Turbine engine with centrifugal compressor having impeller backplate offtake

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12410745-B2
Application number	US-202318225089-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 21, 2023
Priority date	Mar 19, 2020
Publication date	Sep 9, 2025
Grant date	Sep 9, 2025

Abstract

A gas turbine engine includes a fan, a compressor, a combustor, and a turbine. The compressor compresses gases entering the gas turbine engine. The combustor receives the compressed gases from the compressor and mixes fuel with the compressed gases. The turbine receives the hot, high pressure combustion products created by the combustor by igniting the fuel mixed with the compressed gases. The turbine extracts mechanical work from the hot, high pressure combustion products to drive the fan and compressor.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A turbine engine comprising:
a centrifugal compressor including
(i) an impeller mounted for rotation about an axis and having an impeller disk and impeller blades that extend from a forward side of the impeller disk and
(ii) an impeller backing plate arranged along an aft side of the impeller disk to define a back cavity of the centrifugal compressor between the aft side of the impeller disk and the impeller backing plate,
the impeller backing plate formed to include a number of bleed holes arranged radially inwardly from an outlet tip of each of the impeller blades to allow a first portion of compressed gases discharged from the outlet tips of the impeller blades to move radially inward along a portion of the aft side of the impeller disk before moving through the number of bleed holes in the impeller backing plate, and
wherein a second portion of compressed gases is discharged from the centrifugal compressor as a compressor discharge air into a plenum surrounding a combustor,
the combustor fluidly coupled to receive a first portion of the compressor discharge air,
a turbine fluidly coupled to the combustor and including a rotor having a shaft mounted for rotation about the axis, a set of turbine blades coupled to the shaft for rotation therewith, and a seal formed from a first sealing element and a second sealing element, wherein a seal cavity is formed between the first sealing element and the second sealing element of the seal, and
a manifold mounted to the impeller backing plate and shaped to define a number of channels,
wherein the impeller backing plate is formed to include a plurality of impingement holes that extend through the impeller backing plate, the plurality of impingement holes opening into the plenum surrounding the combustor and opening into the seal cavity to transmit a second portion of the compressor discharge air from the plenum to the seal cavity,
wherein the first sealing element of the seal is configured to leak at least some of the second portion of the compressor discharge air to the back cavity as a first leaked air so that the first leaked air pressurizes the back cavity,
wherein the first portion of compressed gases flows between the impeller backing plate and the manifold through the number of channels.

2. The turbine engine of claim 1 , wherein each of the first sealing element and the second sealing element engage the impeller backing plate of the centrifugal compressor to fluidly separate the back cavity of the centrifugal compressor from directly communicating with a wheel cavity of the turbine.

3. The turbine engine of claim 2 , wherein the second sealing element of the seal included in the turbine is configured to leak at least some of the second portion of the compressor discharge air as a second leaked air to the wheel cavity of the turbine.

4. The turbine engine of claim 3 , wherein the second leaked air mixes with the first portion of compressed gases discharged from the outlet tips of the impeller blades in the wheel cavity.

5. The turbine engine of claim 1 , wherein the first portion of compressed gases discharged from the outlet tips of the impeller blades flows through the number of bleed holes in the impeller backing plate and into a wheel cavity of the turbine so that the first portion of compressed gases bypasses the seal cavity.

6. The turbine engine of claim 1 , wherein the first sealing element and the second sealing element are positioned at a same radial location relative to the axis.

7. A turbine engine comprising:
a centrifugal compressor including
(i) an impeller mounted for rotation about an axis and having an impeller disk and impeller blades that extend from a forward side of the impeller disk and
(ii) an impeller backing plate arranged along an aft side of the impeller disk to define a back cavity of the centrifugal compressor between the aft side of the impeller disk and the impeller backing plate,
the impeller backing plate formed to include a number of bleed holes arranged radially inwardly from an outlet tip of each of the impeller blades to allow a first portion of compressed gases discharged from the outlet tips of the impeller blades to move radially inward along a portion of the aft side of the impeller disk before moving through the number of bleed holes in the impeller backing plate, and
wherein a second portion of compressed gases is discharged from the centrifugal compressor as a compressor discharge air into a plenum surrounding a combustor,
the combustor fluidly coupled to receive a first portion of the compressor discharge air,
a turbine fluidly coupled to the combustor and including a rotor having a shaft mounted for rotation about the axis,
a set of turbine blades coupled to the shaft for rotation therewith, and
a seal formed from a first sealing element and a second sealing element, wherein a seal cavity is formed between the first sealing element and the second sealing element of the seal, and
a manifold mounted to the impeller backing plate and shaped to define a number of circumferentially spaced apart channels that receive the first portion of compressed gases moving through the number of bleed holes and carry the first portion of compressed gases from the centrifugal compressor to a wheel cavity of the turbine such that the first portion of compressed gases bypasses the combustor,
wherein the impeller backing plate is formed to include a plurality of impingement holes that extend through the impeller backing plate,
the plurality of impingement holes opening into the plenum surrounding the combustor and opening into the seal cavity to transmit a second portion of the compressor discharge air from the plenum to the seal cavity,
wherein the first sealing element of the seal is configured to leak at least some of the second portion of the compressor discharge air to the back cavity as a first leaked air so that the first leaked air the back cavity.

8. The turbine engine of claim 7 , wherein the first portion of compressed gases from the centrifugal compressor flows at a radial location that is outward of the seal cavity, to bypass the seal cavity.

9. The turbine of claim 7 , wherein at least some of the second portion of the compressor discharge air leaks through the second sealing element into the wheel cavity of the turbine as a second leaked air, and the first portion of compressed gases and the second leaked air mix in the wheel cavity of the turbine.

10. The turbine of claim 7 , wherein the first portion of compressed gases flows between the impeller backing plate and the manifold through the number of circumferentially spaced apart channels.

11. The turbine engine of claim 7 , wherein each of the first sealing element and the second sealing element engage the impeller backing plate of the centrifugal compressor to fluidly separate the back cavity of the centrifugal compressor from directly communicating with the wheel cavity of the turbine.

12. The turbine engine of claim 7 , wherein the first sealing element and the second sealing element are positioned at a same radial location relative to the axis.

Assignees

• Rolls Royce Corp

Inventors

• Whitlock Mark E
• Cooper Nathanael
• Mazur Steven
• Nesteroff Michael
• Melevage Paul

Classifications

• F02C7/18

  the medium being gaseous, e.g. air {(F02C7/125 takes precedence)} · CPC title

• F02C7/28

  Arrangement of seals · CPC title

• F01D5/081

  Cooling fluid being directed on the side of the rotor disc or at the roots of the blades (F01D5/087 takes precedence) · CPC title

• F02C6/08

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

• F05D2220/3219

  for the last stage of a compressor or a high pressure compressor · CPC title