Gas turbine engine including a low pressure sump seal buffer source and thermally isolated sump

#The present invention relates to gas turbine engines and, more particularly, to a gas turbine engine that uses low pressure air to buffer one or more sump seals of a bearing sump located between the high pressure compressor and high pressure turbine.

#A gas turbine engine may be used to power various types of vehicles and systems. A particular type of gas turbine engine that may be used to power aircraft is a multi-spool gas turbine engine. A typical multi-spool gas turbine engine may include, for example, at least three major sections—a compressor section, a combustor section, and a turbine section.

#In a multi-spool engine, the compressor section may include two or more compressors. For example, in a dual spool engine, the compressor section may include a high pressure compressor, and a low pressure compressor. No matter the particular number of compressors it includes, the compressor section raises the pressure of the air drawn into the engine to a relatively high level. The compressed air from the compressor section then enters the combustor section, where fuel nozzles inject a steady stream of fuel. The injected fuel is ignited, producing high-energy gas.

#FIG. 1 is a simplified schematic representation of an exemplary gas turbine engine configured to implement an embodiment of the present invention;

#FIG. 2 is a cross section view of a portion of an exemplary physical implementation of the gas turbine engine of FIG. 1; and

#FIG. 3 is a close up cross section view of a portion of the exemplary physical implementation shown in FIG. 2.

#Before proceeding with the detailed description, it is to be appreciated that the following detailed description is merely exemplary in nature and is not intended to limit the invention or the application and uses of the invention. In this regard, it is to be additionally appreciated that the described embodiment is not limited to use in conjunction with a particular type of turbine engine. Hence, although the present embodiment is, for convenience of explanation, depicted and described as being implemented in a multi-spool gas turbine jet engine, it will be appreciated that it can be implemented in various other types of turbines, and in various other systems and environments. Furthermore, there is no intention to be bound by any theory presented in the preceding background or the following detailed description.

#A simplified schematic representation of an exemplary embodiment of a dual-spool gas turbine engine 100 is depicted in FIG. 1, and includes a compressor section 102, a combustion section 104, and a turbine section 106, all mounted within a housing 112. The compressor section 102 includes two compressors, a low pressure compressor 114, and a high pressure compressor 116. The low pressure compressor 114 raises the pressure of air drawn into the engine 100, and directs the compressed air into the high pressure compressor 116. The high pressure compressor 116 compresses the air still further, and directs the high pressure compressed air into the combustion section 104.

#The combustion section 104 includes a combustor 118, a plurality of non-illustrated fuel injectors, and one or more non-illustrated igniters. A relatively large fraction of the high pressure compressed air from the high pressure compressor 116 is directed into the combustor 118, where it is mixed with fuel supplied to the combustor 118 via the non-illustrated fuel injectors, and combusted to produce a high-energy combustion gas. The high-energy combustion gas is then directed into the turbine section 106.