United Technologies Corporation

Leonard W Stevens

William F Neal

Wayne M Brown

Ibrahim S Tanrikut

William A Moore

Steven C Peterson

Robert John Koenig

William S Siwik

Andrew A Barnard

A stator assembly 18 for a gas turbine engine is disclosed. Various construction details relating to the mounting of a stator vane 42 in the engine are developed. In one embodiment, the vane is: bolted at a downstream flange 112 of the vane to an inner support 54; radially splined to a support such as the outer support 56 at an upstream flange 125 which is spaced axially from the downstream flange; and, is adapted to slidably engage the outer support to provide sealing contact between the vane and the remainder of the engine.

Coolable stator assembly for a gas turbine engine

A buffer zone adjacent to the inner diameter of carbon seals of an enclosed bearing compartment is defined by an elongated element disposed adjacent the shaft of a turbine type power plant is open ended to receive pressurized, cool air bled from the compressor to apply the cooler, higher pressure air (higher than ambient) adjacent to the seal. One embodiment contemplates feeding the buffer zone by pipes and another embodiment shrouds the bearing compartment and flows the shrouded air to the buffer zone. The buffer air with other secondary airflow cooling requirements, is utilized to cool the high pressure turbine with an overall engine performance benefit.

Bearing compartment protection system

A stator assembly 18 for a gas turbine engine is disclosed. The stator assembly includes an engine case 24 and a wall 26, such as a wall that includes an array of stator vanes 42. A high pressure region 74 (cooling chambers) extends between the wall and the engine case. The cooling chambers 74 are in flow communication through a leak path with a working medium flow path 14. An annular outer support 56 bounding the chambers beneath the vanes forms with the vanes an intermediate chamber 132 through which the leak path for cooling fluid passes. The annular support further includes a plurality of orifices 94 for diverting flow away from the leak path to lower the pressure of the intermediate chamber. In one embodiment, the chamber is formed in part by an annular groove 84 in the support and a plurality of flanges 124 associated with the vanes. The flanges are urged rearwardly into sealing contact with the annular support.

A coolable stator assembly 18 positioned outwardly of an array of rotor blades 32 in a gas turbine engine is disclosed. The stator assembly includes an outer case 48 and an outer air seal 76 positioned outwardly of the array of rotor blades by the outer casing leaving a variable clearance gap G therebetween. The outer case has an upstream flange 52 and a downstream flange 54 for joining the outer case to adjacent cases 46, 50. A coolable rail assembly 22 for varying the diameter of the outer air seal and the clearance gap G is attached to the outer air seal. Various construction details for improving the sealing effectiveness of the stator assembly are developed. The coolable rail assembly is supported inwardly of a plurality of spray bars 26 from the upstream flange and the downstream flange. In one embodiment, a first section 102 and a second section 104 of the outer casing support the rail assembly from the flanges. The cross-sectional area of the first and second sections are smaller than the cross-sectional area of the rail assembly. An array of stator vanes 61 adjacent the outer air seal and rail assembly is supported from a flanged joint 58 spaced axially from the rail assembly.

This invention relates to the construction of the heatshield of a fuel nozzle guide of a tubine power plant and provides the separation of the higher temperature operating structure from the cooler structure to assure that the expansion and contraction is permitted without undue restrain for increasing its durability.

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Vernon, CT, United States of America

Leonard W Stevens