Seal plate with fluid bypass control

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10280840-B2
Application number	US-201514623309-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 16, 2015
Priority date	Apr 16, 2014
Publication date	May 7, 2019
Grant date	May 7, 2019

Abstract

The present disclosure relates generally to a manifold including a plurality of manifold channels disposed therethrough, each manifold channel including a manifold channel opening, and a seal plate, including a plurality of seal plate apertures disposed thereon, operably coupled to the manifold, wherein the seal plate includes at least one seal plate channel extending between at least two of the plurality of seal plate apertures.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of regulating pressure between fluidly coupled manifold assemblies in a gas turbine engine,
the gas turbine engine comprising:
a manifold assembly, wherein the manifold assembly comprises:
a manifold having a first surface and a second surface, the first surface being a top surface of the manifold and the second surface being a bottom surface of the manifold, the manifold including a plurality of adjacently disposed manifold channels extending through the manifold, the plurality of manifold channels including a first manifold channel and a second manifold channel;
a plurality of manifold channel openings respectively disposed at the first surface of the manifold, above the plurality of manifold channels, the plurality of manifold channel openings including a first manifold channel opening disposed above the first manifold channel and a second manifold channel opening disposed above the second manifold channel; and
a seal plate disposed above the first surface of the manifold and including a plurality of seal plate apertures, operably coupled to the manifold, the plurality of seal plate apertures including a first seal plate aperture disposed above the first manifold channel opening and a second seal plate aperture disposed above the second manifold channel opening; and
the seal plate including at least a first seal plate channel longitudinally extending between and connecting the first seal plate aperture and the second seal plate aperture, wherein the first seal plate channel is longitudinally symmetrical and has a first end and a longitudinally opposing second end, and the seal plate channel includes a middle portion disposed longitudinally between the first end and the second end, and the middle portion has a constricted transverse span to define a constricted flow area,

wherein
each of the plurality of seal plate apertures is aligned with a respective one of the plurality of first manifold channel openings, and
the first seal plate aperture and the second seal plate aperture connected by and adjacent to the first seal plate channel,

a stepwise transition to the constricted flow area of the middle portion of the first seal plate channel from a longitudinally adjacent portion of the first seal plate channel,
wherein
the first seal plate channel is transversely symmetrical, and
the manifold assembly is a first manifold assembly and the gas turbine engine further comprises a second manifold assembly operably coupled to the seal plate to create a fluid circuit between the first manifold assembly and the second manifold assembly, and

the method comprising:
circulating fluid through the fluid circuit in the gas turbine engine, wherein fluid is supplied to the second manifold assembly from the first manifold assembly via fluid flowing consecutively through the first manifold channel, the first manifold opening, and the first seal plate aperture, and wherein the circulating fluid is returned to the first manifold assembly from the second manifold assembly via fluid flowing consecutively through the second seal plate aperture, the second manifold opening, and the second manifold channel; and
regulating fluid pressure within the fluid circuit via a fluid bypass defined by the first seal plate channel connecting the first seal plate aperture and the second seal plate aperture.

Assignees

• United Technologies Corp

Inventors

• Meyst William
• Banhos Jonas S
• Troughton Andre Herman

Classifications

• F05D2240/55

  Seals · CPC title

• F02C7/28

  Arrangement of seals · CPC title

• F01D25/183

  Sealing means · CPC title

• F02C7/06 Primary

  Arrangements of bearings (bearings F16C); Lubricating ({of turbo machines F01D25/18; of machines or} engines in general F01M) · CPC title

• F05D2220/32

  in gas turbines · CPC title