Turbine engine having turbine cooled with diverted air
AssigneePratt & Whitney Canada Corp.
InventorXiaoliu Liu
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
In a turbine engine, low temperature air is diverted from a low pressure section of the compressor section of the engine to cool the high pressure turbine of the engine. Low pressure air is diverted from the compressor section, and its pressure is thereafter be increased. Preferably, the pressure is increased in an intermediate cavity in the engine, where rotational energy of the diverted air is converted to static pressure by way of an obstruction that converts dynamic head of the air in the cavity into static pressure.
Claims11
A turbine engine comprising:
- a compressor section for compressing intake air into high pressure air and intermediate pressure air;
- a combustion section in flow communication with said compressor section, for combusting fuel with compressed air;
- a turbine section in flow communication with combustion gases from said combustion section, said turbine section comprising a turbine blade having a tip at lower pressure than said intermediate pressure air;
- a generally annular cavity upstream of said compressor section comprising a bleed in flow communication with said with said intermediate pressure air, and an obstruction within said cavity for converting dynamic head of said intermediate pressure air to increase static pressure of said intermediate pressure air;
- and
- a conduit having an inlet in flow communication with said cavity and an outlet in flow communication with said turbine blade, thereby guiding said intermediate pressure air at said increased pressure over said turbine blade.
A method of cooling components within a turbine engine, said turbine engine comprising a compressor section, a combustion section, and a turbine section in flow communication, said method comprising:
- diverting intermediate pressure air having a temperature lower than highest pressure air entering said combustion section, from said compressor section;
- increasing pressure of said diverted intermediate pressure air to exceed the static pressure of a rotating turbine blade within said turbine section,;
- guiding said intermediate pressure air at its increased pressure to said rotating turbine blade to cool said turbine blade.
A turbine engine comprising:
- means for compressing intake air into high pressure air and intermediate pressure air;
- means for combusting fuel admixed with compressed air from said means for compressing;
- a turbine section in flow communication with combustion gases from said means for combusting, said turbine section comprising a turbine blade;
- means for bleed said intermediate pressure air from said means for compressing;
- means for increasing pressure of said intermediate pressure air above a static pressure at said turbine blade;
- means for guiding said intermediate pressure air at an increased pressure, from said means for increasing to said turbine blade, thereby cooling said turbine blade.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.