Gas turbine engine with intercooling turbine section and intercooling turbine section bypass

• US 9,341,121 B2
• Filed: 12/12/2014
• Issued: 05/17/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 12/13/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Rtx Corporation
• Original Assignee: United Technologies Corporation (Raytheon Technologies Corporation d/b/a RTX)
• Inventors: Kupratis, Daniel B.
• Primary Examiner(s): SUNG, GERALD LUTHER
• Application Number:
  US14/569,282
• Publication Number:
  US 20150252732A1
• Time in Patent Office: 522 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: F02C 7/143 before or between the compressor stages
• CPC Class Codes: F02C 9/18 by bleeding, bypassing or acting on variable working fluid interconnections between turbines or compressors or their stages F02C3/113 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: F02K 3/025 the by-pass flow being at least partly used to create an independent thrust component
• CPC Class Codes: F02K 3/075 controlling flow ratio between flows
• CPC Class Codes: F02K 3/077 the plant being of the multiple flow type, i.e. having three or more flows
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 50/60 Efficient propulsion technologies, e.g. for aircraft

Abstract

A gas turbine engine includes an intercooling turbine section to selectively cool the core flow. An intercooling turbine section bypass is also included to selectively bypass at least a portion of a core flow through an intercooling turbine section bypass path around the intercooling turbine section.

Claims

1. A gas turbine engine comprising:

a combustor section;

a first spool along an engine axis with a first turbine section, said first turbine section downstream of said combustor section to receive a core flow along a core flow path;

a second spool along said engine axis with a low pressure compressor section and a second turbine section, said low pressure compressor section upstream of said combustor section to receive said core flow along said core flow path;

a first intercooling turbine section upstream of said combustor section to receive said core flow along said core flow path;

a first intercooling turbine section bypass to selectively bypass at least a portion of said core flow through a first intercooling turbine section bypass path around said first intercooling turbine section;

a second intercooling turbine section upstream of said combustor section to receive said core flow along said core flow path; and

a second intercooling turbine section bypass to selectively bypass at least a portion of said core flow through a second intercooling turbine section bypass path around said second intercooling turbine section.

2. The gas turbine engine as recited in claim 1, wherein said first intercooling turbine section is driven by said first spool.

3. The gas turbine engine as recited in claim 1, wherein said second intercooling turbine section is driven by said second spool.

4. The gas turbine engine as recited in claim 1, wherein said first intercooling turbine section includes a first bypass door positionable at a first bypass door first position and a first bypass door second position.

5. The gas turbine engine as recited in claim 4, wherein positioning said first bypass door at the first bypass door first position allows said core flow to flow through said first intercooling turbine section bypass path.

6. The gas turbine engine as recited in claim 4, wherein positioning said first bypass door at the first bypass door second position substantially prevents said core flow from flowing through said first intercooling turbine section bypass path.

7. The gas turbine engine as recited in claim 1, wherein said first intercooling turbine section includes a second bypass door positionable at a second bypass door first position and a second bypass door second position.

8. The gas turbine engine as recited in claim 7, wherein positioning said second bypass door at the second bypass door first position allows said core flow to flow through said first intercooling turbine section.

9. The gas turbine engine as recited in claim 7, wherein positioning said second bypass door at the second bypass door second position substantially prevents said core flow from flowing through said first intercooling turbine section.

10. The gas turbine engine as recited in claim 1, wherein said second intercooling turbine section includes a third bypass door positionable at a third bypass door first position and a third bypass door second position.

11. The gas turbine engine as recited in claim 10, wherein positioning said third bypass door at the third bypass door first position allows said core flow to flow through said second intercooling turbine section bypass path.

12. The gas turbine engine as recited in claim 10, wherein positioning said third bypass door at the third bypass door second position substantially prevents said core flow from flowing through said second intercooling turbine section bypass path.

13. The gas turbine engine as recited in claim 1, wherein said second intercooling turbine section includes a fourth bypass door positionable at a fourth bypass door first position and a fourth bypass door second position.

14. The gas turbine engine as recited in claim 13, wherein positioning said fourth bypass door at the fourth bypass door first position allows said core flow to flow through said second intercooling turbine section.

15. The gas turbine engine as recited in claim 13, wherein positioning said fourth bypass door at the fourth bypass door second position substantially prevents said core flow from flowing through said second intercooling turbine section.

16. A gas turbine engine comprising:

a combustor section;

a first spool along an engine axis with a first turbine section, said first turbine section forward of said combustor section to receive a core flow along a core flow path;

a second spool along said engine axis with a low pressure compressor section and a second turbine section, said low pressure compressor section aft of said combustor section to receive said core flow along said core flow path;

a first intercooling turbine section forward of said combustor section to receive said core flow along said core flow path;

a first intercooling turbine section bypass to selectively bypass at least a portion of said core flow through a first intercooling turbine section bypass path around said first intercooling turbine section;

a second intercooling turbine section aft of said combustor section to receive said core flow along said core flow path; and

a second intercooling turbine section bypass to selectively bypass at least a portion of said core flow through a second intercooling turbine section bypass path around said second intercooling turbine section.

17. The gas turbine engine as recited in claim 16, wherein said first intercooling turbine section is driven by said first spool.

18. The gas turbine engine as recited in claim 16, wherein said second intercooling turbine section is driven by said second spool.

19. The gas turbine engine as recited in claim 16, wherein said first intercooling turbine section includes a first bypass door positionable at a first bypass door first position and a first bypass door second position.

20. The gas turbine engine as recited in claim 19, wherein positioning said first bypass door at the first bypass door first position allows said core flow to flow through said first intercooling turbine section bypass path.

21. The gas turbine engine as recited in claim 19, wherein positioning said first bypass door at the first bypass door second position substantially prevents said core flow from flowing through said first intercooling turbine section bypass path.

22. The gas turbine engine as recited in claim 16, wherein said first intercooling turbine section includes a second bypass door positionable at a second bypass door first position and a second bypass door second position.

23. The gas turbine engine as recited in claim 22, wherein positioning said second bypass door at the second bypass door first position allows said core flow to flow through said first intercooling turbine section.

24. The gas turbine engine as recited in claim 22, wherein positioning said second bypass door at the second bypass door second position substantially prevents said core flow from flowing through said first intercooling turbine section.

25. The gas turbine engine as recited in claim 16, wherein said second intercooling turbine section includes a third bypass door positionable at a third bypass door first position and a third bypass door second position.

26. The gas turbine engine as recited in claim 25, wherein positioning said third bypass door at the third bypass door first position allows said core flow to flow through said second intercooling turbine section bypass path.

27. The gas turbine engine as recited in claim 25, wherein positioning said third bypass door at the third bypass door second position substantially prevents said core flow from flowing through said second intercooling turbine section bypass path.

28. The gas turbine engine as recited in claim 16, wherein said second intercooling turbine section includes a fourth bypass door positionable at a fourth bypass door first position and a fourth bypass door second position.

29. The gas turbine engine as recited in claim 28, wherein positioning said fourth bypass door at the fourth bypass door first position allows said core flow to flow through said second intercooling turbine section.

30. The gas turbine engine as recited in claim 28, wherein positioning said fourth bypass door at the fourth bypass door second position substantially prevents said core flow from flowing through said second intercooling turbine section.