Caterpillar Tractor Co.

D Craig Young

Ervin E Mangus

Richard W Kizer

Brace C Smith

Abraham L Zadoks

Daniel E Gebhart

Jerry A Damerell

A fuel nozzle for a gas turbine engine permits alternate use of different fluid fuels such as gaseous or liquid fuels without intermixing until delivery of the fuel to the combustion chamber. The nozzle provides concentric fuel delivery passages and allows for differing rates of expansion between the two passages.

Dual fluid fuel nozzle

A mounting system to interconnect a gas turbine heat exchanger with a gas turbine includes three interconnecting gas manifolds: one to receive cool compressed air from the engine, one to receive hot exhaust gas from the engine, and one to communicate heated intake air to the engine. The manifolds, acting in cooperation with a jointed support arm, allow the heat exchanger and the gas turbine to have differing thermal expansion properties. Specifically, the air-in manifold allows vertical translational motion toward and away from the engine, the gas-in manifold allows for horizontal translational motion, while the air-out manifold positioned between the other manifolds includes a trunnion arrangement allowing rotational motion. The jointed support located at the opposite end of the engine from the air-in manifold and the trunnion arrangement cooperate to control the resultant thermal expansion motion in the air-in manifold and the gas-in manifold.

Heat exchanger support system

A slip joint interconnects the exhaust gas duct of a gas turbine engine to the hot gas inlet duct of an associated heat exchanger by a flange clamping arrangement. The joint allows translational motion of the heat exchanger in the fore and aft axis relative the engine resulting from thermal expansion in the heat exchanger. In addition, a limited amount of misalignment between the engine exhaust gas duct and the heat exchanger hot gas inlet duct is permitted. The easily assembled simple flange clamping arrangement allows a low clamping pressure and thus a low resistance to slip between the two elements.

Slip joint between a gas turbine engine and a heat exchanger

An internally insulated bellows assembly for providing a flexible transition between internally and externally insulated components of a high temperature fluid pressure system comprises an annular bellows having first and second end portions, a cylindrical shield disposed in spaced, concentric relation within the bellows and coextensive therealong to provide an annular cavity therebetween. The shield has first and second end portions with the first end portions being connected to the first end portion of the bellows and with the second end portion being disposed in spaced radial relationship inwardly from the second end portion of the bellows to provide a predetermined radial gap therebetween. Loose fill insulation material is disposed within the cavity to a point adjacent the second end portion of the shield in filling relation within the internal convolutions of the bellows. An annular ring of constrained insulation sized for close fitting receipt within the cavity is provided for closing the gap between the end portions of the shield and the bellows.

Internally insulated bellows assembly

A heat exchanger core made up of a loose stack of heat exchange sheets is surrounded by a support frame which holds the sheets against separation. One end of the support frame is mounted on the engine body and restrained against vertical, fore-and-aft and sidewise movement relative to the engine body. The other end of the support frame is mounted on the engine body by a double pivot link assembly which restrains that end against vertical and sidewise movement but allows fore-and-aft movement. A simple expansion bellows joins the high-pressure air inlet of the heat exchanger to the engine body. A simple expansion bellows may be used to join either or both of the high-pressure air outlet and low-pressure hot exhaust gas inlet of the heat exchanger to the engine body.

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Peoria, IL, United States of America

D Craig Young