Fuel-cooled bladed rotor of a gas turbine engine

A bladed rotor for use in a gas turbine engine, comprising:

• a. a rotor, wherein said rotor is configured to be operatively coupled to or a part of a hollow shaft assembly of the gas turbine engine, and during operation of said gas turbine engine, said rotor rotates with said hollow shaft assembly about a common axis of rotation of said gas turbine engine;
• b. a rotary fluid trap comprising at least one inlet port, a trap portion, and an outlet port, each of which rotate with the bladed rotor during operation of said gas turbine engine, wherein at least one said at least one inlet port is in fluid communication with a source of liquid fuel from an interior portion of said hollow shaft assembly;
• c. an aft cavity, wherein said aft cavity is in fluid communication with said outlet port of said rotary fluid trap, said aft cavity is aft of a medial plane of said rotor, and said medial plane is transverse to said axis of rotation and is medial with respect to forward and aft sides of said rotor;
• d. a sharp edge on an inside surface of said aft cavity over which said liquid fuel flows during operation of said gas turbine engine, so as to provide for atomization of said liquid fuel flowing thereover during operation of said gas turbine engine;
• e. a forward cavity, wherein said forward cavity is forward of said medial plane of said rotor;
• f. a plurality of hollow blades arranged along a periphery of said rotor, wherein each hollow blade of said plurality of hollow blades comprises:
• i. a blade inlet duct, wherein said blade inlet duct provides for fluid communication between said aft cavity and an aft hollow interior portion of said hollow blade;
• ii. a radially-extending central rib within and generally circumferentially across a hollow interior of said hollow blade and between opposing sides of said hollow blade that partitions said hollow interior of said hollow blade into said aft hollow interior portion and a forward hollow interior portion, wherein said forward hollow interior portion of said hollow blade is internally adjacent to a leading edge of said hollow blade, said aft hollow interior portion of said hollow blade is internally adjacent to a trailing edge of said hollow blade, a radially-inboard portion of said radially-extending central rib is continuous with a rim portion of said rotor within a hoop portion of said hollow blade, and a radial extent of said radially-extending central rib is less than a corresponding radial extent of said hollow interior of said hollow blade so as to provide a corresponding radially-extending gap therebetween that provides for fluid communication between said aft and forward hollow interior portions of said hollow blade;
• iii. an opening in said radially-extending central rib located radially outboard of said hoop portion of said hollow blade, wherein said opening in said radially-extending central rib provides for fluid communication between said aft and forward hollow interior portions of said hollow blade;
• and
• iv. a blade outlet duct, wherein said blade outlet duct provides for fluid communication between said forward hollow interior portion of said hollow blade and said forward cavity;
• and
• g. a rotor outlet duct, wherein said rotor outlet duct is in fluid communication with said forward cavity and provides for discharging said fuel from a radially-inboard portion thereof during operation of said gas turbine engine.