Gas turbine arrangement and method for operating a gas turbine arrangement

• US 9,163,515 B2
• Filed: 11/11/2011
• Issued: 10/20/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 11/15/2010
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Ansaldo Energia IP UK Limited (Ansaldo Energia SPA)
• Original Assignee: Alstom Technology Ltd. (Alstom SA)
• Inventors: Steiger, Ulrich Robert, Justl, Sascha
• Primary Examiner(s): VERDIER, CHRISTOPHER M
• Application Number:
  US13/294,974
• Publication Number:
  US 20120121377A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,439 Days
• Field of Search: 415/1, 415115- 16, 415/173.7, 415/174.4, 415/174.5, 415115-116, 416/1, 416/95, 416/96.R, 416/96.A, 416/97.R
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: F01D 5/081 Cooling fluid being directed on the side of the rotor disc or at the roots of the blades F01D5/087 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: F01D 5/082 on the side of the rotor disc
• CPC Class Codes: F01D 5/18 Hollow blades, i.e. blades with cooling or heating channels or cavities structure of hollow blades in general F01D5/147; Heating, heat-insulating or cooling means on blades
• CPC Class Codes: F01D 9/06 Fluid supply conduits to nozzles or the like
• CPC Class Codes: F05D 2240/129 Cascades, i.e. assemblies of similar profiles acting in parallel
• CPC Class Codes: F05D 2260/201 by impingement of a fluid
• CPC Class Codes: F05D 2260/601 using an ejector or a jet pump
• CPC Class Codes: F05D 2260/97 Reducing windage losses

Abstract

A gas turbine arrangement and a method of operating are provided. The turbine includes an annulus, axially delimited between a rotor unit, and at least one stationary component. Cooling medium outlet openings, lead into the annulus, from the stationary component. The cooling medium flows into cooling medium inlet openings, in the rotor unit in a flow direction, which propagates through the annulus. At least one inner cavity, radially to the annulus, is delimited by the rotor unit and by the stationary component. The inner cavity is pressurized with a purging gas, and is fluidically connected to the annulus. The stationary component and the rotor unit include a constriction by which the inner cavity is separated from the radially outer annulus and via which the inner cavity is fluidically connected to the radially outer annulus. Flow guides, fastened on the stationary component on one side, project into the constriction.

Claims

1. A gas turbine arrangement comprising:

an annulus, which is axially delimited between a rotor unit, rotatable around a rotor axis, and at least one stationary component;

a plurality of cooling medium outlet openings, from which a cooling medium flow can be discharged, lead into the annulus, from the at least one stationary component, the cooling medium flows proportionately into cooling medium inlet openings, provided in the rotor unit in a flow direction of the cooling medium flow, that propagates through the annulus,

radially to the annulus, at least one inner cavity which is delimited by the rotor unit and by the at least one stationary component, the at least one inner cavity is pressurized with a purging gas, and is fluidically connected to the annulus,

wherein the at least one stationary component and the rotor unit comprise a constriction by which the at least one inner cavity is separated from the radially outer annulus and via which the at least one inner cavity is fluidically connected to the radially outer annulus, and

wherein flow guides, which are fastened on the at least one stationary component on one side and extend from the radially innermost portion of the at least one stationary component, project into the constriction and guide a purging gas flow, the flow guides have a profile of a design which extends in a curved manner in the axial direction, and the flow guides have throughflow sections which extend in a curved manner from an axial inlet to an axial outlet.

2. The gas turbine arrangement as claimed in claim 1, wherein the constriction is formed in sections in an annular manner between the at least one stationary component and the rotor unit, and a plurality of the flow guides, distributed in the circumferential direction, are provided along the annular constriction so that two adjacent flow guides delimit a throughflow section.

3. The gas turbine arrangement as claimed in claim 1 wherein the flow guides are formed in such a way that the purging gas flow, which enters the annulus through the constriction from the at least one cavity, obtains a flow characteristic which is generated by the flow guides.

4. The gas turbine arrangement as claimed in claim 1, wherein the flow guides are formed as guide vanes.

5. The gas turbine arrangement as claimed in claim 4, wherein the guide vanes have a blade profile which is curved in the axial direction.

6. The gas turbine arrangement as claimed in claim 1, wherein the flow guides each have a free end which faces the rotor unit and together with the rotor unit include a narrow gap, the gap width of which is less than or equal to half a gap width of the constriction, and the gap width of the narrow gap is less than or equal to half the largest distance between the at least one stationary component and the rotor unit in a region of the constriction.

7. The gas turbine arrangement as claimed in claim 6, wherein the flow guides are in a form of guide vanes, and each flow guide has a shroud attached on a free end of the flow guide.

8. The gas turbine arrangement as claimed in claim 1, wherein the rotor unit is a rotor disk with turbine rotor blades attached on a circumferential edge thereof, and the at least one stationary component is a stationary component which is attached directly axially opposite the rotor unit, with a cooling air reservoir which is supplied with cooling air by a cooling air system and from which cooling air flows into the annulus via the cooling medium outlet openings.

9. The gas turbine arrangement as claimed in claim 1, wherein the flow guides are variably adjustable around at least one spatial axis.

10. The gas turbine arrangement as claimed in claim 1, wherein the flow guides are arranged so the purging gas flow that passes through the constriction in the direction of the annulus so that a largely swirl-free flow characteristic is applied to the purging gas flow when passing through the constriction.

11. The gas turbine arrangement as claimed in claim 1, wherein the throughflow sections extend axially from the at least one inner cavity to the radially outer annulus.

12. A method for operating a gas turbine arrangement having an annulus, which is axially delimited between a rotor unit, rotatable around a rotor axis, and at least one stationary component;

a plurality of cooling medium outlet openings, from which a cooling medium flow can be discharged, lead into the annulus, from the at least one stationary component, the cooling medium flows proportionately into cooling medium inlet openings, provided in the rotor unit in a flow direction of the cooling medium flow, that propagates through the annulus, the arrangement also comprising, radially to the annulus, at least one inner cavity which is delimited by the rotor unit and by the at least one stationary component, the at least one inner cavity is pressurized with a purging gas, and is fluidically connected to the annulus, a constriction which separates the at least one inner cavity from the radially outer annulus and via which the at least one inner cavity is fluidically connected to the radially outer annulus, and flow guides, which are fastened on the at least one stationary component on one side and extend from the radially innermost portion of the at least one stationary component, project into the constriction and guide a purging gas flow, the flow guides have a profile of a design which extends in a curved manner in the axial direction, and the flow guides have throughflow sections which extend in a curved manner, the method comprising;

passing, as a result of a pressure drop between the at least one cavity and the annulus, the pressurized purging gas, in the form of a purging gas flow, through the constriction by which the at least one inner cavity is separated from the radially outer annulus and via which the at least one inner cavity is fluidically connected to the radially outer annulus; and

applying a generally swirl-free flow characteristic to the purging gas flow when passing through the constriction.

13. The method as claimed in claim 12, wherein the applying of the generally swirl-free flow characteristic is carried out by the flow guides which are provided inside the constriction in such a way that a flow swirl which is inherent to the purging gas flow after passing through the constriction into the annulus is less than an initial flow swirl of the purging gas flow before passing through the constriction from inside the at least one inner cavity.

14. A gas turbine arrangement comprising:

an annulus, which is axially delimited between a rotor unit, rotatable around a rotor axis, and at least one stationary component;

a plurality of cooling medium outlet openings, from which a cooling medium flow can be discharged, lead into the annulus, from the at least one stationary component, the cooling medium flows proportionately into cooling medium inlet openings, provided in the rotor unit in a flow direction of the cooling medium flow, that propagates through the annulus,

radially to the annulus, at least one inner cavity which is delimited by the rotor unit and by the at least one stationary component, the at least one inner cavity is pressurized with a purging gas, and is fluidically connected to the annulus,

wherein the at least one stationary component and the rotor unit comprise a constriction by which the at least one inner cavity is separated from the radially outer annulus and via which the at least one inner cavity is fluidically connected to the radially outer annulus,

wherein flow guides, which are fastened on the at least one stationary component on one side and extend from the radially innermost portion of the at least one stationary component, project into the constriction and guide a purging gas flow, and

wherein the flow guides are variably adjustable around at least one spatial axis.