Gm Global Technolgoy Operations, Inc.

Albert H Bell, Iii

Dan Coffey

Hans Egli

Richard M Zeek

Richard C Oppmann

Jesse F Johnson

James C Hyde

In a gas turbine engine, an annular flange of a ceramic scroll is clamped to an annular shoulder of a gas turbine engine housing by a plurality of nuts on thread rods extending perpendicular to the annular shoulder. A metal sleeve around each rod cooperates therewith in defining a coolant passage which is connected at one end to a source of compressed air and which discharges at the other end into a cooling chamber around the nuts through grooves in a surface of each nut. Air circulating in the coolant passages and through the cooling chamber cools and thermally shields the rods and the nuts.

Mounting for a ceramic scroll in a gas turbine machine

A regenerator seal assembly including a flat platform having a wear face slidably engaging a matrix disc and an opposite seal face, a plurality of naturally planar thin and flexible metal strips arrayed in end-to-end overlapping relationship on a bevel surface of the engine adjoining the matrix disc with an outer edge of each strip engaging the platform seal face and forming a gas seal thereat, an elastomeric seal element in a groove in the bevel surface engaging a high pressure side of each metal strip to define a gas seal between the elastomeric element and the metal strips, and a retaining shoe engaging a low pressure side of each metal strip and pressing the latter against the elastomeric element with sufficient force to effect the aforesaid gas seal but with insufficient force to rididly attach the metal strips to the bevel surface. The metal strips slide relative to the bevel surface when the gap between the matrix disc and the engine changes due to thermal distortion of the disc so that stress concentrations in the metal strips are avoided.

Regenerator seal assembly

A power turbine and first stage gear reduction assembly for a gas coupled gas turbine engine includes a first stage reduction gear, a tubular pinion shaft carrying a first stage pinion gear, and a power turbine shaft having a power turbine at a turbine end thereof. The first stage pinion gear and the first stage reduction gear are straddle mounted on an engine block of the gas turbine engine for rotation about parallel primary and secondary axes of the engine, respectively, and in meshing engagement. The power turbine shaft is aligned on the primary axis with a power transfer end thereof within and connected to the pinion shaft through a self-holding taper connection so that the power transfer end of the pinion shaft is supported on the engine block for rotation about the primary axis. A third bearing is disposed between the engine block and the power turbine shaft adjacent the power turbine whereby the power transfer end of the power turbine shaft is supported on the engine block for rotation about the primary axis.

Power turbine and reduction gear assembly

A hybrid gas turbine rotor having a silicon carbide ceramic turbine wheel portion and a nickel alloy steel shaft portion further includes a hollow silicon carbide ceramic stub shaft integral with the turbine wheel portion having a frustoconical outer surface tapering away from the wheel portion and a tubular end on the shaft portion having an inner frustoconical surface tapering toward the shaft portion at an angle corresponding to the outer surface taper angle. The shaft portion is connected to the wheel portion by shrink fitting the tubular end over the stub shaft so that the shrink fit is the sole medium whereby the wheel portion is supported on the shaft portion and torque is transferred therebetween.

Hybrid gas turbine rotor

An improved prechamber and fuel manifold structure for a gas turbine engine having a premixing-prevaporizing type combustor, the improvement residing in the provision of a prechamber having an internal cylindrical surface swept by swirling pressurized air passing through the prechamber from a plenum to the combustor and in the provision of a fuel manifold having a plurality of individual fuel conduits extending from a remote fuel supply pipe to a corresponding plurality of delivery heads in the prechamber. The delivery heads direct fuel generally tangent to the internal cylindrical surface to form a film for vaporization in the passing air and the length of the fuel conduits and the flow areas of the fuel conduits and the delivery heads are generally equal so that fuel flow in the fuel conduits is balanced and so that when the conduits are opened to atmospheric pressure at termination of combustion, purging of residual fuel to foreclose coking is rapid and complete.

Gas turbine prechamber and fuel manifold structure

A gas turbine engine has a compressor and power turbine driven by gas flow across a nozzle arrangement that includes a partial admission gate valve therein movable into and out of overlying relationship with a limited number of vanes of the nozzle in order to control power output therefrom during part load operation of the engine. Each gate has a flat downstream face. The gates are moved between stored and blocking positions. Each gate face is engageable with flat valve seat surfaces on nozzle vanes when in the blocking position whereby motive gas pressure will hold the gates sealed against the seats. The gates are operated by quick response pneumatic operators having a regulated source of pressure applied to the operators to move the gates to their blocking positions during a low power road load mode of engine operation; and wherein means are included to produce a quick opening of the gate valve from its partial blocking position to a full open position during a time period that prevents turbine compressor surge as the gas turbine engine responds to a higher power demand wherein greater gas flows through the nozzle for increasing power output from the power turbine of the engine.

Articulated power turbine gate

A rotary disc, regenerative type automotive gas turbine engine has a water cooled block for supplying hot water to a cab heater core and for supporting a gasifier spool and a power turbine spool within a core section of the block which receives high pressure air from a rotary regenerator matrix disc for flow to a combustor for supplying motive fluid to a gasifier turbine and power turbine with exhaust flow directed from the core section through the regenerator matrix disc and wherein the water cooled block includes an integral planar surface thereon defining a reference plane for the rotary regenerator matrix with the high pressure inlet air and low pressure exhaust gas being directed therethrough for heating the inlet air and wherein the block further includes a water coolant filled passage therethrough in surrounding relationship to the power turbine to act as a containment mass therearound; the water coolant filled passage being located in close proximity to the planar surface defining the reference plane for the generator matrix; said passage also being located adjacent drive components for the regenerator to reduce thermal distortion of the reference plane and to cool regenerator drive components during engine operation.

Water cooled automotive gas turbine engine

A regenerator seal assembly for use in a rotary regenerator includes a two-stage seal with a peripheral rim seal having a seal leaf turned inside out so that the free end of the leaf is of a smaller radius of curvature than the fixed end of the leaf and wherein the outer peripheral rim seal is made up of a plurality of straight leaf segments formed on chord lines along the outer circumference of the seal assembly with each straight leaf segment being joined by a mitered joint so that the free end of each such leaf segment is deflected without formation of waviness of wrinkles in the seal assembly.

Two-stage regenerator seal

A quick response gasifier spool for an automotive gas turbine engine has a shaft with a turbine wheel connected on one end thereof with a row of turbine blades driven by motive fluid from an engine combustor and further has a low inertia centrifugal compressor impeller with a low mass hub secured to the opposite end of the shaft. The impeller has a plurality of separate, free formed blades each having a root segment integrally formed with the hub; the blades including spaced apart radial tip portions joined by a continuous ring of span splitter elements located on the radial extent of each of the blades to prevent flutter between adjacent free blade radial tips and wherein each element of the continuous ring includes a leading edge and a trailing edge joined by a curved segment located along a flow streamline path between each of the individual blades. The ring and individual free formed blades define an open end back configuration on the centrifugal impeller to reduce fluid shear between the back face of the impeller and its rear closure plate.

Centrifugal compressor with a splitter shroud in flow path

A device to produce vehicle braking from a two-shaft gas turbine engine including an air brake with a centrifugal impeller on the power turbine shaft, the impeller having blades forwardly turned at the impeller exit through an angle greater than sixty degrees for absorbing energy from the power turbine shaft thereby to control power transfer to an output shaft. The system includes a variable inlet control assembly to throttle inlet air flow to the air brake impeller so as to regulate the amount of power absorption from the power turbine shaft.

Turbine engine with air brake

A gas turbine power plant, particularly adapted for powering motor vehicles. The engine includes a gas generator made up of a compressor, combustion apparatus, and a turbine driving the compressor. It also includes a power turbine energized by the flow from the gas generator rotatable independently of the gas generator. The power turbine is connected through a suitable transmission to the driving wheels of the vehicle and also drives accessory loads such as the engine fuel and oil pumps, an alternator, air conditioning, a power steering pump, and the like in the vehicle. The gas generator is substantially free of any accessory drive load, which improves the acceleration characteristics of the engine. The engine fuel control includes an underspeed governor which responds to power turbine speed and increases fuel flow as required to maintain power turbine speed at a minimum value high enough to power the accessory devices satisfactorily. A vehicle operator's engine speed request from an accelerator pedal is added to the underspeed governor output signal for operation above idle. The fuel flow to the engine is limited by a function of engine inlet air temperature and power turbine speed to limit power turbine torque so as not to overload the transmission.

Automotive gas turbine control

A device to produce engine braking on a two-shaft gas turbine engine including an air brake compressor on the power turbine shaft for absorbing energy from the power turbine shaft thereby to control power transfer to a power output shaft. The system includes a variable control assembly to throttle inlet air flow to the air brake compressor so as to regulate the amount of power absorption from the power turbine shaft.

Growing community of inventors

Birmingham, MI, United States of America

Albert H Bell, Iii