Gas turbine exhaust diffuser strut fairing having flow manifold and suction side openings

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9528440-B2
Application number	US-201313906497-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 31, 2013
Priority date	May 31, 2013
Publication date	Dec 27, 2016
Grant date	Dec 27, 2016

Abstract

A diffuser strut fairing includes a top portion, a bottom portion, a pressure side portion, a suction side portion, an inner surface and an outer surface. The pressure side portion and the suction side portion extend between the top portion and the bottom portion. The exhaust diffuser strut faring further includes a flow manifold that is at least partially defined between the pressure side portion and the suction side portion. A plurality of openings is disposed along the suction side portion and are in fluid communication with the flow manifold.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An exhaust diffuser, comprising
a flow passage defined between an outer shell and an inner shell and a diffuser strut that extends between the inner shell and the outer shell within the flow passage, the diffuser strut having a pressure side, a suction side and a leading edge;
a diffuser strut fairing that extends around the leading edge of the diffuser strut, the diffuser strut fairing having a suction side portion that is connected to the suction side of the diffuser strut, a pressure side portion that is connected to the pressure side of the diffuser strut, a top plate that is located at an end of the diffuser strut fairing proximate the outer shell and extends from an inner surface of the diffuser strut fairing and is connected to the pressure side, the suction side and the leading edge of the diffuser strut, and a bottom plate that is located at an end of the diffuser strut fairing proximate the inner shell and extends from the inner surface of the diffuser strut fairing and is connected to the pressure side, the suction side and the leading edge of the diffuser strut, wherein the diffuser strut fairing, the top plate, the bottom plate and the diffuser strut define a flow manifold therebetween, wherein the diffuser strut fairing defines a plurality of openings disposed along at least one of the pressure side portion and the suction side of the diffuser strut fairing;
and a fluid conduit connected to the top plate forming a fluid intake located upstream of the leading edge of the diffuser strut with respect to a flow through the flow passage, wherein the fluid conduit provides fluid communication through the top plate and into the flow manifold.

2. The exhaust diffuser as in claim 1 , wherein the plurality of openings is disposed along the pressure side portion of the diffuser strut fairing.

3. The exhaust diffuser as in claim 1 , wherein the plurality of openings is disposed along the suction side portion of the diffuser strut fairing.

4. The exhaust diffuser as in claim 1 , wherein one or more of the plurality of openings is set at an angle with respect to a direction of flow through the flow passage.

5. The exhaust diffuser as in claim 1 , wherein at least some of the plurality of openings is configured to provide a boundary layer of a compressed working fluid from the flow manifold across at least a portion of the suction side of the diffuser strut.

6. A gas turbine, comprising:
a combustion section disposed downstream from the compressor section;
a turbine section disposed downstream from the combustion section; and
an exhaust diffuser disposed downstream from the turbine section, the exhaust diffuser having an outer shell radially separated from an inner shell and an exhaust flow passage defined therebetween, the exhaust diffuser comprising;
a diffuser strut that extends between the inner shell and the outer shell within the flow passage, the diffuser strut having a pressure side, a suction side and a leading edge;
a diffuser strut fairing that extends around the leading edge of the diffuser strut, the diffuser strut fairing having a suction side portion that is connected to the suction side of the diffuser strut, a pressure side portion that is connected to the pressure side of the diffuser strut, a top plate that is located at an end of the diffuser strut fairing proximate the outer shell and extends from an inner surface of the diffuser strut fairing and is connected to the pressure side, the suction side and the leading edge of the diffuser strut, and a bottom plate that is located at an end of the diffuser strut fairing proximate the inner shell and extends from the inner surface of the diffuser strut fairing and is connected to the pressure side, the suction side and the leading edge of the diffuser strut, wherein the diffuser strut fairing, the top plate, the bottom plate and the diffuser strut define a flow manifold therebetween and wherein the diffuser strut fairing defines a plurality of openings disposed along at least one of the pressure side portion and the suction side of the diffuser strut fairing; and
a fluid conduit connected to the top plate forming a fluid intake located upstream of the leading edge of the diffuser strut with respect to a flow through the exhaust flow passage, wherein the fluid conduit provides fluid communication through the top plate and into the flow manifold.

7. The gas turbine as in claim 6 , wherein the plurality of openings is disposed along the pressure side portion of the diffuser strut fairing.

8. The gas turbine as in claim 6 , wherein the plurality of openings is disposed along the suction side portion of the diffuser strut fairing.

9. The gas turbine as in claim 6 , wherein one or more of the plurality of openings is set at an angle with respect to a direction of flow through the flow passage.

10. The gas turbine as in claim 6 , wherein at least one of the plurality of openings is configured to provide a boundary layer of a compressed working fluid from the flow manifold across at least a portion of the suction side of the diffuser strut.

Assignees

• Gen Electric

Inventors

• Schott Carl Gerard
• Beadie Douglas Frank
• Black Kenneth Damon
• Cao Khoa Dang

Classifications

• F05D2240/123

  related to the pressure side of a stator vane · CPC title

• F05D2240/124

  related to the suction side of a stator vane · CPC title

• F01D5/145

  Means for influencing boundary layers or secondary circulations (for compressors F04D29/68) · CPC title

• F01D25/30

  Exhaust heads, chambers, or the like · CPC title

• F01D25/162 Primary

  Bearing supports · CPC title