Loop thermosiphon as a feasible cooling method for the stators of gas turbine

- Loop thermosiphon developed to protect the stator of gas turbine from overheating.
- A loop thermosiphon stator sample (LTSS) was developed to have 8 hollow vanes.
- Sodium-potassium alloy (Na-K) was filled as working fluid to realize thermosiphon.
- LTSS was tested under 1500 K and average wall temperature was 340 K lower than 1500 K.
- Passive thermosiphon cooling needs introducing less/no air flows from compressor.

A stator sample of a gas turbine was developed with loop thermosiphon structure to seek a feasible cooling method for high-temperature stators of gas turbine. The sample was comprised by 8 hollow vanes and a cooling tube. Its inner space was filled by sodium-potassium alloy (Na-K) to become a loop thermosiphon stator sample (LTSS). The thermosiphon structure could transfer the heat from the hot surfaces of the vanes heated by the high-temperature gas mainstream to its own cooling tube, which would be blown by the cold air in the external duct of a gas turbine. Heatproof ability of the LTSS was experimented at 1230 °C in a hot wind tunnel to judge whether loop thermosiphon is a feasible cooling method. Results indicated the average wall temperature of 8 vanes was about 340 °C lower than 1230 °C.