and the wall of the annular chamber 53. It is self-evident that it is also possible to provide only one opening 58 or 59 in the front or rear area of the guide elements. For all of the embodiments of the recirculation structure, the tips 41 to 44 and 57 of the guide elements 37 to 40 and 56 need not be radially offset outwards if the guide elements are produced from a soft light metal or a plastic, because it is permissible for them to touch the blade ends 25 to 28 without the blades being damaged. P803036/WO/1 - 11 - Patent Claims 1. A recirculation structure for turbocompressors, in particular gas turbines, having an annular chamber which is arranged concentrically with respect to the compressor axis in the area of the free blade ends of a blade rim and whose axial center is located upstream, that is to say in front of, the axial center of the free blade ends, and which is radially adjacent to the contour of the main flow channel, the so-called annular area, and having a large number of guide elements which are arranged in the annular chamber and are distributed over its circumference, with the annular chamber in the front and/or rear area allowing flow to pass through in the circumferential direction, and the guide elements being connected to at least one wall of the annular chamber and apart from this being freestanding, characterized in that the tips {41 to 44, 57), which face the annular area, of the guide elements (37 to 40, 56) run on and/or close to the contour (11, 12) of the main flow channel (9, 10) and axially overlap (UE 1 to UE 4) the free blade ends (25 to 28), or are axially adjacent to the area of the free blade ends (25 to 28). 2. The recirculation structure as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the ratio of the axial length (LR) of the annular chamber (29 to 32, 53) at the contour {11, 12) of the main flow channel (9, 10) to the axial length (LS) of the blade ends (25 to 28) is 0.2 to 1.5. 3. The recirculation structure as claimed in claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the ratio of the radial height (HR) to the axial length (LR) of the annular chamber (29 to 32, 53) is 0.1 to 1.0. 4. The recirculation structure as claimed in one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the axially P803036/WO/1 - 12 - front wall (33, 54) and the axially rear wall (34, 55) of the annular chamber (29 to 32, 53) starting from its circular circumferential edges (35, 36) on the contour (11) of the main flow channel (9) is inclined through the same angle or a different angle (a) upstream, that is to say obliquely forwards. 5. The recirculation structure as claimed in claim 4, characterized in that the angle (a) of the axially front wall and of the axially rear wall of the annular chamber starting from the radial direction has a value in the range from 30° to 60°. 6. The recirculation structure as claimed in one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the guide elements (37 to 40, 56) are curved in three dimensions like blades, with a varying thickness and with defined profile sections. 7. The recirculation structure as claimed in one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the guide elements (37 to 40, 56) - when viewed in the axial direction - are arranged inclined through an angle (p) in the circumferential direction, or are arranged curved in the circumferential direction, in which case the angle (P) may vary over the length of the guide elements {37 to 40, 56) and is chosen such that this makes it easier from the flow point of view, that is to say it assists the flow, for the recirculation flow to enter the annular chamber (29 to 32, 53). 8. The recirculation structure as claimed in one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the tips (43), which face the annular area, of the guide elements (39) are set back radially, at least in the area of the free blade ends (27) to such an extent that there is no contact between the blade ends (27) and the guide elements (39) during normal operation of the P803036/WO/1 - 13 - turbocompressor. 9. The recirculation structure as claimed in one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the guide elements (37 to 40) are composed of a metal, such as steel or a nickel or cobalt-based alloy, a light metal, such as aluminum, or a plastic, such as thermoplastics, thermosetting plastics or elastomers. 10. The recirculation structure as claimed in claim 9, characterized in that the tips (41 to 44), which face the annular area, of the guide elements (37 to 40) when the guide elements are composed of light metal or plastic are located so close to the free blade ends (25 to 28) that contact is possible during operation. 11. The recirculation structure as claimed in one of the preceding claims, characterized in that, in the circumferential direction, the flow passes through openings (58, 59) in the front and/or rear area of the guide elements (37 to 40, 56). 12. The recirculation structure as claimed in one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the annular chamber (29 to 32, 53) and the guide elements (37 to 40, 56) are formed integrally with a component (5 to 1, 8, 52) which holds them. 13. The recirculation structure as claimed in one of claims 1 to 11, characterized in that the annular chamber (29 to 32, 53) including the guide elements (37 to 40, 56) is formed integrally or has at least two segments which are adjacent to one another in the circumferential direction, and is detachably attached to one component (5 to 7, 8, 52) which holds them. 14. The recirculation structure as claimed in claim 12 or 13, characterized in that the recirculation P803036/WO/1 - 14 - structure is cast in particular is precision-cast, or is manufactured by machining or electrochemically (ECM). 15. The recirculation structure as claimed in one of claims 1 to 11, characterized in that the guide elements {37 to 40) are formed separately as individual components or component groups, in particular as guide element segments, and are mounted detachably in the annular chamber (29 to 32). 16. The recirculation structure as claimed in claim 15, characterized in that the guide elements (37 to 40) are manufactured by forging or casting, by electrochemical machining (ECM) and/or by machining. 17. The recirculation structure as claimed in claim 15 or 16, characterized in that the annular chamber (29 to 32) is manufactured by machining and/or by casting or forging. 18. The recirculation structure as claimed in one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the recirculation structure is arranged such that it is fixed to the casing in one or more places, that is to say statically, in the area of one or more rotor blade rings (20, 23, 24) and/or is arranged such that it is fixed to the hub in one or more places, that is to say rotating, in the area of one or more stator vane rings (15) . 19. The recirculation structure as claimed in one of the preceding claims, characterized in that, in the circumferential direction, the flow passes through cutouts (45 to 50). 20. The recirculation structure as claimed in one of the preceding claims, characterized in that, in the circumferential direction, the flow passes through P803036/WO/1 - 15 - cutouts (45 to 50) and/or openings (58, 59) in the guide elements (37 to 40, 56) in the front or in the front and rear area of the annular chamber (29 to 32, 53) . 21. An axial and/or diagonal and/or radial turbocompressor, comprising at least one recirculation structure as claimed in one of the preceding claims. 22. An aircraft engine, having a turbocompressor as claimed in claim 21. 23. A stationary gas turbine, having a turbocompressor as claimed in claim 21. Dated this 22nd day of FEBRUARY 2005.

Documents:

00234-kolnp-2005 abstract.pdf

00234-kolnp-2005 claims.pdf

00234-kolnp-2005 correspondence-1.1.pdf

00234-kolnp-2005 correspondence-1.2.pdf

00234-kolnp-2005 correspondence-1.3.pdf

00234-kolnp-2005 correspondence-1.4.pdf

00234-kolnp-2005 correspondence.pdf

00234-kolnp-2005 description(complete).pdf

00234-kolnp-2005 drawings.pdf

00234-kolnp-2005 form-1.pdf

00234-kolnp-2005 form-18.pdf

00234-kolnp-2005 form-2.pdf

00234-kolnp-2005 form-26.pdf

00234-kolnp-2005 form-3.pdf

00234-kolnp-2005 form-5.pdf

00234-kolnp-2005 international publication.pdf

00234-kolnp-2005 international search authority report.pdf

00234-kolnp-2005 pct request.pdf

00234-kolnp-2005 priority document.pdf

234-KOLNP-2005-FORM-27-1.pdf

234-KOLNP-2005-FORM-27.pdf

234-kolnp-2005-granted-abstract.pdf

234-kolnp-2005-granted-claims.pdf

234-kolnp-2005-granted-correspondence.pdf

234-kolnp-2005-granted-description (complete).pdf

234-kolnp-2005-granted-drawings.pdf

234-kolnp-2005-granted-examination report.pdf

234-kolnp-2005-granted-form 1.pdf

234-kolnp-2005-granted-form 18.pdf

234-kolnp-2005-granted-form 2.pdf

234-kolnp-2005-granted-form 26.pdf

234-kolnp-2005-granted-form 3.pdf

234-kolnp-2005-granted-form 5.pdf

234-kolnp-2005-granted-letter patent.pdf

234-kolnp-2005-granted-reply to examination report.pdf

234-kolnp-2005-granted-specification.pdf

234-kolnp-2005-granted-translated copy of priority document.pdf