Claims
- 1. A gas turbine engine system comprising:
a compressor; a combustion chamber; a turbine; an exhaust duct connected to receive hot exhaust gases from said turbine; a heat exchanger disposed in said exhaust duct to extract heat from said exhaust gases, said heat exchanger connected to receive compressed air from said compressor and connected to supply pre-heated compressed air to said combustion chamber; an outer surface of said heat exchanger and an inner surface of said exhaust duct defining a clearance therebetween; a hot air sealing arrangement for sealing between said outer surface of said heat exchanger and said inner surface of said exhaust duct, said hot air sealing arrangement including:
an inner receiver attached to said outer surface of said heat exchanger; an outer receiver attached to said inner surface of said exhaust duct; and a seal having an outer bead engaged with said outer receiver for rotary movement therein and an inner bead engaged with said inner receiver for sliding movement therein, said seal further including a connecting sheet between said outer bead and said inner bead.
- 2. The gas turbine engine system of claim 1, wherein said seal is further characterized as having a cross section formed as a U having unequal legs whereby said sealing arrangement accommodates multi-axis displacement of said heat exchanger relative to said exhaust duct.
- 3. The gas turbine engine system of claim 1, wherein said seal is retained in position by an interference member formed as a portion of a removable duct portion attached to said exhaust duct, said interference member retaining said outer bead in engagement with said outer receiver and said inner bead in engagement with said inner receiver.
- 4. A hot air sealing arrangement for sealing between an inner surface of an exhaust duct conveying hot combustion products and an outer surface of a heat exchanger disposed within said exhaust duct for extracting heat from said hot combustion products, said hot air sealing arrangement comprising:
an inner receiver attachable to said outer surface of said heat exchanger; an outer receiver attachable to said inner surface of said exhaust duct; and a seal having an outer bead engageable with said outer receiver for rotary movement therein and an inner bead engageable with said inner receiver for sliding movement therein, said seal further including a connecting sheet between said outer bead and said inner bead.
- 5. The hot air sealing arrangement of claim 4, wherein said inner receiver is a fish mouth receiver.
- 6. The hot air sealing arrangement of claim 4, wherein said outer receiver is a fish mouth receiver.
- 7. The hot air sealing arrangement of claim 4, wherein said connecting sheet of said seal consists primarily of a nickel alloy.
- 8. The hot air sealing arrangement of claim 7, wherein said nickel alloy is Inconel®.
- 9. The hot air sealing arrangement of claim 4, wherein said inner bead and said outer bead consist primarily of a cobalt alloy.
- 10. The hot air sealing arrangement of claim 9, wherein said cobalt alloy is one of Hanes 188 and L605.
- 11. The hot air sealing arrangement of claim 4, wherein a cross section of said seal is formed as a letter “U” having unequal legs, said outer bead disposed on a lesser of said unequal legs, said inner bead disposed on a greater of said unequal legs.
- 12. The hot air sealing arrangement of claim 4, wherein said inner receiver has a depth greater than a depth of said outer receiver.
- 13. The hot air sealing arrangement of claim 4, wherein said seal is formed substantially as a single piece of sheet metal, said inner bead and said outer bead comprising rolled edges of said connecting sheet.
- 14. The hot air sealing arrangement of claim 4, wherein at least one of said inner bead and said outer bead comprises a rod one of welded to and brazed to said connecting sheet.
- 15. The hot air sealing arrangement of claim 4, wherein at least one of said inner bead and said outer bead is notched and brazed to said connecting sheet.
- 16. An energy recovery unit for extracting heat from exhaust gases in an exhaust duct having an inner surface, said energy recovery unit comprising:
a heat exchanger disposed in said exhaust duct, said heat exchanger for extracting heat from said exhaust gases, an outer surface of said heat exchanger and said inner surface of said exhaust duct defining a clearance therebetween; a hot air sealing arrangement for sealing between said outer surface of said heat exchanger and said inner surface of said exhaust duct, said hot air sealing arrangement including:
an inner receiver attached to said outer surface of said heat exchanger; an outer receiver attached to said inner surface of said exhaust duct; and a seal having an outer bead engaged with said outer receiver for rotary movement therein and an inner bead engaged with said inner receiver for sliding movement therein, said seal further including a connecting sheet between said outer bead and said inner bead, said connecting sheet having an inner portion inclined at a small angle relative to a tangent to said heat exchanger at said inner bead.
- 17. The energy recovery unit of claim 16, wherein said angle is about thirty degrees.
- 18. The energy recovery unit of claim 16, wherein said connecting sheet includes a transverse portion, said transverse portion disposed at an angle of about 90 degrees relative to said inner surface of said duct.
- 19. The energy recovery unit of claim 16, wherein said connecting sheet has an outer portion, said outer portion shorter than said inner portion.
- 20. The energy recovery unit of claim 16, wherein said exhaust duct is split transversely so that a removable duct portion may be removed for assembly of said sealing arrangement.
- 21. The energy recovery unit of claim 20, wherein said seal is held in position by an interference member protruding inwardly from said removable duct portion.
- 22. A method of sealing between an inner surface of an exhaust duct and an outer surface of a heat exchanger disposed within said exhaust duct, said inner surface of said exhaust duct and said outer surface of said heat exchanger defining a clearance therebetween, said method comprising;
attaching an inner receiver to said outer surface of said heat exchanger; attaching an outer receiver to said inner surface of said exhaust duct; forming a seal having an inner bead, an outer bead and a connecting sheet between said inner bead and said outer bead; splitting said exhaust duct transversely to remove a removable duct portion and inserting said seal whereby said outer bead engages said outer receiver for rotary motion therein and said inner bead engages said inner receiver for sliding motion therein; replacing said removable duct portion so that an interference member on said removable duct portion holds said seal in position; and whereby multi-axis displacement of said heat exchanger relative to said exhaust duct is accommodated without flexure of said seal, without flexure of said outer receiver, and without flexure of said inner receiver.
- 23. The method of claim 22, wherein said step of attaching said inner receiver to said outer surface of said heat exchanger includes one of welding and brazing said inner receiver to said outer surface of said heat exchanger.
- 24. The method of claim 22, wherein said step of attaching said outer receiver to said inner surface of said exhaust duct includes one of welding and brazing said outer receiver to said inner surface of said exhaust duct.
- 25. The method of claim 22, wherein said step of forming said seal includes forming at least one of said inner bead and said outer bead by rolling.
- 26. The method of claim 22, wherein said step of forming said seal includes forming at least one of said inner bead and said outer bead by one of welding and brazing a rod to said connecting sheet.
- 27. The method of claim 22, wherein said step of forming said seal includes forming at least one of said inner bead and said outer bead by notching and brazing a rod to said connecting sheet.
GOVERNMENT RIGHTS
[0001] This invention was made with Government support under contract no. DAAE0700CN086 awarded by the United States Army. The government has certain rights in this invention.