Turbine assembly with case-integrated cooled clearance measurement system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12398654-B2
Application number	US-202318372435-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 25, 2023
Priority date	Sep 25, 2023
Publication date	Aug 26, 2025
Grant date	Aug 26, 2025

Abstract

A turbine assembly includes a bladed rotor mounted for rotation about an axis of the gas turbine engine, a case assembly, and a tip clearance system. The tip clearance system includes a tip clearance sensor located in an annular plenum defined between an inner case and an outer case included in the case assembly. The tip sensor is configured to monitor a tip clearance formed between the bladed rotor and the case assembly during operation of the gas turbine engine.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A turbine assembly adapted for use in a gas turbine engine, the turbine assembly comprising
a bladed rotor mounted for rotation about an axis of the gas turbine engine,
a case assembly including an inner case that extends circumferentially around the bladed rotor to define an outer boundary of a gas path of the turbine assembly to block combustion products from moving through the gas path of the turbine assembly without interaction with blades on the bladed rotor and an outer case that extends circumferentially around the inner case and is spaced radially outward of the inner case to define an annular cooling plenum therebetween and configured to be flooded with cooling air at a temperature lower than a temperature of the combustion products, and
a cooled tip clearance measurement system including the annular cooling plenum defined between the inner case and the outer case and a tip clearance sensor located in the annular cooling plenum to engage the inner case radially outward of the gas path of the turbine assembly and configured to monitor a tip clearance formed between the bladed rotor and the inner case during operation of the gas turbine engine,
wherein the tip clearance sensor includes a sensor housing that defines a radially-inwardly facing surface and a plurality of housing stand-offs that extend from the radially-inwardly facing surface of the sensor housing and engage the inner case to space the radially-inwardly facing surface apart from the inner case to define a gap therebetween to allow a flow of the cooling air to flow between the inner case and at least a portion of the radially-inwardly facing surface of the sensor housing.

2. The turbine assembly of claim 1 , wherein the inner case is formed to define a cooling hole that extends radially through the inner case and opens to the gap and the gas path so that the gap is in fluid communication with the gas path.

3. The turbine assembly of claim 2 , wherein the sensor housing includes a thermal barrier coating layer that defines the radially-inwardly facing surface of the sensor housing.

4. The turbine assembly of claim 1 , wherein the sensor housing includes a thermal barrier coating layer that defines the radially-inwardly facing surface of the sensor housing.

5. The turbine assembly of claim 4 , wherein the plurality of stand-offs each includes a thermal barrier coating layer that engages the inner case.

6. A gas turbine engine comprising
a compressor configured to compress air drawn in to the gas turbine engine and discharge pressurized air,
a combustor configured to mix fuel with the pressurized air from the compressor and ignites the fuel to produce combustion products,
a turbine assembly configured to receive the combustion products and to extract mechanical work from the combustion products as the combustion products move through the turbine assembly, the turbine assembly including
a bladed rotor mounted for rotation about an axis of the gas turbine engine,
a case assembly including an inner case that extends circumferentially around the bladed rotor to define an outer boundary of a gas path of the turbine assembly to block the combustion products from moving through the gas path of the turbine assembly without interaction with blades on the bladed rotor and an outer case that extends circumferentially around the inner case and is spaced radially outward of the inner case to define an annular cooling plenum therebetween and configured to be flooded with cooling air at a temperature lower than a temperature of the combustion products, and
a cooled tip clearance measurement system including the annular cooling plenum defined between the inner case and the outer case, a tip clearance sensor located in the annular cooling plenum to engage the inner case and configured to monitor a tip clearance formed between the bladed rotor and the inner case, and a cooling air source in fluid communication with the annular cooling plenum to supply a flow of the cooling air to the annular cooling plenum to transfer heat from the tip clearance sensor to the flow of the cooling air so as to cool the tip clearance sensor during operation of the gas turbine engine,

wherein the tip clearance sensor includes a sensor housing that defines a radially-inwardly facing surface and a plurality of housing stand-offs that extend from the radially-inwardly facing surface of the sensor housing and engage the inner case to space the radially-inwardly facing surface apart from the inner case to define a gap therebetween to allow the flow of the cooling air to flow between the inner case and at least a portion of the radially-inwardly facing surface of the sensor housing.

7. The gas turbine engine of claim 6 , wherein the inner case is formed to define a cooling hole that extends radially through the inner case and opens to the gap and the gas path of the gas turbine engine so that the gap is in fluid communication with the gas path.

8. The gas turbine engine of claim 6 , wherein the sensor housing includes a thermal barrier coating layer that defines the radially-inwardly facing surface of the sensor housing.

9. The gas turbine engine of claim 8 , wherein the plurality of stand-offs each includes a thermal barrier coating layer that engages the inner case.

10. The gas turbine engine of claim 6 , wherein the cooling air source is air from the compressor.

Assignees

• Rolls Royce Nam Tech Inc

Inventors

• Hartnagel Brett
• Snyder Brandon R
• Pfeil Trevor C
• Little Rex M

Classifications

• F05D2220/32

  in gas turbines · CPC title

• F05D2260/20

  Heat transfer, e.g. cooling · CPC title

• F05D2240/55

  Seals · CPC title

• F05D2260/80

  Diagnostics · CPC title

• F01D17/02 Primary

  Arrangement of sensing elements · CPC title