US 6,295,803 B1 · Gas turbine cooling system

Abstract

A gas turbine engine (10) having a closed-loop cooling circuit (39) for transferring heat from the hot turbine section (16) to the compressed air (24) produced by the compressor section (12). The closed-loop cooling system (39) includes a heat exchanger (40) disposed in the flow path of the compressed air (24) between the outlet of the compressor section (12) and the inlet of the combustor (14). A cooling fluid (50) may be driven by a pump (52) located outside of the engine casing (53) or a pump (54) mounted on the rotor shaft (17). The cooling circuit (39) may include an orifice (60) for causing the cooling fluid (50) to change from a liquid state to a gaseous state, thereby increasing the heat transfer capacity of the cooling circuit (39).

Claims14

Dependent claims

A gas turbine comprising:

a compressor having an outlet for discharging compressed air;
a combustor having an inlet for receiving compressed air from the compressor outlet and an outlet for discharging combustion gas;
a turbine having an inlet for receiving combustion gas from the combustor outlet and having a hot portion heated by the combustion gas;
a cooling circuit adapted to transfer heat from the hot portion to the compressed air with a non-electrically-conductive cooling fluid, the cooling circuit comprising:
a heat exchanger disposed in a flow path of the compressed air between the compressor outlet and the combustor inlet;
a cooling passage formed proximate the hot portion;
a first connection between an outlet of the cooling passage and an inlet of the heat exchanger;
and
a second connection between an inlet of the cooling passage and an outlet of the heat exchanger.

6 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Gas turbine cooling system

Life of this patent

Gas turbine cooling system

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims14