Honeywell International Inc.

John McClintic

Jason Smoke

Mark C Morris

Eric Bridges

Steven Whitaker

Joseph Yanof

Partha Das

Ardeshir Riahi

Shakeel Nasir

Benjamin Dosland Kamrath

Paul Kurlak

Jeffrey Krise

Gas turbine engines and methods for reducing spool thrust in a combustor section thereof are provided. The engines include an impeller, a shaft coupled to the impeller, an inner cavity downstream of the impeller, a thrust bearing assembly mechanically coupled to the shaft, a seal assembly having a seal land, and a controller. The controller is configured to detect a loss of oil event to the thrust bearing assembly and, in response, actuate the seal assembly to move the seal land toward a downstream face of the impeller to form a continuous axial seal about the inner cavity, vent gases from the inner cavity to decrease pressure therein to an extent less than an operating gas pressure thereof, and maintain the axial seal and the pressure within the inner cavity and thereby reduce the axial loads on the shaft.

Gas turbine engines and methods for reducing spool thrust in a combustor section thereof

Gas turbine engines and methods for reducing spool thrust in a turbine section thereof are provided. The engines include a turbine disk, a shaft coupled to the turbine disk, an inner cavity downstream of the turbine disk, a thrust bearing assembly mechanically coupled to the shaft, a seal assembly having a seal land, and a controller. The controller is configured to detect a loss of oil event to the thrust bearing assembly and, in response: actuate the seal assembly to move the seal land toward a downstream face of the turbine disk to form a continuous axial seal about the inner cavity, supply a pressurized gas to the inner cavity to increase pressure in therein to an extent greater than an operating pressure thereof, and maintain the axial seal and the pressure within the inner cavity and thereby reduce the axial loads on the shaft.

Gas turbine engines and methods for reducing spool thrust in a turbine section thereof

A bleed arrangement for a turbomachine that results in uniform flow to the combustor. A turbomachine includes a compressor, a combustor disposed to receive the compressed air from the compressor through a flow path, and a diffuser disposed in the flow path between the compressor and the combustor. A number of bleed holes are disposed downstream in the flow path from the diffuser and are configured to direct bleed air compressed by the compressor away from the combustor. The number of bleed holes have a plural number of sizes configured to provide uniform compressor exit flow distribution around a circumference of the diffuser.

Turbomachine with compressor diffuser bleed for uniform exit flow

A radial turbine rotor associated with an engine includes a disk, and a plurality of blades spaced apart about a perimeter of the disk. Each blade includes a forward end, an aft end and a root. The radial turbine rotor includes a plurality of sectors, with each sector coupled to the root of a respective blade of the plurality of blades. Each sector of the plurality of sectors defines a first surface configured to contact a working fluid and a second surface configured to be coupled to the disk, and each sector of the plurality of sectors defines at least one pocket between the first surface and the second surface proximate the forward end that extends toward the aft end. The radial turbine rotor includes a feather seal slot defined between adjacent sectors of the plurality of sectors proximate the first surface.

Radial turbine rotor for gas turbine engine

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Phoenix, AZ, United States of America

John McClintic