Cooling Gas Turbine Blades with Advanced Thermal Management System

Abstract

This project aims to enhance the efficiency of jet engine turbine blades through a novel cooling approach. Traditional methods rely on bleed air to reduce internal temperatures, but this project proposes a combination of liquid evaporation and thermoelectric technology for more efficient cooling. By integrating heat pipes and vapor cooling techniques with thermoelectric heat pumps, the cooling effect on the blades can be significantly increased. In this setup, the thermoelectric material provides cooling for the heat pipe, while the rejected heat is carried away by bleed air. This process effectively lowers the blade temperature, allowing for higher efficiency. The project's validation involves an experimental setup with sensor arrays and a data acquisition system, along with computational fluid dynamics to confirm the results. In simpler terms, the project aims to make jet engine turbine blades cooler by using a combination of liquid cooling and advanced thermoelectric technology. This could potentially lead to higher engine efficiency, as cooler blades can withstand higher inlet temperatures. The project's success is verified through experiments and computer simulations.