Compressor with counter-rotating blade rows

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12196129-B2
Application number	US-202117341862-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 8, 2021
Priority date	Jun 8, 2021
Publication date	Jan 14, 2025
Grant date	Jan 14, 2025

Abstract

A compressor section of a gas turbine engine includes an upstream portion and a downstream portion. The upstream portion includes at least one stage of stator vanes and at least one stage of blades configured to rotate about an axial centerline of the compressor section. The at least one stage of stator vanes and the at least one stage of blades are in an alternating arrangement along an axial direction of the gas turbine engine. The downstream portion is disposed immediately adjacent to and downstream along the axial direction from the upstream portion. The downstream portion includes a first set of rotating blade rows and a second set of rotating blade rows. The first and second sets of rotating blade rows are in an alternating arrangement along the axial direction of the gas turbine engine. The first and second sets of rotating blade rows are in a counter-rotating arrangement.

First claim

We claim:

1. A gas turbine engine defining an axial centerline and an axial direction, the gas turbine engine comprising:
a compressor section disposed along and configured to rotate about the axial centerline, the compressor section comprising a booster compressor and a second compressor located downstream of the booster compressor, the second compressor comprising:
an upstream portion comprising at least one stage of stator vanes and at least one stage of blades that is configured to rotate about the axial centerline of the gas turbine engine, wherein the at least one stage of stator vanes and the at least one stage of blades are in an alternating arrangement along the axial direction;
a downstream portion disposed downstream along the axial direction from the upstream portion, the downstream portion comprising a first plurality of stages of blades disposed along the axial centerline and a second plurality of stages of blades disposed along the axial centerline, wherein the first plurality of stages of blades and the second plurality of stages of blades are in an alternating arrangement along the axial direction and are in a counter-rotating arrangement;

a shaft assembly comprising first and second shafts disposed to rotate about the axial centerline of the gas turbine engine, wherein the first shaft is configured to rotate in an opposite direction from the second shaft, wherein the at least one stage of blades of the upstream portion and the first plurality of stages of blades of the downstream portion are driven by the first shaft, wherein the second plurality of stages of blades of the downstream portion is driven by the second shaft, and wherein the shaft assembly further comprises a booster shaft; and
a gearbox operably coupled to the booster shaft, wherein the gearbox is disposed to drive rotation of the booster shaft, wherein the booster compressor comprises a rotor stage that is operably coupled to and is driven by the booster shaft, and wherein the gearbox is also operably coupled to the first shaft and disposed to receive torque from the first shaft.

2. The gas turbine engine of claim 1 , wherein the downstream portion is directly abutting the upstream portion.

3. The gas turbine engine of claim 2 , wherein the gas turbine engine further defines a radial direction and further comprises an outer drum coupled to the second shaft, wherein a portion of the outer drum is disposed outward along the radial direction from the second plurality of stages of blades of the downstream portion of the compressor section, wherein the outer drum is coupled to the second plurality of stages of blades of the downstream portion of the compressor section.

4. The gas turbine engine of claim 3 , further comprising a structural member connected between the outer drum and the second shaft, wherein the structural member transfer rotation from the second shaft to the outer drum.

5. The gas turbine engine of claim 2 , further comprising a turbine section disposed downstream along the axial direction from the compressor section, wherein the turbine section comprises:
a first rotor stage with a plurality of rotor blades, wherein the first rotor stage is operably coupled to the first shaft; and
a second rotor stage disposed to rotate about the axial centerline of the gas turbine engine, wherein the second rotor stage is operably coupled to the second shaft.

6. The gas turbine engine of claim 1 , wherein the first plurality of stages of blades of the downstream portion and the at least one stage of blades of the upstream portion are configured to rotate with one another in a ratio ranging from 2:1 to 1:2.

7. The gas turbine engine of claim 1 , wherein the upstream portion of the compressor section further comprises a variable inlet guide vane disposed upstream from the at least one stage of stator vanes and from the at least one stage of blades.

8. The gas turbine engine of claim 1 , wherein the at least one stage of blades of the upstream portion comprises a plurality of stages of blades.

9. The gas turbine engine of claim 8 , wherein the downstream portion is disposed immediately downstream of the upstream portion such that the at least one stage of blades of the upstream portion is positioned adjacent to a stage of the second plurality of stages of blades of the downstream portion.

10. The gas turbine engine of claim 1 , wherein stator vanes of the at least one stage of stator vanes comprise variable pitch stator vanes.

11. The gas turbine engine of claim 1 , wherein the first plurality of stages of blades and the second plurality of stages of blades of the downstream portion comprise fixed geometry rotor blades.

12. A compressor section of a gas turbine engine, the compressor section comprising a booster compressor and a second compressor located downstream of the booster compressor, the second compressor comprising:
an upstream portion comprising:
at least one stage of stator vanes; and
at least one stage of blades that is configured to rotate about an axial centerline of the compressor section, wherein the at least one stage of stator vanes and the at least one stage of blades are in an alternating arrangement along an axial direction of the gas turbine engine; and

a downstream portion disposed immediately adjacent to and downstream along the axial direction from the upstream portion, the downstream portion comprising:
a first set of rotating blade rows disposed along the axial centerline of the compressor section;
a second set of rotating blade rows, wherein the first and second sets of rotating blade rows are in an alternating arrangement along the axial direction of the gas turbine engine, wherein the first and second sets of rotating blade rows are in a counter-rotating arrangement;

a first shaft disposed to rotate about the axial centerline of the compressor section, wherein the first shaft is connected to and drives the at least one stage of blades of the upstream portion and the first set of rotating blade rows of the downstream portion;
a second shaft disposed to rotate about the axial centerline of the compressor section, wherein the second shaft rotates in an opposite direction from the first shaft, wherein rotation of the second shaft drives rotation of the second set of rotating blade rows of the downstream portion;
a booster shaft disposed to rotate about the axial centerline of the compressor section;
a gearbox operably coupled to the booster shaft, wherein the gearbox is disposed to drive rotation of the booster shaft, and wherein the gearbox is also operably coupled to the first shaft and disposed to receive torque from the first shaft; and
a booster compressor disposed upstream from the compressor section, wherein the booster compressor comprises a rotor stage that is operably coupled to and is driven by the booster shaft.

13. The compressor section of claim 12 , wherein the upstream portion of the compressor section further comprises a variable inlet guide vane disposed upstream from the at least one stage of stator vanes and from the at least one stage of blades.

14. The compressor section of claim 12 , wherein stator vanes of the at least one stage of stator vanes comprise variable pitch stator vanes.

15. The compressor section of claim 12 , wherein the first set of rotating blade rows and the second set of rotating blade rows of the downstream portion comprise fixed geometry rotor blades.

16. The compressor section of claim 12 , further comprising an outer drum disposed outward along a radial direction from the second set of rotating blade rows of the downstream portion of the c

Assignees

• Gen Electric
• General Electric Deutschland Holding Gmbh

Inventors

• Selmeier Rudolf K
• Clements Jeffrey Donald

Classifications

• F04D19/024 Primary

  with contrarotating parts · CPC title

• F05D2220/32

  in gas turbines · CPC title

• F05D2240/60

  Shafts · CPC title

• F02C3/067 Primary

  having counter-rotating rotors (F02C3/073 takes precedence) · CPC title

• F04D19/026

  with a plurality of shafts rotating at different speeds (F04D19/022 takes precedence) · CPC title