High pressure compressor thermal management

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9816963-B2
Application number	US-201314141873-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 27, 2013
Priority date	Mar 1, 2013
Publication date	Nov 14, 2017
Grant date	Nov 14, 2017

Abstract

A gas turbine engine includes an inner shaft extending axially along the gas turbine engine, a plurality of disks extending radially inwardly and toward the inner shaft, at least one hole in at least one of the plurality of disks, and an obstruction positioned between the inner shaft and an end of the disk having the at least one hole, such that a bore flow that flows along an axial length of the inner shaft is obstructed from flowing along the shaft by the obstruction, and forced to flow radially outward from the obstruction, through the at least one hole, and radially inward toward the inner shaft.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A gas turbine engine, comprising:
an inner shaft extending axially along the gas turbine engine;
a first disk and a second disk extending radially inwardly and toward the inner shaft, the first and second disks located adjacent to one another and each having a center bore aperture;
a first hole in the first disk and a second hole in the second disk; and
an obstruction positioned in the center bore aperture of the first disk, such that a bore flow that flows along an axial length of the inner shaft is obstructed from flowing along the shaft by the obstruction, and flows radially outward from the obstruction, through the first hole, radially inward toward the inner shaft, and through the center bore aperture of the second disk, the obstruction extending through the center bore apertures of the first and second disk.

2. The gas turbine engine of claim 1 , further comprising a cone shaft aft of the plurality of disks, and a cavity formed in part by an external portion of the cone shaft, wherein-air is received aft of a diffuser, flows forward, opposite an aft end of the gas turbine, and into the cavity, and split within the cavity such that some of the air flows forward in the cavity to exit at an aft face of the gas turbine engine.

3. The gas turbine engine of claim 2 , wherein, at the split within the cavity, some of the air flows down the cone shaft toward the aft end of the gas turbine and along an outer surface of a compressor-turbine (C-T) shaft and to a C-T bolted joint of the gas turbine engine.

4. The gas turbine engine of claim 3 , wherein a second cavity is formed in part by the second disk, an inner surface of the C-T shaft, and the inner shaft, such that some of the bore flow obstructed from flowing along the shaft flows through the second hole in the second disk, into the second cavity, and rejoins with the bore flow aft of the obstruction that passed through the first hole and not through the second hole.

5. The gas turbine engine of claim 4 , wherein the external portion of the cone shaft is one surface of the cone shaft, and the second cavity is formed in part by a second surface of the cone shaft that is opposite the one surface of the cone shaft.

6. The gas turbine engine of claim 1 , wherein the bore flow that flows radially outward flows along a first surface of the first disk, and flows radially inward along a second surface, opposite the first surface, of the first disk.

7. The gas turbine engine of claim 1 , wherein the obstruction is coupled to an outer surface of the inner shaft and the end of the first disk.

8. A method of assembling a gas turbine engine, comprising:
positioning an inner shaft to extend along a rotational axis of the gas turbine engine;
positioning disks to extend radially inward toward the inner shaft;
forming a first hole in a first of the disks and a second hole in a second of the disks that is adjacent to the first of the disks;
forming a center bore aperture in each of the first and second disks; and
positioning an obstruction in the center bore aperture of the first of the disks, such that a bore flow that flows along the rotational axis and along the inner shaft is obstructed from flowing along the shaft by the obstruction, and flows radially outward from the obstruction, through the first hole, radially inward toward the inner shaft, and through the center bore aperture of the second disk, the obstruction extending through the center bore apertures of the first and second disk.

9. The method of claim 8 , further comprising positioning a cone shaft aft of the disks to form a cavity in part by an external portion of the cone shaft, wherein air is received aft of a diffuser, flows forward, opposite an aft end of the gas turbine, into the cavity, and split within the cavity such that some of the air flows forward in the cavity to exit at an aft face of the gas turbine engine.

10. The method of claim 9 , wherein, at the split within the cavity, some of the air flows down the cone shaft toward the aft end of the gas turbine and along an outer surface of a compressor-turbine (C-T) shaft and to a C-T bolted joint of the gas turbine engine.

11. The method of claim 10 , wherein a second cavity is formed in part by the second of the disks, an inner surface of the C-T shaft, and the inner shaft, such that some of the bore flow obstructed from flowing along the shaft flows through the second hole in the second of the disks, into the second cavity, and rejoins with the bore flow aft of the obstruction that passed through the first hole and not through the second hole.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein the external portion of the cone shaft is one surface of the cone shaft, and the second cavity is formed in part by a second surface of the cone shaft that is opposite the one surface of the cone shaft.

13. The method of claim 8 , wherein the bore flow that flows radially outward flows along a first surface of the first of the disks and flows radially inward along a second surface, opposite the first surface, of the first of the disks.

14. The method of claim 8 , further comprising coupling the obstruction to an outer surface of the inner shaft and the end of the first of the disks.

15. A method of cooling a gas turbine engine, comprising:
directing a bore flow to flow along a rotational axis of an inner shaft of the gas turbine engine and to an obstruction along the inner shaft that obstructs the bore flow from flowing along the shaft, wherein the bore flow is forced radially outward from the obstruction, through a first hole in a first disk and a second hole in a second disk that is adjacent to the first disk, and radially inward toward the inner shaft and through a center bore aperture of the second disk, the obstruction extending through the center bore aperture of the second disk and extending through a center bore aperture of the first disk, and wherein each disk extends radially inward toward the inner shaft.

16. The method of claim 15 , further comprising receiving air aft of a diffuser, flowing the air in a forward direction of the gas turbine engine that is opposite an aft end of the gas turbine, into a cavity, and splitting the air within the cavity such that some of the air flows forward in the cavity to exit at an aft face of the gas turbine engine, wherein the cavity is formed in part by an external portion of the cone shaft.

17. The method of claim 16 , wherein, at the split within the cavity, the method further comprises passing some of the air down the cone shaft toward the aft end of the gas turbine and along an outer surface of a compressor-turbine (C-T) shaft and to a C-T bolted joint of the gas turbine engine.

18. The method of claim 17 , further comprising flowing some of the bore flow that is obstructed through the second hole, into a second cavity that is formed in part by the second of the disks, an inner surface of the C-T shaft, and the inner shaft, and rejoining with the bore flow aft of the obstruction that passed through the first hole and not through the second hole.

19. The method of claim 18 , wherein the external portion of the cone shaft is one surface of the cone shaft, and the second cavity is formed in part by a second surface of the cone shaft that is opposite the one surface of the cone shaft.

20. The method of claim 15 , wherein the bore flow that is forced to flow radially outward flows along a first surface of the first disk, and flows radially inward along a second surface, opposite the first surface, of the first disk.

Assignees

• Rolls Royce Nam Tech Inc
• Rolls Royce Plc

Inventors

• Vetters Daniel K
• Mizzi Simon
• Agg Michael J

Classifications

• G01N2291/0423

  Surface waves, e.g. Rayleigh waves, Love waves · CPC title

• Y10T29/49229

  Prime mover or fluid pump making · CPC title

• F05D2250/232

  conical · CPC title

• F04D29/584

  cooling or heating the machine (F04D29/5846, F04D29/5853 take precedence) · CPC title

• F02C7/18

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