United Technologies Corporation

Raytheon Technologies Corporation

Rtx Corporation

Stripinis, Philip S.

Munsell, Peter M.

Peter M Munsell

Philip S Stripinis

Jorn Axel Glahn

William K Ackermann

Steven B Johnson

Cheng-Zhang Wang

David F Cloud

Bruce P Biederman

David P Dube

Clifton J Crawley, Jr

Thomas G Phillips

Robert Newman

Matthew D Nicolson

Michelle Diana Stearns

Phillip S Stripinis

A gas turbine engine includes, among other things, a compressor section including a low pressure compressor and a high pressure compressor, a turbine section including a low pressure turbine and a high pressure turbine, an inner shaft that interconnects the low pressure compressor and the low pressure turbine, an outer shaft that interconnects the high pressure compressor and the high pressure turbine, a bearing structure that supports at least one of the inner and outer shafts, and a buffer system. The buffer system prepares buffer air, communicates the buffer air to the bearing structure to pressurize a bearing compartment, and then from the bearing structure along at least one of the shafts.

Gas turbine engine buffer system

A gas turbine engine includes a propulsor section, a compressor section including a first compressor, a front center body case structure that defines a first core flow path for core airflow into the first compressor, an intermediate case structure, a geared architecture, a propulsor shaft, a first bearing structure mounted to the front center body case structure, a bearing compartment passage structure in communication with the first bearing structure through the front center body case structure, and a turbine section.

Gas turbine engine forward bearing compartment architecture

A gas turbine engine includes a buffer system that communicates a buffer supply air to a portion of the gas turbine engine. The buffer system includes a first bleed air supply having a first pressure, a second bleed air supply having a second pressure that is greater than the first pressure, and a valve that selects between the first bleed air supply and the second bleed air supply to communicate the buffer supply air to the portion of the gas turbine engine.

A turbofan gas turbine engine includes a front center body case structure. A geared architecture is at least partially supported by the front center body case structure. A bearing structure rotationally support a fan shaft. A fan rotor bearing support structure extends radially inward from the front center body and at least partially supports the bearing structure. The fan rotor bearing support structure includes a passage that communicates buffer supply air from a hollow strut to the bearing structure.

A gas turbine engine includes a buffer system that communicates a buffer cooling air to at least one bearing structure and at least one shaft of the gas turbine engine. The buffer system includes a first bleed air supply and a conditioning device that conditions the first bleed air supply to render the first buffer supply air at an acceptable temperature to pressurize the at least one bearing structure and cool the at least one shaft.

A gas turbine engine includes a fan, a compressor section, and a turbine section configured to drive the compressor section and the fan. A buffer system is configured to communicate a buffer supply air to a portion of the gas turbine engine. The buffer system includes a first bleed air supply having a first pressure, a second bleed air supply having a second pressure that is greater than the first pressure, and an ejector that selectively augments the first bleed air supply to prepare the buffer supply air for communication to the portion of the gas turbine engine. A method and a buffer system are also disclosed.

A gas turbine engine includes a front center body case structure. A geared architecture is at least partially supported by the front center body case structure. A bearing structure is mounted to the front center body case structure to rotationally support a shaft driven by the geared architecture, the shaft drive a fan. A bearing compartment passage structure is in communication with the bearing structure through the front center body case structure. A method is also disclosed.

A method of designing a buffer system for a gas turbine engine according to an example of the present disclosure includes, among other things, configuring a heat exchanger to define a first inlet and a first outlet fluidly coupled to each other and a second inlet and a second outlet fluidly coupled to each other, configuring the first inlet to receive air from first and second air sources that are selectively fluidly coupled to the first inlet, configuring the second inlet to receive air from a third air source fluidly that is coupled to the second inlet, and configuring the first outlet to provide cooled pressurized air to multiple fluid-supplied areas that are located remotely from one another and that are fluidly coupled to the first outlet, the multiple fluid-supplied areas including a bearing compartment of a gas turbine engine.

Compressed air bleed supply for buffer system

Buffer system that communicates buffer supply air to one or more portions of a gas turbine engine

A gas turbine engine includes a front center body case structure. A geared architecture is at least partially supported by the front center body case structure. A bearing structure and front center body case structure rotationally support a shaft driven by the geared architecture, the shaft drive a fan. A bearing compartment passage structure is in communication with the bearing structure through the front center body case structure. A method is also disclosed.

A gas turbine engine includes a front center body case structure. A geared architecture is at least partially supported by the front center body case structure. A bearing structure and the front center body case structure rotationally support a shaft driven by the geared architecture, the shaft drive a fan. A bearing compartment passage structure is in communication with the bearing structure through the front center body case structure. A method is also disclosed.

A gas turbine engine according to an example of the present disclosure includes, among other things, a fan, a low pressure compressor, and a high pressure compressor axially aft of the low pressure compressor. A first case structure defines a core flow path for core airflow into the low pressure compressor and has a forward end and an aft end. A second case structure defines a core flow path for core airflow into the high pressure compressor and is mounted to the aft end of the first case structure. A geared architecture is at least partially supported by the first case structure. A first bearing structure is mounted to the first case structure to rotationally support a fan shaft that connects with the geared architecture to drive the fan. A flex support provides a flexible attachment of the geared architecture within the first case structure. A fan drive turbine drives the geared architecture to drive the fan at a speed lower than a speed of the fan drive turbine.

A bleed air supply system for a gas turbine engine comprising a duct having an inlet end and extending to an outlet end. The inlet end of the duct is provided with a central insert. In another feature, there may be a plurality of ducts, and inlet ends of the plurality of ducts being spaced by at least 90&#xb0;. In another feature, a compressor may have a diffuser with a shroud ending upstream of the downstream end of an inner shroud, having an outer shroud ending at a location upstream of a downstream end of an inner shroud at locations circumferentially aligned with an inlet end of the duct.

Growing community of inventors

Granby, CT, United States of America

Peter M Munsell