Impeller shroud with deflecting outer member for clearance control in a centrifugal compressor
AssigneeROLLS-ROYCE plc
InventorsNathan Ottow, Jonathan Acker, Nate Cooper
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A system for controlling the clearance distance between an impeller blade tip of a centrifugal compressor and a radially inner surface of an impeller shroud in a turbine engine. The system comprises a two-piece integral impeller shroud with a fixed inner member and a variable outer member. An actuator is coupled to an aft end of the variable outer member and imparts axially forward and aft motion on the aft end, causing deflection of the outer member.
Claims21
A compressor shroud assembly in a turbine engine, said compressor shroud assembly comprising:
- a static compressor casing;
- an actuator mounted to said casing;
- and
- a double-walled impeller shroud for encasing a rotatable centrifugal compressor, the impeller shroud comprising a pair of nested arcuate shroud members shaped to follow the contour of a rotatable centrifugal compressor, said pair of nested arcuate shroud members comprising a forward member mounted to said casing and an aft member deflectively coupled to said forward member and operatively coupled to said actuator to effect deflection of said aft member relative to said forward member and to the rotatable centrifugal compressor when said actuator is activated.
A method of dynamically changing a clearance gap between a rotatable centrifugal compressor and a double-walled shroud encasing the rotatable centrifugal compressor, said method comprising:
- mounting a forward shroud member to a static casing;
- nesting and deflectively coupling an aft shroud member to the forward shroud member forming the double-walled shroud to follow the contour of the rotatable centrifugal compressor;
- and
- deflecting the aft shroud member relative to the forward shroud member and the rotatable centrifugal compressor.
A turbine engine comprising:
- a rotatable centrifugal compressor;
- and
- a compressor shroud assembly at least partly encasing the rotatable centrifugal compressor, the compressor shroud assembly comprising:
- a static compressor casing;
- an actuator mounted to said casing;
- and
- a double-walled impeller shroud comprising a pair of nested arcuate shroud members shaped to follow the contour of the rotatable centrifugal compressor, the pair of nested arcuate shroud members comprising a forward member mounted to said casing and an aft member deflectively coupled to said forward member and operatively coupled to said actuator to effect deflection of said aft member relative to said forward member and to the rotatable centrifugal compressor when said actuator is activated.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.