Cooling system for a gas turbine

Claim 2

In an axial flow elastic fluid utilizing machine comprising a stationary portion and a rotatable portion, means to supply cooling fluid to said stationary portion, said rotatable portion including a rotor structure, said rotor structure comprising a disc extending radially outward from said rotor, a corresponding annular row of blades in said disc, an annular cavity between said rotatable and stationary portions, said cavity being in communication with said cooling fluid supply means, an annular series of apertures on said rotatable portion, said cavity providing for substantial uniformity of flow of said cooling fluid from said cavity into said rotatable apertures, a passageway in said rotatable portion in fluid communication with said apertures, means to impart a tangential velocity to said cooling fluid before it enters said passageway, and means to direct said fluid from said passageway to said rotor blades to cool the same.

Claim 3

The machine according to claim 1 wherein said velocity means comprise an annular series of swirl inducers, said swirl inducers having entrance portions and exit portions, said entrance portions being in fluid communication with the annular cavity, said exit portions being in fluid communication with the passageway, said swirl inducers having orifices in said exit portions, and said orifices being oriented to impart a tangential velocity component to the fluid which is substantially equal to the tangential velocity component of the passageway.

Claim 4

The machine according to claim 1 wherein the velocity means comprises a circumferential ring, said ring forming part of the stationary portion and comprising an annular series of nozzle passages, said nozzle passages oriented to impart a tangential velocity component to the coolant which is approximately equal to the tangential velocity component of the apertures.

Claim 5

The structure according to claim 1 wherein the velocity imparting means is arranged in a manner to impart a velocity component in the direction of rotation of the rotatable portion.

Claim 6

In an axial flow elastic fluid utilizing machine comprising a stationary portion and a rotatable portion, means to supply cooling fluid to said machine, said rotatable portion including a rotor structure, said rotor structure comprising a disc extending radially outward from said rotor, a corresponding annular row of blades in said disc, an annular cavity between said rotatable and stationary portions, an annular series of apertures on said rotatable portion, a passageway in said rotatable portion in fluid communication with said apertures, means to impart a tangential velocity to said cooling fluid before it enters said passageway, means to direct a fluid from said passageway to said rotor blades, said velocity means comprising an annular series of swirl inducers, said swirl inducers having entrance portions, middle portions and exit portions, recesses in the rotatable portion between the apertures and the passageway, said entrance and middle portions cooperating with said recesses to secure said swirl inducers to the rotatable portion, said orifices in said exit portions being oriented so that the resultant velocity of the fluid which flows through said swirl inducers is at an angle with the axis of rotation of the rotor structure.

Claim 7

In an axial flow elastic fluid utilizing machine comprising a stationary portion and a rotatable portion, means to supply cooling fluid to said machine, said rotatable portion including a rotor structure, said rotor structure comprising a disc extending radially outward from said rotor, a corresponding annular row of blades in said disc, an annular cavity between said rotatable and stationary portions, an annular series of apertures on said rotatable portion, a passageway in said rotatable portion in fluid communication with said apertures, means to impart a tangential velocity to said cooling fluid before it enters said passageway, means to direct a fluid from said passageway to said rotor blades, said velocity means comprising an annular series of swirl inducers, said swirl inducers having entrance portions, middle portions and exit portions, recesses in the rotatable portion between the apertures and the passageway, said entrance and middle portions cooperating with said recesses to secure said swirl inducers to the rotatable portion, said orifices in said exit portions being oriented so that the resultant velocity of the fluid which flows through said swirl inducers is at an angle with the axis of rotation of the rotor structure.

Claim 8

The machine according to claim 5 wherein the means to direct the fluid from the passageway to the rotor blades comprises an aNnular fairing member, said member having a flange portion extending radially outward, said flange portion and the first rotor disc being arranged in spaced relation to form a radial compartment, an annular series of vanes extending radially outward relative to the axis of rotation of the rotor in said compartment, said vanes being secured to the rotatable portion, a plurality of radially extending openings in the disc, said openings being in fluid communication with the root portions of the rotor blades, said vanes directing the cooling fluid into said radial openings to that the tangential velocity of the fluid in the compartment at the point of entry into the openings is approximately equal to the tangential velocity of the openings.

Claim 9

The machine according to claim 5 wherein the rotatable portion further comprises a cylindrical torque tube and a tubular fairing member, said torque tube and fairing member jointly defining an axially elongated passageway, a disc-shaped flange portion of said fairing member extending radially outward, said flange portion and the disc defining a radially elongated compartment, the means to direct the fluid from the passageway to the rotor blades comprising said radial compartment, and annular series of radial openings in the disc in fluid communication with the rotor blades.

Claim 10

The machine according to claim 7 and further including a second disc downstream of the first disc, wherein the first disc has a series of channels in fluid communication with the downstream disc and rotor blades.

Claim 11

In an axial flow elastic fluid utilizing machine comprising a stationary portion and a rotatable portion, said rotatable portion including a rotor structure, said rotor structure comprising a disc extending radially outward from said rotor, a corresponding annular row of blades in said disc, an annular cavity between said rotatable and stationary portions, an annular series of apertures on said rotatable portion, a passageway in said rotatable portion in fluid communication with said apertures, means to impart a tangential velocity to a cooling fluid before it enters said passageway, means to direct said fluid from said passageway to said rotor blades, a circumferential liner in the stationary member, a circumferential ring, said ring comprising an annular series of nozzle passages, annular recesses in said liner, annular lips on said ring, said recesses and lips cooperating to secure said ring into said liner.

Claim 12

In an axial flow elastic fluid utilizing machine comprising a stationary portion and a rotatable portion, said rotatable portion including a rotor structure, said rotor structure comprising a disc extending radially outward from said rotor, a corresponding annular row of blades in said disc, an annular cavity between said rotatable and stationary portions, an annular series of apertures on said rotatable portion, a passageway in said rotatable portion in fluid communication with said apertures, means to impart a tangential velocity to a cooling fluid before it enters said passageway, means to direct said fluid from said passageway to said rotor blades, a circumferential liner in the stationary member, a circumferential ring, said ring comprising an annular series of nozzle passages, annular recesses in said liner, annular lips on said ring, said recesses and lips cooperating to secure said ring into said liner.

Claim 13

The machine according to claim 9 wherein said nozzle passages are substantially equally spaced in a circumferential direction said passages comprising concentric larger diameter inlet portions and smaller diameter outlet portions, and said passages being oriented so that the coolant will leave the nozzle passages at an angle with the tangent of the annular cavity at the nozzle exits.