Multi-purpose gas turbine seal support and assembly

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10053998-B2
Application number	US-201314653243-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 23, 2013
Priority date	Dec 29, 2012
Publication date	Aug 21, 2018
Grant date	Aug 21, 2018

Abstract

A gas turbine engine assembly includes a first module, a second module rotatable about a center line of the gas turbine engine and fluidly coupled with the first module, and a multi-purpose seal support. The multi-purpose seal support includes an aft end secured to the first module, and a forward end disposed proximate the second module. The forward end has a discourager portion, a seal portion, and a meshing portion.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An assembly for a gas turbine engine, comprising:
a first module comprising a turbine exhaust case module for a gas turbine engine; the turbine exhaust case module comprising a fairing assembly secured over annular surfaces of a frame, defining a first portion of a main gas flow passage annularly between an inner fairing platform and an outer fairing platform, and around a plurality of frame strut liners;
a second module connected immediately upstream of the first module, the second module comprising a low pressure turbine rotor module rotatable about a center line of the gas turbine engine, the low pressure turbine rotor module including a plurality of rotor blades extending radially through a second portion of the main gas flow passage and fluidly coupled with the first module and the first portion of the main gas flow passage; and
a multi-purpose seal support secured proximate to the main gas flow passage between the first and second modules, the seal support comprising:
a ring-shaped body;
an aft end flange securing the seal support to an inner hub of the first module frame; and
a forward end disposed extending forward from the ring-shaped body toward the second module, the forward end having a discourager portion, a seal portion, and a meshing portion, wherein:
the discourager portion includes at least one flange extending at least axially forward from the ring-shaped body toward a complementary recess formed in an aft end of the second module such that the at least one flange forms at least one discourager gap with the recess, the discourager gap providing a tortuous leakage path for leakage flow from the main gas flow passage,
the seal portion includes at least one axially projecting seal land extending toward a cooperating seal portion on the second module, and
the meshing portion includes a projection extending forward from the ring-shaped body toward an aft face of a rotor disk on the second module, the projection having a forwardmost surface spaced adjacent to the rotor disk such that failure of the second module causes the rotor disk to contact the forwardmost surface and transmit forces from the rotor disk through the ring-shaped body into the inner hub.

2. The assembly of claim 1 , wherein the complementary recess is formed in an inner fairing platform.

3. The assembly of claim 2 , wherein the at least one flange of the discourager portion is spaced apart from the recess such that at least one of axial and radial dimensions of the discourager gap in a first idle or cold soak temperature state is larger than the at least one dimension in a second operating temperature state to form the tortuous leakage path between the fairing and the seal support at the second operating temperature.

4. The assembly of claim 1 , wherein the at least one seal land includes at least one labyrinth seal land disposed axially adjacent to a corresponding knife edge of the second module.

5. The assembly of claim 1 , wherein the at least one seal land includes at least one fishmouth seal recess receiving a corresponding leg of the second module.

6. The assembly of claim 1 , further comprising a U-shaped recess formed between two adjacent seal lands of the first module.

7. The assembly of claim 1 , wherein a downstream end of the turbine exhaust case is fluidly coupled with a power turbine assembly.

8. The assembly of claim 1 , wherein the at least one flange of the discourager portion has both an axial discourager projection and a radial discourager projection.

9. A turbine exhaust case (TEC) assembly comprising:
a frame including an outer case, an inner hub, and a circumferentially distributed plurality of struts extending radially between the outer case and the inner hub;
a fairing assembly secured over annular surfaces of the outer case, the inner hub, and the plurality of struts, defining a first portion of a main gas flow passage annularly through the frame between the outer case and the inner hub and around the plurality of struts; and
a multi-purpose seal support comprising:
a ring-shaped body;
an aft end flange securing the seal support to a forward surface of the inner hub, and
a forward end extending forward from the ring-shaped body, the forward end having a discourager portion, a seal portion, and a meshing portion, wherein:
the discourager portion includes at least one flange extending at least axially forward from the ring-shaped body and configured to engage a complementary recess in an aft end of a low pressure turbine rotor module, forming at least one discourager gap with the complementary recess, the discourager gap providing a tortuous leakage path for leakage flow from the main gas flow passage;
the seal portion includes at least one axially projecting seal land and is configured to engage a cooperating labyrinth or fishmouth seal portion on the low pressure turbine rotor module, and
the meshing portion includes a projection extending axially forward from the ring-shaped body, the projection having a forwardmost surface adjacent to the rotor disk, such that the forwardmost surface is spaced from the rotor disk until failure of the second module, upon which the rotor disk contacts the forwardmost surface and transmits forces from the rotor disk through the ring-shaped body into the frame inner hub.

10. The TEC assembly of claim 9 , wherein the at least one flange of the discourager portion is shaped to form the discourager seal in cooperation with a recess formed into a Y-junction disposed on a forward side of the fairing assembly proximate the inner hub.

11. The TEC assembly of claim 10 , wherein the at least one flange of the discourager portion is spaced apart from the recess such that at least one of axial and radial dimensions of the discourager gap range between a first low temperature state in which the discourager portion is spaced apart from the fairing, and a second high temperature state in which the discourager portion forms the discourager seal with the fairing.

12. The TEC assembly of claim 9 , wherein the at least one seal land comprises an abradable pad.

13. The TEC assembly of claim 9 , wherein the at least one seal land is a recess adapted to receive a corresponding leg for a fishmouth seal.

14. The TEC assembly of claim 9 , wherein the forward-most surface is distal from the remainder of the seal support and the TEC assembly.

15. The assembly of claim 9 , wherein the at least one flange of the discourager portion has both an axial discourager projection and a radial discourager projection.

16. A multi-purpose seal support for a gas turbine engine, the assembly comprising:
a ring-shaped body including a axially forward end and an axially aft end;
an aft support flange at the axially aft end of the body, the aft support flange adapted to secure the seal body to an inner frame hub of a turbine exhaust case frame;
a flow inhibitor formed at the forward end of the body, extending at least axially forward from the ring-shaped body, the flow inhibitor including at least one flange adapted to engage a complementary recess in an aft end of a low pressure turbine rotor module, the at least one flange forming at least one discourager gap with the complementary recess, the discourager gap providing a tortuous leakage path for leakage flow from a main gas flow passage extending through the turbine exhaust case frame;
a seal portion including at least one axially projecting seal land formed proximate the flow inhibitor, the at least one axially projecting seal land adapted to engage a cooperating seal portion on a low pressure turbine rotor m

Assignees

• United Technologies Corp

Inventors

• Vo Tuan David
• Chuong Conway
• Budnick Matthew
• Scott Jonathan Ariel

Classifications

• F01D9/065 Primary

  Fluid supply or removal conduits traversing the working fluid flow, e.g. for lubrication-, cooling-, or sealing fluids (see also F01D25/16, F01D25/24 and F01D25/26) · CPC title

• F01D11/001

  for sealing space between stator blade and rotor · CPC title

• F01D11/02 Primary

  by non-contact sealings, e.g. of labyrinth type (for sealing space between rotor blade tips and stator F01D11/08) · CPC title

• F01D11/122

  with erodable or abradable material (blades having cutting or grinding tips F01D5/20) · CPC title

• F01D25/162

  Bearing supports · CPC title