Heat pipe temperature management system for wheels and buckets in a turbomachine

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10598094-B2
Application number	US-201515122597-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 2, 2015
Priority date	Apr 2, 2015
Publication date	Mar 24, 2020
Grant date	Mar 24, 2020

Abstract

A turbomachine includes a compressor configured to compress air received at an intake portion to form a compressed airflow that exits into an outlet portion. A combustor is operably connected with the compressor, and receives the compressed airflow. A turbine is operably connected with the combustor, and receives the combustion gas flow. The turbine has a plurality of wheels and a plurality of buckets. The turbine receives compressor bleed off air to cool the wheels and buckets. A cooling system is operatively connected to the turbine. The cooling system includes a plurality of heat pipes located axially upstream of at least one of the wheels. The heat pipes are operatively connected to a bearing cooler system. The heat pipes and the bearing cooler system are configured to transfer heat from the compressor bleed off air to one or more heat exchangers.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A turbomachine comprising:
a compressor configured to compress air received at an intake portion to form a compressed airflow that exits into an outlet portion;
a combustor operably connected with the compressor, the combustor receiving the compressed airflow;
a turbine operably connected with the combustor, the turbine receiving combustion gas flow from the combustor, the turbine having a plurality of wheels and a plurality of buckets, the turbine receiving compressor bleed off air to cool at least a portion of the plurality of wheels and at least a portion of the plurality of buckets; and
a cooling system operatively connected to the turbine, the cooling system including a first plurality of heat pipes located axially upstream of at least one of the plurality of wheels, the first plurality of heat pipes affixed to an inner circumference of and circumferentially around a rotor barrel cooling chamber, and including a second plurality of heat pipes operatively connected to the first plurality of heat pipes, the second plurality of heat pipes located within and circumferentially around the rotor barrel cooling chamber, the first and second plurality of heat pipes operatively connected to a bearing cooler system, the first and second plurality of heat pipes and the bearing cooler system are configured to transfer heat from the compressor bleed off air to one or more heat exchangers.

2. The turbomachine of claim 1 , the first and second plurality of heat pipes further comprising a heat transfer medium including one or combinations of:
aluminum, beryllium, beryllium-fluorine alloy, boron, calcium, cesium, cobalt, lead-bismuth alloy, liquid metal, lithium-chlorine alloy, lithium-fluorine alloy, manganese, manganese-chlorine alloy, mercury, molten salt, potassium, potassium-chlorine alloy, potassium-fluorine alloy, potassium-nitrogen-oxygen alloy, rhodium, rubidium-chlorine alloy, rubidium-fluorine alloy, sodium, sodium-chlorine alloy, sodium-fluorine alloy, sodium-boron-fluorine alloy, sodium nitrogen-oxygen alloy, strontium, tin, zirconium-fluorine alloy.

3. The turbomachine of claim 1 , the first and second plurality of heat pipes further comprising a molten salt heat transfer medium including one or combinations of, potassium, sodium or cesium.

4. The turbomachine of claim 1 , the first plurality of heat pipes located axially upstream of a first stage turbine wheel.

5. The turbomachine of claim 1 , the bearing cooler system further comprising bearing lubrication oil and a lubrication oil cooler, the lubrication oil cooler comprising at least one of the one or more heat exchangers configured to cool the bearing lubrication oil.

6. The turbomachine of claim 5 , wherein the bearing cooler system is located:
axially downstream of the turbine; or
axially upstream of the turbine.

7. The turbomachine of claim 1 , wherein the first plurality of heat pipes have a cross-sectional shape, the cross sectional shape comprising at least one of: circular, oval, rectangular with rounded corners, or polygonal; or a plurality of fins, the plurality of fins configured to increase the heat transfer capability of the first plurality of heat pipes.

8. The turbomachine of claim 1 , wherein the first plurality of heat pipes are radially aligned with the second plurality of heat pipes.

9. A temperature management system for a turbomachine, the turbomachine comprising a compressor configured to compress air received at an intake portion to form a compressed airflow that exits into an outlet portion, a combustor operably connected with the compressor, the combustor receiving the compressed airflow, and a turbine operably connected with the combustor, the turbine receiving combustion gas flow from the combustor, the turbine having a plurality of wheels and a plurality of buckets, the turbine receiving compressor bleed off air from the compressor to cool at least a portion of the plurality of wheels, the temperature management system comprising:
a first plurality of heat pipes located axially upstream of at least one of the plurality of wheels, the first plurality of heat pipes affixed to an inner circumference of and circumferentially around a rotor barrel cooling chamber, and including a second plurality of heat pipes operatively connected to the first plurality of heat pipes, the second plurality of heat pipes located within and circumferentially around the rotor barrel cooling chamber, the first and second plurality of heat pipes operatively connected to a bearing cooler system, the first and second plurality of heat pipes and the bearing cooler system are configured to transfer heat from the compressor bleed off air to one or more heat exchangers.

10. The system of claim 9 , the first and second plurality of heat pipes further comprising a heat transfer medium including one or combinations of:
aluminum, beryllium, beryllium-fluorine alloy, boron, calcium, cesium, cobalt, lead-bismuth alloy, liquid metal, lithium-chlorine alloy, lithium-fluorine alloy, manganese, manganese-chlorine alloy, mercury, molten salt, potassium, potassium-chlorine alloy, potassium-fluorine alloy, potassium-nitrogen-oxygen alloy, rhodium, rubidium-chlorine alloy, rubidium-fluorine alloy, sodium, sodium-chlorine alloy, sodium-fluorine alloy, sodium-boron-fluorine alloy, sodium nitrogen-oxygen alloy, strontium, tin, zirconium-fluorine alloy.

11. The system of claim 9 , the first and second plurality of heat pipes further comprising a molten salt heat transfer medium including one or combinations of, potassium, sodium or cesium.

12. The system of claim 11 , the first plurality of heat pipes located axially upstream of a first stage turbine wheel.

13. The system of claim 12 , the bearing cooler system further comprising a bearing lubrication oil and a lubrication oil cooler, the lubrication oil cooler comprising at least one of the one or more heat exchangers configured to cool the bearing lubrication oil.

14. The system of claim 13 , wherein the bearing cooler system is located:
axially downstream of the turbine; or
axially upstream of the turbine.

15. The system of claim 14 , wherein the first plurality of heat pipes have a cross-sectional shape, the cross sectional shape comprising at least one of: circular, oval, rectangular with rounded corners, or polygonal; or a plurality of fins, the plurality of fins configured to increase the heat transfer capability of the first plurality of heat pipes.

16. The system of claim 9 , wherein the first plurality of heat pipes are radially aligned with the second plurality of heat pipes.

17. A method of transferring heat from a turbomachine, the method comprising: passing an airflow through a compressor, the compressor acting on the airflow to create a compressed airflow, a portion of the compressed airflow is routed to a compressor bleed-off airflow directed at a turbine wheel of a plurality of wheels of a turbine;
extracting the heat from the compressor bleed-off airflow by thermally conducting the heat to a first plurality of heat pipes located axially upstream of at least one of the plurality of wheels, the first plurality of heat pipes affixed to an inner circumference of and circumferentially around a rotor barrel cooling chamber, and including a second plurality of heat pipes operatively connected to the first plurality of heat pipes, the second plurality of heat pipes located within and circumferentially around the rotor barrel cooling chamber, the first and second plurality of heat pipes in thermal communication with one or more heat exchangers; and
conducting the

Assignees

• Gen Electric

Inventors

• Ekanayake Sanji
• Wickert Thomas Edward
• Scipio Alston Ilford

Classifications

• F28F23/00

  Features relating to the use of intermediate heat-exchange materials, e.g. selection of compositions (heat-transfer, heat-exchange or heat-storage materials C09K5/00) · CPC title

• F28D15/0275

  Arrangements for coupling heat-pipes together or with other structures, e.g. with base blocks; Heat pipe cores · CPC title

• F05D2260/213

  by the provision of a heat exchanger within the cooling circuit · CPC title

• F01D25/125

  of bearings · CPC title

• F05D2260/208

  using heat pipes · CPC title