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US 9,316,152 B2Granted
Active control of bucket cooling supply for turbine
AssigneeGeneral Electric Company
InventorsThangaraj Subbareddyar, Mayur Abhay Keny, Mahendhra Muthuramalingam
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A cooling gas flow control device for a turbine rotor that is internally located between the compressor and the turbine section of a turbine is disclosed. The cooling gas flow control device has a shape memory material that is used to actively adjust the cooling gas flow to internal parts of the turbine section between, including the buckets.
Claims15
A cooling gas flow control device for a turbine rotor comprising:
- a. an internal cooling gas pathway located between an outlet of a compressor section and an inlet for an internal turbine cavity of a turbine section;
- and
- b. an adjustable gas flow valve located between the outlet of the compressor and the inlet for the rotor cavity in the cooling gas pathway, the adjustable gas flow valve including:
- a mount,
- a plurality of shape memory materials each having a first end and a second end, wherein the mount is connected to one of the plurality of shape memory materials at the first end thereof, and
- a unitary flow restrictor connected to the second end of each of the plurality of the shape memory materials;
- wherein the adjustable gas flow valve adjusts gas flow rate through the cooling gas pathway based on a physical parameter of compressed gas exiting the compressor section of the turbine.
4 more elements
A method of controlling cooling gas for a rotor cavity of a turbine rotor comprising
- a. drawing cooling gas from a compressor of a turbine, said cooling gas having a temperature;
- b. directing the cooling gas into an internal pathway connecting the compressor and a rotor cavity of turbine rotor,
- c. passing the cooling gas in the internal pathway through an adjustable gas flow valve, the adjustable gas flow valve including:
- a mount,
- a plurality of shape memory materials each having a first end and a second end, wherein the mount is connected to one of the plurality of shape memory materials at the first end thereof, and
- a unitary flow restrictor connected to the second end of each of the plurality of the shape memory materials;
- wherein each of the plurality of shape memory materials changes shape based on an input temperature to the plurality of shape memory materials to adjust the flow of the cooling gas through the internal pathway to the cavity of the turbine rotor.
4 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.