Manufacturing and mechanical evaluation of cooled cooling air (CCA) heat exchanger for aero engine

Recent studies on improving the efficiency of gas turbine engines have focused on increasing the inlet temperature of gas flowing into the turbine. For the high inlet temperature, it requires the development of a super-alloy based material that can withstand harsh operating conditions. However, it is essential to utilize alternative solutions such as turbine blade cooling technology. Unfortunately, lightweight, high performance, and high mechanical reliable heat exchangers for aircraft have not yet been examined because of the difficulties associated with design optimization and reliability verification under high temperatures and pressures. The purpose of this study is to develop a manufacturing process for a heat exchanger that can be used in aircraft gas turbine engines. The manufacturing process involved preparing fine tubes through multi-step drawing and annealing processes, and joining these to a tube sheet through brazing. In this work, we reported on the total fabrication processes and mechanical integrity tests of a cooled cooling air (CCA) heat exchanger for the aircraft turbine engine. Through the work, a prototype model of a heat exchanger based on a gas turbine assembly was then developed using each of the individual processes. An X-ray CT test and an endoscopy test were performed to inspect the heat exchanger. The results indicated good manufacturing integrity; thus, the developed heat exchanger can be used for cooling turbine blades.