EP4130435A1 - Guide vane ring for a turbomachine, turbomachine and method for assembling a guide vane ring - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to a vane ring (2) for a turbomachine (1), having at least one vane (3), at least one bearing body and at least two inner ring segments (6). The guide vane (3) has a bearing pin (11) which is arranged in a form-fitting manner in a bearing bush (20) of the at least one bearing body (4). The at least two inner ring segments (6) have on their respective outer radius surfaces a guide channel (18) running along a circumferential direction of the guide vane ring (2) for receiving the bearing bodies (4), in which at least two opposite and along the circumferential direction of the guide vane ring (2) running guide projections (19) of the inner ring segments (6) protrude. The bearing body (4) is arranged in the guide channel (18) of the inner ring segments (6), and the at least two guide projections (19) of the inner ring segments (6) engage in at least two guide grooves (15) of the bearing body (4). The bearing journal (11) of the guide vane (3) has a journal groove (12) into which the guide projections (19) of the inner ring segment (6) engage.

Description

The invention relates to a vane ring for a turbomachine. Further aspects of the invention relate to a turbomachine, having at least one ring of guide vanes and a method for installing a ring of guide vanes for a turbomachine.

A blading of a turbomachine has two types of blades, which differ from one another in their functions. Blades are part of the rotor and are intended for power conversion. The individual rotor blades are arranged as a rotor blade ring on a shaft of the rotor. Guide vanes are arranged on a stator of the turbomachine. The individual guide vanes are arranged as a guide vane ring, which has an inner ring in addition to the guide vanes. This inner ring runs around the shaft of the rotor and is intended to stabilize the individual guide vanes of the guide vane ring in a center. The individual guide vanes are mounted with their radially inner ends in the inner ring. The inner ring is usually made up of inner ring segments to allow location of the radially inner ends during assembly. The task of the vanes is to influence the flow in such a way that it hits the rotor blades at a predetermined angle. Guide vanes can be rotatably mounted so that the angle at which the flow hits the moving vanes can be varied.

In order to ensure high efficiency in turbomachines, it is necessary to minimize leakage of flows in the area of the inner ring. For this purpose, the inner ring segments of the inner ring have sealing devices. These are designed to reduce flow in gaps between the inner ends of the vanes and the inner ring segments. In order to minimize flows in an area between the shaft and the inner ring, sealing fir is arranged in this area. The efficiency losses due to leakage through the inner ring can be effectively reduced by sealing devices. Leakage flows between the inner ring and the shaft of the turbomachine can only be restricted to a limited extent by the sealing firne. This is due to the fact that in the course of operation of the turbomachine

Changing a curvature of the inner ring can be done. The curvature of the inner ring can increase or decrease in certain areas. Due to the change in curvature, the distance between the inner ring and the shaft can increase or decrease in areas. With an increase in the distance, increased leakage currents occur in this area, which reduce the efficiency of the turbomachine. If the distance is reduced, the sealing varnish can rub against the shaft in this area.

This change in curvature is also referred to as cording. One way to reduce cording is to increase a number of the inner ring segments that make up the inner ring. However, the problem arises that the mechanical stability of the bearing of the inner ring can decrease due to the guide vanes.

In the EP 2 696 041 A1 discloses a vane ring of a gas turbine and an assembly method. The guide vane ring is an adjustable guide vane ring of a turbomachine, the guide vanes of which are each mounted individually in a bearing body onto which, viewed in the circumferential direction, an inner ring divided into two half rings and acting as a seal carrier is pushed without deformation. The guide vanes are supported by bearing bodies in the inner ring.

In the US20140044526A1 discloses a vane ring of a gas turbine and an assembly method. Each vane of the vane ring is mounted in a single bearing body, each with a bearing bore for guiding a bearing journal of the respective vane. The inner ring of the vane ring is made up of two half rings that are pushed onto the bearing bodies in the circumferential direction. The bearing bodies touch one another laterally and have two corresponding guide grooves which are opposite to one another and extend in the circumferential direction. The half rings each have guide projections which extend in the circumferential direction and into which the guide grooves of the bearing bodies engage.

The U.S. 9,605,549 B2 discloses a ring of guide vanes, with a plurality of guide vanes, each guide vane being mounted in a single bearing body, each with a bearing bore for guiding a bearing journal of the respective guide vane, and the inner ring being composed of two half rings which are pushed onto the bearing bodies in the circumferential direction. The bearing bodies touch each other laterally and have two mutually opposite guide grooves extending in the circumferential direction. The half rings each have guide projections which extend in the circumferential direction and engage in the guide grooves.

The EP 3 315 728 A1 describes a vane ring which has at least one damping element that is arranged in a receiving channel for receiving bearing bodies between the bearing bodies and an inner ring

In the U.S. 10,494,944 B2 discloses a seal on the inner ring of a vane ring. The guide vane ring according to the invention comprises an inner ring, on the radially outer surface of which runs a receiving channel in the circumferential direction, in which a plurality of bearing bodies are arranged. The ring of guide vanes has a plurality of guide vanes, each of which is inserted with its radially inner end into one of the bearing bodies and has at least one sealing element for sealing at least one gap between the inner ring and at least one of the bearing bodies and/or between two bearing bodies.

The U.S. 8,858,165 B2 discloses a variable vane assembly for a gas turbine engine including a vane pivotable about an axis of rotation. The vane includes a flap portion positionable in a fluid flow to control fluid flow.

The U.S. 6,210,106 B1 discloses a sealing device for sealing leaks around a trunnion assembly of a gas turbine engine having a variable blade rotatably supported by an engine casing.

The U.S. 2016 0376900 A1 discloses a stator device for a turbomachine with a housing device and a plurality of vanes.

It is an object of the invention to provide a solution which enables the inner ring to be stably supported by guide vanes.

This object is achieved by a vane ring for a turbomachine with the features of patent claim 1, by a turbomachine with the features of patent claim 9 and by a method for assembling a turbomachine with the features of patent claim 10. Advantageous configurations with expedient developments of the invention are specified in the respective dependent claims.

A first aspect of the invention relates to a vane ring for a turbomachine. The turbomachine can in particular be a turbine for an aircraft. The vane ring has at least one vane, at least one bearing body and at least two inner ring segments. The guide vane can be a vane which can be configured to guide an air flow in such a way that it impinges on a moving vane at a predetermined angle. The guide vane can be rotatably mounted in order to be able to variably change an angle of the flow. The bearing body is intended to accommodate the guide vane and thus enable the guide vanes to be mounted in the at least two inner ring segments. The inner ring segments are intended to mechanically stabilize radially inner ends of the guide vane and thus enable stable operation of the guide vane ring.

The guide vane has a bearing journal which is arranged in a form-fitting manner in a bearing bushing of the at least one bearing body. In other words, the guide vane has a tapered section at one of its radially inner ends, which is provided to enable the guide vane to be mounted in the bearing body. The bearing journal can be cylindrical, for example. The bearing journal of the vane is arranged in the bearing bush of the bearing body. The bearing bush can, for example, be designed to complement a shape of the bearing journal.

The at least two inner ring segments have on respective outer radius surfaces a guide channel running along a circumferential direction of the vane ring for receiving the bearing bodies, into which at least two opposite guide projections of the inner ring segments running along the circumferential direction of the vane ring protrude. The at least two inner ring segments can form the inner ring of the vane ring. In other words, the inner ring segments have the guide channel, which runs along the circumferential direction of the guide vane ring runs around the inner ring in order to enable the guide vanes to be arranged in the inner ring. The guide channel can be arranged on the respective outer radius surfaces of the inner ring. In other words, the guide channel is aligned in a radially outwardly directed surface of the inner ring. The guide channel has at least two opposite guide projections running along the circumferential direction of the vane ring. The guide projections are set up to enable the bearing body to be mounted in a form-fitting manner in the guide channel. The bearing body is arranged in the guide channel of the inner ring segments. The at least two guide projections of the inner ring segments engage in at least two guide grooves of the bearing body. In other words, the bearing body is arranged in the guide channel in such a way that the two guide projections of the inner ring segments engage in the at least two guide grooves of the bearing body.

Provision is made for the bearing journal of the guide vane to have a journal groove into which the guide projections of the inner ring segment engage. In other words, it is provided that the guide projections of the inner ring segments engage both in the guide grooves of the bearing body and in the journal groove of the bearing journal of the vane. This results in the advantage that the bearing journal of the guide vane is connected directly to the inner ring segment. As a result, a more stable mechanical connection can be achieved between the guide vane and the inner ring segment than with conventional connections via the bearing body.

A further development of the invention provides that the journal groove runs around a longitudinal axis of the bearing journal. In other words, it is provided that the journal groove runs around the bearing journal. Provision can be made, for example, for the bearing journal to be radially symmetrical and to have a recess running around the entire circumference of the bearing journal as the journal groove.

A development of the invention provides that a journal groove radius of the bearing journal in a longitudinal region of the respective journal groove is at most half as large as a journal radius outside of the journal groove. In other words, the bearing journal has a radius in the region of the journal groove which is at most half the size of the radius of the bearing journal outside of the journal groove. A further development of the invention provides that the bearing journal has an inner vane plate and an outer vane plate, which are separated from one another by the journal groove. The further development results in the advantage that the two guide vane disks enable a predetermined mounting of the bearing journal in the bearing body and the inner ring segment.

A further development of the invention provides that the bearing journal has, at one axial bearing journal end, a bore which runs parallel to the bearing journal axis and which accommodates a pin of the bearing body. In other words, there is a bore at one end of the bearing journal, in which a pin of the bearing body is arranged. The further development results in the advantage that a centered arrangement of the bearing journal in the bearing bush of the bearing body is made possible.

A development of the invention provides that the inner ring segments have a central angle of 30 degrees, 45 degrees, 60 degrees, 90 degrees or 180 degrees. In other words, it is provided that the inner ring segments have a curvature, so that the inner ring is composed of 12, 8, 6, 4 or 2 inner ring segments. The further development results in the advantage that the inner ring is composed of several of the inner ring segments, as a result of which changes in curvature due to the cording can be reduced.

A development of the invention provides that the bearing body consists at least partially of metal and/or carbon. In other words, the bearing body has an alloy of metal and/or carbon.

A development of the invention provides that sealing bodies are arranged on the inner radii of the inner ring segments. In other words, it is provided that the inner ring has sealing bodies on a side facing the shaft of a rotor, which seal bodies reduce an air flow in a region between the inner ring and the shaft. This results in the advantage that the efficiency of the turbomachine can be increased.

A second aspect of the invention relates to a turbomachine which has at least one ring of guide vanes. The turbomachine can in particular be a turbomachine of an aircraft, for example an aircraft turbine.

A third aspect of the invention relates to a method for installing a vane ring for a turbomachine. It is provided that in one step of the method, a bearing journal of a guide vane is arranged in a form-fitting manner in a bearing bushing of a bearing body. The bearing body is threaded into a guide channel running on an outer radius surface of an inner ring segment along a circumferential direction of the vane ring, with at least two opposite guide projections of the inner ring segment running along the circumferential direction of the vane ring and protruding into the guide channel being guided in at least two guide grooves of the bearing body and the at least two guide projections of the inner ring segment are guided into a journal groove of the bearing journal of the vane. The inner ring segments are arranged together to form an inner ring.

The features presented in connection with the vane ring according to the first aspect of the invention and the turbomachine according to the second aspect of the invention and their advantages apply correspondingly to the inventive method for assembling a vane ring according to the third aspect of the invention and vice versa.

• FIG. 1 einen schematischen Querschnitt durch einen Leitschaufelkranz;
• FIG. 2 eine weitere Darstellung des Leitschaufelkranzes der Fig. 1 .
• FIG. 3 eine schematische dreidimensionale Ansicht, welche eine Anordnung des Lagerkörpers in dem Innenringsegment darstellt;
• FIG. 4 die Lage der Führungsvorsprünge der Innenringsegmente in der Zapfennut; und
• FIG. 5 wie die Führungsvorsprünge des Innenringsegments in die Führungsnut der Leitschaufel und die Führungsnuten des Lagerkörpers greifen.

Further features of the invention emerge from the claims and the exemplary embodiments. The features and combinations of features mentioned above in the description, as well as the features and combinations of features mentioned below in the exemplary embodiments and/or shown alone, can be used not only in the combination specified in each case, but also in other combinations or on their own, without going beyond the scope of the invention leave. Therefore, the invention also includes and discloses embodiments that are not explicitly shown and explained in the exemplary embodiments, but that result from the explained embodiments and can be generated by separate combinations of features. Versions and combinations of features are also to be regarded as disclosed which therefore do not have all the features of an originally formulated independent claim. It shows:

• FIG. 1 a schematic cross section through a vane ring;
• FIG. 2 another representation of the vane ring of 1 .
• FIG. 3 a schematic three-dimensional view showing an arrangement of the bearing body in the inner ring segment;
• FIG. 4 the position of the guide projections of the inner ring segments in the journal groove; and
• FIG. 5 how the guide projections of the inner ring segment engage in the guide groove of the vane and the guide grooves of the bearing body.

FIG. 1 shows a schematic cross section through a vane ring. The guide vane ring 2 shown schematically can be the guide vane ring 2 of a turbomachine 1, with the turbomachine 1 being able in particular to be a turbine of an aircraft. The vane ring 2 can be provided to influence the course of an air flow, so that it impinges on rotor blades of a rotor blade ring of the turbomachine 1 at a predetermined angle. The vane ring 2 can have at least one vane 3 which can be arranged in a bearing body 4 . The bearing body 4 can be provided to enable the guide vane 3 to be mounted in an inner ring segment 6 of an inner ring 5 of the guide vane ring 2 . The inner ring 5 of the vane ring 2 can be provided to mechanically stabilize the vanes 3 of the vane ring 2 in an inner area of the turbomachine 1 . In order to minimize a loss of efficiency due to leakage currents, it can be provided that a distance 7 between the inner ring 5 and a rotor component 8 is sealed by an inner ring firn 9 and a sealing body 10 of the inner ring 5 . On the one hand, in order to prevent a reduction in the leakage flow in the distance 7 and also to prevent friction losses, which can occur as a result of the inner ring firn 9 rubbing against the sealing body 10, it is necessary for the distance 7 to remain constant during operation of the turbomachine 1. Due to the so-called cording, a change in the curvature of the inner ring 5 during operation, the distance 7 can increase during operation and thus a loss of efficiency occurs due to the higher leakage current between the inner ring 5 and the rotor component 8 . In the event that the distance 7 between the inner ring 5 and the rotor component 8 decreases, it can be due to friction between the inner ring firn 9 and the sealing body 10 also come to efficiency losses. The so-called cording can be implemented, for example, by reducing an inner angle of the inner ring segments 6 of the inner ring 5 . This makes it possible for an inner ring 5 to consist of more than two inner ring segments 6 . However, for this it is necessary to enable a more stable arrangement of the inner ring segments 6 on the guide vanes 3 . The invention provides for this mechanical stabilization to be made possible by directly connecting the inner ring segments 6 to the guide vanes 3 .

For this purpose it can be provided that a bearing journal 11 of the guide vane 3 has a journal groove 12 which can run around the bearing journal 11 . The bearing journal 11 can be designed in such a way that a journal radius 13 of the bearing journal 11 in an axial area outside of the journal groove 12 is twice as large as a journal groove radius 14 in an axial area of the journal groove 12. The bearing journal 11 can be mounted in a bearing bushing 15 of the bearing body 4 be arranged. In order to enable an optimal arrangement of the bearing pin 11 in the bearing body 4 , the bearing body 4 can have a guide pin 16 which can engage in a bore 17 in the bearing pin 11 . The bore 17 can run parallel to a bearing journal axis. In order to enable the bearing body 4 to be arranged in the inner ring segment 6 , the inner ring segment 6 can have a guide channel 18 which can run along a circumferential direction around the inner ring 5 of the vane ring 2 . Two opposing guide projections 19 of the inner ring segment 6 can protrude into the guide channel 18 . In an assembled state, the bearing body 4 can be arranged with the bearing journal 11 in the guide channel 18 in such a way that the two guide projections 19 of the inner ring segment 6 engage both in guide grooves 15 of the bearing body 4 and in the journal groove 12 of the bearing journal 11 of the guide vane 3. As a result, there is a direct mechanical connection between the guide vane 3 and the inner ring segment 6, as a result of which a mechanically more stable mounting of the inner ring segments 6 on the guide vanes 3 is made possible. This makes it possible to reduce the size of the inner ring segments 6 so that they include, for example, central angles of 30 degrees, 45 degrees, 60 degrees, 90 degrees or 180 degrees. Due to the journal groove 12 of the bearing journal 11, the bearing journal 11 can have two plates 21, 22, which can be an inner plate 22 and an outer plate 21. The inner plate 22 can be arranged closer to the inner ring 5 in the axial direction, while the outer plate 21 can be arranged closer to the guide vane 3 in the axial direction. The plates 21, 22 can be round to allow rotation of the vane 3 in the bearing body 4 to allow. The bearing body 4 can contain carbon and/or metal.

FIG. 2 shows a further representation of the vane ring 1 .

FIG. 3 shows a schematic three-dimensional view showing an arrangement of the bearing body in the inner ring segment.

FIG. 4 shows the position of the guide projections 19 of the inner ring segments 6 in the journal groove 12 in order to enable the guide vane 3 to be mounted in the inner ring segment 6 . In FIG. 4 It can be seen how the guide projections 19 of the inner ring segment 6 engage in the bearing body 4 at the guide grooves 15 in order to stabilize it in the guide channel 18 . The bearing bushing 20 of the bearing body 4 with a round opening to enable the guide vane 3 to rotate can also be seen.

FIG. 5 shows how the guide projections 19 of the inner ring segment 6 engage in the journal groove 12 of the bearing journal 11 of the vane 4 and the guide grooves 15 of the bearing body 4 in order to fasten the vane 4 and the bearing body 4 in the guide channel 18.

FIG. 6 shows a sequence of a method for installing a vane ring for a turbomachine. It can be provided that in a first step P1 of the method, the bearing journal 11 of the guide vane 3 is arranged in a form-fitting manner in the bearing bushing 20 of a bearing body 4 .

In a second step P2, the bearing body 4 can be threaded into the guide channel 17 running on an outer radius surface of an inner ring segment 6 along the circumferential direction of the vane ring 2 . The at least two opposite guide projections 19 of the inner ring segment 6 running along the circumferential direction of the vane ring 2 and protruding into the guide channel 17 can be guided into the at least two guide grooves 15 of the bearing body 4 . At the same time, the at least two guide projections 19 of the inner ring segment 6 can be guided into the journal groove 12 of the bearing journal 11 of the guide vane 3 .

In a third step P3, the inner ring segments 6 can be arranged next to one another to form an inner ring 5.

Although the prior art solves the reduction in guide vane plate leakage and the possible miniaturization of the geometry for future small compressor sizes, the problem of cording, the uncurling or overcurving of the inner ring half-ring is not. The cording can lead to strong gap fluctuations in the area of the parting planes of the inner ring 5 . When opening, these gap fluctuations lead to a drop in efficiency due to increased leakage, or when the gap closes to an overload of the inlet capacity of the inner ring firn 9.

In the idea described here, the inner ring segment 6 used as the seal carrier is not only connected to the bearing bodies 4 via the guide grooves 15, but also to the plates 21, 22 of the guide vanes 3. This means that when the seal carrier is threaded onto the bearing body 4, the Guide projections 19 or hooks of the seal carrier also the pivot groove 12, which was screwed into the plate or the bearing pin 11 of the vane 3. The seal carrier is thus connected radially to the bearing journal 11 of the guide vane 3 and is guided and controlled in its radial position via the guide vane 3 by the outer housing (usually the split case). The seal carrier therefore no longer has to be a half ring, but can also be divided into smaller segments, which therefore have less cording.

Reference list:

1

flow machine

2

vane ring

3

vane

4

bearing body

5

inner ring

6

inner ring segment

7

Distance

8th

rotor component

9

inner ring firn

10

seal body

11

bearing journal

12

tenon groove

13

spigot radius

14

tenon groove radius

15

guide grooves

16

guide pin

17

drilling

18

guide channel

19

guide protrusions

20

bearing bush

21

outer plate

22

inner plate

P1

process step

p2

process step

P3

process step

Claims (10)

Guide vane ring (2) for a turbomachine (1), having at least one guide vane (3), at least one bearing body and at least two inner ring segments (6), wherein - the guide vane (3) has a bearing pin (11) which is arranged in a form-fitting manner in a bearing bush (20) of the at least one bearing body (4), - the at least two inner ring segments (6) have on their respective outer radius surfaces a guide channel (18) running along a circumferential direction of the guide vane ring (2) for receiving the bearing bodies (4), in which at least two opposite and along the circumferential direction of the guide vane ring (2) running guide projections (19) of the inner ring segments (6) protrude, and - the bearing body (4) is arranged in the guide channel (18) of the inner ring segments (6), and the at least two guide projections (19) of the inner ring segments (6) engage in at least two guide grooves (15) of the bearing body (4) or pass through them , characterized in that
the bearing journal (11) of the guide vane (3) has at least one journal groove (12) in which at least one of the guide projections (19) of the inner ring segment (6) engages. Guide vane ring (2) according to Claim 1, characterized in that the journal groove (12) runs around a longitudinal axis of the bearing journal of the bearing journal (11). Guide vane ring (2) according to Claim 2, characterized in that a journal groove radius (14) of the bearing journal (11) in a longitudinal region of the respective journal groove (12) is at most half as large as a journal radius (13) outside of the journal groove (12). Guide vane ring (2) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the bearing journal (11) has an inner guide vane plate (22) and an outer guide vane plate (21), which are separated by the journal groove (12). Guide vane ring (2) according to one of the preceding Claims 2 to 4, characterized in that the bearing journal (11) at one axial end of the bearing journal has a parallel to the longitudinal axis of the bearing journal running bore (17) which receives a pin of the bearing body (4). Guide vane ring (2) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the inner ring segments (6) have a central angle of 30 degrees, 45 degrees, 60 degrees, 90 degrees or 180 degrees. Guide vane ring (2) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the bearing bodies consist at least partially of metal and/or carbon. Guide vane ring (2) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that sealing bodies (10) are arranged on the inner radii of the inner ring segments (6). Turbomachine (1) having at least one vane ring (2) according to one of the preceding claims. Method for assembling a vane ring (2) for a turbomachine (1) according to one of Claims 1 to 9, comprising the following steps: - Form-fitting arrangement of a bearing pin (11) of a vane (3) in a bearing bush (20) of a bearing body (4); - Threading the bearing body (4) into a guide channel (18) running on an outer radius surface of an inner ring segment (6) along a direction of rotation of the vane ring (2), with at least two opposite ones running along the direction of rotation of the vane ring (2) and in the guide channel (18) projecting guide projections (19) of the inner ring segment (6) are guided in at least two guide grooves (15) of the bearing body (4), - the at least two guide projections (19) of the inner ring segment (6) are guided in a journal groove (12) of the bearing journal (11) of the guide vane (3); and - The inner ring segments (6) are arranged together to form an inner ring (5).

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