US 5,174,105 AGranted

Hot day M & I gas turbine engine and method of operation

AssigneeGeneral Electric Company

InventorWilliam R. Hines

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Abstract

A method of operating a dual rotor gas turbine engine includes bypassing a predetermined portion of compressed airflow from a high pressure compressor to downstream of a high pressure turbine first stage nozzle, and increasing core speed of the engine to a value greater than a reference value for improving hot day lapse rate curve and output shaft horsepower. The method steps are performed at least at values of ambient air temperature greater than a first value thereof associated with a reference maximum value of output shaft horsepower, and without increasing high pressure compressor discharge air temperature beyond a maximum value thereof associated with the reference maximum value of the output shaft horsepower. The dual rotor, gas turbine engine includes a preexisting design, aircraft derivative core engine including a high pressure compressor and a high pressure turbine first stage nozzle. A portion of compressed airflow from the high pressure compressor is bypassed to a point downstream of the high pressure turbine first stage nozzle, and core speed is increased for increasing output shaft horsepower of a low pressure turbine without increasing high pressure compressor discharge air temperature beyond a maximum value thereof.

Claims27

Dependent claims

A method of operating a dual rotor gas turbine engine having:

a low pressure compressor (LPC) for compressing ambient air having a temperature T.sub.2 and driven by a low pressure turbine (LPT), said LPT providing horsepower to drive a load through an output shaft at a substantially constant rotor speed;
a preexisting design core engine derived from an aircraft gas turbine engine including a high pressure compressor (HPC) for generating HPC discharge air at a temperature T.sub.3, a combustor for generating combustion gases, and a high pressure turbine (HPT) having an HPT first stage nozzle and an HPT first stage rotor driving said HPC at a core speed;
and
said core engine being effective for providing said combustion gases to said LPT at a reference value of said core speed for obtaining a reference hot day lapse rate curve including a reference maximum value of said horsepower from said output shaft at a first value of said ambient air temperature T.sub.2 and at a maximum value of said HPC discharge air temperature T.sub.3 ;
said method comprising:
bypassing a predetermined portion of compressed airflow from said HPC to downstream of said HPT first stage nozzle;
and
increasing said core speed to a value greater than said reference value thereof for improving said hot day lapse rate curve for increasing horespower at said output shaft;
and
performing said compressed airflow bypassing step and said core speed increasing step at least at values of said ambient air temperature T.sub.2 greater than and equal to said first value thereof and without increasing said HPC discharge air temperature T.sub.3 beyond said maximum value thereof.

7 more elements

A gas turbine engine for powering a load comprising:

a low pressure compressor (LPC) for compressing ambient air having a temperature T.sub.2 to generate LPC discharge air;
a core engine including:
a high pressure compressor (HPC) disposed in flow communication with said LPC for compressing said LPC discharge air to generate HPC discharge air having a temperature T.sub.3 ;
a combustor disposed in flow communication with said HPC for receiving said HPC discharge air and fuel for generating combustion gases;
a high pressure turbine (HPT) including an HPT first stage nozzle disposed in flow communication with said combustor for channeling said combustion gases to an HPT first stage rotor for extracting energy therefrom;
and
a core shaft fixedly joining said HPT first stage rotor to said HPC for rotating said HPC at a core speed;
a low pressure turbine (LPT) including an LPT first stage nozzle disposed in flow communication with said HPT for channeling said combustion gases to an LPT first stage rotor for further extracting energy therefrom;
a low pressure (LP) shaft fixedly joining said LPT first stage rotor to said LPC for rotating said LPC at a rotor speed;
an output shaft fixedly joining said load to said LPT for providing output shaft horsepower to drive said load at a substantially constant value of said rotor speed;
said core engine being a preexisting design derived from an aircraft gas turbine engine and being effective for providing said combustion gases to said LPT at a reference value of said core speed for obtaining a reference hot day lapse rate curve including a reference maximum value of said output shaft horsepower at a first value of said ambient air temperature T.sub.2 and at a maximum value of said HPC discharge air temperature T.sub.3 ;
and
means for improving said hot day lapse rate curve for increasing said output shaft horsepower.

10 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.