Cooling apparatus for a bearing in a gas turbine

• US 4,156,342 A
• Filed: 11/07/1977
• Issued: 05/29/1979
• Est. Priority Date: 06/11/1976
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Westinghouse Canada Limited (Paramount Global (f/k/a ViacomCBS Inc.))
• Original Assignee: Westinghouse Canada Limited (Paramount Global (f/k/a ViacomCBS Inc.))
• Inventors: Azizullah, Korta, John, Upton, Arthur W., Danko, John
• Primary Examiner(s): Garrett, Robert E.
• Application Number:
  US05/848,805
• Time in Patent Office: 568 Days
• Field of Search: 60/39.08, 60/39.66, 415/110-112, 184/6.11, 184/104 B, 308/76, 308/77
• US Class Current: 60/39.08
• CPC Class Codes: F01D 25/08 Cooling of machines or engines in general F01P; Heating; Heat-insulation of blade-carrying members, of blades F01D5/00
• CPC Class Codes: F01D 25/125 of bearings
• CPC Class Codes: F02C 7/18 the medium being gaseous, e.g. air F02C7/125 takes precedence

Abstract

This invention relates to a method of thermally isolating a bearing located near the combustion region in a gas turbine. Air is bled from an intermediate stage of the compressor turbine and is arranged to be fed to the central pipe of a coaxial piping arrangement which leads to the bearing housing. The housing for the bearing is arranged to have cooling air passages located therein to allow the air to circulate around and thus isolate the various parts of the bearing from the hot ambient. The air which has thereby acquired heat is subsequently lead back to the coaxial piping arrangement and is fed outwardly through the turbine in the space between the outer pipe and the central pipe.

Claims

1. A method of cooling a bearing in a location adjacent the combustor section in a gas turbine engine comprising, bleeding compressed air from an intermediate stage of the compressor section of said engine, feeding said compressed air into the inner pipe of a coaxial pair of pipes which passes from a point outside the casing of said turbine through said casing and through said combustor section to the housing of said bearing, said housing having a pair of separated channels therein, a first channel being in communication with said inner pipe of said coaxial pair, said first channel delivering cooling air to a pair of annular shaped recesses therein, where the cooling air is heated, bleeding said heated cooling air from said annular recesses to a central gathering passage, which passage is in communication with the outer pipe of said coaxial pair, passing substantially all said heated cooling air through said outer pipe to atmosphere.

3. The method of cooling a bearing as claimed in claim 1 wherein the gas turbine is an industrial type gas turbine and the bearing being cooled is of the Kingsbury type.

2. A gas turbine engine comprising a stator casing having at least one rotor suitably journalled in bearings mounted in said casing, said rotor having compressor blading means for compressing inlet air in said turbine engine, said compressed inlet air subsequently being mixed with fuel and burned in the combustor section of said turbine engine to produce a swiftly moving hot gas stream, power blading means on said rotor member for extracting power from said hot gas stream, at least one of said bearings being mounted in said casing in an area adjacent said combustor section of said turbine, said bearing having a housing having air passages therein to permit the passage of cooling air through said bearing housing, said housing having an inner passage connected to annular shaped recess means surrounding central region of said bearing, wherein said cooling air is heated during passage therethrough, an outer passage and second recess means in said bearing housing for collecting heated cooling air from said annularly shaped recess means, said second recess means being connected to said annularly shaped recess means by air flow restriction means, a single coaxial conduit means passing radially through said combustor section of said turbine for feeding and returning substantially all said cooling air to and from said bearing housing, the inner conduit of said coaxial conduit means being supplied with cooling air for delivery to said bearing housing, said inner conduit being in communication with said inner passage means, the outer conduit of said coaxial conduit means for delivery of heated cooling air away from said bearing housing to a point outside said casing, said outer conduit serving to isolate said inner conduit from exposure of the heated environment of said combustor section of said turbine engine.

4. The gas turbine of claim 2 wherein the gas turbine is of an industrial type and the said bearing is of the Kingsbury type.