Diffuser-deswirler for a gas turbine engine

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11098601-B2
Application number	US-202016804641-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 28, 2020
Priority date	Mar 27, 2017
Publication date	Aug 24, 2021
Grant date	Aug 24, 2021

Abstract

A diffuser-deswirler for a gas turbine engine is provided. The diffuser-deswirler includes an inner shell and an outer shell spaced apart and configured for receiving a flow of compressed air from a compressor of a gas turbine engine. A plurality of vanes extend between the inner shell and the outer shell to define a plurality of fluid passageways and a splitter extends along the circumferential direction between adjacent vanes to split the flow of compressed air passing through the each fluid passageway. All of these components are manufactured as a single monolithic piece and are configured for diffusing and deswirling compressor air before passing it to a combustor for an improved combustion process.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A diffuser-deswirler defining an axial direction, a radial direction, and a circumferential direction, the diffuser-deswirler comprising:
an annular inlet manifold;
an annular outlet manifold;
a plurality of flow conditioning pipes spaced circumferentially around the inlet manifold, each of the plurality of flow conditioning pipes defining a fluid passageway providing fluid communication between the inlet manifold and the outlet manifold, wherein the plurality of fluid passageways defines a diffuser section extending substantially perpendicular to the axial direction, a deswirler section extending substantially parallel to the axial direction, and a transition section fluidly coupling the diffuser section and the deswirler section, the transition section configured to diffuse and deswirl a flow of air; and
a splitter defined within each of plurality of flow conditioning pipes to split a flow of compressed air passing through the each of the plurality of flow conditioning pipes.

2. The diffuser-deswirler of claim 1 , wherein the inlet manifold, the outlet manifold, the plurality of flow conditioning pipes, and the splitter are integrally formed as a single monolithic component.

3. The diffuser-deswirler of claim 1 , wherein the diffuser-deswirler defines a first distance measured along the radial direction between an inlet and a radially outermost portion of the plurality of flow conditioning pipes and a second distance measured along the axial direction between a forward-most portion of the plurality of flow conditioning pipes and an outlet, the first distance being less than the second distance.

4. The diffuser-deswirler of claim 1 , wherein each of the plurality of flow conditioning pipes defines an elliptical cross-section, the cross-section increasing smoothly and continuously from the inlet manifold to the outlet manifold.

5. The diffuser-deswirler of claim 1 , wherein the diffuser-deswirler is formed by:
depositing a layer of additive material on a bed of an additive manufacturing machine; and
directing energy from an energy source onto the layer of additive material to fuse a portion of the additive material.

6. The diffuser-deswirler of claim 1 , wherein the splitter defined within each of the plurality of flow conditioning pipes has a constant cross section.

7. The diffuser-deswirler of claim 1 , wherein the splitter defined within each of the plurality of flow conditioning pipes is tapered.

Assignees

• Gen Electric

Inventors

• King Christopher David
• Parker David Vickery
• Manteiga John Alan
• Surprenant Matthew Brian
• Williams Megan Lynn
• Berhe Awot Michael
• Ollove Jesse Jacob

Classifications

• F01D9/048 Primary

  for radial admission · CPC title

• F01D9/023 Primary

  Transition ducts between combustor cans and first stage of the turbine in gas-turbine engines; their cooling or sealings · CPC title

• B22F10/12

  by photopolymerisation, e.g. stereolithography [SLA] or digital light processing [DLP] · CPC title

• B22F10/25

  Direct deposition of metal particles, e.g. direct metal deposition [DMD] or laser engineered net shaping [LENS] · CPC title

• B22F10/18

  by mixing binder with metal in filament form, e.g. fused filament fabrication [FFF] · CPC title