Combustor and Turbine cooling of

aircraft engines

Gaurav Kumar
2015ME10647

1
 Introduction
Location of
combustor in a gas
trubine engine

A typical gas turbine engine Combustor

Rolls Royce Turbomeca

Adour Mk102

2
Parts of a Combustion Chamber

3
 Introduction
Heatinput to the gas turbine Brayton cycle is provided by the
combustor.
The combustor accepts air from the compressor and delivers it at an
elevated temperature to the turbine.
So, the fuel is burned with only part of the air entering the combustor
in the primary combustion zone.
Combustion products are then mixed with the remaining air in the
secondary and dilution zones to arrive at a suitable turbine inlet
temperature.

4
 Introduction
Air from the engine compressor enters the combustor at a velocity of
about 150 m/s, which is far too high for sustained combustion to take
place.
Hence, the air is first decelerated to a velocity of about 25 m/s in a
pre-diffuser.
However, the speed of burning kerosene at normal fuel-air ratios is
only about 5-10 meters per second; hence any fuel lit even in the pre-
diffused air stream also would be blown away.
Therefore, a region of low axial velocity is created in the combustor,
through swirlers so that the flame will remain alight throughout the
range of engine operating conditions.

5
Distribution of Air in a Combustor

6
 Turbine Cooling
Designer’s Goal:

 Increase of
Thrust
 Decrease of
Weight
 Decrease of Fuel
Consumption
Methods: 1100 –1200 K (Early designs)
 Turbine IT
1400-1700 K (Recent designs)
 Mass Flow of Air
 High TIT:

 Restricted by the blade material

 Effective cooling is required to raise the TIT

Coolant:
Air : Readily available
Bled from the Compressors

8
Air
Cooling:
o Convective Cooling
o Impingement Cooling
o Film Cooling
o Transpiration Cooling

9
 Convective Cooling:
o First method of cooling employed.
o Air is routed through the internal
passages from the base.
o Restricted by the internal passage size.
o Restricted by the quantity of
coolant mass flow.

 Drawback
 Ineffective cooling at the blade TE.
 Thin TE restricts the routing of coolant.
10
11
 Impingement Cooling:
o Coolant is routed through a central core
and then turned to radial direction.
o Adapted for turbine nozzle blades.

12
 Film Cooling:
oInjection of
secondary air into the
boundary layer of
primary air (hot Gases).

oProtects the surface

from the hot gases by
forming a cool & thin
film over the surface.

13
14
 Transpiration Cooling:
o Use of porous
material through
which coolant is
forced into the BL.
o For effective cooling,
pores should be small.
Chances of blockage
due to oxidation and
foreign material.

15
TURBINE COOLING-OVERVIEW
Thermal Barrier Coating
The turbine blade
is coated with
ceramic, which
has a higher heat
resistance. This
coating acts as a
protective film, a
thin insulating
layer that helps
with the turbine's
maximum heat
threshold.
Thank You