EP0468782A2
Expired / Lapsed
EP
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Gas turbine rotor and operation thereof
Assignee: General Electric Co
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Filing: 1991-07-25
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Granted: —
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Expires: 2011-07-25
Abstract
Abstract A gas turbine rotor assembly (10) includes axially spaced rotor discs (18,20,22) carried on a shaft (12), together with first and second generally cylindrical actuators (40,42) mounted at each of their opposite ends to the shaft (12) and extending toward one another to overlap at their distal ends. The actuators (40,42) lie within the interior surface of the rotor discs (18-22) and have openings (48 and 50) in their overlapped portions. Upon a transient condition, the forward actuator (40) thermally expands in an axial direction to register at least in part its openings with the openings of the second actuator (42) to provide air flow through the partially aligned openings to opposite sides of an aft rotor disc (20,22). The second actuator (42) thermally expands in a forward axial direction to increase the registration of the openings and, hence, the flow-through area, affording increased air flow. When approaching steady state operation, the rotor assembly expands axially to displace the openings of the second actuator into misalignment with the openings of the first actuator to prevent the flow of air through the openings, whereby cooling losses during steady state operation are avoided.
Inventors
- 👤 Diether Eusebio Carreno
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
EP
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-05 01:39
CPC Classifications
F; F02; F02C; F02C3/00; F02C3/04; F02C3/107; F01; F01D; F01D5/00; F01D5/02; F01D5/08; F01D11/00; F01D11/08; F01D11/14; F01D11/16; F01D11/18
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 19
Claim 1
Independent Claim
177 words
A gas turbine rotor assembly, comprising: a rotatable shaft; a plurality of turbine rotors each including a disc mounted on said shaft; turbine buckets on said discs along their outer rims; a pair of cylindrical actuators having opposite ends thereof secured respectively to said shaft and adjoining ends free and overlapping concentrically one within the other radially inwardly of said discs, at least one of said actuators being responsive to a change in temperature to expand in one axial direction relative to the other of said actuators, said actuators having at least one opening each therethrough and in said overlapping portions; and means for supplying compressor extraction air within the cylindrical actuators for communication through said openings, said one actuator being movable in said one axial direction in response to a change in temperature during transient turbine operation to register at least in part its opening with the opening of said other actuator to enable air to flow from within said actuatore through the registered openings to opposite sides of at least one of said rotor discs.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
36 words
An assembly according to claim 1, wherein at turbine rotor start-up, the openings in the overlapping actuator portions lie out of registration one with the other to preclude communication through the overlapped portions of the actuators.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
41 words
An assembly according to claim 1 including means responsive to temperature changes during transient operation for displacing said actuators relative to one another to decrease the area of registration of and the aggregate flow of cooling air through the registering openings.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
48 words
An assembly according to claim 3, wherein said other actuator is movable in the opposite axial direction in response to a change in temperature during transient operation to displace its openings to increase the area of registration of and the aggregate flow of air through the registering openings.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
36 words
An assembly according to claim 4, wherein, at turbine rotor start-up, the openings in the overlapping actuator portions lie out of registration one with the other to preclude communication through the overlapped portions of the actuators.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
37 words
An assembly according to claim 1 including a seal carried by said other actuator and sealing against the inner surface of said one disc, at least a pair of axially spaced openings carried by each said actuator.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
32 words
An assembly according to claim 6 wherein said openings through said other actuator lie on opposite sides of said seal to enable air to flow along opposite sides of said one disc.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
185 words
A gas turbine rotor assembly, comprising: a rotatable shaft; a plurality of turbine rotors each including a disc mounted on said shaft; turbine buckets on said discs along their outer rims; a pair of cylindrical actuators having opposite ends thereof secured respectively to said shaft and adjoining ends free and overlapping concentrically one within the other radially inwardly of said discs, at least one of said actuators being responsive to a change in temperature to expand in one axial direction relative to the other of said actuators; said actuators having at least one opening each therethrough and in said overlapping portions, said openings at least partially registering one with the other; means for supplying compressor extraction air within the cylindrical actuators for communication through said registering openings, said one actuator being movable in said one axial direction in response to a change in temperature during transient turbine operation to change the extent of registration of said openings relative to one another thereby to alter the flow of air from within said actuators through the registering openings to opposite sides of one of said rotor discs.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
50 words
An assembly according to claim 1, 2 or 8 wherein said other actuator is movable in the opposite axial direction in response to a change in temperature during transient operation to displace its opening to increase the area of registration of and the flow of air through the registering openings.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
42 words
An assembly according to claim 1 or 9 including means responsive to temperature changes during transient operation for displacing said actuators relative to one another to decrease the area of registration of and the flow of cooling air through the registering openings.
Claim 11
Independent Claim
143 words
A method of operating a gas turbine rotor assembly having a rotatable shaft, a plurality of turbine rotors mounted on said shaft, each including a disc with buckets along its outer rim, and a pair of cylindrical actuators defining an air channel and overlapping portions with openings therethrough for supplying air to said rotore, comprising the steps of: (a) thermally expanding one of said actuators in one axial direction to register at least part of the openings through said one actuator with the openings through the other actuator to enable flow of air from said channel to at least one rotor; and (b) thermally expanding the other of said actuators in an axial direction to change the extent of registration of said openings one with the other and alter the flow of air from said channel through said registering openings to said rotor.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
33 words
A method according to claim 11 including displacing said other actuator relative to said one actuator in said one direction to alter the flow of air through said registering openings in said actuators.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
36 words
A method according to claim 11 including displacing said other actuator to misalign the openings thereof relative to the openings in the one actuator thereby to prevent flow of air from said channel through said openings.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
52 words
A method according to claim 11 including thermally expanding the other of said actuators in an axial direction opposite to the axial direction of thermal expansion of said one actuator to increase the extent of registration of said openings and increase the flow of air from said channel through said registering openings.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
33 words
A method according to claim 14 including displacing said other actuator relative to said one actuator in said one direction to decrease the flow of air through said registering openings in said actuators.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
28 words
A method according to claim 14 wherein prior to turbine start-up, said actuator openings are misaligned, and including performing step (a) after start-up and before steady state operation.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
15 words
A method according to claim 16 including performing step (b) before steady state operation occurs.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
44 words
A method according to claim 17 including displacing said other actuator, prior to steady state operation, to misalign the openings thereof relative to the openings in the one actuator thereby to choke the flow, wholly or in part, from said channel through said openings.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
23 words
A method according to claim 18 wherein the openings are misaligned and flow through the openings is choked off during steady state operation.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
No citation records indexed.
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