DIFFUSER WITH NON-UNIFORM THROAT AREAS

• US 20200132086A1
• Filed: 10/31/2018
• Published: 04/30/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 10/31/2018
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Pratt & Whitney Canada Corporation (Raytheon Technologies Corporation d/b/a RTX)
• Original Assignee: Pratt & Whitney Canada Corporation (Raytheon Technologies Corporation d/b/a RTX)
• Inventors: DROLET, Martin, NICHOLS, Jason
• Granted Patent: US 10,859,096 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: F01D 25/04 Antivibration arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: F01D 9/02 Nozzles; Nozzle boxes; Stator blades; Guide conduits , e.g. individual nozzles nozzle boxes F01D9/047
• CPC Class Codes: F01D 9/06 Fluid supply conduits to nozzles or the like
• CPC Class Codes: F02C 3/08 the compressor comprising at least one radial stage F02C3/10 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: F04D 29/441 especially adapted for elastic fluid pumps
• CPC Class Codes: F04D 29/444 Bladed diffusers
• CPC Class Codes: F04D 29/666 by means of rotor construction or layout, e.g. unequal distribution of blades or vanes
• CPC Class Codes: F05D 2220/32 in gas turbines
• CPC Class Codes: F05D 2220/3219 for the last stage of a compressor or a high pressure compressor
• CPC Class Codes: F05D 2240/128 Nozzles
• CPC Class Codes: F05D 2240/40 Use of a multiplicity of similar components
• CPC Class Codes: F05D 2250/324 divergent
• CPC Class Codes: F05D 2250/52 Outlet
• CPC Class Codes: F05D 2260/60 Fluid transfer
• CPC Class Codes: F05D 2260/96 Preventing, counteracting or reducing vibration or noise
• CPC Class Codes: F05D 2260/961 by mistuning rotor blades or stator vanes with irregular interblade spacing, airfoil shape

Abstract

A compressor diffuser for a gas turbine engine includes a plurality of diffuser passages including a first portion having a radial component, a second portion having an axial component, and a curved portion fluidly connecting the first portion and the second portion. The diffuser passages having a throat located within the first portion thereof, and including a first subset of passages and a second subset of passages. The throats of the first subset of passages have a first throat area that is different than a throat area of the throats of the second subset of passages.

Claims

1. A compressor diffuser for a gas turbine engine comprising:

a plurality of diffuser passages circumferentially distributed about a central axis and configured for diffusing a flow of compressed air, the diffuser passages including a first portion having a radial component extending from an inlet, a second portion having an axial component extending to an outlet, and a curved portion fluidly connecting the first portion and the second portion, the first portion defining a throat, the diffuser passages including a first subset of passages and a second subset of passages, the throats of the first subset of passages having a throat area that is different than a throat area of the throats of the second subset of passages.

2. The compressor diffuser as defined in claim 1, wherein the diffuser is a pipe diffuser, and the diffuser passages are each defined within a respective diffuser pipe of the pipe diffuser.

3. The compressor diffuser as defined in claim 1, wherein the first subset of passages and the second subset of passages circumferentially alternate around the central axis.

4. The compressor diffuser as defined in claim 1, wherein the first subset of passages includes more than one of the diffuser passages and the second subset of passages includes a remainder of the diffuser passages.

5. The compressor diffuser as defined in claim 1, wherein the diffuser passages are divided between the first subset of passages, the second subset of passages, and a third subset of passages, the diffuser passages of the third subset of passages having a third throat area, the third throat area being different from the first and second throat areas.

6. The compressor diffuser as defined in claim 4, wherein diffuser passages of the first subset of passages, of the second subset of passages, and of the third subset of passages are circumferentially disposed randomly around the central axis.

7. The compressor diffuser as defined in claim 4, wherein diffuser passages of the first subset of passages, of the second subset of passages, and of the third subset of passages, are circumferentially disposed in a repeating pattern around the central axis.

8. The compressor diffuser as defined in claim 1, wherein the first subset of passages and the second subset of passages are composed of an equal number of the diffuser passages having the first throat area and the second throat area, respectively.

9. The compressor diffuser as defined in claim 1, wherein the first subset of passages includes more than one of the diffuser passages and the second subset of the passages includes a remainder of the diffuser passages.

10. The compressor diffuser as defined in claim 1, wherein the first and second subset of passages are symmetrically disposed relative to a vertical plane passing through the central axis.

11. The compressor diffuser as defined in claim 1, wherein a difference between the first and second throat areas is 1% or more of a nominal diffuser passage area.

12. A centrifugal compressor comprising:

an impeller rotatable about a central longitudinal axis, the impeller having a radial impeller outlet; and

a diffuser deposed downstream of the impeller, the diffuser configured to diffuse gas received from the radial impeller outlet, the diffuser including;

a plurality of diffuser passages for diffusing the flow of compressed air received form the impeller, the diffuser passages including a first portion extending away from an inlet of the diffuser passages and defining a throat therein; and

wherein the plurality of diffuser passages include at least first and second passages, the throats of the first and second passages having different cross-sectional areas.

13. The centrifugal compressor of claim 12, wherein the diffuser is a pipe diffuser and each of the diffuser passages is defined within a respective diffuser pipe of the pipe diffuser, and wherein the diffuser passages include a second portion extending in a direction different from the first direction to an exit of the diffuser pipes, and a curved portion fluidly linking the first portion and the second portion.

14. The centrifugal compressor of claim 12, wherein the first and second diffuser passages circumferentially alternate around the central longitudinal axis.

15. The centrifugal compressor of claim 12, wherein the first and second diffuser passages are non-consecutively disposed around the central longitudinal axis.

16. The centrifugal compressor of claim 12, wherein the plurality of diffuser passages include an equal number of the first diffuser passages and of the second diffuser passages.

17. The centrifugal compressor of claim 12, wherein the plurality of diffuser passages includes third diffuser passages, the throats of the third diffuser passages having a cross-sectional area different from the throats of the first and second diffuser passages.

18. The centrifugal compressor of claim 12, wherein the first and second diffuser passages are symmetrically disposed relative to a vertical plane passing through the central longitudinal axis.

19. The centrifugal compressor of claim 12, wherein the first and second diffuser passages are circumferentially disposed randomly around the central longitudinal axis.

20. The centrifugal compressor of claim 12, wherein the throats of the first diffuser passages have a first cross-sectional area, the throats of the second diffuser passages have a second cross-sectional area different than the first cross-sectional area, and a difference between the first cross-sectional area and the second cross-sectional area is at least 1%.