Advancing high-pressure turbine vane cooling through additive manufacturing: Insights from the 3DCeraTURB project

Abstract

The efficiency of modern gas turbines and jet engines is closely tied to the permissible operating temperatures of the materials used. As the inlet temperature of high-pressure turbines rises, the need for advanced cooling techniques becomes critical, demanding the development of robust materials and innovative fabrication methods. Key challenges in designing these cooling systems include achieving uniform airflow distribution, reducing temperature gradients, and optimizing cooling according to load zones, all while adhering to manufacturing and strength constraints. Research at the German Aerospace center aims at furthering and exploiting additive manufacturing (AM) technologies to addresses these challenges by developing turbine vanes with intricate cooling structures suited particularly for fabrication with Laser Powder Bed Fusion (LPBF). In the highly interdisciplinary 3DCeraTurb project, new designs are being developed, LPBF materials studied and turbine vane demonstrators realized and tested. These demonstrators feature double-wall pins and an array of holes and film cooling holes. The aim is to achieve a more efficient cooling to enhance engine performance and enable fuel savings and emission reductions. This talk summarizes the progress of 3DCeraTurb with a focus on the additive manufacturing process developments and materials studies. Beyond the production of advanced turbine vanes, the project has enabled enhancements across the production chain, including heat treatment, mechanical property optimization, and post-processing of surfaces. Different materials suited well for laser welding-related processed including Inconel 718 and VDM780 are being investigated. Inconel 718 is readily available at low cost, well understood and can be processed robust and reproducibly, but to pave the way for better high-temperature performance materials, new alloys such as VDM780 that can potentially withstand temperatures up to 750 °C under fatigue and creep conditions need to be considered. 3DCeraTurb marks a significant step toward in exploiting additive manufacturing for enhancing turbine efficiency and reliability in extreme operating environments