US 2017/0248028 A1Published application

Active hpc clearance control

AssigneeGeneral Electric Company

InventorJan Christopher Schilling

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Abstract

A gas turbine engine clearance control system includes a cooling air passage extending from a cooling air inlet port to a cooling air outlet port. The cooling air inlet port and outlet port are formed within an external surface of a compressor casing of a compressor and are also axially spaced on the external surface of the compressor casing. The cooling air passage extends from the cooling air inlet port radially inwardly to at least one of a flange joint, a radially outer surface of a compressor casing ring, and a radially outer surface of a connector case. The cooling air passage further extends aftward along the radially outer surfaces of the connector case and the compressor casing ring. The cooling air passage further extends radially outward to the cooling air outlet port. Selectively supplying cooling air to the cooling air passage controls a rotor tip clearance between a rotor tip of a rotor blade of the compressor and an inner surface of the compressor casing ring and further controls an interstage seal clearance between an inner band and a rotor spool of the compressor.

Claims21

Dependent claims

A gas turbine engine clearance control system comprising:

a cooling air passage extending from a cooling air inlet port to a cooling air outlet port, said cooling air inlet port and outlet port formed within an external surface of a compressor casing of a compressor and axially spaced on said external surface, said cooling air passage extending from said cooling air inlet port radially inwardly to at least one of a flange joint, a radially outer surface of a compressor casing ring, and a radially outer surface of a connector case, said cooling air passage further extending aftward along said radially outer surfaces of said connector case and said compressor casing ring, said cooling air passage further extending radially outward to said cooling air outlet port, wherein selectively supplying cooling air to said cooling air passage controls a rotor tip clearance between a rotor tip of a rotor blade of said compressor and an inner surface of said compressor casing ring and further controls an interstage seal clearance between an inner band and a rotor spool of said compressor, wherein:
said rotor blade extends radially outwardly from an inner flow path surface of a rotor blade platform attached to said rotor spool towards an inner surface of said compressor casing ring and terminates at said rotor tip proximate said inner surface;
each of a plurality of stator vanes extends radially inwardly from a radially inner surface of an outer band and terminating at an inner band;
said outer band is configured to couple to said compressor casing ring radially with axial contact to said adjacent outer band;
and
said flange joint is configured to couple said compressor casing ring and said connector case, said compressor casing ring comprising a radially outwardly extending flange portion configured to be coupled to radially outwardly extending mounting flanges of said connector case axially adjacent to said flange portion.

3 more elements

A method of selectively cooling a compressor of a gas turbine engine, said method comprising:

receiving a flow of cooling air from one of a plurality of selectable sources of cooling air;
and
channeling said flow of cooling air along a cooling air passage within a compressor casing of the compressor, said cooling air passage adjacent to at least one of a flange joint, a radially outer surface of a connector case, and a radially outer surface of a compressor casing ring.

A gas turbine engine comprising:

a compressor comprising a compressor casing, said compressor casing comprising at least one connector case coupled to at least one axially adjacent compressor casing ring;
and
a gas turbine engine clearance control system configured to selectively cool said compressor casing, said gas turbine engine clearance control system comprising:
at least one source of cooling air operatively coupled to at least one valve to provide cooling air from one of the at least one sources;
said at least one valve operatively coupled to a cooling air inlet of a cooling air passage formed within an external surface of said compressor casing;
and
said cooling air passage extending from said cooling air inlet port through a path adjacent at least one of a flange joint, a radially outer surface of the compressor casing ring, and a radially outer surface of the connector case and further extending to a cooling air outlet port formed in said external surface of said compressor casing;
wherein cooling air from one of said at least one sources is directed through said cooling air passage when one of said at least one valves is opened, thereby cooling said compressor casing.

5 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.