Compressor bleed auxiliary turbine
AssigneeGeneral Electric Company
InventorThomas Lee Becker, Jr.
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A gas turbine engine is provided having a compressor section, a combustion section, and a turbine section. The compressor section includes one or more compressors and the turbine section includes one or more turbines. The one or more compressors and the one or more turbines are each rotatable about a longitudinal centerline of the gas turbine engine. Additionally, a bleed air flowpath is provided extending between an inlet in airflow communication with the compressor section and an outlet. An auxiliary turbine is positioned in airflow communication with the bleed air flowpath for extracting energy from a flow of bleed air through the bleed air flowpath.
Claims15
A gas turbine engine comprising:
- a compressor section including one or more compressors;
- a combustion section located downstream of the compressor section;
- a turbine section located downstream of the combustion section and including one or more turbines;
- a bleed air flowpath extending between an inlet and an outlet, the inlet in airflow communication with the compressor section for receiving a flow of bleed air from the compressor section;
- an auxiliary turbine positioned in airflow communication with the bleed air flowpath between the inlet of the bleed air flowpath and the outlet of the bleed air flowpath for extracting energy from the flow of bleed air through the bleed air flowpath;
- and
- one or more shafts mechanically coupling the compressor section and the turbine section, wherein the auxiliary turbine is mechanically coupled to at least one of the one or more shafts for adding power to the at least one of the one or more shafts;
- and
- an auxiliary compressor in airflow communication with the bleed air flowpath and configured as a core driven auxiliary compressor, wherein the auxiliary turbine is mechanically coupled to the one or more shafts independently of the auxiliary compressor.
A gas turbine engine comprising:
- a compressor section including one or more compressors;
- a turbine section located downstream of the compressor section and including one or more turbines;
- a bleed air flowpath extending between an inlet and an outlet, the inlet in airflow communication with the compressor section for receiving up to at least five percent of an airflow through the compressor section;
- an auxiliary turbine positioned in airflow communication with the bleed air flowpath between the inlet of the bleed air flowpath and the outlet of the bleed air flowpath for extracting energy from a flow of bleed air through the bleed air flowpath;
- and
- one or more shafts mechanically coupling the compressor section and the turbine section, wherein the auxiliary turbine is mechanically coupled to at least one of the one or more shafts for adding power to the at least one of the one or more shafts;
- and
- an auxiliary compressor in airflow communication with the bleed air flowpath and configured as a core driven auxiliary compressor, wherein the auxiliary turbine is mechanically coupled to the one or more shafts independently of the auxiliary compressor.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.