# US 2018/0023595 A1 · High pressure cyclonic separator for turbomachinery

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- Number: US 2018/0023595 A1
- Document ID: US20180023595A1
- Status: Published application
- Kind: A1
- Application number: 15/215,373
- Filed: 2016-07-20
- Published: 2018-01-25
- Earliest claimed: 2016-07-20
- Assignees: General Electric Company
- Applicants: General Electric Company
- Inventors: Joshua Tyler MOOK; Christopher Williams
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20180023595A1

## CPC

- F04D 29/701: {especially adapted for elastic fluid pumps}
- B01D 45/12: by centrifugal forces (centrifuges B04B; cyclones B04C)
- B04C 3/06: Construction of inlets or outlets to the vortex chamber
- F01D 5/085: {cooling fluid circulating inside the rotor}
- F01D 25/12: Cooling
- F02C 6/08: the gas being bled from the gas-turbine compressor
- F02C 7/052: with dust-separation devices
- F04D 17/02: having non-centrifugal stages, e.g. centripetal
- F05D 2220/32: in gas turbines
- F05D 2260/209: using vortex tubes
- F04D: NON-POSITIVE-DISPLACEMENT PUMPS (engine fuel-injection pumps F02M; ion pumps H01J41/12; electrodynamic pumps H02K44/02)
- B01D: SEPARATION (separating solids from solids by wet methods B03B, B03D; by pneumatic jigs or tables B03B; by other dry methods B07; magnetic or electrostatic separation of solid materials from solid materials or fluids, separation by high-voltage electric fields B03C; centrifuges, vortex apparatus B04; presses per se for squeezing-out liquid from liquid-containing material B30B9/02; treatment of water C02F, e.g. softening by ion-exchange C02F1/42; {arrangements of air intake cleaners in gas turbine plants F02C7/05} ; arrangements or mounting of filters in air-conditioning, air-humidification or ventilation F24F13/28)
- B04C: APPARATUS USING FREE VORTEX FLOW, e.g. CYCLONES ({centrifugal separation of water from steam B01D45/12;} jet mills B02C19/06; {wind sifters B07B7/00;} cyclonic type combustion apparatus F23; {vortex burners for cyclone-type combustion apparatus F23D1/02; cyclonic type combustion apparatus for gas turbines F23R3/00})
- F01D: NON-POSITIVE DISPLACEMENT MACHINES OR ENGINES, e.g. STEAM TURBINES (machines or engines for liquids F03; non-positive displacement pumps F04D)
- F02C: GAS-TURBINE PLANTS; AIR INTAKES FOR JET-PROPULSION PLANTS; CONTROLLING FUEL SUPPLY IN AIR-BREATHING JET-PROPULSION PLANTS (construction of turbines F01D; jet-propulsion plants F02K; construction of compressors or fans F04; generating combustion products of high pressure or high velocity F23R; using gas turbines in compression refrigeration plants F25B11/00)
- F05D: INDEXING SCHEME FOR ASPECTS RELATING TO NON-POSITIVE-DISPLACEMENT MACHINES OR ENGINES, GAS-TURBINES OR JET-PROPULSION PLANTS

## Abstract

The present disclosure generally relates to separating solid particles from an airflow in a gas turbine engine. A separator includes a plurality of vortex chambers arranged about a longitudinal axis of the gas turbine engine, each vortex chamber having a clean air outlet at a first end, a dirty outlet at a second end, and an air inlet transverse to the vortex chamber located at the first end. The separator also includes a sealable collection chamber in fluid communication with the dirty outlet of the each of the plurality of vortex chambers.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A separator for separating solid particles from an airflow in a gas turbine engine, comprising:
a plurality of vortex chambers arranged about a longitudinal axis of the gas turbine engine, each vortex chamber having a clean air outlet at a first end, a dirty outlet at a second end, and an air inlet transverse to the vortex chamber located at the first end; and
a sealable collection chamber in fluid communication with the dirty outlet of the each of the plurality of vortex chambers.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The separator of claim 1, wherein the sealable collection chamber is adapted to be sealed during operation of the gas turbine engine.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The separator of claim 1, wherein the sealable collection chamber is adapted for venting during at least one of an engine start operation, an engine shutdown operation, and a cleaning operation.

### Claim 4 (depends on 3)

The separator of claim 3, wherein the venting relieves back pressure against the compressor during the engine start operation.

### Claim 5 (depends on 3)

The separator of claim 3, wherein each vortex chamber comprises a vortex finder within the vortex chamber separating the air inlet from the clean air outlet.

### Claim 6 (depends on 5)

The separator of claim 5, wherein each vortex finder is perforated.

### Claim 7 (depends on 5)

The separator of claim 5, wherein each vortex finder separates an outer vortex fed by the respective air inlet from an inner vortex of relatively clean air.

### Claim 8 (depends on 1)

The separator of claim 1, wherein the separator is located downstream from a compressor.

### Claim 9 (depends on 1)

The separator of claim 1, further comprising a cowl in fluid communication with an output airflow from the compressor, the cowl including a plurality of openings, each of the openings in fluid communication with the air inlet of a respective cyclonic separator.

### Claim 10 (depends on 9)

The separator of claim 9, wherein the cowl is located within an impeller shroud arranged circumferentially about a final stage centripetal impeller of the compressor.

### Claim 11 (depends on 9)

The separator of claim 9, wherein an airflow within each air inlet has a higher density of particles than the output airflow from the compressor.

### Claim 12 (depends on 1)

The separator of claim 1, wherein the clean air outlet is in fluid communication with a cooling system.

### Claim 13 (depends on 12)

The separator of claim 12, wherein the cooling system is a high pressure turbine second stage cooling device.

### Claim 14 (depends on 12)

The separator of claim 12, wherein the cooling system includes cooling holes within a turbine rotor.

### Claim 16 (depends on 1)

The separator of claim 1, wherein the solid particles have an average particle size less than 5 micrometers.

### Claim 17 (depends on 1)

The separator of claim 1, wherein an inside wall of the vortex chamber deflects air circumferentially to form an outer vortex.

### Claim 18

A separator for separating entrained solid particles from an airflow in a gas turbine engine, comprising:
a plurality of vortex chambers arranged about a longitudinal axis of the gas turbine engine; and
a sealable collection chamber in communication with a dirty outlet of the each of the plurality of vortex chambers,
wherein the plurality of vortex chambers separate at least 70 percent of the entrained solid particles from the airflow into the sealable collection chamber.

### Claim 19 (depends on 18)

The separator of claim 18, wherein the plurality of vortex chambers separate at least 80 percent of the entrained solid particles from the airflow into the sealable collection chamber.

### Claim 20

A method for separating entrained solid particles from a compressed airflow in a gas turbine engine, comprising:
extracting a secondary airflow from the compressed airflow via a plurality of openings in an impeller shroud surrounding a compressor impeller;
separating the entrained solid particles from the secondary airflow using a plurality of vortex chambers; and
collecting the solid particles from a dirty outlet of each of the vortex chambers in a sealed collection chamber during operation of the gas turbine engine.

### Claim 21 (depends on 20)

The method of claim 20, wherein separating the entrained solid particles comprises separating at least 70 percent of the entrained solid particles from the secondary airflow.

### Claim 22 (depends on 21)

The method of claim 21, wherein separating the entrained solid particles comprises separating at least 80 percent of the entrained solid particles from the secondary airflow.

### Claim 23 (depends on 20)

The method of claim 20, further comprising providing a cleaned airflow from a clean outlet of each of the vortex chambers to a cooling system.