Sistemi di raffreddamentO in maNifattura AddiTiva per la propulsione innovativA
Cooling Systems in Additive Manufacturing for Innovative Propulsion
The SONATA project aims to achieve the objectives of WP3 of MOST Spoke 12, related to the introduction of carbon-neutral fuels, by designing and manufacturing coupons representing “real hardware” cooling components made using additive manufacturing (AM) processes. These will be optimized with numerical tools using state-of-the-art CFD simulations.
The pressure drop and heat transfer performance were characterized compared to reference configurations. Both dimensional parameters (such as flow rates, temperatures, pressures, pressure drops, exchanged power, exchange areas, and heat transfer coefficients) and non-dimensional parameters (such as friction factors, Reynolds, Prandtl, Biot, and Nusselt numbers) were evaluated. This allowed us to estimate both the parameters useful for operating the test rig and post-processing the tests, as well as the parameters useful for subsequent use of the data for comparisons and correlations.
The SONATA project focused on evaluating the internal cooling of both channels with various types of turbulators and microchannels placed close to the wall. Furthermore, it further developed the technology up to a TRL of 4 by transposing the most promising solutions onto representative gas turbine vane/blade geometries.
