System for routing rotatable wire bundles of turbomachine

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9777589-B2
Application number	US-201414522622-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 24, 2014
Priority date	Oct 24, 2014
Publication date	Oct 3, 2017
Grant date	Oct 3, 2017

Abstract

A system for routing rotatable wire bundles which extend from a rotor shaft of a turbomachine includes a plurality of wire bundles which extend outwardly from an inner passage of the rotor shaft of the turbomachine. An annular wire barrel is coupled to an end of the rotor shaft. A plurality of thru-holes is defined within and/or by the wire barrel. The plurality of thru-holes is annularly arranged therein. Each thru-hole extends through an aft wall of the wire barrel and is circumferentially spaced from adjacent thru-holes. Each wire bundle extends individually through a corresponding thru-hole of the plurality of thru-holes.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A system for routing rotatable wire bundles extending from a rotor shaft of a turbomachine, comprising:
a plurality of wire bundles which extend outwardly from an inner passage of the rotor shaft;
an annular wire barrel coupled to an end of the rotor shaft;
an annular shaped swage seal coupled to the end of the rotor shaft and extending at least partially through the wire barrel, the swage seal coaxially aligned with the rotor shaft and the wire barrel, the plurality of wire bundles extending through the swage seal towards the wire barrel; and
a plurality of thru-holes defined within the wire barrel, the plurality of thru-holes being annularly arranged therein, wherein each thru-hole extends through an aft wall of the wire barrel and is circumferentially spaced from adjacent thru-holes;
wherein each wire bundle extends individually through a corresponding thru-hole of the plurality of thru-holes.

2. The system as in claim 1 , further comprising a plurality of connectors, wherein each connector is connected to a terminal end of a corresponding wire bundle.

3. The system as in claim 2 , wherein each connector is sized to extend at least partially inside the corresponding thru-hole of the wire barrel.

4. The system as in claim 1 , further comprising a plurality of connector retention collars, wherein each connector retention collar is configured to circumferentially surround a corresponding thru-hole along the aft wall.

5. The system as in claim 1 , wherein the aft wall includes a recessed portion defined around each thru-hole.

6. The system as in claim 1 , further comprising an annular extension shaft coaxially aligned with the rotor shaft and the wire barrel, wherein the extension shaft is configured to connect at a first end to the rotor shaft, wherein the wire barrel is coupled to the rotor shaft via the annular extension shaft.

7. The system as in claim 1 , further comprising an annular inner sleeve seated within the wire barrel, wherein the inner sleeve extends circumferentially around a portion of each wire bundle.

8. The system as in claim 1 , wherein each thru-hole extends substantially axially through a forward wall and the aft wall of the wire barrel.

9. The system as in claim 1 , wherein each wire bundle comprises a plurality of wires, each wire being coupled to a corresponding sensor, wherein the sensor is connected to a rotatable component of the turbomachine.

10. A turbomachine, comprising:
an annular rotor shaft which extends along an axial centerline of the turbomachine, the rotor shaft defining an inner passage therethrough;
a plurality of sensors, each sensor coupled to a rotatable component coupled to the rotor shaft;
a plurality of wire bundles, each wire bundle comprising a plurality of wires, each wire coupled to a corresponding one sensor of the plurality of sensors, wherein the wire bundles extend through the rotor shaft inner passage and out of one end of the rotor shaft;
an annularly shaped wire barrel coaxially aligned with and coupled to the end of the rotor shaft;
a plurality of thru-holes defined within the wire barrel, the plurality of thru-holes being annularly arranged therein, wherein each of the thru-holes extends substantially axially through a forward wall and an aft wall of the wire barrel and is circumferentially spaced from adjacent thru-holes; and
an annular shaped swage seal coupled to the end of the rotor shaft and extending at least partially through the wire barrel, the swage seal coaxially aligned with the rotor shaft and the wire barrel, the plurality of wire bundles extending through the swage seal towards the wire barrel;
wherein each wire bundle extends individually through a corresponding thru-hole of the plurality of thru-holes.

11. The turbomachine as in claim 10 , further comprising an annular extension shaft coaxially aligned with the end of the rotor shaft and the wire barrel, wherein the extension shaft is configured to connect at a first end to the rotor shaft, wherein the wire barrel is coupled to the rotor shaft via the annular extension shaft.

12. The turbomachine as in claim 10 , wherein the aft wall includes a recessed portion defined around each thru-hole.

13. The turhomachine as in claim 10 , further comprising a plurality of connectors, wherein each connector is connected to a terminal end of a corresponding wire bundle.

14. The turhomachine as in claim 13 , wherein each connector is sized to extend at least partially inside the corresponding thru-hole of the wire barrel.

15. The turbomachine as in claim 10 , further comprising an annular inner sleeve seated within the wire barrel, wherein the inner sleeve extends circumferentially around a portion of each wire bundle.

16. The turbomachine as in claim 11 , further comprising a plurality of connector retention collars, wherein each connector retention collar is configured to circumferentially surround a corresponding thru-hole along the aft wall.

17. The turbomachine as in claim 10 , wherein the wire barrel is a rotatable component of a slip ring assembly.

18. The turbomachine as in claim 10 , wherein the turbomachine is a gas turbine.

Assignees

• Gen Electric

Inventors

• Schleif Kurt Kramer
• Shaw Donald W
• Snider Zachary John
• Arceneaux Mario Joseph

Classifications

• H02G1/08

  through tubing or conduit, e.g. rod or draw wire for pushing or pulling {(inserting electrical cables into tubes using wallbores E21B17/206; for optical cables G02B6/4401)} · CPC title

• F03D80/85

  Cabling · CPC title

• F03D80/00

  Details, components or accessories not provided for in groups F03D1/00 - F03D17/00 · CPC title

• F03D17/00

  Monitoring or testing of wind motors, e.g. diagnostics (testing during commissioning of wind motors F03D13/30) · CPC title

• F01D21/003 Primary

  Arrangements for testing or measuring (for measuring vibrations G01H) · CPC title