CLOSED LOOP COOLING SYSTEM FOR A GAS TURBINE

• US 20140030073A1
• Filed: 07/27/2012
• Published: 01/30/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 07/27/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: GE Infrastructure Technology, LLC (General Electric Company)
• Original Assignee: General Electric Company
• Inventors: Lacy, Benjamin Paul, Crum, Gregory Allan, Vehr, James William
• Granted Patent: US 9,382,810 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 415/177
• CPC Class Codes: F01D 25/12 Cooling
• CPC Class Codes: F01D 9/065 Fluid supply or removal conduits traversing the working fluid flow, e.g. for lubrication-, cooling-, or sealing fluids see also F01D25/16, F01D25/24 and F01D25/26
• CPC Class Codes: F05D 2250/14 elliptical
• CPC Class Codes: F05D 2250/75 given by its similarity to a letter, e.g. T-shaped

Abstract

A system for removing heat from a gas turbine generally includes a plurality of stationary nozzles arranged in an annular array within the gas turbine. Each of the plurality of stationary nozzles may include a radially outer platform and a radially extending cooling passage. The radially extending cooling passage may have an inlet that extends generally axially and circumferentially across a portion of the radially outer platform. A closed loop cooling coil may extend continuously circumferentially around the radially outer platform of two or more of the plurality of stationary nozzles. The closed loop cooling coil may be disposed circumferentially across and outside of the inlet of the radially extending cooling passage of each of the two or more stationary nozzles, and a cooling medium may flow through the cooling coil and out of the gas turbine so as to remove heat from the gas turbine.

Claims

1. A system for removing heat from a gas turbine, comprising:

a. a plurality of stationary nozzles arranged in an annular array within the gas turbine, each of the plurality of stationary nozzles having a radially outer platform, an airfoil that extends radially inward from the outer platform and a radially extending cooling passage, the radially extending cooling passage having an inlet that extends axially and circumferentially across a portion of the radially outer platform;

b. a closed loop cooling coil that extends continuously circumferentially around the radially outer platform of two or more of the plurality of stationary nozzles, the cooling coil disposed circumferentially across and outside of the inlet of the radially extending cooling passage of each of the two or more stationary nozzles; and

c. a cooling medium flowing through the cooling coil and out of the gas turbine to remove heat from the gas turbine.

2. The system as in claim 1, wherein the cooling coil comprises of a single continuous cooling coil.

3. The system as in claim 1, wherein the cooling coil comprises of multiple cooling coils generally arranged in an “

X”

by “

Y”

pattern.

4. The system as in claim 1, wherein the cooling coil forms a generally serpentine pattern across the radially outer platform of at least one of the two or more stationary nozzles.

5. The system as in claim 1, wherein the cooling medium is at least one of water or steam or a combination thereof or a refrigerant or a heat transfer fluid.

6. The system as in claim 1, further comprising a cooling medium source in fluid communication with the cooling coil.

7. The system as in claim 6, wherein the cooling medium source comprises of a heat recovery steam generation system.

8. The system as in claim 1, wherein the cooling coil is at least one of cylindrical, oval, or rectangular shaped.

9. The system as in claim 1, wherein the cooling coil includes at least one of an external or an internal heat transfer enhancement feature.

10. A system for cooling a turbine, comprising:

a. a compressor generally upstream from the turbine;

b. a rotor disk coupled to a rotor shaft that extends axially through the turbine, the rotor disk defining a cooling passage that extends generally radially through the rotor disk;

c. a compressed working fluid that flows from the compressor into the rotor disk cooling passage;

d. a closed loop cooling coil enclosed within the gas turbine between the compressor and the rotor disk cooling passage; and

e. a cooling medium that flows through the cooling coil and out of the gas turbine to remove heat from the compressed working fluid flowing into the rotor disk cooling passage.

11. The system as in claim 10, wherein the cooling coil comprises of a single continuous cooling coil.

12. The system as in claim 10, where the cooling coil comprises of multiple cooling coils generally arranged in an “

X”

by “

Y”

pattern.

13. The system as in claim 10, wherein the cooling medium is at least one of water or steam or a combination thereof or a refrigerant or a heat transfer fluid.

14. The system as in claim 10, further comprising a plurality of the rotor disks spaced axially apart along the rotor shaft, and at least one wheel space defined between two adjacent rotor disks downstream from the cooling coil, wherein at least a portion of the compressed working fluid flows across the cooling coil and into the wheel space.

15. The system as in claim 10, wherein the cooling coil is non-round.

16. A system for cooling a gas turbine, comprising:

a. an outer casing;

b. a plurality of stationary nozzles arranged in an annular array about an axial centerline of the gas turbine, each of the plurality of stationary nozzles having a radially outer platform and defining a radially extending cooling passage, the radially extending cooling passage having an inlet that extends axially and circumferentially across a portion of the radially outer platform, the outer casing at least partially surrounds the plurality of stationary nozzles;

c. a closed loop cooling coil that extends continuously circumferentially around the annular array of the stationary nozzles between the radially outer platform and the outer casing, wherein the cooling coil extends across and outside of the inlet of the radially extending cooling passage of each of the plurality of stationary nozzles; and

d. a cooling medium flowing through the cooling coil and out of the gas turbine to remove heat from the gas turbine.

17. The system as in claim 16, wherein the cooling coil comprises of a single continuous cooling coil.

18. The system as in claim 16, where the cooling coil comprises of multiple cooling coils generally arranged in an “

X”

by “

Y”

pattern.

19. The system as in claim 16, wherein the cooling coil forms a serpentine pattern across the radially outer platform.

20. The system as in claim 16, wherein the cooling medium is at least one of water or steam or a combination thereof or a refrigerant or a heat transfer fluid.