General Electric Company

Daniel E Reisenauer

Taehong Kim

Marcia Boyle Johnson

Richard William Albrecht, Jr

Aaron Michael Dziech

Steven Douglas Ward

William Z Bolt

Methods, apparatus, systems and articles of manufacture are disclosed to illustrate a clearance design process and strategy with CCA-ACC optimization for exhaust gas temperature (EGT) and performance improvement. In some examples, an apparatus includes a case surrounding at least part of a turbine engine, the at least part of the turbine engine including a turbine or a compressor. The apparatus further includes a first source to obtain external air; a second source to obtain cooled cooling air; a heat exchanger to control temperature of cooled cooling air; and a case cooler to provide active clearance control air to the case to control deflection of the case, wherein the active clearance control air is a combination of the external air and the cooled cooling air, the case cooler coupled to the heat exchanger using a first valve, the first valve triggered by a first control signal.

Clearance design process and strategy with CCA-ACC optimization for EGT and performance improvement

A preferred embodiment of the present invention is a gas turbine engine rotor assembly having axially spaced apart forward and aft disks circumferentially disposed about an axis. The forward disk has an aftwardly extending annular forward arm and the aft disk has a forwardly extending annular aft arm. Forward and aft flanges are located at forward and aft ends of the forward and aft arms respectively. Forward and aft pluralities of aligned forward and aft bolt holes extending axially through the forward and aft flanges respectively. A scalloped annular ring having a plurality of circumferentially spaced apart tabs with spaces therebetween is disposed between the flanges. A plurality of ring bolt holes extend axially through the plurality of circumferentially spaced apart tabs such that corresponding ones of the ring, forward, and aft bolt holes are axially aligned. Forward and aft pluralities of apertures extend axially through the forward and aft flanges and the spaces are in fluid flow communication with corresponding forward and aft ones of the apertures. A plurality of bolts are preferably used to attach the forward and aft flanges together and each of the bolts is disposed through corresponding ones of the ring, forward and aft bolt holes.

Cooling air supply through bolted flange assembly

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West Chester, OH, United States of America

Daniel E Reisenauer