Design Concepts for Cooled Ceramic Matrix Composite Turbine Vanes

The work proposed herein is to demonstrate that the higher temperature capabilities of Ceramic Matrix Composites (CMC) can be fully utilized to reduce emissions and improve fuel consumption in gas turbine engines. The work involves closely coupling aerothermal and structural analyses for the first stage vane of a high pressure turbine (HPT). These vanes are actively cooled, typically using film cooling. Ceramic materials have different structural and thermal properties than conventional metals used for the first stage HPT vane. Vane configurations which satisfy CMC structural strength and life constraints, while maintaining vane aerodynamic efficiency and increasing mainstream gas temperature for improved engine performance will be identified. The proposed work will examine modifications to vane internal and external configurations to achieve the desired objectives. Thermal and pressure stresses are equally important, and both will be analyzed. Three dimensional fluid and heat transfer analyses will be used to determine vane aerodynamic performance and heat load distributions.