US 6,981,841 B2 | ||
Triple circuit turbine cooling | ||
Erich Alois Krammer, West Chester, Ohio (US); Richard Clay Haubert, Hamilton, Ohio (US); Ching-Pang Lee, Cincinnati, Ohio (US); and Harvey Michael Maclin, Cincinnati, Ohio (US) | ||
Assigned to General Electric Company, Schenectady, N.Y. (US) | ||
Filed on Nov. 20, 2003, as Appl. No. 10/718,149. | ||
Prior Publication US 2005/0111964 A1, May 26, 2005 | ||
Int. Cl. F03D 11/00 (2006.01) |
U.S. Cl. 415—115 | 20 Claims |
1. A turbofan engine comprising:
a first fan, a second fan, and a multistage compressor joined in serial flow communication for pressurizing air;
a combustor disposed at a discharge end of said compressor for mixing fuel with said pressurized air to form combustion gases;
a first turbine following said combustor and joined by a first shaft to said compressor;
a second turbine following said first turbine and joined to said second fan by a second shaft;
a third turbine following said second turbine and joined to said first fan by a third shaft;
a first cooling circuit joined to an intermediate stage of said compressor for channeling first-pressure air through the center
of said first turbine;
a second cooling circuit joined to another intermediate stage of said compressor for channeling second-pressure air to the
aft side of said first turbine;
a third cooling circuit joined to said discharge end of said compressor for channeling third-pressure air to the forward side
of said first turbine; and
wherein said first, second, and third cooling circuits are joined to sequential stages of said compressor for extracting therefrom
said first-pressure air, said second-pressure air, and said third-pressure air at correspondingly increasing pressure and
temperature.
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