Gas Turbine Engine Cooling System and Method

A method of providing for cooling a gas turbine engine, comprising:

• a. providing for flowing a fluid along at least one first flow path from a first side of a rotor of said gas turbine engine to a second side of said rotor;
• and
• b. providing for thermosiphon flow of said fluid within at least one second flow path, wherein said at least one second flow path is in fluid communication with said at least one first flow path, said at least one second flow path is in thermal communication with at least one blade operatively couple to or a part of said rotor;
• and said at least one first flow path is adapted so that said fluid can flow therealong without necessarily flowing along said at least one second flow path.

A method of operating a gas turbine engine, comprising

• a. rotating a rotor of the gas turbine engine;
• b. supplying at least a first portion of fuel to a first cavity on a first side of said rotor of the gas turbine engine, wherein said first cavity rotates with said rotor;
• c. causing said fuel supplied to said first cavity to rotate with said first cavity, whereby the rotation of said fuel generates a centrifugal acceleration that acts upon said fuel in said first cavity;
• d. flowing said fuel into a first flow path through a first opening on a first side of said rotor;
• e. flowing said fuel from said first flow path into a second flow path, wherein said second flow path extends into a blade operatively coupled to or a part of said rotor, and the operations of flowing said fuel into said first flow path and from said first flow path into said second flow path are responsive to said centrifugal acceleration;
• f. transferring heat from said blade to said fluid in either said first flow path or said second flow path so as to generate a relatively heated fluid therein;
• g. flowing said relatively heated fluid from said second flow path to said first flow path by a thermosiphon process whereby said relatively heated fluid is replaced with a relatively less heated fluid;
• h. flowing said relatively heated fluid from said first flow path through a second opening on a second side of said rotor to a second cavity on said second side of said rotor;
• i. flowing said relatively heated fluid from said second cavity to an orifice operatively associated with a combustion chamber of said gas turbine engine;
• and
• j. discharging said heated fluid from said orifice into said combustion chamber.

A gas turbine engine, comprising:

• a. a rotor;
• b. a first cavity on a first side of said rotor, wherein said first cavity is adapted to receive fuel from a source of fuel, and said first cavity is formed between said first side of said rotor and a first bounding surface;
• c. a second cavity on a second side of said rotor, wherein said second cavity is formed between said second side of said rotor and a second bounding surface;
• and said first and second bounding surfaces are adapted to rotate with said rotor;
• d. at least one passage in fluid communication with both said first cavity and said second cavity, wherein said at least one passage extends into at least one blade operatively coupled to or a part of said rotor so as to provide for heat transfer from said at least one blade to said fuel in said at least one passage;
• and
• e. at least one first discharge orifice in fluid communication with said second cavity, wherein said at least one first discharge orifice is adapted to rotate with said rotor, said first discharge orifice is adapted to discharge fuel directly into said combustion chamber;
• and fuel discharged from said first discharge orifice is supplied to said first discharge orifice from said second cavity.

A bladed rotor of a gas turbine engine, comprising

• a. a rotor;
• b. at least one blade operatively coupled to or a part of said rotor;
• c. at least one first opening on a first side of said rotor;
• d. at least one second opening on a second side of said rotor, wherein said second side is opposite to said first side;
• e. at least one first passage, wherein said first passage is located in said rotor and provides for fluid communication between at least one said first opening and at least one said second opening;
• and
• f. at least one second passage, wherein said at least one second passage is located in at least one said blade, one end of said at least one said second passage is in fluid communication with at least one said first passage and the other end of said at least one said second passage is located within said at least one said blade, said at least one first passage is adapted so that a fluid can flow between said at least one said first opening and said at least one said second opening without necessarily flowing in said at least one said second passage, said at least one second passage is adapted to provide for heat transfer from said at least one said blade to a fluid in said at least one second passage, and said at least one second passage is adapted to provide for thermosiphon flow of said fluid therewithin when said rotor is in operation.