Heat pipe in turbine engine

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11092024-B2
Application number	US-201816155107-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 9, 2018
Priority date	Oct 9, 2018
Publication date	Aug 17, 2021
Grant date	Aug 17, 2021

Abstract

The present disclosure is directed to a system for mitigating rotor bow at a turbine engine. The system includes a casing circumferentially surrounding a rotor assembly in which a heat pipe is attached to the casing and extended circumferentially around the rotor assembly.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A system for mitigating rotor bow at a turbine engine, the system comprising:
a casing circumferentially surrounding a rotor assembly,
wherein a heat pipe is attached to an inner surface of the casing and extends continuously around an entire circumference of the rotor assembly, and
wherein the heat pipe is structured to force thermal energy from between the inner surface of the casing and the rotor assembly to flow from an uppermost portion of the heat pipe to a lowermost portion of the heat pipe.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the heat pipe is inseparably attached to the casing.

3. The system of claim 1 , wherein the casing comprises a plurality of the heat pipe in axially adjacent arrangement.

4. The system of claim 1 , wherein the heat pipe is attached to an inner diameter of the casing.

5. The system of claim 4 , wherein the system comprises the heat pipe attached to the inner diameter of the casing, the rotor assembly radially inward of the heat pipe, and a fluid in thermal communication directly between the heat pipe and the rotor assembly.

6. The system of claim 5 , wherein the heat pipe is attached to the inner diameter of the casing and directly adjacent to an outer diameter of the rotor assembly.

7. The system of claim 1 , further comprising a braze material between the heat pipe and an inner diameter of the casing.

8. The system of claim 1 , wherein the heat pipe comprises an outer perimeter wall comprising a working fluid and a capillary tube within the outer perimeter wall.

9. The system of claim 8 , wherein the working fluid comprises cesium, potassium, or sodium, or combinations thereof.

10. The system of claim 8 , wherein the working fluid comprises helium, nitrogen, ammonia, trichlorofluoromethane, dichlorofluoromethane, pentane, trichlorotrifluoroethane, acetone, methanol, perfluoromethylcyclohexane, ethanol, heptane, water, toluene, perfluoromethyldecalin, a diphenyl ether, mercury, lithium, silver, or combinations thereof.

11. The system of claim 1 , further comprising:
a combustion chamber,
wherein the heat pipe is disposed axially in an upstream direction of the combustion chamber.

12. A turbine engine comprising a system for mitigating rotor bow, the turbine engine comprising:
a rotor assembly;
a casing circumferentially surrounding the rotor assembly; and
a heat pipe attached to an inner surface of the casing and extending continuously around an entire circumference of the rotor assembly,
wherein the heat pipe is disposed in thermal communication with a fluid directly between the rotor assembly and the heat pipe, and
wherein the heat pipe is structured to force thermal energy from between the inner surface of the casing and the rotor assembly to flow from an uppermost portion of the heat pipe to a lowermost portion of the heat pipe.

13. The turbine engine of claim 12 , further comprising:
a combustion section circumferentially surrounding at least a portion of the rotor assembly,
wherein the casing is extended between a compressor exit guide vane and a turbine nozzle vane.

14. The turbine engine of claim 13 , wherein the heat pipe is attached to the casing between the compressor exit guide vane and the turbine nozzle vane.

15. The turbine engine of claim 13 , wherein the casing comprises a plurality of the heat pipe extended circumferentially at the casing and in axially adjacent arrangement between the compressor exit guide vane and the turbine nozzle vane.

16. The turbine engine of claim 13 , wherein the heat pipe is attached to the casing defining an inner diffuser casing of the combustion section.

17. The turbine engine of claim 12 , wherein the heat pipe is attached to an inner diameter of the casing and adjacent to an outer diameter of the rotor assembly.

18. The turbine engine of claim 17 ,
wherein a cavity is defined between the outer diameter of the rotor assembly and the inner diameter of the casing, and
wherein fluid in the cavity is in direct fluid communication with the heat pipe and the outer diameter of the rotor assembly.

19. The turbine engine of claim 12 , further comprising a braze material between the heat pipe and an inner diameter of the casing.

20. The turbine engine of claim 12 , wherein the heat pipe comprises:
an outer perimeter wall, wherein the fluid is in thermal communication with the outer perimeter wall and the rotor assembly;
a working fluid disposed within the heat pipe; and
a capillary tube within the outer perimeter wall, wherein a vapor cavity is defined inward of the capillary tube.

21. The turbine engine of claim 20 , wherein the working fluid comprises cesium, potassium, sodium, helium, nitrogen, ammonia, trichlorofluoromethane, dichlorofluoromethane, pentane, trichlorotrifluoroethane, acetone, methanol, perfluoromethylcyclohexane, ethanol, heptane, water, toluene, perfluoromethyldecalin, a diphenyl ether, mercury, lithium, silver, or combinations thereof.

22. The turbine engine of claim 12 , further comprising:
a combustion chamber,
wherein the heat pipe is disposed axially in an upstream direction of the combustion chamber.

Assignees

• Gen Electric

Inventors

• Namadevan Arvind
• Kang Weize
• Thakur Hari Shankar
• Sen Arnab
• Ghawat Mayur

Classifications

• F01D25/12

  Cooling · CPC title

• F05D2260/208

  using heat pipes · CPC title

• F01D25/24

  Casings (modified for heating or cooling F01D25/14); Casing parts, e.g. diaphragms, casing fastenings (casings for rotary machines or engines in general F16M {; special arrangements in stators dealing with breaking-off of part of rotor F01D21/045}) · CPC title

• Y02T50/60

  Efficient propulsion technologies, e.g. for aircraft · CPC title

• F05D2220/323

  for aircraft propulsion, e.g. jet engines · CPC title