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US 12,269,074 B2Granted
System and method for cleaning turbine components
AssigneeGeneral Electric Company
InventorMark Dean Pezzutti
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A furnace system includes at least one wall that defines a workspace. The workspace includes an aircraft part to be cleaned. One or more vacuum pumps are configured to achieve a predetermined vacuum level in the workspace. A gas purifier is configured to remove impurities in a gas to create a purified gas, the purified gas being directed from the gas purifier into the workspace, the purified gas being of a purity and composition that is effective to disassociate oxides on a surface or in a crack of the aircraft part to be cleaned when the workspace is heated to a predetermined temperature and the predetermined vacuum level is achieved in the workspace.
Claims18
A method of cleaning surface oxides from an aircraft part to be cleaned, the method comprising:
- when an opening of a furnace is closed, operating one or more vacuum pumps to achieve a predetermined vacuum level in a workspace of the furnace and heating the workspace to a predetermined temperature using heating elements, the workspace being completely contained within an interior of the furnace and being defined by one or more internal walls of the furnace;
- operating a gas purifier to remove impurities in a gas to create a purified gas, the purified gas being of a purity and composition that is effective to disassociate oxides on a surface or in a crack of the aircraft part to be cleaned when the workspace is heated to the predetermined temperature and the predetermined vacuum level is achieved in the workspace;
- disposing a containment structure within the workspace and placing the aircraft part to be cleaned within the containment structure, the containment structure occupying a first volume that is substantially less than a second volume occupied by the workspace;
- and
- directing the purified gas into the containment structure via a passageway or pipe that is coupled to the containment structure and crosses portions of the workspace, all the heating elements being disposed outside the containment structure on the one or more internal walls, the containment structure being configured to completely enclose and surround the aircraft part to be cleaned and having a first opening in communication with the pipe or passageway to allow the purified gas to be drawn into the containment structure from the passageway or pipe, the purified gas then proceeding in a stream across a length of the containment structure and the aircraft part to be cleaned and being drawn through the containment structure by the one or more vacuum pumps, the purified gas exiting the containment structure via a second opening in the containment structure without dispersing into the workspace.
2 more elements
A method of cleaning surface oxides from aircraft parts to be cleaned, the method comprising:
- disposing containment structures within a workspace of a furnace and placing aircraft parts to be cleaned within the containment structures, each of the containment structures occupying a first volume that is substantially less than a second volume occupied by the workspace, the workspace being completely contained within an interior of the furnace and being defined by one or more internal walls of the furnace;
- when an opening of the furnace is closed, operating one or more vacuum pumps coupled to the furnace to achieve a predetermined vacuum level in the workspace of the furnace and heating the workspace to a predetermined temperature;
- supplying gas to a gas purifier;
- operating the gas purifier to remove impurities in the gas to create a purified gas, the purified gas being of a purity and composition that is effective to disassociate oxides on surfaces or in cracks of the aircraft parts to be cleaned when the workspace is heated to the predetermined temperature and the predetermined vacuum level is achieved in the workspace;
- and
- directing the purified gas into each of the containment structures via a passageway or pipe that is coupled to each containment structure and crosses portions of the workspace, each of the containment structures not including heating elements, the containment structures being configured to completely enclose and surround the aircraft parts to be cleaned and to allow the purified gas to be drawn across the aircraft parts to be cleaned and each having a first opening in communication with the pipe or passageway to allow the purified gas to be drawn into each containment structure from the passageway or pipe, the purified gas then proceeding in a stream across a length of each containment structure and the aircraft part to be cleaned and being drawn through each containment structure by the one or more vacuum pumps, the purified gas exiting the containment structures via a second opening in each containment structure without dispersing into the workspace.
3 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.