Rotor bore and turbine rotor wheel/spacer heat exchange flow circuit

Patent · Tue Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 2002

OSTI ID:874397

Caruso, Philip M ^[1]; Eldrid, Sacheverel Quentin ^[2]; Ladhani, Azad A ^[3]; DeMania, Alan Richard ^[3]; Palmer, Gene David ^[4]; Wilson, Ian David ^[4]; Rathbun, Lisa Shirley ^[5]; Akin, Robert Craig ^[6]

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1. Selkirk, NY
2. Saratoga Springs, NY
3. Niskayuna, NY
4. Clifton Park, NY
5. Scotia, NY
6. Schenectady, NY

In a turbine having closed-circuit steam-cooling passages about the rim of the rotor during steady-state operation, compressor discharge air is supplied to the rotor bore for passage radially outwardly into the wheel space cavities between the wheels and spacers. Communicating slots and channels in the spacers and wheels at circumferentially spaced positions enable egress of the compressor discharge air into the hot gas flow path. At turbine startup, cooling air flows through the closed-circuit steam passages to cool the outer rim of the rotor while compressor discharge air pre-warms the wheels and spacers. At steady-state, cooling steam is supplied in the closed-circuit steam-cooling passages and compressor discharge air is supplied through the bore and into the wheel space cavities to cool the rotor.

• Research Organization: General Electric Company (Schenectady, NY)
• DOE Contract Number: FC21-95MC31176
• Assignee: General Electric Company (Schenectady, NY)
• Patent Number(s): US 6382903
• OSTI ID: 874397
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

/415/416/
air
air flow
bore
cavities
channels
circuit
circumferentially
closed-circuit
communicating
compressor
compressor discharge
cool
cooling
cooling passages
discharge
discharge air
egress
enable
exchange
flow
flow circuit
flow path
flows
gas
gas flow
heat
heat exchange
hot
hot gas
operation
outer
outwardly
passage
passages
path
positions
pre-warms
radially
rim
rotor
slots
space
spaced
spacers
startup
steady-state
steam
steam-cooling
supplied
turbine
wheel
wheels
wheelspacer