Heat exchanging hollow passages
AssigneeGeneral Electric Company
InventorAnca Hatman
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Abstract
A hollow passage in a machine element for enhancing the heat exchanging properties between the machine element and a fluid flowing through the hollow passage; the hollow passage including a helicoidal groove. In some embodiments, the machine element comprises a heated machine element and the fluid comprises a coolant. In some embodiments, the machine element comprises a stator blade or a rotor blade of a gas turbine engine and the coolant comprises compressed air. In some embodiments, the helicoidal groove comprises a depression in an outer wall of the hollow passage that extends axially along the hollow passage to form a helicoidal or swirling path.
Claims20
A hollow passage in a machine element for enhancing the heat exchanging properties between the machine element and a fluid flowing through the hollow passage;
- the hollow passage comprising a helicoidal groove.
The hollow passage according to claim 10, wherein the ratio of the depth of the helicoidal groove to the diameter of the circular cross-section is between approximately 0.01 and 0.50.
A method of enhancing the heat exchanging properties between a hollow passage in one of a rotor blade and stator blade in a gas turbine engine and a fluid flowing through the hollow passage;
- the method comprising the step providing the hollow passage with a helicoidal groove;
- wherein the helicoidal groove comprises a depression in an outer wall of the hollow passage that extends axially along the hollow passage to form a helicoidal or swirling path.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.