Supporting elongated rotating assembly within a turbine engine

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12486786-B2
Application number	US-202318196690-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 12, 2023
Priority date	May 12, 2023
Publication date	Dec 2, 2025
Grant date	Dec 2, 2025

Abstract

A turbine engine is provided that includes a first rotating assembly, a bearing, a turbine engine core and a flowpath. The first rotating assembly includes a propulsor rotor, a power turbine rotor and a power turbine shaft coupled with and axially between the propulsor rotor and the power turbine rotor. The bearing rotatably supports the first rotating assembly at an intermediate location along the power turbine shaft. The turbine engine core includes a second rotating assembly and a combustor. The second rotating assembly includes a core compressor rotor and a core turbine rotor. The power turbine rotor is arranged axially between the propulsor rotor and the second rotating assembly. The flowpath extends sequentially across the core compressor rotor, the combustor, the core turbine rotor and the power turbine rotor from an inlet into the flowpath to an exhaust from the flowpath.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A turbine engine, comprising:
a first rotating assembly including a propulsor rotor, a power turbine rotor and a power turbine shaft coupled with and axially between the propulsor rotor and the power turbine rotor;
a bearing rotatably supporting the first rotating assembly at an intermediate location along the power turbine shaft;
a turbine engine core including a second rotating assembly and a combustor, the second rotating assembly including a core compressor rotor and a core turbine rotor, and the power turbine rotor arranged axially between the propulsor rotor and the second rotating assembly;
a flowpath extending sequentially across the core compressor rotor, the combustor, the core turbine rotor and the power turbine rotor from an inlet into the flowpath to an exhaust from the flowpath;
an evaporator fluidly coupled between the power turbine rotor and the exhaust along the flowpath; and
a condenser fluidly coupled between the evaporator and the exhaust along the flowpath.

2. The turbine engine of claim 1 , wherein the intermediate location is disposed along a middle one-half of the power turbine shaft.

3. The turbine engine of claim 1 , further comprising
a forward bearing rotatably supporting the first rotating assembly at a forward end of the power turbine shaft; and
an aft bearing rotatably supporting the first rotating assembly at an aft end of the power turbine shaft;
wherein the bearing is a mid-bearing disposed axially between the forward bearing and the aft bearing.

4. A turbine engine, comprising:
a first rotating assembly including a propulsor rotor, a power turbine rotor and a power turbine shaft coupled with and axially between the propulsor rotor and the power turbine rotor;
a bearing rotatably supporting the first rotating assembly at an intermediate location along the power turbine shaft;
a turbine engine core including a second rotating assembly and a combustor, the second rotating assembly including a core compressor rotor and a core turbine rotor, and the power turbine rotor arranged axially between the propulsor rotor and the second rotating assembly;
a flowpath extending sequentially across the core compressor rotor, the combustor, the core turbine rotor and the power turbine rotor from an inlet into the flowpath to an exhaust from the flowpath, at least a portion of the power turbine rotor arranged axially between the propulsor rotor and the exhaust from the flowpath; and
a support structure including an inner case, an outer case and a plurality of struts arranged circumferentially about an axis in an array;
the inner case circumscribing and supporting the bearing;
the outer case circumscribing the inner case; and
each of the plurality of struts extending radially between and connected to the inner case and the outer case.

5. The turbine engine of claim 4 , wherein the flowpath does not extend across the support structure.

6. The turbine engine of claim 4 , wherein the flowpath extends across the support structure and radially between the inner case and the outer case.

7. The turbine engine of claim 6 , wherein the support structure is disposed between the power turbine rotor and the exhaust along the flowpath.

8. A turbine engine, comprising:
a first rotating assembly including a propulsor rotor, a power turbine rotor and a power turbine shaft coupled with and axially between the propulsor rotor and the power turbine rotor;
a bearing rotatably supporting the first rotating assembly at an intermediate location along the power turbine shaft;
a turbine engine core including a second rotating assembly and a combustor, the second rotating assembly including a core compressor rotor and a core turbine rotor, and the power turbine rotor arranged axially between the propulsor rotor and the second rotating assembly; and
a flowpath extending sequentially across the core compressor rotor, the combustor, the core turbine rotor and the power turbine rotor from an inlet into the flowpath to an exhaust from the flowpath;
wherein the first rotating assembly further includes a second compressor rotor; and
wherein the second compressor rotor is disposed between the power turbine rotor and the exhaust along the flowpath.

9. The turbine engine of claim 8 , wherein the second compressor rotor is axially between the propulsor rotor and the bearing.

10. The turbine engine of claim 4 , further comprising:
an accessory gearbox; and
a drivetrain coupling the first rotating assembly to the accessory gearbox.

11. The turbine engine of claim 1 , further comprising a support structure supporting the bearing and disposed between the evaporator and the condenser along the flowpath.

12. The turbine engine of claim 1 , further comprising a second compressor rotor disposed between the evaporator and the condenser along the flowpath.

13. The turbine engine of claim 1 , further comprising:
an accessory gearbox; and
a drivetrain coupling the first rotating assembly to the accessory gearbox, the drivetrain disposed axially between the evaporator and the condenser.

14. The turbine engine of claim 1 , further comprising:
a recovery system including the condenser and the evaporator;
the condenser configured to condense water vapor flowing through the flowpath into water, and the recovery system configured to collect the water; and
the evaporator configured to evaporate at least some of the water into steam, and the recovery system configured to provide the steam to the turbine engine core.

15. A turbine engine, comprising:
a first rotating assembly including a propulsor rotor and a power turbine rotor;
a bearing rotatably supporting the first rotating assembly axially between the propulsor rotor and the power turbine rotor;
a turbine engine core including a second rotating assembly and a combustor, the second rotating assembly including a core compressor rotor and a core turbine rotor;
a recovery system including a condenser and an evaporator, the bearing disposed axially between the condenser and the evaporator; and
a flowpath extending sequentially across the core compressor rotor, the combustor, the core turbine rotor, the power turbine rotor, the evaporator and the condenser from an inlet into the flowpath to an exhaust from the flowpath.

16. The turbine engine of claim 15 , further comprising:
a stationary support structure supporting the bearing and disposed axially between the condenser and the evaporator;
the flowpath further extending through the stationary support structure.

Assignees

• Rtx Corp

Inventors

• Sobanski Jon E
• Snyder Jacob C

Classifications

• F05D2260/213

  by the provision of a heat exchanger within the cooling circuit · CPC title

• F05D2240/54

  Radial bearings · CPC title

• F05D2220/32

  in gas turbines · CPC title

• F01D25/12

  Cooling · CPC title

• F01D25/30

  Exhaust heads, chambers, or the like · CPC title