US 5,317,877 A · Intercooled turbine blade cooling air feed system

Abstract

A gas turbine engine having a compressor and an air-cooled turbine is provided with a cooling system for decreasing the temperature of the turbine cooling air. A heat exchanger, mounted on the compressor casing, receives a portion of the pressurized air which is bled from the compressor. A heat sink medium is pumped through the heat exchanger into heat exchange relationship with the pressurized air, thereby cooling the air. The cooled air is then further pressurized and routed to and circulated through the turbine rotor blades to provide improved cooling thereof. The intercooling of the compressor bleed air permits a reduction in the quantity of compressor air required for turbine rotor blade cooling or allows an increase in turbine entry temperature and thus provides an improvement in engine power and performance. In the case where the heat sink medium is engine fuel, the heat extracted from the compressor bleed air is returned to the engine operating cycle in the form of heated engine fuel.

Claims16

Dependent claims

A gas turbine engine comprising a compressor for compressing air and having a rotor, a turbine having a rotor with a plurality of air-cooled rotor blades, a casing which encases said compressor, a first heat exchanger mounted outside said casing and having a chamber with an inlet and an outlet, means for bleeding air from an intermediate stage of said compressor, means for supplying said compressor bleed air to said chamber inlet of said first heat exchanger, and means for circumferentially distributing said compressor bleed air from said chamber outlet of said first heat exchanger to an annular cavity surrounding a shaft by which said turbine rotor drives said compressor rotor and means for impelling said cooled compressor bleed air radially outward, further increasing its pressure, through a plurality of hollow radial spokes to said air-cooled rotor blades, said first heat exchanger further having an inlet for receiving a first fluid inert medium and having a temperature lower than the temperature of said bleed air and a heat exchange circuit communicating with said fluid medium inlet for conducting heat from said bleed air to said first fluid medium, whereby said first fluid medium is heated and said compressor bleed air is cooled.

A system for feeding cooling air to the rotor blades of a turbine in a gas turbine engine having a compressor for compressing air and a combustor for burning a mixture of pressurized air and fuel, comprising:

means for bleeding air from an intermediate stage of said compressor;
a first heat exchanger having a chamber with an inlet and an outlet;
means for supplying said compressor bleed air from an intermediate stage of compressor to said chamber inlet of said first heat exchanger;
means for circumferentially distributing said compressor bleed air from said chamber outlet of said first head exchanger to an annular cavity surrounding a shaft by which said turbine rotor drives said compressor rotor;
and
means for impelling said cooled compressor bleed air radially outward, further increasing its pressure, through a plurality of hollow radial spokes to said rotor blades,
wherein said first heat exchanger further has an inlet for receiving an inert fluid medium having a temperature lower than the temperature of said bleed air and a heat exchange circuit communicating with said fluid medium inlet for conducting heat from said bleed air to said inert fluid medium, whereby said inert fluid medium is heated and said compressor bleed air is cooled.

4 more elements

means for bleeding air from an intermediate stage of said compressor;
heat exchange means for transferring heat by conduction from a first fluid communication circuit to a second fluid communication circuit;
means for supplying said compressor bleed air from an intermediate stage of said compressor to said first fluid communication circuit of said heat exchange means;
means for supplying fuel having a temperature less than the temperature of said compressor bleed air to said second fluid communication circuit of said heat exchange means;
means for circumferentially distributing said compressor bleed air from said first fluid communication circuit of said heat exchange means to an annular cavity surrounding a shaft by which said turbine rotor drives said compressor rotor;
and
means for impelling said cooled compressor bleed air radially outward, further increasing its pressure, through a plurality of hollow radial spokes to said rotor blades;
whereby said fuel is heated before being supplied to said combustor and said compressor bleed air is cooled and recompressed before being circumferentially distributed to said rotor blades.

5 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Intercooled turbine blade cooling air feed system

Life of this patent

Intercooled turbine blade cooling air feed system

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims16