General Electric Company

Jeffrey Glover

Brandon Wayne Miller

Thomas Ory Moniz

Jeffrey Donald Clements

Joseph George Rose

Patrick Sean Sage

Christopher Charles Glynn

Dean Thomas Lenahan

Alan Majors Walker

Frederick W Tegarden

L D Shotts

Joseph Henry Schleue

Scott Allen Jones

James Jay Witemyre

Robert J Meek

Bandadi S Shetty

Julie A Ritchie

A gas turbine engine including core engine is provided. Air may enter the core engine through an inlet and travel through and engine air flowpath extending through the core engine, e.g., generally along an axial direction of the gas turbine engine. The gas turbine engine additionally includes a cooling air flowpath extending outwardly generally along the radial direction of the gas turbine engine. The cooling air flowpath extends between an inlet in flow communication with engine air flowpath and an outlet defined by an opening in an outer casing of the core engine. Moreover, the gas turbine engine includes a heat exchanger positioned at least partially within the outer casing the core engine with the cooling air flowpath extending over or through the heat exchanger.

Turbine engine thermal management

A gas turbine engine includes a first compressor, a casing surrounding the first compressor, and a liner extending forward from the first compressor. The gas turbine engine also includes a core turbine frame assembly extending between the liner and the casing and a bleed air assembly. The bleed air assembly includes a bleed valve positioned in the liner, and a duct in airflow communication with the bleed valve and defining in outlet. The duct is positioned within the core turbine frame assembly and extends to the casing.

Bleed valve assembly for a gas turbine engine

A gas turbine engine includes a casing surrounding a first compressor, as well as a liner extending forward from the first compressor. Additionally, the gas turbine engine includes a bleed air assembly having a plurality of bleed valves positioned in the liner and spaced along a circumferential direction of the gas turbine engine. The bleed air assembly also includes a duct in airflow communication with the plurality of bleed valves and defining an outlet at the casing. The duct provides a flow bleed air from the plurality bleed valves to the outlet during operation.

A fluid conduit wall enclosing a hollow interior for the flow of fluid includes an outer surface provided with a low emissivity coating having a coating emissivity of less than 0.2 and a thickness at least sufficient to provide the coating emissivity. One embodiment provides a fluid conduit with multiple spaced-apart walls. An outer surface of an inner wall of a first member and an inner surface of an outer wall of a second member define a gap therebetween. At least one of such surfaces includes the low emissivity coating. A method for providing such coating deposits the coating, for example by reactive vaporization, concurrently on both surfaces from within the gap after assembly of the members.

Fluid conduit wall inhibiting heat transfer and method for making

Clearance control is provided by a shaped, integral environmental shield and circumferentially segmented cooling manifold. Each manifold has impingement rails located radially outside selected components of the stator casing. Cooling air is directed onto stator components and returns immediately through circuitous paths to improve uniformity of cooling. The structure incorporates the environmental shield into a two piece bonded structure to facilitate construction and assembly.

Integral clearance control impingement manifold and environmental shield

Improved operation can be achieved from an enhanced gas turbine engine having a segmented annular shroud which radially expands and contracts to match the expansion and contraction of engine rotor blades. The segmented annular shroud is supported by a structure which includes an annular ring having two radially outwardly extending flanges, and forward and aft annular segmented brackets which attach the segmented shroud to the forward and aft side of the ring respectively. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, two circumferentially extending separate and distinct air impingement manifolds surrounds each of the outwardly extending flanges. Each manifold is provided with a valve for controlling the amount and temperature of the airflow entering each manifold. The air from each manifold then impinges upon each of the outwardly extending flanges, thereby controlling the radial movement of the corresponding shroud segments and the associated clearances with the rotor blade tips. The use of separate and distinct manifolds and the corresponding values which regulate the amount and temperature of airflow to each manifold allows individual shroud portions to be separately expanded or contracted.

Clearance control system for separately expanding or contracting

A tube fitting for use with a flammable fluid is disposed in an auto-ignition zone of a gas turbine engine. The tube fitting has a pair of separable casings defining a passage to accommodate flow therethrough of the flammable fluid, and the casings have a pair of seals associated in sealing engagement with each other to seal about the passage. A restriction is arranged in one of the casings for limiting at least to a preselected flow rate any leakage flow of the flammable fluid from the passage past the seals upon an interruption in the sealing engagement thereof in the event of the occurrence of the separation of the casing.

Tube fitting for a gas turbine engine

In a gas turbine engine, conduit delivers pressurized cooling air to a selected group of hollow struts at a temperature sufficient to induce thermal contraction of the selected group of hollow struts, thereby opposing a downward shift in the rotor axis during high power engine operation, and maintaining a circumferentially uniform tip clearance. Air baffles disposed in the cooled struts ensure radially uniform thermal contraction and efficient heat transfer.

Tip clearance control apparatus and method

A flammable fluid-carrying tube coupling assembly for use in a gas turbine engine includes a pair of fitting members each having an inner hub portion and an outer flange portion, a seal and drain arrangement defined within an annular interface region between the fitting members, and an arrangement for releasably clamping the fitting members to one another. The inner hub portions are attachable to ends of fluid-carrying hollow tubes and disposed relative to one another so as to define a flow passage for fluid communication between the hollow tubes. The outer flange portions are attached to and extend radially outwardly from the inner hub portions and are disposed relative to one another so as to define the annular interface region between the fitting members which provides a path of potential fluid leakage from the flow passage to the exterior of the fitting members. The seal and drain arrangement includes an inner annular primary seal encircling the flow passage so as to obstruct the path of potential fluid leakage therefrom to the exterior of the fitting members, a drain channel encircling the inner annular primary seal so as to intersect the path of potential fluid leakage therefrom to the exterior of the fitting members in the event the primary seal should fail, and an outer annular secondary seal encircling the drain channel so as to obstruct the path of potential fluid leakage therefrom to the exterior of the fitting members in the event both the primary seal and the drain channel should fail.

Fluid-carrying tube coupling assembly with internal seal and drain

Clearance control is provided by circumferentially segmented cooling manifolds having spray bars located radially outside selected components of the stator casing. Cooling air is directed onto stator components and returns immediately through circuitous paths to improve uniformity of cooling. The spray bars extend through limited circumferential angles to limit distortion due to uneven heating.

Impingement manifold

A coupling for joining first and second channels in fluid communication includes a tubular housing having a first section including a wear surface, and a second section for being removably joined in fluid communication with the second channel. A first fitting includes a flange for being joined in fluid communication with the first channel, and an integral piston including a piston ring disposed in contact with the wear surface for forming a seal therewith. Differential movement between the housing and the piston is accommodated while maintaining a seal with the piston ring.

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Cincinnati, OH, United States of America

Jeffrey Glover