Gas turbine engine with supersonic compressor

摘要

A gas turbine engine having a compressor section using blades on a rotor to deliver a gas at supersonic conditions to a stator. The stator includes one or more of aerodynamic ducts that have converging and diverging portions for deceleration of the gas to subsonic conditions and to deliver a high pressure gas to combustors. The aerodynamic ducts include structures for changing the effective contraction ratio to enable starting even when designed for high pressure ratios, and structures for boundary layer control. In an embodiment, aerodynamic ducts are provided having an aspect ratio of two to one (2:1) or more, when viewed in cross-section orthogonal to flow direction at an entrance to the aerodynamic duct.

主权项

1. A gas turbine engine, comprising:
(a) a compressor section, said compressor section comprising:
(1) an inlet for supply of a selected oxidant-containing gas;(2) a rotor extending along a longitudinal axis, the rotor comprising a plurality of impulse blades configured to act on said selected oxidant-containing gas to impart axial and tangential velocity thereto to provide a supersonic gas flow;(3) a stator, said stator comprising
(i) one or more aerodynamic ducts each having a radially converging portion and a radially diverging portion that, with input of said supersonic gas flow, generate a plurality of shock waves as said oxidant-containing gas passes through said one or more aerodynamic ducts, each of said one or more aerodynamic ducts sized and shaped to decelerate said supersonic gas flow to subsonic conditions, said one or more aerodynamic ducts having an inlet relative Mach number for operation,(ii) bypass gas passageway(s) operable to adjust an effective contraction ratio of some or all of said one or more aerodynamic ducts, and(iii) boundary layer control structures; (b) a gas turbine section, said gas turbine section comprising
(1) a high pressure combustion chamber for receiving said selected oxidant-containing gas from said compressor section,(2) a combustor for receiving fuel from a fuel supply and said selected oxidant-containing gas from said compressor section and to burn said fuel to create hot pressurized exhaust gases exiting therefrom,(3) one or more gas turbines, said gas turbines operatively affixed to a shaft, said one or more gas turbines configured to receive said hot pressurized exhaust gases and to expand said hot pressurized exhaust gases therethrough, to produce shaft power.