Why combustion components are particularly suitable for harvesting the benefits of additive manufacturing
Abstract
This paper focuses the use of additive manufacturing (AM) for the production of gas turbine (GT) combustion system components. It discusses how AM methods are being employed to improve the reliability and thermo-mechanical fatigue resistance of select parts by eliminating potential crack initiation points at braze locations. The paper also discusses other capabilities and benefits that AM enables, such as rapid prototyping, reduced part lead times, and lower repair and lifecycle costs.Several real-world use cases are presented in which AM methods have been used to fabricate parts for GT models that are currently in operation. In one example, AM burner heads were produced for a conventional dual-fuel injector on a 38-MW aeroderivative GT model. Traditionally, the burner head was considered a complex assembly that required six different brazed joints to produce the final part with small passages for air, gas, liquid fuel, and water. Siemens replaced the head portion of the burner with a single AM piece that is welded to the rest of the burner, simplifying both the manufacturing and repair processes; see Figure 1.Copyright© 2020 by Turbomachinery Laboratory, Texas A&M Engineering Experiment StationIn another example, AM was applied to manufacture the central fuel injector of a dual-fuel, dry low emissions (DLE) variant of the 38-MW GT model, which is commonly used in offshore oil and gas applications. The development consisted of manufacturing the component as a single printed part and optimizing some of its features in order to enhance functionality, and particularly the combustion noise signature at low power. Such optimization was prevented in the conventional-made part by manufacturability constraints (e.g. wall thicknesses, casting yield, etc.).In a third use case, serial production of a high-performance combustion fuel swirler has been achieved. The swirlers are now produced in quantities greater than 1000 per annum. These examples and more will be discussed. In all cases, extensive validation of the AM component was carried out, including matching design analysis tools to experimental results on a combustion test rig.
Description
LectureCollections
Citation
Panfili, Gianni; Sheehan, Kevin (2020). Why combustion components are particularly suitable for harvesting the benefits of additive manufacturing. Turbomachinery Laboratory, Texas A&M Engineering Experiment Station; Texas A & M University. Libraries; Texas A & M University. Libraries. Available electronically from https : / /hdl .handle .net /1969 .1 /196839.