Component Function and
Design -- In this combustor design, the walls of the combustor
are lined with thin panels (called floatwalls) made with nickel- based superalloys.
The panels serve two
functions. They contain the hot combustion gas and act as thermal barriers, reducing
energy loss from the hot gases.
- The panels are designed to be offset from the
combustor wall to provide a flow channel for air to cool the back of the panels.
- Each panel has several hundred to several thousand
small pins on the air channel side. These pins establish the offset distance and act as
high-surface-area features, improving heat transfer from the panel to the by-pass air and
cooling the panel itself.
- The cooling air flows across the back pins, picking
up heat, and then flows into the combustor across the front face of the panels.
- The air flow acts as an additional barrier
protecting the hot surface of the next panel in line. The preheated air also improves the
fuel efficiency of the engine over the use of cold air for the same purpose.
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