AXI-CENTRIFUGAL COMPRESSOR WITH VARIABLE OUTLET GUIDE VANES

• US 20170248156A1
• Filed: 08/11/2015
• Published: 08/31/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 09/12/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: General Electric Company
• Original Assignee: General Electric Company
• Inventors: PARKER, David Vickery, HERNANDEZ, Wilhelm Ramon, SRIVASTAVA, Basuki, TRIMBY, Paul
• Granted Patent: US 10,704,563 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: F01D 17/162 for axial flow, i.e. the vanes turning around axes which are essentially perpendicular to the rotor centre line F01D17/167 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: F02C 3/04 having a turbine driving a compressor power transmission arrangements F02C7/36; control of working fluid flow F02C9/16
• CPC Class Codes: F04D 17/025 comprising axial flow and radial flow stages
• CPC Class Codes: F04D 19/02 Multi-stage pumps
• CPC Class Codes: F04D 29/403 especially adapted for elastic fluid pumps
• CPC Class Codes: F04D 29/4213 suction ports
• CPC Class Codes: F04D 29/462 especially adapted for elastic fluid pumps
• CPC Class Codes: F04D 29/563 specially adapted for elastic fluid pumps
• CPC Class Codes: F05D 2220/32 in gas turbines
• CPC Class Codes: F05D 2240/35 Combustors or associated equipment

Abstract

A compressor apparatus includes: an upstream portion comprising an axial-flow compressor; a downstream portion comprising a centrifugal-flow compressor; and a row of variable-stagger-angle outlet guide vanes disposed between the upstream and downstream portions.

Claims

1. A compressor apparatus comprising:

an upstream portion comprising an axial-flow compressor;

a downstream portion comprising a centrifugal-flow compressor; and

a row of variable-stagger-angle outlet guide vanes disposed between the upstream and downstream portions.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the downstream portion is surrounded by a casing with a main portion and an outer skirt collectively defining an annular plenum, and:

the outlet guide vanes are mounted to the main portion of the casing;

an actuator is mounted outside the outer skirt; and

a linkage interconnecting the actuator to the outlet guide vanes passes through the plenum.

3. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein:

each outlet guide vane includes a trunnion and an actuator arm, and all the actuator arms are connected by a unison ring located in the plenum; and

the linkage includes a bell crank mounted in the outer skirt with an outer arm connected to the actuator outside the outer skirt, and an inner arm connected to the unison ring inside the plenum.

4. The apparatus of claim 3 wherein a tangentially-aligned link connects the inner arm of the bellcrank and the unison ring, inside the plenum.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein:

the downstream portion is surrounded by a casing with a main portion and an outer skirt defining an annular plenum;

the outlet guide vanes are mounted to the main portion of the casing; and

each outlet guide vane includes a trunnion passing through the plenum and the outer skirt, and an actuator arm mounted to the trunnion outside the outer skirt.

6. The apparatus of claim 5 wherein all the actuator arms are connected by a unison ring located outside the outer skirt;

and

the unison ring is connected to an actuator.

7. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the upstream portion includes at least one row of variable stator vanes.

8. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the upstream portion comprises a plurality of stages, each of which includes a row of rotating airfoils blades and a row of stationary airfoils.

9. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the downstream portion comprises an impeller mounted for rotation, the impeller having an inner flowpath surface with an annular array of airfoil-shaped impeller blades extending outward therefrom.

10. A gas turbine engine apparatus, comprising:

the compressor apparatus of claim 1;

a combustor disposed downstream of the compressor apparatus;

a first turbine disposed downstream of the combustor; and

a shaft interconnecting the first turbine and the compressor apparatus.

11. The apparatus of claim 10 further comprising a second turbine disposed downstream of the first turbine.

12. A method of operating a compressor apparatus that includes an upstream portion comprising an axial-flow compressor, and a downstream portion comprising a centrifugal-flow compressor, the method comprising selectively varying a stagger angle of a row of outlet guide vanes disposed between the upstream and downstream portions, so as to balance a mass flow rate of fluid passing from the upstream portion to the downstream portion.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein the outlet guide vanes are positioned to effect relatively lower tangential velocity of fluid flow at relatively lower rotational speeds of the compressor apparatus and to effect relatively higher tangential velocity of fluid flow at relatively higher rotational speeds of the compressor apparatus.

14. The method of claim 12 further including selectively varying a stagger angle of at least one row of variable stator vanes disposed in the upstream portion.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein the variable stator vanes are positioned to permit relatively lower fluid flowrate at relatively lower speeds of the compressor apparatus and to permit relatively higher fluid flowrate at relatively higher speeds of the compressor apparatus.