Turbomachinery heat management system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11486266-B2
Application number	US-201916459609-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 2, 2019
Priority date	Jul 2, 2019
Publication date	Nov 1, 2022
Grant date	Nov 1, 2022

Abstract

A system is provided, including a heat management system. The heat management system includes a thermal delivery system configured to providing heating, cooling, or a combination thereof, to a first zone of a turbomachinery, and a controller operatively coupled to the thermal delivery system and configured to control the heating, the cooling, or the combination thereof, of the first zone, to minimize or to eliminate positional changes, structural changes, or a combination thereof, in one or more components of the turbomachinery due to thermal energy.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A system, comprising:
a heat management system, comprising:
a thermal delivery system configured to providing heating, cooling, or a combination thereof, to a first zone of a turbomachinery;
a controller operatively coupled to the thermal delivery system and configured to control the heating, the cooling, or the combination thereof, of the first zone, to minimize or to eliminate positional changes, structural changes, and a combination thereof, in one or more components of the turbomachinery due to thermal energy, wherein the controller is configured to provide for fault tolerance after sensing that the thermal delivery system providing heating, cooling, or combination thereof of the first zone is not operating as desired by adjusting the heating, the cooling, or the combination thereof, of a second zone adjacent to the first zone;
a first temperature sensor disposed in the first zone, and wherein the controller is communicatively coupled to the first temperature sensor and configured to control the heating, the cooling, or the combination thereof, based on signals from the first temperature sensor; and
a second temperature sensor disposed in the first zone, and wherein the controller is communicatively coupled to the second temperature sensor and configured to control the heating, the cooling, or the combination thereof, based on deriving a temperature difference between a first temperature measured by the first sensor and a second temperature measured by the second sensor, wherein the controller is configured to provide for fault tolerance for the first sensor or the second sensor by utilizing measurements provided by a third sensor disposed in the second zone of the turbomachinery; and wherein the third sensor is communicatively coupled to a first system of the turbomachinery separate from the thermal delivery system and used during operations of the first system.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the controller is configured to independently control the heating, the cooling, or the combination thereof, of the first zone from the heating, the cooling, or the combination thereof, of the second zone of the turbomachinery.

3. The system of claim 1 , wherein the one or more components comprise a lower shell mechanically coupled to an upper shell of a gas turbine engine, and wherein the controller is configured to control the heating, the cooling, or the combination thereof, by deriving a temperature difference between the lower shell and the upper shell.

4. The system of claim 3 , wherein the controller is configured to control the heating, the cooling, or the combination thereof, by comparing the temperature difference between the lower shell and the upper shell to a temperature difference setpoint, and to adjust the heating, the cooling, or the combination thereof, based on the comparison.

5. The system of claim 1 , wherein the controller is configured to control operations of the turbomachinery.

6. The system of claim 5 , wherein the turbomachinery comprises a gas turbine engine, and wherein the controller is configured to control a shutdown operation.

7. A method, comprising:
providing heating, cooling, or a combination thereof, to a first zone of a turbomachinery via a thermal delivery system;
controlling the heating, the cooling, or the combination thereof, of the first zone, via a controller, to minimize or to eliminate positional changes, structural changes, and a combination thereof, in one or more components of the turbomachinery due to thermal energy; and
providing fault tolerance after sensing that the thermal delivery system providing heating, cooling, or combination thereof of the first zone is not operating as desired by adjusting the heating, the cooling, or the combination thereof, of a second zone adjacent to the first zone via a first temperature sensor, a second temperature sensor, and a third temperature sensor, wherein the first temperature sensor is disposed in the first zone, and wherein the controller is communicatively coupled to the first temperature sensor and configured to control the heating, the cooling, or the combination thereof, based on signals from the first temperature sensor, wherein the second temperature sensor is disposed in the first zone, and wherein the controller is communicatively coupled to the second temperature sensor and configured to control the heating, the cooling, or the combination thereof, based on deriving a temperature difference between a first temperature measured by the first sensor and a second temperature measured by the second sensor, wherein the controller is configured to provide for fault tolerance for the first sensor or the second sensor by utilizing measurements provided by the third sensor disposed in the second zone of the turbomachinery; and wherein the third sensor is communicatively coupled to a first system of the turbomachinery separate from the thermal delivery system and used during operations of the first system.

8. The method of claim 7 , comprising controlling heating, cooling or a combination thereof, of the second zone of the turbomachinery, and wherein the heating, cooling, or combination thereof, of the first zone is independently controlled from the heating, cooling, or combination thereof, of the second zone.

9. A non-transitory computer readable medium comprising executable instructions which, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to:
provide heating, cooling, or a combination thereof, to a first zone of a turbomachinery via a thermal delivery system;
control the heating, the cooling, or the combination thereof, of the first zone, via a controller, to minimize or to eliminate positional changes, structural changes, and a combination thereof, in one or more components of the turbomachinery due to thermal energy; and
provide fault tolerance after sensing that the thermal delivery system providing heating, cooling, or combination thereof of the first zone is not operating as desired by adjusting the heating, the cooling, or the combination thereof, of a second zone adjacent to the first zone via a first temperature sensor, a second temperature sensor, and a third temperature sensor, wherein the first temperature sensor is disposed in the first zone, and wherein a controller is communicatively coupled to the first temperature sensor and configured to control the heating, the cooling, or the combination thereof, based on signals from the first temperature sensor, wherein the second temperature sensor is disposed in the first zone, and wherein the controller is communicatively coupled to the second temperature sensor and configured to control the heating, the cooling, or the combination thereof, based on deriving a temperature difference between a first temperature measured by the first sensor and a second temperature measured by the second sensor, wherein the controller is configured to provide for fault tolerance for the first sensor or the second sensor by utilizing measurements provided by the third sensor disposed in the second zone of the turbomachinery; and wherein the third sensor is communicatively coupled to a first system of the turbomachinery separate from the thermal delivery system and used during operations of the first system.

10. The computer readable medium of claim 9 , comprising instructions that cause the processor to control heating, cooling or a combination thereof, of the second zone of the turbomachinery, and wherein the heating, cooling, or combination thereof, of the first zone is independently controlled from the heating, cooling, or combination thereof, of the second zone.

Assignees

• Gen Electric

Inventors

• Ellis Scott
• Johnson David M
• Tempel Gregory
• Klingler Brett
• Blank Kenneth

Classifications

• F01D25/08

  Cooling (of machines or engines in general F01P); Heating; Heat-insulation (of blade-carrying members, of blades F01D5/00) · CPC title

• Y02T50/60

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

• F01D25/12

  Cooling · CPC title

• F02C7/125

  by partial arc admission of the working fluid or by intermittent admission of working and cooling fluid · CPC title

• F02C7/12

  Cooling of plants (of component parts, see the relevant subclasses, e.g. F01D; cooling of engines in general F01P) · CPC title