Abstract:
A seal assembly (50) between a disc cavity and a turbine section (26) hot gas path includes a stationary vane assembly (12) with an inner shroud (16) and a rotating blade assembly (18) downstream from the vane assembly and including a plurality of blades that are supported on a platform (28) and rotate with a turbine rotor and the platform during operation of the engine. The inner shroud (16) comprises a radially innwardly facing suface (46) comprising vane grooves (60), and the platform includes a radially and axially facing surface (146), and a plurality of grooves (160) extending into the said surface. The grooves (60, 160) are arranged such that a space is defined between adjacent grooves. During operation of the engine, the grooves guide purge air out of the disc cavity toward the hot gas path such that the purge air flows in a desired direction with reference to a direction of hot gas flow through the hot gas path.
Abstract:
A gas turbine engine, including: a plurality of blades (60) assembled into an annular row of blades and partly defining a hot gas path (26) and a cooling fluid path (24), wherein the cooling fluid path extends from a rotor cavity (22) to the hot gas path; an angel wing assembly (99) disposed on a side (74) of a base (76) of the row of blades; and pumping features (130) distributed about the angel wing assembly configured to impart, at a narrowest gap (42) of the cooling fluid path, motion to a flow of cooling fluid flowing there through. The plurality of pumping features, the angel wing assembly, and the base of the row of blades are effective to produce a helical motion to the flow of cooling fluid as it enters the hot gas path.
Abstract:
A shell air recirculation system for use in a gas turbine engine includes one or more outlet ports located at a bottom wall section of an engine casing wall and one or more inlet ports located at a top wall section of the engine casing wall. The system further includes a piping system that provides fluid communication between the outlet port(s) and the inlet port(s), a blower for extracting air from a combustor shell through the outlet port(s) and for conveying the extracted air to the inlet port(s), and a valve system for selectively allowing and preventing air from passing through the piping system. The system operates during less than full load operation of the engine to circulate air within the combustor shell but is not operational during full load operation of the engine
Abstract:
A continuous serpentine cooling circuit forming a progression of radial passages (44, 45, 46, 47A, 48A) between pressure and suction side walls (52, 54) in a MID region of a turbine airfoil (24). The circuit progresses first axially, then tangentially, ending in a last radial passage (48A) adjacent to the suction side (54) and not adjacent to the pressure side (52). The passages of the axial progression (44, 45, 46) may be adjacent to both the pressure and suction side walls of the airfoil. The next to last radial passage (47A) may be adjacent to the pressure side wall and not adjacent to the suction side wall. The last two radial passages (47A, 48A) may be longer along the pressure and suction side walls respectively than they are in a width direction, providing increased direct cooling surface area on the interiors of these hot walls.
Abstract:
A film cooling structure formed in a component wall of a turbine engine and a method of making the film cooling structure. The film cooling structure includes a plurality of individual diffusion sections formed in the wall, each diffusions section including a single cooling passage for directing cooling air toward a protuberance of a wall defining the diffusion section. The film cooling structure may be formed with a masking template including apertures defining shapes of a plurality of to-be-formed diffusion sections in the wall. A masking material can be applied to the wall into the apertures in the masking template so as to block outlets of cooling passages exposed through the apertures. The masking template can be removed and a material may be applied on the outer surface of the wall such that the material defines the diffusion sections once the masking material is removed.
Abstract:
A method of casting a component (42) having convoluted interior passageways (44). A desired three dimensional structure corresponding to a later-formed metal alloy component is formed by stacking a plurality of sheets (18, 20) of a fugitive material. The sheets contain void areas (22) corresponding to a desired interior passageway in the metal alloy component. A ceramic slurry material is cast into the three dimensional structure to form either a ceramic core (34) or a complete ceramic casting vessel (38). If just a ceramic core is formed, a wax pattern is formed around the ceramic core and an exterior ceramic shell (38) is formed around the wax pattern by a dipping process prior to the removal of the fugitive material and wax. An alloy component having the desired interior passageway is cast into the casting vessel after the fugitive material is removed
Abstract:
A gas turbine engine (10) and an airfoil (50) for use therein, the airfoil (50) having a structure (128) containing cooling passageways (110, 120) extending between a chamber (100) and a series of apertures (78) positioned along the trailing edge (72) through which cooling fluid (144) received from the chamber (100) exits the airfoil (50), wherein the structure (128) is characterized by a variable thickness (t) between the pressure and suction sidewalls (74, 76) of the airfoil as a function of position along the cooling passageways (110, 120) such that each in a plurality of cooling passageways are characterized by a cross sectional flow area (170, 174) which decreases as a function of distance from the chamber (100).
Abstract:
A turbine blade (10) includes an airfoil (16) and integral platform at the root thereof. The platform (18) is contoured in elevation from a ridge (36, 48) to a trough (38), and is curved axially to complement the next adjacent curved platform.
Abstract:
A turbine nozzle (24) includes a row of vanes (38) extending radially between annular outer and inner bands (34,36). The outer band (34) includes a pair of radial flanges (46-52) defining an annular seal groove (54,56) therebetween. One of the flanges (46-52) is crenelated to improve nozzle life.
Abstract:
A cooling arrangement (82) for a gas turbine engine component, the cooling arrangement (82) having a plurality of rows (92, 94, 96) of airfoils (98), wherein adjacent airfoils (98) within a row (92, 94, 96) define segments (110, 130, 140) of cooling channels (90), and wherein outlets (114, 134) of the segments (110, 130) in one row (92, 94) align aerodynamically with inlets (132, 142) of segments (130, 140) in an adjacent row (94, 96) to define continuous cooling channels (90) with non continuous walls (116, 120), each cooling channel (90) comprising a serpentine shape.