Axial flow machine cooling system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9879603-B2
Application number	US-201414458593-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 13, 2014
Priority date	Aug 19, 2013
Publication date	Jan 30, 2018
Grant date	Jan 30, 2018

Abstract

This invention concerns a system for cooling components in a gas turbine engine, the gas turbine engine including a compressor for driving a primary gas flow to a combustor and a turbine arranged to be driven by combustion gases from the combustor, wherein the system includes: an annular cooling flow passage arranged for fluid communication between the compressor and the turbine, the flow passage having a first inlet arranged to receive gas from the primary gas flow downstream of compressor, and a second inlet located upstream of the first inlet, wherein the annular cooling flow passage has at least one internal wall for guiding airflow from the first inlet towards the airflow from the second inlet, the airflow from the first and second inlets coalesce within the annular flow passage prior to passing along the passage in a direction from the compressor to the turbine.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A system for cooling components in a gas turbine engine, the gas turbine engine comprising a compressor for driving a primary gas flow to a combustor and a turbine arranged to be driven by combustion gases from the combustor, wherein the system comprises:
an annular cooling flow passage arranged for fluid communication between the compressor and the turbine, the annular cooling flow passage having a first inlet arranged to receive gas from the primary gas flow from a cavity disposed about the combustor and downstream of the compressor, and a second inlet located in a radially inner circumferential wall of the compressor and upstream of the first inlet,
wherein the annular cooling flow passage comprises a first portion that is substantially parallel with an axis of rotation at a turbine end of the annular cooling flow passage and a second portion towards the compressor end of the annular cooling flow passage, the second portion being angularly offset relative to the first portion, wherein the second inlet opens into the second portion of the annular cooling flow passage, and
wherein the annular cooling flow passage has a first internal wall for guiding an airflow from the first inlet towards an airflow from the second inlet, and a second internal wall for guiding an airflow from the second inlet along the annular cooling flow passage towards the airflow from the first inlet, the second internal wall being located in the second portion of the annular cooling flow passage, such that the airflows from the first and second inlets coalesce within the annular cooling flow passage and towards a compressor end of the annular cooling flow passage, prior to passing along the annular cooling flow passage in a direction from the compressor to the turbine, and
wherein the annular cooling flow passage comprises first and second outer walls, the first outer wall comprising a shaft arranged for rotation in use and the second outer wall being disposed at a greater radial distance from an axis of the annular cooling flow passage than the first outer wall, the first outer wall comprising a first portion and a second portion, the second portion of the first outer wall being obliquely angled relative to the first portion of the first outer wall, and
wherein the first internal wall is arranged to direct the airflow from the first inlet along the first outer wall, and
wherein the system further comprises a nozzle in a flow path between the first inlet and the first outer wall, the nozzle arranged to induce swirl in the airflow from the first inlet, and the nozzle being angled in a direction that is substantially the same as a direction of rotation of the first outer wall of the annular cooling flow passage, and
wherein the second internal wall defines a flow path having a height that is less than a height of a flow path defined by the first internal wall, and
wherein a first portion of the first internal wall extends along the first portion of the first outer wall and a second portion of the first internal wall extends along the second portion of the first outer wall.

2. The system according to claim 1 , wherein the second portion of the first outer wall is interposed between the first portion of the first outer wall and the compressor end of the annular cooling flow passage, wherein the airflows from the first and second inlets coalesce in the vicinity of a location at which the first and second portions of the first outer wall meet.

3. The system according to claim 1 , wherein the first internal wall is arranged to guide the airflow from the first inlet along the annular cooling flow passage in a reverse direction from the turbine towards the compressor.

4. The system according to claim 1 , wherein the first inlet is located towards a turbine end of the annular cooling flow passage.

5. The system according to claim 1 , wherein the first internal wall comprises a discontinuity located along the annular cooling flow passage closer to the compressor end of the annular cooling flow passage than a turbine end, the first internal wall being arranged to guide the airflow from the first inlet to the discontinuity, wherein the airflow from the first inlet turns about the discontinuity to travel in a direction from the discontinuity towards the turbine end of the annular cooling flow passage.

6. The system according to claim 1 , wherein the first internal wall extends in a second direction from a turbine end of the annular cooling flow passage, the second direction being substantially parallel with the first outer wall of the annular cooling flow passage.

7. The system according to claim 1 , wherein the first internal wall and the second internal wall are supported by a common support member depending from the first outer wall of the annular cooling flow passage or the second outer wall of the annular cooling flow passage.

8. The system according to claim 1 , wherein the first internal wall is arranged to form a first flow path between a first side of the first internal wall and the first outer wall and a further flow path between an opposing second side of the first internal wall and the second outer wall.

9. The system according to claim 8 , wherein the first internal wall divides an internal space in the annular cooling flow passage such that the first flow path has a height that is less than a height of the further flow path.

10. The system according to claim 1 , wherein the compressor is a high pressure compressor and the turbine is a high pressure turbine.

11. The system according to claim 1 , wherein the annular cooling flow passage comprises a third portion arranged between the first outer wall and the second outer wall where the airflows from the first and second inlets coalesce within the annular cooling flow passage, the third portion of the annular cooling flow passage having a height greater than a distance between the first internal wall and the first outer wall, the third portion of the annular cooling flow passage being disposed towards the compressor end of the annular cooling flow passage in the direction from the compressor to the turbine.

Assignees

• Rolls Royce Plc

Inventors

• Maguire Alan Robert
• Scanlon Timothy John
• Young Colin

Classifications

• F01D5/082

  on the side of the rotor disc · CPC title

• F01D25/12

  Cooling · CPC title

• F01D25/08 Primary

  Cooling (of machines or engines in general F01P); Heating; Heat-insulation (of blade-carrying members, of blades F01D5/00) · CPC title

• F01D5/046

  Heating, heat insulation or cooling means · CPC title

• F02C7/18 Primary

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