Gas turbine heat exchanger assembly and method for fabricating same
AssigneeGeneral Electric Company
InventorsPeter R. Hull, Robert Vandermolen
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method for assembling a gas turbine engine including a compressor and a combustor includes providing a heat exchanger assembly that includes at least one heat exchanger, and coupling the heat exchanger assembly to the gas turbine engine such that the heat exchanger is positioned substantially concentrically with respect to a gas turbine engine axis of rotation, and such that the heat exchanger is configured to channel compressor discharge air from the compressor discharge air to the combustor.
Claims14
A heat exchanger assembly for a gas turbine engine, said heat exchanger assembly comprising:
- an annular manifold comprising an inlet manifold coupled in flow communication with a compressor and an outlet manifold coupled in flow communication with a combustor, said annular manifold substantially concentrically aligned with respect to an axis of rotation of the gas turbine engine, and said inlet manifold and said outlet manifold adjoining each other and each including an outermost surface having a substantially equal radial distance with respect to the axis of rotation of the gas turbine engine;
- and
- an annular heat exchanger coupled in flow communication to the compressor via said annular manifold, said heat exchanger configured to channel compressor discharge air to a said combustor, said heat exchanger assembly coupled to said gas turbine engine such that said heat exchanger is substantially concentrically aligned with respect to the axis of rotation of the gas turbine engine, said heat exchanger comprising a plurality of heat exchanger elements, wherein each heat exchanger element is aligned substantially perpendicular to a direction of exhaust flow discharged substantially axially from the gas turbine engine.
A gas turbine engine comprising:
- a compressor;
- a combustor downstream from said compressor;
- a turbine coupled in flow communication with said combustor;
- and
- a heat exchanger assembly comprising:
- an annular manifold comprising an inlet manifold coupled in flow communication with said compressor and an outlet manifold coupled in flow communication with said combustor, said annular manifold concentrically aligned with respect to an axis of rotation of the gas turbine engine, and said inlet manifold and said outlet manifold adjoining each other and each including an outermost surface having a substantially equal radial distance with respect to the axis of rotation of the gas turbine engine;
- and
- an annular heat exchanger comprising a plurality of heat exchanger elements, said heat exchanger coupled in flow communication to said compressor via said annular manifold, said heat exchanger configured to channel compressor discharge air to said combustor, said heat exchanger assembly coupled to said gas turbine engine such that said annular heat exchanger is substantially concentrically aligned with respect to the axis of rotation of the gas turbine engine, wherein each heat exchanger element is aligned substantially perpendicular to a direction of exhaust flow discharged substantially axially from the gas turbine engine.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.