Transient Simulation of a Gas Turbine Disk Incorporating Heat Pipes Under Structural Aspects

Abstract

This paper investigates the results of a transient FEM simulation of a generic and simplified turbine disk with incorporated heat pipes under thermal and rotational loads. Therefore a startup process of the high temperature heat pipe from the frozen state is modeled by local variation of temperature-dependent material properties. Transient temperature distributions along the heat pipe and inside the turbine disk are investigated. Furthermore, the time dependent von Mises stresses as well as the temperature-induced stress components are evaluated over the disk radius and at the high loaded disk bore. By using the heat pipe, the temperature at the disk rim is reduced after a short time. During the startup process there is a short term increase of the von Mises stresses up to 2% at the high loaded disk bore. Furthermore there are heat pipe induced stress concentrations which reach high transient values.