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AssigneeGas Turbine Efficiency AB
InventorsPeter Asplund, Carl-Johan Hjerpe
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Device for cleaning a gas turbine engine (2), and in particular an engine of turbofan type. The present invention further relates to a method for cleaning such a engine. The device comprises a plurality of nozzles (31, 33, 35) arranged to atomize cleaning liquid in the air stream in an air inlet (20) of the engine (2) up-stream of a fan (25) of the engine (2). According to the invention a first nozzle (31) is arranged at a position such that the cleaning liquid emanating from the first nozzle (31) impinges the surfaces of the blades (40) substantially on the pressure side (53); a second nozzle (35) is arranged at a position such that the cleaning liquid emanating from the second nozzle (35) impinges the surfaces of the blades (40) substantially on the suction side (54); and a third nozzle (33) is arranged at a position such that the cleaning liquid emanating from the third nozzle (33) passes substantially between the blades (40) and enters an inlet (23) of the core engine (203). Thereby, the different types of fouling found on the fan and in the core engine compressor of turbofan engine can be removed in an efficient manner.
Device for cleaning a gas turbine engine (2), which engine (2) includes at least one engine shaft (24, 29), a fan (25) rotatably arranged on a first shaft (24), which fan (25) comprises a plurality of fan blades (40) mounted on a hub and extending substantially in a radial direction each having a pressure side (53) and a suction side (54), and a core engine (203) including a compressor unit (27) and turbines (26, 28) for driving said compressor unit (27) and said fan (25), comprising a plurality of nozzles (31, 33, 35) arranged to atomize cleaning liquid in the air stream in an air inlet (20) of the engine (2) up-stream of said fan (25), characterized by
Device according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that said first nozzle (31) is arranged at a first tangential angle (X) relatively to said centre line (400) of said engine (2), and/or said second nozzle (35) is arranged at a second tangential angle (Z) relatively to said centre line (400) of said engine (2), and/or said third nozzle (33) is arranged at a third tangential angle (Y) relatively to said centre line (400) of said engine (2).
Device according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that each of said first nozzle (31), said second nozzle (35), and said third nozzle (33) are arranged at a point more than 100 mm in a an axial direction upstream the leading edge (41) of said fan (25), and more preferably at a point more than 500 mm and less than 1000 mm upstream the leading edge (41) of said fan (25).
Device according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that each of said first nozzle (31), said second nozzle (35), and said third nozzle (33) are arranged at a position, in a radial direction, at a point less than the diameter of the fan (25) and greater than a diameter of said hub of said fan (25).
Method for cleaning a gas turbine engine (2), which engine (2) includes at least one engine shaft (24, 29), a fan (25) rotatably arranged on a first shaft (24), which fan (25) comprises a plurality of fan blades (40) mounted on a hub and extending substantially in a radial direction each having a pressure side (53) and a suction side (54), and a core engine (203) including a compressor unit (27) and turbines (26, 28) for driving said compressor unit (27) and said fan (25), comprising a plurality of nozzles (31, 33, 35) arranged to atomize cleaning liquid in the air stream in an air inlet (20) of the engine (2) up-stream of said fan (25), characterized by the steps of:
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.