COMPRESSOR BLEED COOLING SYSTEM FOR MID-FRAME TORQUE DISCS DOWNSTREAM FROM A COMPRESSOR ASSEMBLY IN A GAS TURBINE ENGINE

• Main Authors: CAMPBELL, Ernie B, YIN, Yan, THAM, Kok-Mun, LIGHT, Kevin M, SUNSHINE, Robert W, EBERT, Todd A
• Format: Patent
• Language: English; French; German
• Published: 24.10.2018
• Subjects: BLASTING; ENGINE PLANTS IN GENERAL; HEATING; LIGHTING; MACHINES OR ENGINES IN GENERAL; MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; NON-POSITIVE DISPLACEMENT MACHINES OR ENGINES, e.g. STEAMTURBINES; STEAM ENGINES; WEAPONS

A cooling system configured to cool aspects of the turbine engine between a compressor and a turbine assembly is disclosed. In at least one embodiment, the cooling system may include one or more mid-frame cooling channels extending from an inlet through one or more mid-frame torque discs positioned downstream of the compressor and upstream of the turbine assembly. The inlet may be positioned to receive compressor bleed air. The mid-frame cooling channel may be positioned in a radially outer portion of the mid-frame torque disc to provide cooling to outer aspects of the mid-frame torque disc such that conventional, low cost materials may be used to form the mid-frame torque disc rather than high cost materials with capacity to withstand higher temperatures. The cooling fluid routed through the mid-frame cooling channel in the mid-frame torque disc may be exhausted into a cooling system (10) for the downstream turbine assembly.