General Electric Company

James A Martus

Nicholas Damlis

Edward H Goldman

Ely E Halila

Christopher Charles Glynn

Robert Joseph Orlando

Seetharamaiah Mannava

Monty Lee Shelton

Thomas Tracy Wallace

Paul Stuart Wilson

Anne M Isburgh

Michael J Anderson

Paul P Mehta

Valentine R Boehm, Jr

Clay K Carlson

Joseph W Savage

Concentric installation of a pilot fuel assembly in an opening in a gas turbine combustor casing is achieved by providing a boss having at least two flat surfaces which are perpendicular to each other on the combustor casing surrounding the opening and a mounting flange having at least two flat surfaces which are perpendicular to each other on the pilot fuel assembly. The pilot fuel assembly is concentrically installed to the combustor casing by inserting the assembly into the combustor casing opening, and moving the pilot fuel assembly as far as it will go in a first direction substantially parallel to one of the flat boss surfaces. The distance between the other flat boss surface and one of the flat flange surfaces is then taken. Next, the pilot fuel assembly is moved in the direction opposite the first direction, at which point, the distance between the same two flat surfaces is again measured. Lastly, the pilot fuel assembly is located at a position where the distance between the two measuring surfaces is equal to the average of the first and second measurements. If desired, these steps can be repeated back and forth along an axis perpendicular to the first and second directions.

Method for providing concentricity of pilot fuel assembly in a combustor

A gas turbine engine airfoil includes an airfoil outer wall having widthwise spaced apart pressure and suction sidewall sections extending chordally between leading and trailing edges of the airfoil and extending longitudinally from a base to a tip. Inside the airfoil is at least one internal cooling circuit having a plurality of longitudinally extending circuit channels between longitudinally extending internal ribs extending widthwise between the pressure and suction sidewall sections and a longitudinally extending first sidewall film cooling chamber positioned between one of the sidewall sections and a first inner wall bounding the cooling circuit. Sidewall film cooling holes extend through the pressure sidewall section from the first sidewall film cooling chamber. The internal ribs have corresponding rib angles with respect to a centerline, the first inner wall has a corresponding first wall angle with respect to the centerline, and each of the rib angles and the first wall angle are constant in a longitudinal direction from the base to the tip. In the preferred embodiment, all the inner walls are substantially parallel to each other and all the transverse ribs are substantially parallel to each other or are substantially parallel to the first and second inner walls.

Low cost airfoil cooling circuit with sidewall impingement cooling chambers

A variable area turbine nozzle includes a plurality of circumferentially adjoining nozzle segments. Each nozzle segment includes outer and inner bands, with a plurality of first vane segments fixedly joined therebetween. A plurality of second vane segments adjoin respective ones of the first vane segments to define therewith corresponding vanes which are spaced apart to define respective throats of minimum flow area for channeling therethrough combustion gas. The second vane segments are pivotable to selectively vary the throat area.

Variable area turbine nozzle

A coolable airfoil for use in gas turbine engine component such as a turbine blade or vane is provided with a radially extending airfoil having an outer wall surrounding at least one radially extending cavity and extending chordwise through at least a portion of the airfoil. The outer wall has ribs disposed on an inner surface of the outer wall and cooling passages formed between the outer wall and an insert disposed in the cavity against and in abutting sealing relationship with the ribs, wherein the outer wall is formed from two radially and chordwise extending sections, preferably suction and pressure side sections, bonded together while the insert was disposed inside the cavity. The insert provides an inner wall surrounding a hollow chamber generally conforming to the cavity the insert is disposed in and the insert includes a spring to force the inner wall out against the ribs during the bonding process.

Bonded turbine airfuel with floating wall cooling insert

An impinqement cooled airfoil is fabricated by diffusion bonding a pair of airfoil half-sections together using an insert which is prefabricated from diffusion bonding foil. The insert is perforated so as to act as an impingement baffle. Axially-extending ribs may be formed on the internal walls of the airfoil half-sections or on the insert to support and accurately space the insert member from the internal walls so as to optimize impingement cooling.

Impingement cooled airfoil with bonding foil insert

A method for making or repairing a gas turbine engine component includes the step of directing a pulsed ultra-violet laser beam on a location of a film cooling hole after application of a thermal barrier coating to athermally remove any coating material which may be obstructing the cooling hole without damaging the engine component or removing any of the coating from the surface of the component around the cooling hole.

Method for making or repairing a gas turbine engine component

Cooling passages are accurately formed along the faying surfaces of a pair of diffusion bonded members such as a pair of half sections used to fabricate an airfoil. A particularly advantageous application of the invention is the photoetching of cooling air grooves into the opposed surfaces of a diffusion bonding foil used to form a diffusion bond between the faying surfaces of a trailing edge portion of a turbine blade or turbine vane. Such grooves may be made extremely small and in high numbers to promote efficient cooling of the trailing edge portions of these airfoils.

Growing community of inventors

West Chester, OH, United States of America

James A Martus