Caterpillar Tractor Co.

David Edward Keedy

Warren W Davis

The invention is concerned with an improved turbine shroud support assembly useful in a gas turbine engine which comprises a gasifier module within a case, a power output module fixedly detachably attachable to the case in position to receive exhaust gases exiting a combustor and passing via a gasifier turbine portion of said gasifier module to drive a power turbine having a turbine shroud about a plurality of blades thereof and thereby drive a shaft of said power output module and a heat exchanger arranged to receive compressed gas from a compressor of said gasifier module, heat the compressed gas therein and pass the resulting heated gas to the combustor and to receive the exhaust gases from the power turbine, cool the exhaust gases therein by transferring some of the heat thereof to the compressed gas and pass the resulting cooled exhaust gases to the exterior of the heat exchanger. The improved shroud support assembly comprises a plurality of struts supported by the power output module in fixed relation to the power turbine shaft and radially extending outwardly adjacent the power turbine, the struts supporting at an outer end thereof the turbine shroud in fixed closely spaced concentric relation about the plurality of turbine blades, the struts supporting at the outer end thereof an outer shroud which is positioned to direct flow of the exhaust gases from the blades of the power turbine to the heat exchanger.

Support for concentric turbine blade shroud

The invention is concerned with a modular gas turbine engine assembly. The assembly includes a tubular case to which are assembled a gasifier module and a power output module. The gasifier module and the power output module are each slidably sealed to respective inwardly extending, generally removable flanges within the case. The gasifier module has a first tubular housing fixedly detachably attachable with a first end thereof adjacent a first end of the case with the axis of the first housing aligned generally with the axis of the case, a compressor generally within a second end of said first housing, a combustor generally extending outwardly from said first end of said first housing and a first integral shaft extending from the compressor to adjacent the combustor. A gasifier turbine extends generally outwardly radially from the shaft and has first blades positioned to be in the path of the exhaust gases exiting the combustor to drive the first shaft and thereby drive the compressor. The power output module has a second tubular housing fixedly detachably attachable with a first end thereof adjacent a second end of the case with the axis of the second housing aligned generally with the axis of the case, a power turbine generally extending outwardly from the first end of the second housing having second blades positioned to be in the path of the exhaust gases exiting the gasifier turbine, output gear means, and a second shaft driven by said power turbine and driving said output gear means.

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Pekin, IL, United States of America

David Edward Keedy