United Technologies Corporation

Wayne M Brown

Frederick M Schwarz

Leonard W Stevens

William F Neal

William A Moore

Joseph Carmen Manente, Jr

Andrew A Barnard

William S Siwik

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 turbine construction in which the axial loading on the rotor including the compressor and turbine resulting from cooling air pressure in the compartment between the compressor and turbine is balanced by making the compressor and turbine areas exposed to the cooling air of equal area as by having the seals at compressor and turbine ends of the compartment equal in radius with respect to the air of the rotor.

Rotor thrust balancing

Methods and apparatus for flowing cooling air from the compressor section to the turbine section of a gas turbine engine are disclosed. Cooling air from the compressor is flowed radially inward through the compressor drum cavity and thence axially rearward along the rotor shaft to the turbine. Vortex pressure losses in the drum cavity are diminished to enable effective utilization of a lower pressure, lower temperature cooling air source. The use of air from the lower pressure, lower temperature source improves the overall engine operating efficiency while maintaining turbine cooling rates which are consonant with durable operation of the engine.

Compressor bleed system

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North Granby, CT, United States of America

Wayne M Brown