General Electric Company

Robert Joseph Albers

Rafael Jose Ruiz

Robert Proctor

John Christopher Brauer

Christopher Charles Glynn

Larry W Plemmons

Edward P Brill

Marcia Boyle

Osman Saim Dinc

Dean Thomas Lenahan

William Lee Herron

Gulcharan Singh Brainch

Steven Alan Ross

David A Di Salle

Scott Anthony Estridge

Yahya Dogu

Michael Terry Bucaro

Samhita Dasgupta

Michael J Epstein

James Neil Cooper

Donald Lee Gardner

James Michael Forrester

John R Hess

Guy Wayne DeLeonardo

Ming Zhou

Randall Charles Bauer

Zhifeng Dong

Mullahalli Venkataramaniah Srinivas

Peter Michael Finnigan

Kenneth Martin Lewis

Glen William Royal

Andrew David Kemp

Gregory Allen Cimmarusti

Roger Francis Wartner

Kevin Stephen Hansell

Scott Joseph Schmid

Michael Eugene Battle

Maureen Theresa Normoyle

Helen Marie Plemmons, Legal Representative

Beatrice Louise Bobo, Legal Representative

Ryan Michael Urbassik

David B Legger

A multi sensor clearance probe with at least longitudinally and transversely spaced apart first and second sensors operable to measure first and second distances respectively between the sensors and a longitudinally spaced apart rotating rotor. The sensors being operable to measure blade tip clearances between radially outer turbine blade tips and an annular stator shroud circumscribing the blade tips. The blade tips may be squealer tips and the sensors operable to measure the distances between the sensors and tops of squealer tip walls and outwardly facing walls within cavities of the squealer tips. The probe may be operably connected to a controller for sending signals to the controller indicating the first and second distances for controlling an air valve used for active clearance control. Two or more of the probe may be used to determine rotor centerline offset.

Multi sensor clearance probe

A method for operating a gas turbine engine is provided. The gas turbine engine includes a fan, a high pressure turbine coupled downstream from the fan, and a low pressure turbine downstream from the high pressure turbine. The method includes channeling a portion of air discharged from the fan through a clearance control system including an inlet assembly that includes a plurality of louvers, and directing air from the inlet assembly into a first pipe and second pipe coupled to the inlet assembly such that pressure losses associated with the airflow are facilitated to be reduced.

Method and apparatus for operating gas turbine engines

A gas turbine engine thermal control apparatus includes at least one annular spray tube having spray holes oriented to impinge thermal control air onto a fillet between an outer casing and a forward thermal control ring and, in a more particular embodiment, into a center of the fillet. The apparatus may include an annular segmented stator shroud attached to the outer casing and circumscribing radial outer blade tips of turbine blades of a turbine rotor. A thermal air distribution manifold encircling a portion of the outer casing includes an annular supply tube connected in fluid supply relationship to plenums of header assemblies. The annular spray tube is connected to at least one of the plenums and may be elongated radially inwardly and axially. Baffles attached to radially outwardly facing surfaces of the panels may be contoured to form exhaust passages having exhaust passage inlets and outlets between the baffles and the panels.

Thermal control of gas turbine engine rings for active clearance control

A turbine engine stator assembly in juxtaposition across a radial gap with a rotary blading assembly includes a radially movable shroud and a gap control member made of at least one shape memory alloy (SMA). The SMA is selected and preconditioned to deform pre-selected amounts to change the radial length of the gap during engine operation responsive to temperature about the SMA. A fluid flow means delivers fluid to the SMA at pre-selected temperatures during engine operation.

Turbine engine stator including shape memory alloy and clearance control method

A method of operating a gas turbine engine is provided. The gas turbine engine includes at least one engine casing and at least one rotor assembly. The method includes directing airflow through a supply pipe and into a heat exchanger, lowering the temperature of the airflow in the heat exchanger, and directing the cooled airflow into the engine casing to cool the casing.

Methods and apparatus for maintaining rotor assembly tip clearances

An annular blade retention plate for axially retaining rotor blades within slots of a rotor disk. The plate includes an annular plate web extending radially outwardly from a radially inner plate hub to a plate rim and an annular radially outwardly open outer channel in a radially outwardly facing outer surface of the rim. A sealing ring is received within the outer channel and the sealing ring has axial rectangularly shaped cross-sections. An annular axially forwardly open inner channel in an annular ridge on a forward plate face of the plate web has an annular seal wire received therein. In a rotor assembly having a rotor disk supporting a plurality of circumferentially spaced apart rotor blades mounted in corresponding axially extending slots and the plate mounted to the rotor disk the sealing ring is in sealing engagement with radially inwardly facing surfaces of blade platforms of the blades.

Turbine blade retainer seal

A method enables a gas turbine engine to be assembled. The method comprises coupling a rotor assembly including a plurality of circumferentially-spaced rotor blades downstream from, and in flow communication with, a compressor, coupling a casing assembly circumferentially around the rotor assembly such that a clearance is defined between an inner shroud surface of the casing assembly and the rotor blade tips, and coupling a clearance control system to the casing assembly to facilitate maintaining the clearance between the casing assembly and the rotor blade tips, wherein at least a portion of an external surface of the clearance control system is formed with a textured pattern that facilitates increasing the clearance control closure capability during engine operation.

A system for controlling blade tip clearance in a turbine. The system includes a stator including a shroud having a plurality of shroud segments and a rotor including a blade rotatable within the shroud. An actuator assembly is positioned radially around the shroud and includes a plurality of actuators. A sensor senses a turbine parameter and generates a sensor signal representative of the turbine parameter. A modeling module generates a tip clearance prediction in response to turbine cycle parameters. A controller receives the sensor signal and the tip clearance prediction and generates at least one command signal. The actuators include at least one actuator receiving the command signal and adjusts a position of at least one of the shroud segments in response to the command signal.

Method and system for active tip clearance control in turbines

A method for controlling fluid leakage between a first pressure region and a second pressure region within a gas turbine engine using a first sealing member and a second sealing member. The first sealing member is movably coupled to a portion of the gas turbine engine, and a space defined generally between a portion of the first sealing member and a portion of the second sealing member fluidly couples the first pressure region to the second pressure region. The method includes moving the first sealing member towards the second sealing member using fluid pressure within a portion of the engine, and, using the first and second sealing members, substantially controlling fluid leakage between the first pressure area and the second pressure area through the space generally without contacting the first sealing member with the second sealing member.

Method and apparatus for controlling fluid leakage through gas turbine engines

A gas turbine engine aspirating face seal includes rotatable and non-rotatable engine members and a leakage path therebetween. Annular generally planar rotatable and non-rotatable gas bearing face surfaces are operably associated with the rotatable and non-rotatable engine members respectively and are circumscribed about and generally perpendicular to a centerline axis. A substantially fully annular pull off biasing element is operably disposed for urging the non-rotatable gas bearing face surface axially away from the rotatable gas bearing face surface and circumscribed about the centerline axis. The pull off biasing element may be at least one wave spring or one bellville washer. The non-rotatable gas bearing face surface may be on a face seal ring mounted on a translatable cylindrical piston which is axially movable and supported by the non-rotatable engine member.

Aspirating face seal with axially biasing one piece annular spring

A gas turbine engine aspirating face seal includes a rotatable engine member and a non-rotatable engine member and a leakage path therebetween. Annular generally planar rotatable and non-rotatable gas bearing face surfaces circumscribed about a centerline are operably associated the rotatable and non-rotatable engine members respectively. Radially inner and outer tooth rings axially extend away from a first one of the rotatable and non-rotatable gas bearing face surfaces across the leakage path and towards a second one of the gas bearing face surfaces. A pull off biasing means is used for urging the inner and outer tooth rings axially away from the second one of the gas bearing face surfaces. The rotatable engine member may be a side plate mounted on a rotor disk and the non-rotatable engine member is mounted on a translatable piston axially movably supported on a stationary face seal support structure.

Aspirating face seal with axially extending seal teeth

A support arrangement for a brush seal positioned between a stationary and a rotatable component of a turbomachine. The brush seal has a downstream backing plate that includes an axially-extending lip adjacent its radially outermost end to minimize axial deflection of the seal as a result of a gas pressure differential acting across the seal.

Brush seal support

A rotary machine has a rotor and a surrounding stator. The rotor has an outer surface with an upstream larger-radius first section, a downstream smaller-radius second section, and an intervening third section which has an area facing in a direction other than perpendicular or parallel to the axis of the rotor. In one example, the area includes a first convex area and a second concave area. The machine also has a first brush seal with bristles whose free ends are positioned near the second section, and the machine may also include a second brush seal with bristles whose free ends are positioned near the first section and with a front plate having a ledge projecting away from its corresponding bristles.

Rotary machine containing a brush seal

A brush seal segment useful, when circumferentially arrayed with other such segments, to seal the gap between a rotor and a surrounding casing of a rotary machine such as a gas or steam turbine. Brush-seal bristles are positioned between a brush-seal back plate and a brush-seal front plate with the free end of each bristle extending beyond the edges of the plates. The front plate has a portion extending to the edge of the front plate with the portion spaced apart from the bristles. In one example, the portion has an array of through holes. In another example, the portion has a ledge projecting generally away from the bristles.

Brush seal segment having bristle damping

A turbine nozzle assembly includes a plurality of nozzle segments and a nozzle support for supporting the nozzle segments. Each nozzle segment includes an outer band, an inner band and at least two vanes disposed between the outer and inner bands. A retention flange extends radially inwardly from the inner band and has a first hole formed therein. The nozzle support includes a recess formed therein and a mounting flange extending therefrom. The mounting flange is disposed in contact with the retention flange and has a second hole formed therein. A pin is disposed in the first and second holes to position the flanges with respect to one another. A pin retainer is disposed in the recess and has a holding flange for retaining the pin in place. The nozzle support includes a substantially conical portion and an air seal integrally formed thereto.

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Park Hills, KY, United States of America

Robert Joseph Albers