Executive Summary

Solar Turbines is in the business of making large-scale, multi-use turbines that can generate up to 30,000 horsepower. This project focuses on a specific component which is welded into the turbine frames whose main function is to support the lubrication and fuel systems throughout the frame. This component is referred to as a boss and is simply a carbon steel cylinder that protrudes through both sides of the drip pan.

            While using bosses to secure the components is very simple and the bosses themselves are very cheap to produce, there are several problems associated with this method. Welding the bosses onto the drip pan is time-intensive as the multi-ton drip pan has to be flipped multiple times because the bosses have to be welded from both the top and bottom of the pan. Also, the placement of these bosses had a tolerance of 1/16th of an inch away from the desired position, which is very restrictive and does not allow room for much error during fabrication. This factor alone resulted in countless hours of rework when the bosses are welded into incorrect positions in the drip pan.

            Two concepts were generated to combat the shortcomings of the current design. The concepts are also designed to maximize fluid flow around the mount itself to prevent the trapping of leaking fluids and oils from the turbine. The first concept, called the Z-boss Slider Assembly, uses metal sliders on top of a z-direction adjustable boss to allow movement in the x and y-direction. The second concept, named the Hemi Mount, uses a ball head mount to automatically level the mounting surface and then uses a slotted place on top to allow adjustments in the x and y-direction. These two concepts will be discussed in detail further along in the report.

                Figure 1 - Z-boss Slider (left) and Hemi Mount (right)

            Further, both designs were built and assembled to test the workability of each design. All the parts of the Z-boss Slider concept were machined out of aluminum and welded onto an aluminum plate that represented the drip pan. The Hemi Mount was fabricated using a 3D printer and is made out of ABS plastic. To simulate the component sitting on top of these mounts, clear acrylic was bolted on top of the mounts to allow greater visibility to the observer.

Figure 2 - Aluminum-machined Z-Boss Slider Assembly