Overcooled air cooling system with annular mixing passage

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10100738-B2
Application number	US-201514600862-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 20, 2015
Priority date	Jan 20, 2015
Publication date	Oct 16, 2018
Grant date	Oct 16, 2018

Abstract

A cooling system is provided. The cooling system may comprise a heat exchanger and a first conduit fluidly coupled to an outlet of the heat exchanger. An annular passage may be fluidly coupled to the first conduit. A tangential onboard injector (TOBI) may be fluidly coupled to the annular passage. A gas turbine engine is also provided and may comprise a compressor, a combustor in fluid communication with the compressor, and a diffuser around the combustor and a turbine. A heat exchanger may have an inlet fluidly coupled to the diffuser. A second conduit may be fluidly coupled to an outlet of the heat exchanger. An annular passage may be fluidly coupled to the second conduit. A tangential onboard injector (TOBI) may be fluidly coupled to the annular passage.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A cooling system, comprising:
a heat exchanger;
a first conduit fluidly coupled to an inlet of the heat exchanger and configured to extract internal air from a diffuser case disposed about an annular diffuser and a combustor;
a second conduit fluidly coupled to an outlet of the heat exchanger;
a third conduit, wherein the third conduit comprises a double walled tube extending radially inward of the diffuser case into an interior volume of the diffuser case, the double walled tube spanning an entirety of a distance from a radially outward portion of the diffuser case to a radially inward portion of the diffuser case, the double walled tube passing through an outboard wall and an inboard wall of the annular diffuser, wherein a portion of the double walled tube extends radially outward of the diffuser case, wherein the portion of the double walled tube is coupled to and in fluid communication with the second conduit at a proximate end of the third conduit;
an annular passage fluidly coupled to the third conduit at a distal end of the third conduit;
a tangential onboard injector (TOBI) fluidly coupled to the annular passage; and
mixing openings defined by a distal surface of the annular passage,
wherein the diffuser case has a proximal boundary at least partially defined by the distal surface of the annular passage and further characterized in that the distal surface meets a plurality of jumper tubes configured to deliver cooled air, and
wherein at least one of:
the mixing openings are more densely packed near exits of the plurality of jumper tubes than downstream of the exits of the plurality of jumper tubes, or
the mixing openings are more densely packed at first circumferential locations which coincide with the plurality of jumper tubes than at second circumferential locations which do not coincide with the plurality of jumper tubes.

2. The cooling system of claim 1 , wherein the TOBI is configured to direct the cooled air to impinge upon a component of a turbine disk of a gas turbine engine.

3. The cooling system of claim 1 , wherein the first conduit is fluidly coupled to the diffuser case.

4. The cooling system of claim 3 , wherein the first conduit is configured to extract 0.5 to 20 percent of the internal air available in the diffuser case.

5. The cooling system of claim 3 , wherein the coupled second conduit and third conduit is longer than the first conduit.

6. A gas turbine engine, comprising:
a compressor;
a combustor in fluid communication with the compressor;
a turbine in fluid communication with the combustor;
a diffuser case around an annular diffuser and the combustor;
a first conduit fluidly coupled to the diffuser case;
a heat exchanger comprising an inlet fluidly coupled to the first conduit;
a second conduit fluidly coupled to an outlet of the heat exchanger;
a third conduit, wherein the third conduit comprises a double walled tube extending radially inward of the diffuser case into an interior volume of the diffuser case, the double walled tube spanning an entirety of a distance from a radially outward portion of the diffuser case to a radially inward portion of the diffuser case, the double walled tube passing through an outboard wall and an inboard wall of the annular diffuser, wherein a portion of the double walled tube extends radially outward of the diffuser case, wherein the portion of the double walled tube is coupled to and in fluid communication with the second conduit at a proximate end of the third conduit;
an annular passage fluidly coupled to the third conduit at a distal end of the third conduit;
a tangential onboard injector (TOBI) fluidly coupled to the annular passage; and
mixing openings defined by a distal surface of the annular passage,
wherein the distal surface of the annular passage at least partially defines a boundary of the diffuser case and further characterized in that the distal surface meets a plurality of jumper tubes configured to deliver cooled air, and
wherein at least one of:
the mixing openings are more densely packed near exits of the plurality of jumper tubes than downstream of the exits of the plurality of jumper tubes, or
the mixing openings are more densely packed at first circumferential locations which coincide with the plurality of jumper tubes than at second circumferential locations which do not coincide with the plurality of jumper tubes.

7. The gas turbine engine of claim 6 , wherein the TOBI is configured to direct the cooled air to impinge upon a component of a turbine disk of the gas turbine engine.

8. The gas turbine engine of claim 6 , wherein the first conduit is configured to extract internal air from the diffuser case.

9. The gas turbine engine of claim 8 , wherein the first conduit is configured to extract 0.5 to 20 percent of the internal air available in the diffuser case.

10. The gas turbine engine of claim 8 , wherein the coupled second and third conduit is longer than the first conduit.

11. A cooling system, comprising:
a diffuser case about an annular diffuser;
a first conduit configured to extract internal air from the diffuser case;
a second conduit in fluid communication with the first conduit;
a third conduit comprising a double walled tube extending radially inward of the diffuser case into an interior volume of the diffuser case spanning an entirety of a distance from a radially outward portion of the diffuser case to a radially inward portion of the diffuser case, wherein the third conduit extends through the diffuser case, the double walled tube passing through an outboard wall and an inboard wall of the annular diffuser, wherein a portion of the double walled tube extends radially outward of the diffuser case, wherein the portion of the double walled tube is coupled to and in fluid communication with the second conduit at a proximate end of the third conduit;
an annular passage at least partially defining a proximal boundary of the diffuser case, the annular passage in fluid communication with the third conduit; and
mixing openings defined by a wall of the annular passage and further characterized in that the wall of the annular passage meets a plurality of jumper tubes configured to deliver cooled air, and
wherein at least one of:
the mixing openings are more densely packed near exits of the plurality of jumper tubes than downstream of the exits of the plurality of jumper tubes, or
the mixing openings are more densely packed at first circumferential locations which coincide with the plurality of jumper tubes than at second circumferential locations which do not coincide with the plurality of jumper tubes.

12. The cooling system of claim 11 , wherein the first conduit is configured to extract 0.5 to 20 percent of the internal air available in the diffuser case.

13. The cooling system of claim 11 , wherein the coupled second and third conduit is longer than the first conduit.

14. The cooling system of claim 11 , wherein the annular passage is configured to operate as an ejector with the mixing openings, wherein a tangential onboard injector (TOBI) is fluidly coupled to the annular passage and the TOBI is configured to direct the cooled air to impinge upon a component of a turbine disk of a gas turbine engine.

15. The cooling system of claim 11 , wherein the second conduit comprises a nickel-based superalloy.

Assignees

• United Technologies Corp

Inventors

• Hill James D
• Ackermann William K

Classifications

• F02C6/06

  providing compressed gas (F02C6/10 takes precedence) · CPC title

• F05D2260/211

  by intercooling, e.g. during a compression cycle · CPC title

• F23R3/04

  Air inlet arrangements · CPC title

• F05D2300/175

  Superalloys · CPC title

• F05D2260/209

  using vortex tubes · CPC title