Gas turbine engine with liquid metal cooling

摘要

A gas turbine engine with a closed loop liquid metal cooling fluid system for cooling stator vanes within the turbine, in which the stator vanes include a liquid metal cooling passage lined with Tantalum or Molybdenum and a liquid metal cooling fluid of Bismuth or Lead or Zinc or Tin or alloy mixtures of these metals.

主权项

1. An industrial size gas turbine engine comprising:
a compressor; a turbine rotatably connected to the compressor; a combustor to receive compressed air from the compressor and produce a hot gas flow that enters the turbine; a first stage turbine stator vane of the industrial size gas turbine engine made from a base material of either a ferrous alloy, a nickel alloy or a cobalt alloy; a closed loop liquid metal cooling circuit passing through the first stage turbine stator vane to provide cooling; a heat exchanger to transfer heat from the first stage turbine stator vane and into the compressed air entering the combustor; the closed loop liquid metal cooling circuit within the first stage turbine stator vane having a liner made substantially of Molybdenum or Tantalum to prevent contact of the liquid metal with the base material of the first stage turbine stator vane; and, the liquid metal cooling fluid includes Bismuth or Lead.