Thermal management of a shaft

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11149645-B2
Application number	US-201916426260-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 30, 2019
Priority date	May 30, 2019
Publication date	Oct 19, 2021
Grant date	Oct 19, 2021

Abstract

A gas turbine engine includes a fan, a compressor section, a combustor, and a turbine section where the turbine section is downstream of the combustor section. A shaft connects the turbine section to the compressor section. A bore tube is disposed within the shaft downstream of the compressor section. The bore tube includes an inlet connected to an air source for passing cooling air in an upstream direction of the shaft.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A gas turbine engine comprising:
a fan, a compressor section, a combustor and a turbine section, the turbine section downstream of the combustor section;
a shaft connecting the turbine section to the compressor section;
a bore tube disposed within the shaft downstream of the compressor section, the bore tube including an inlet connected to an air source, the bore tube being spaced apart from an inner surface of the shaft defining an annular passage, wherein
the cooling air passes in an upstream direction of the shaft inside the bore tube and in a downstream direction inside the annular passages.

2. The gas turbine engine as recited in claim 1 , wherein the shaft includes an aft end and the inlet of the bore tube is disposed at the aft end of the shaft.

3. The gas turbine engine as recited in claim 2 , including a cooling air supply conduit and a rotating seal sealing between the cooling air supply conduit and the bore tube.

4. The gas turbine engine as recited in claim 3 , including an end cap at an upstream end of the bore tube, the end cap defining an air seal preventing airflow in the upstream direction.

5. The gas turbine engine as recited in claim 4 , wherein the bore tube includes an outlet at the upstream end that communicates airflow into the annular passage.

6. The gas turbine engine as recited in claim 5 , wherein the shaft includes an outlet forward of the aft end and aft of the upstream end, the outlet is in communication with the annular passage for exhausting the cooling air.

7. The gas turbine engine as recited in claim 5 , including a retaining ring at the aft end of the shaft supporting the bore tube and blocking the cooling air in the annular passage from exiting the aft end of the shaft.

8. The gas turbine engine as recited in claim 7 , including an aft bearing supporting an aft end of the shaft, the bearing disposed within a bearing chamber and the retaining ring sealing the annular passage at the bearing chamber preventing lubricant from entering the annular passage.

9. The gas turbine engine as recited in claim 4 , wherein the upstream end extends upstream past the turbine section.

10. The gas turbine engine as recited in claim 1 , wherein the bore tube comprises a sealed tube having an outlet at an upstream location forward of the turbine section.

11. The gas turbine engine as recited in claim 1 , wherein a gear reduction is positioned between the fan section and a fan drive turbine of the turbine section.

12. The gas turbine engine as recited in claim 1 , wherein the air source comprises an air cycle machine.

13. The gas turbine engine as recited in claim 1 , wherein the air source comprises a conduit in communication with the compressor section.

14. The gas turbine engine as recited in claim 1 , including a heat exchanger for cooling air from the air source prior to introduction into the bore tube.

15. A gas turbine engine comprising:
a fan rotor, a compressor section, a combustor and a turbine section, the turbine section including a fan drive turbine downstream of the combustor section;
a shaft connecting the fan drive turbine section to the fan rotor, the shaft including an inner cavity and an aft end; and
a means for supplying cooling air within the inner cavity of the shaft
the means for supplying air having a tube within the inner cavity for passing cooling air from the aft end to an upstream location and communicating the cooling air within an annular passage in communication with an inner surface of the inner cavity and passes the cooling air from the upstream location towards the aft end in the annular passage, wherein
the tube has an upstream opening disposed within the inner cavity, and is spaced apart from the inner surface of the inner cavity to define the annular passage.

16. The gas turbine engine as recited in claim 15 , wherein said means for supplying cooling air includes a conduit in communication with a cooling airflow positioned outside of a core engine including the compressor section, the combustor and the turbine section.

17. A method of operating a gas turbine engine comprising the steps of:
driving a fan rotor with a fan drive turbine in a turbine section through a shaft connecting the fan drive turbine to drive the fan rotor, wherein the shaft includes an inner cavity open at an aft end; and
supplying cooling air to an inlet of a bore tube within the inner cavity of the shaft, the bore tube defining an inner passage from the aft end of the shaft to an upstream location and an annular passage between the bore tube an the inner cavity such that cooling airflow flows upstream from the aft end within the bore tube and into the annular passage to flow downstream to an outlet defined within the shaft.

18. The method as set forth in claim 17 , including the sealing of an upstream location forward of an upstream end of the shaft such that cooling air flowed from the bore tube is directed downstream toward the aft end.

Assignees

• Raytheon Tech Corp

Inventors

• Roberge Gary D

Classifications

• F02C7/36

  Power transmission arrangements between the different shafts of the gas turbine plant, or between the gas-turbine plant and the power user ({F02C3/107 - F02C3/13 and} F02C7/32 take precedence; couplings for transmitting rotation F16D; gearing in general F16H) · CPC title

• F05D2240/61

  Hollow · CPC title

• Y02T50/60

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

• F05D2260/205

  Cooling fluid recirculation, i.e. after cooling one or more components is the cooling fluid recovered and used elsewhere for other purposes · CPC title

• F02C7/185 Primary

  Cooling means for reducing the temperature of the cooling air or gas · CPC title