General Electric Company

Poul D Pedersen

Christopher Charles Glynn

Roger C Walker

Frederick Martin Miller

Larry W Plemmons

Dean Thomas Lenahan

Curtis Walton Stover

Sang Yeng Park

Clifford C May

A retention system and method for the blades of a rotary machine for preventing forward or aft axial movement of the rotor blades includes a circumferential hub slot formed about a circumference of the machine hub. The rotor blades have machined therein a blade retention slot which is aligned with the circumferential hub slot when the blades are received in correspondingly shaped openings in the hub. At least one ring segment is secured in the blade retention slots and the circumferential hub slot to retain the blades from axial movement. A key assembly is used to secure the ring segments in the aligned slots via a hook portion receiving the ring segments and a threaded portion that is driven radially outwardly by a nut. A cap may be provided to provide a redundant back-up load path for the centrifugal loads on the key. Alternatively, the key assembly may be formed in the blade dovetail.

Retention system and method for the blades of a rotary machine

One form of a retention system includes a pair of aft segments of 180.degree. in length disposed in annular grooves about a compressor spool, the segments having radial projections against which the aft end faces of the base portions of rotor blades abut. The blade base portions are shaped and are received in complementary-shaped slots of the spool. The forward retention system includes a plurality of arcuate segments approximately 30.degree. in length disposed in grooves adjacent the forward end faces of the blades. With the exception of the final pair of blades, the blade base portions thereof are located in the axial complementary slots in pairs, with each forward arcuate segment, except the final segment, being disposed in the groove at a circumferentially spaced location and displaced circumferentially to abut the forward end faces. The final arcuate segment is radially reduced and disposed in the remaining portion of the groove to lie flush with the spool. The base portions of the final blades are axially inserted over the final segments and the latter is displaced radially outwardly and pinned to abut the forward end faces of the final blade base portions. In another form, tabs project forwardly or rearwardly from the base portions of the blades. The tabs have holes in registry with corresponding holes in the blade slot for receiving pins thereby preventing axial movement of the blades relative to the spool.

Retention system for the blades of a rotary machine

In a gas turbine including a compressor having a bore and a rotor comprised of multiple stages extending between a first stage at a forward end of the compressor and a last stage at an aft end of the compressor, each stage including a rotor disk having a peripheral rim and multiple blades secured to the peripheral rim, a combustion system comprising a plurality of combustors utilizing discharge air from the compressor for combustion, and multiple turbine stages driven by combustion gases from the combustion system, the improvement comprising means for supplying cooling air at least to a peripheral rim of the last stage of the compressor.

Compressor rotor cooling system for a gas turbine

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Cincinnati, OH, United States of America

Poul D Pedersen