System and method for combining compressor bleed flow and ventilation flow of gas turbine engine

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11572829-B2
Application number	US-202016875989-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 16, 2020
Priority date	May 16, 2020
Publication date	Feb 7, 2023
Grant date	Feb 7, 2023

Abstract

A flow combiner is provided for a gas turbine engine. The flow combiner includes an outlet duct, a compressor bleed inlet duct coupled to the outlet duct, and a ventilation inlet duct coupled to the outlet duct. The compressor bleed inlet duct is configured to receive a bleed flow from a compressor of the gas turbine engine. The ventilation inlet duct is configured to receive a ventilation flow from an enclosure surrounding the gas turbine engine. The bleed flow and the ventilation flow are combined as an outlet flow through the outlet duct.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A system, comprising:
a flow combiner, comprising:
an outlet duct;
a compressor bleed inlet duct coupled to the outlet duct, wherein the compressor bleed inlet duct is configured to receive a bleed flow from a compressor flow path through a compressor of a gas turbine engine; and
a ventilation inlet duct coupled to the outlet duct, wherein the ventilation inlet duct is configured to receive a ventilation flow from a ventilation flow path through a space within an enclosure surrounding an outermost wall of the gas turbine engine, wherein the ventilation flow path is separate from the compressor flow path and external from the compressor;

wherein the bleed flow and the ventilation flow are combined as an outlet flow through the outlet duct.

2. The system of claim 1 , comprising the enclosure disposed about the space, wherein the flow combiner is coupled to the enclosure, wherein the ventilation flow path of the ventilation flow extends from an intake port in the enclosure, through the space, and into the ventilation inlet duct.

3. The system of claim 2 , comprising the gas turbine engine disposed inside the enclosure, wherein the compressor bleed inlet duct is coupled to the outermost wall of the gas turbine engine at the compressor to fluidly couple with the compressor flow path to receive the bleed flow.

4. The system of claim 1 , wherein the compressor bleed inlet duct comprises a compressor opening configured to extend circumferentially around the outermost wall of the gas turbine engine at the compressor, wherein the compressor bleed inlet duct comprises a variable bleed valve, wherein the space surrounds the outermost wall of the gas turbine engine and the enclosure surrounds the space, wherein the compressor bleed inlet duct extends through the space from the enclosure to the outermost wall, wherein the flow combiner extends at least partially outside of the enclosure.

5. The system of claim 1 , wherein the compressor bleed inlet duct and the ventilation inlet duct are coupled to a common duct portion of the outlet duct.

6. The system of claim 5 , wherein the compressor bleed inlet duct comprises a diverging duct portion coupled to the common duct portion, wherein the diverging duct portion diverges in a downstream direction away from the compressor bleed inlet duct and the ventilation inlet duct toward an outlet of the outlet duct.

7. The system of claim 5 , wherein the ventilation inlet duct comprises a turning duct portion coupled to the common duct portion.

8. The system of claim 5 , wherein the common duct portion comprises a backflow inhibiter having a plurality of conduits varying in cross-sectional flow area.

9. The system of claim 1 , wherein the ventilation inlet duct comprises a damper configured to open in response to the ventilation flow, and wherein the compressor bleed inlet duct comprises a plurality of adjustable valve elements to regulate the bleed flow within the flow combiner.

10. The system of claim 1 , wherein the outlet duct comprises one or more silencer baffles.

11. The system of claim 1 , comprising a controller having a memory, a processor, and instructions stored on the memory and executable by the processor to adjust the bleed flow or the ventilation flow based on one or more operating parameters of the gas turbine system.

12. The system of claim 11 , wherein the one or more operating parameters comprise an operational mode of the gas turbine system, wherein the operational mode of the gas turbine system comprises one of a startup mode, a full load mode, a normal shutdown mode, or an emergency shut down/load drop mode.

13. The system of claim 1 , wherein the ventilation inlet duct comprises one or more fans.

14. A method, comprising:
receiving a bleed flow from a compressor of a gas turbine engine into a compressor bleed inlet duct coupled to an outlet duct of a flow combiner; and
receiving a ventilation flow from a space within an enclosure surrounding an outermost wall of the gas turbine engine into a ventilation inlet duct coupled to the outlet duct, wherein the bleed flow and the ventilation flow are combined as an outlet flow through the outlet duct, wherein the ventilation flow is driven by at least one fan.

15. The method of claim 14 , comprising adjusting, via a controller, the bleed flow or the ventilation flow based on one or more operating parameters of the gas turbine system.

16. The method of claim 15 , wherein the one or more operating parameters comprise an operational mode of the gas turbine system, wherein the operational mode of the gas turbine system comprises one of a startup mode, a full load mode, a normal shutdown mode, or an emergency shut down/load drop mode.

17. The method of claim 14 , comprising adjusting the bleed flow via a variable bleed valve coupled to the compressor bleed inlet duct, and reducing noise via one or more silencer baffles disposed in the outlet duct.

18. A system, comprising:
a flow combiner, comprising:
an outlet duct;
a first inlet duct coupled to the outlet duct, wherein the first inlet duct is configured to receive a high energy flow from a first flow path within a gas turbine engine; and
a second inlet duct coupled to the outlet duct, wherein the second inlet duct is configured to receive a low energy flow from a second flow path within an enclosure outside of an outermost wall of the gas turbine engine, wherein the low energy flow is driven by at least one fan;

wherein the high energy flow and the low energy flow are combined as an outlet flow through the outlet duct.

19. The system of claim 18 , comprising a controller having a memory, a processor, and instructions stored on the memory and executable by the processor to selectively adjust the high energy flow via an adjustable valve and the low energy flow via the at least one fan based on one or more operating parameters of the gas turbine engine, wherein the at least one fan comprises a first fan disposed outside of the enclosure or a second fan disposed inside of the second inlet duct.

20. The system of claim 18 , wherein the first inlet duct comprises a compressor bleed inlet duct having an adjustable valve configured to adjust a bleed flow as the high energy flow, wherein the compressor bleed inlet duct is configured to couple with the outermost wall of the gas turbine engine at a compressor, wherein the second inlet duct comprises a ventilation inlet duct having the at least one fan configured to control a ventilation flow as the low energy flow, wherein the ventilation inlet duct is configured to couple to the enclosure, wherein the ventilation flow extends along the second flow path from an intake port in the enclosure, through a space inside the enclosure and outside of the outermost wall, and into the ventilation inlet duct.

Assignees

• Gen Electric

Inventors

• Yerram Ravinder
• Nguyen Quoc Hoai
• Mahabub Mohammad
• Nguyen Tho V

Classifications

• F01D25/04

  Antivibration arrangements · CPC title

• F02C7/057

  Control or regulation (conjointly with fuel supply control F02C9/50, with nozzle area control F02K1/16) · CPC title

• F02C6/08 Primary

  the gas being bled from the gas-turbine compressor · CPC title

• F01D15/10

  Adaptations for driving, or combinations with, electric generators · CPC title

• F01D17/02

  Arrangement of sensing elements · CPC title