MECHANICAL DRIVE ARCHITECTURES WITH MONO-TYPE LOW-LOSS BEARINGS AND LOW-DENSITY MATERIALS

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This patent application relates to the following commonly-assigned patent applications: U.S. patent application Ser. No. ______, entitled “MECHANICAL DRIVE ARCHITECTURES WITH HYBRID-TYPE LOW-LOSS BEARINGS AND LOW-DENSITY MATERIALS”, Attorney Docket No. 271509-1 (GEEN-0540); U.S. patent application Ser. No. ______, entitled “POWER GENERATION ARCHITECTURES WITH MONO-TYPE LOW-LOSS BEARINGS AND LOW-DENSITY MATERIALS”, Attorney Docket No. 261580-1 (GEEN-481); U.S. patent application Ser. No. ______, entitled “POWER GENERATION ARCHITECTURES WITH HYBRID-TYPE LOW-LOSS BEARINGS AND LOW-DENSITY MATERIALS”, Attorney Docket No. 267305-1 (GEEN-480); U.S. patent application Ser. No. ______, entitled “MULTI-STAGE AXIAL COMPRESSOR ARRANGEMENT”, Attorney Docket No. 257269-1 (GEEN-0458); U.S. patent application Ser. No. ______, entitled “POWER TRAIN ARCHITECTURES WITH LOW-LOSS LUBRICANT BEARINGS AND LOW-DENSITY MATERIALS”, Attorney Docket No. 276988; and U.S. patent application Ser. No. ______, entitled “MECHANICAL DRIVE ARCHITECTURES WITH LOW-LOSS LUBRICANT BEARINGS AND LOW-DENSITY MATERIALS”, Attorney Docket No. 276989. Each patent application identified above is filed concurrently with this application and incorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to mechanical drive gas turbines, and more particularly, to mechanical drive architectures that can have mono-type low-loss bearings and low-density materials.

Gas turbines are used in many sectors of industry, from military to power generation. Typically, gas turbines are used to produce electrical energy. However, some gas turbines are used to propel various vehicles, airplanes, ships, etc. In the oil and gas field, gas turbines can be used to drive compressors, pumps and/or generators. In a scenario in which a gas turbine is used to drive a compressor in an industrial application (e.g., for injecting gas into a well to force oil up through another bore), the compressor of the gas turbine compresses air with rows of rotating blades and stationary vanes, directing it to a combustor that mixes the compressed air with fuel, and burns it to form a hot air-fuel mixture that is expanded through blades in a turbine of the gas turbine. As a result, the blades spin or rotate about a shaft or rotor of the gas turbine. The spinning or rotating rotor drives the load compressor connected to the gas turbine, which uses the rotational energy to compress a fluid (e.g., gas, air, etc.).

Many gas turbine architectures that are used in mechanical drive architectures employ slide bearings in conjunction with a high viscosity lubricant (i.e., oil) to support the rotating components of the turbine section, the compressor section, and the load compressor connected thereto. Oil bearings are relatively inexpensive to purchase, but have costs associated with their accompanying oil skids (e.g., for pumps, reservoirs, accumulators, etc.). In addition, oil bearings have high maintenance intervals and can cause excessive viscous losses in the drive train, which in turn can adversely affect operation of a gas turbine-driven load compressor unit.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

In one aspect of the present invention, a mechanical drive architecture is disclosed. In this aspect of the present invention, the mechanical drive architecture comprises a gas turbine having a compressor section, a turbine section, and a combustor section operatively coupled to the compressor section and the turbine section. A load compressor is driven by the gas turbine. A rotor shaft extends through the compressor section and the turbine section of the gas turbine and the load compressor. Each of the compressor section, the turbine section, and the load compressor comprises a plurality of rotating components, at least one of the rotating components in one of the gas turbine and the load compressor including a low-density material. A plurality of bearings support the rotor shaft within the gas turbine and the load compressor, wherein at least one of the bearings is a mono-type low-loss bearing.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Features and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following more detailed description of the preferred embodiments, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings that illustrate, by way of example, the principles of the invention.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a mechanical drive architecture including a front-end drive gas turbine, a load compressor, and a bearing fluid skid, and further including at least one mono-type low-loss bearing and at least one rotating component made of a low-density material, according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a mechanical drive architecture including a front-end drive gas turbine having a reheat section, a load compressor, and a bearing fluid skid, and further including at least one mono-type low-loss bearing and at least one rotating component made of a low-density material, according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of a mechanical drive architecture including a rear-end drive gas turbine, a load compressor, and a bearing fluid skid, and further including at least one mono-type low-loss bearing and at least one rotating component made of a low-density material, according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of a mechanical drive architecture including a rear-end drive gas turbine, a load compressor, a bearing fluid skid, and a gearbox, and further including at least one mono-type low-loss bearing and at least one rotating component made of a low-density material, according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of a gas turbine architecture including a rear-end drive power turbine and further including at least one mono-type low-loss bearing and at least one rotating component made of a low-density material, according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram of a gas turbine architecture including a rear-end drive power turbine and a reheat section and further including at least one mono-type low-loss bearing and at least one rotating component made of a low-density material, according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram of a front-end drive gas turbine architecture including a stub shaft and a speed-reducing mechanism to reduce the speed of forward stages of a compressor in the gas turbine and further including at least one mono-type low-loss bearing and at least one rotating component made of a low-density material, according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram of a front-end drive gas turbine architecture including a stub shaft and a speed-reducing mechanism to reduce the speed of forward stages of a compressor in the gas turbine, a reheat section, at least one mono-type low-loss bearing, and at least one rotating component made of a low-density material, according to an embodiment of the present invention; and

FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram of a multi-shaft, front-end drive gas turbine architecture including a low pressure compressor section coupled to a low pressure turbine section via a low-speed spool and a high pressure compressor section coupled to a high pressure turbine section via a high-speed spool, and further including at least one mono-type low-loss bearing and at least one rotating blade made of a low-density material in use with the power train, according to an embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

As mentioned above, many mechanical drive architectures employ slide bearings in conjunction with a high viscosity lubricant (i.e., oil) to support the rotating components of the gas turbine and the load compressor connected thereto. Oil bearings have high maintenance interval costs and cause excessive viscous losses into the drive train, which can adversely affect operation of a load compressor driven by the gas turbine. There are also costs associated with the oil skids that accompany the oil bearings.

Low-loss bearings are one alternative to the use of oil bearings. However, certain gas turbine-driven mechanical drive architectures are difficult applications for the use of low-loss bearings. Specifically, as gas turbine sizes increase, the support bearing pad area increases as a square of the rotor shaft diameter, while the weight of the mechanical drive architecture increases as a cube of the rotor shaft diameter. Therefore, to implement low-loss bearings, the increase in the bearing pad area and the increase in the weight should be proportionally equal. Thus, it is desirable to incorporate light-weight or low-density materials for the mechanical drive architecture, which help promote the desired proportionality.

In addition to creating a mechanical drive architecture having a weight supportable by low-loss bearings, the use of lighter weight materials can also promote the ability to produce greater airflows. Heretofore, generating a higher airflow rate in such a drive train has been difficult because the centrifugal loads that are placed on the rotating blades during operation of a gas turbine increase with the longer blade lengths needed to produce the desired airflow rate. For example, the rotating blades in the forward stages of a multi-stage axial compressor used in a gas turbine are larger than the rotating blades in both the mid and aft stages of the compressor. Such a configuration makes the longer, heavier rotating blades in the forward stages of an axial compressor more susceptible to being highly stressed during operation due to large centrifugal pulls induced by the rotation of the longer and heavier blades.

In particular, large centrifugal pulls are experienced by the blades in the forward stages due to the high rotational speed of the rotor wheels, which, in turn, stress the blades. The large attachment stresses that can arise on the rotating blades in the forward stages of an axial compressor become problematic as it becomes more desirable to increase the size of the blades in order to produce a compressor for the gas turbine that can generate a higher airflow rate as demanded by certain applications. Similar considerations apply to the load compressor as well.

It would be desirable, therefore, to provide a mechanical drive architecture that incorporates one or more low-loss bearings used in conjunction with low-density materials, as applied in gas turbines or load compressors. Such architectures provide fewer viscous losses, thereby increasing the overall efficiency of the mechanical drive architecture.

Various embodiments of the present invention are directed to providing gas turbine-driven mechanical drive architectures with mono-type low-loss bearings and low-density materials. As used herein, the phrase “mechanical drive architecture” refers to an assembly of moving parts, which includes the rotating components of one or more of a compressor section, a turbine section, a reheat turbine section, a power turbine section, and a load compressor section, which collectively communicate with one another to compress a fluid. The phrases “mechanical drive architecture,” “mechanical drive train,” and “gas turbine-driven mechanical drive” may be used interchangeably. The phrase “gas turbine architecture” refers to a system that includes a compressor section, a combustor section, and a turbine section, and that may optionally include a reheat combustor section, a reheat turbine section, and a power turbine section. The gas turbine architecture is a subset of the mechanical drive architectures described herein.

As used herein, a “mono-type low-loss bearing” is a primary bearing assembly, which has a single working fluid that has a very low viscosity and which, when installed, has an accompanying secondary bearing that is a roller bearing element. The “primary bearing assembly” may be a journal bearing, a thrust bearing, or a journal bearing adjacent a thrust bearing. Examples of “very low viscosity” fluids used in the present mono-type low-loss bearings have a viscosity less than water (i.e., 1 centipoise at 20° C.) and may include, but are not limited to: air (e.g., in high pressure air bearings), gas (e.g., in high pressure gas bearings), magnetic flux (e.g., in high flux magnetic bearings), and steam (e.g., in high pressure steam bearings). In a gas bearing, the gaseous fluid may be an inert gas (e.g., nitrogen), nitrogen dioxide (NO₂), carbon dioxide (CO₂), hydrogen, or hydrocarbons (including methane, ethane, propane, and the like). Examples of roller bearing elements used as the secondary or back-up bearings include spherical roller bearings, conical roller bearings, tapered roller bearings, and ceramic roller bearings.

As used herein, a “low-density material” is a material that has a density that is less than about 0.200 lbm/in³. Examples of a low-density material that is suitable for use with rotating components (e.g., blades 130, 135) illustrated in the Figures and described herein include, but are not limited to: composite materials, including ceramic matrix composites (CMCs), organic matrix composites (OMCs), polymer glass composites (PMCs), metal matrix composites (MMCs), and carbon-carbon composites (CCCs); beryllium; titanium (such as Ti-64, Ti-6222, and Ti-6246); intermetallics including titanium and aluminum (such as TiAl, TiAl₂, TiAl₃, and Ti₃Al); intermetallics including iron and aluminum (such as FeAl); intermetallics including platinum and aluminum (such as PtAl); intermetallics including cobalt and aluminum (such as CbAl); intermetallics including lithium and aluminum (such as LiAl); intermetallics including nickel and aluminum (such as NiAl); and nickel foam.

Use of the phrase “the low-density material” in the present application, including the Claims, should not be interpreted as limiting the various embodiments of the present invention to the use of a single low-density material, but rather can be interpreted as referring to components including the same or different low-density materials. For example, a first low-density material could be used in one section of an architecture while a second (different) low-density material could be used in another section.

In the Figures, the use of low-density materials is represented by a dashed line in the respective section of the drive train where such low-density materials may be used. Although the Figures may illustrate the low-density materials being used in most or all of the sections of the mechanical drive architectures or gas turbine architectures, it should be understood that the low-density materials may be confined to only those sections supported by low-loss bearings.

In contrast to the low-density materials described above, a “high-density material” is a material that has a density that is greater than about 0.200 lbm/in³. Examples of a high-density material (as used herein) include, but are not limited to: nickel-based superalloys (such as alloys in single-crystal, equi-axed, or directionally solidified form, examples of which include INCONEL® 625, INCONEL® 706, and INCONEL® 718); steel-based superalloys (such as wrought CrMoV and its derivatives, GTD-450, GTD-403 Cb, and GTD-403 Cb+); and all stainless steel derivatives (such as 17-4PH® stainless steel, AISI type 410 stainless steel, and the like).

The technical effects of having mechanical drive architectures with mono-type low-loss bearings and low-density materials as described herein is that these architectures: (a) provide the ability to use low-loss bearings in a drive train that would otherwise be too heavy to operate; (b) allow the reconfiguration of the oil skid conventionally used to supply the oil bearings in the drive train; and (c) deliver a high output load while minimizing the viscous losses that are typically introduced into the drive train through the use of oil-based bearings.

Delivering a larger quantity of airflow by using rotating blades in the gas turbine that include low-density materials translates to a higher output of the gas turbine. As a result, gas turbine manufacturers can increase the size of the rotating blades to generate higher airflow rates, while at the same time ensuring that such longer blades keep within the prescribed inlet annulus (AN²) limits to obviate excessive attachment stresses on the blades, even when the blades are made from low-density materials. Note that AN²is the product of the annulus area A (in²) and rotational speed N squared (rpm²) of a rotating blade, and is used as a parameter that generally quantifies power output rating from a gas turbine.

FIGS. 1 through 4 illustrate various mechanical drive architectures including gas turbines, which may include multiple bearing locations. FIGS. 5 through 9 illustrate various gas turbine architectures, which may include multiple bearing locations. Low-loss bearings 140 may be used in any location throughout the drive train, as desired, regardless of the load output of the mechanical drive architecture. It may be advisable to use low-density materials in conjunction with low-loss bearings, since the larger component size and associated increases in weight with higher load outputs may require the use of low-density materials. In some embodiments, it is contemplated that low-loss bearings may be used without low-density materials in the rotating components, although improved performance and/or operation may be achieved by using low-density materials for at least some of the rotating components.

In those cases where low-loss bearings are used to support a particular section of the mechanical drive architecture, low-density materials may be used in the particular rotating components of that section of the drive train. For example, if the low-loss bearings are supporting a turbine section, low-density material can be used in one or more of the stages of rotating blades within the turbine section (as indicated by dashed lines). Similarly, if the low-loss bearings are supporting a load compressor, low-density materials can be used in the rotating components of the load compressor (also indicated by dashed lines).

The term “rotating component” is intended to include one or more of the moving parts of a compressor section, a turbine section, a reheat turbine section, a power turbine section, and a load compressor, such as blades (also referred to as airfoils), coverplates, spacers, seals, shrouds, heat shields, and any combinations of these or other moving parts. For convenience herein, the rotating blades of the compressor, the turbine, and the load compressor will be referenced most often as being made of a low-density material. However, it should be understood that other components of low-density material may be used in addition to, or instead of, the rotating blades. Although the descriptions that follow with respect to the illustrated drive train architectures are for use in a commercial or industrial mechanical drive architecture, the various embodiments of the present invention are not meant to be limited solely to such applications. Instead, the concepts of using mono-type low-loss bearings and rotating components of low-density material are applicable to all types of combustion turbine or rotary engines, which use a compressible fluid to drive a load device having either a compressible or nearly incompressible fluid. Examples of load devices using compressible fluids include, but are not limited to, a stand-alone compressor such as a multi-stage axial compressor arrangement, aircraft engines, marine power drives, and the like. Examples of load devices using nearly incompressible fluids (e.g., water, LNG) include, but are not limited to, pumps, water brakes, screw compressor, gear pumps, and the like.

The various embodiments described herein are not meant to be limited to any particular type of load compressor. Instead, the various embodiments of the present invention are suitable for use with any type of load compressor that can be driven by a gas turbine. Examples of gas turbine-driven load compressors that are suitable for use with the various embodiments described herein include, but are not limited to: axial compressors, centrifugal compressors, positive displacement compressors, reciprocating compressors, natural gas compressors, horizontally split compressors, vertically split compressors, integrally geared compressors, double flow compressors, etc. Furthermore, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the various embodiments describe herein are also suitable for use with stand-alone compressors that are not driven by a gas turbine.

Referring now to the figures, FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a single-shaft, simple cycle gas turbine-driven mechanical drive architecture 100 with a gas turbine 10 and a load compressor 160. At least one mono-type low-loss bearing and at least one rotating component made of a low-density material are used with the drive train, according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1, the gas turbine 10 comprises a compressor section 105, a combustor section 110, and a turbine section 115. The gas turbine 10 is in a front-end drive arrangement with the load compressor 160, such that the load compressor 160 is located proximate the compressor section 105. Other architectures for the gas turbine 10 may be used, such as those illustrated in FIGS. 7, 8, and 9.

FIGS. 1 and 2-9 do not illustrate all of the connections and configurations of the compressor section 105, the combustor section 110, and the turbine section 115. However, these connections and configurations may be made pursuant to conventional technology. For example, the compressor section 105 can include an air intake line that provides inlet air to the compressor. A first conduit may connect the compressor section 105 to the combustor section 110 and may direct the air that is compressed by the compressor section 105 into the combustor section 110. The combustor section 110 combusts the supply of compressed air with a fuel provided from a fuel gas supply in a known manner to produce the working fluid.

A second conduit can conduct the working fluid away from the combustor section 110 and direct it to the turbine section 115, where the working fluid is used to drive the turbine section 115. In particular, the working fluid expands in the turbine section 115, causing the rotating blades 135 of the turbine 115 to rotate about the rotor shaft 125. The rotation of the blades 135 causes the rotor shaft 125 to rotate. In this manner, the mechanical energy associated with the rotating rotor shaft 125 may be used to drive the rotating blades 130 of the compressor section to rotate about the rotor shaft 125. The rotating of the rotating blades 130 of the compressor section 105 causes it to supply the compressed air to the combustion section 110 for combustion. The rotation of the rotor shaft 125, in turn, causes the rotation of the blades 165 in the load compressor 160 to compress a fluid.

A common rotatable shaft, referred to as rotor shaft 125, couples the compressor section 105, the turbine section 115, and the load compressor 160 along a single line, such that turbine section 115 drives gas turbine compressor section 105 and the load compressor 160. As shown in FIG. 1, the rotor shaft 125 extends through the turbine section 115, the compressor section105, and the load compressor 160. In this single-shaft arrangement, the rotor shaft 125 can have a gas turbine compressor rotor shaft part, a turbine rotor shaft part, and a load compressor rotor shaft part coupled pursuant to conventional technology.

Coupling components can couple the turbine rotor shaft part, the gas turbine compressor rotor shaft part, and the load compressor rotor shaft part of the rotor shaft 125 to operate in cooperation with the bearings 140. The number of coupling components and their locations along the rotor shaft 125 can vary by design and application of the mechanical drive architecture.

One representative load coupling element 104 is illustrated in FIG. 1 (between the gas turbine 10 and the load compressor 160), by way of example. Alternately, a clutch (not shown) or a gearbox (170, as shown in FIG. 4) may be used as the load coupling element. In this manner, the respective rotor parts that are coupled to the coupling members are rotatable thereto by respective bearings 140.

The compressor section 105 can include multiple stages of blades 130 disposed in an axial direction along rotor shaft 125. For example, the compressor section 105 can include forward stages of blades 130, mid stages of blades 130, and aft stages of blades 130. As used herein, the forward stages of blades 130 are situated at the front or forward end of compressor 105 along rotor shaft 125 at the portion where airflow (or gas flow) enters the compressor via inlet guide vanes. The mid and aft stages of blades are the blades disposed downstream of the forward stages along the rotor shaft 125 where the airflow (or gas flow) is further compressed to an increased pressure. Accordingly, the length of the blades 130 in the compressor section 105 decreases from forward to mid to aft stages.

Each of the stages in the compressor section 105 can include rotating blades 130 arranged in a circumferential array about the circumference of the rotor shaft 125 to define moving blade rows extending radially outward from the rotatable shaft. The moving blade rows are disposed axially along rotor shaft 125 in locations that are situated in the forward stages, the mid stages, and the aft stages. In addition, each of the stages can include annular rows of stationary vanes (not illustrated) extending radially inward towards rotor shaft 125 in the forward stages, the mid stages, and the aft stages. In one embodiment, the annular rows of stationary vanes can be disposed on the compressor's casing (not illustrated) that surrounds the rotor shaft 125.

In each of the stages, the annular rows of stationary vanes can be arranged with the moving blade rows in an alternating pattern along an axial direction of the rotor shaft 125 parallel with its axis of rotation. A grouping of a row of stationary vanes and a row of moving blades defines an individual “stage” of the compressor section 105. In this manner, the moving blades in each stage are cambered to apply work and to turn the flow, while the stationary vanes in each stage are cambered to turn the flow in a direction best suited to prepare it for the moving blades of the next stage. In one embodiment, the compressor section 105 can be a multi-stage axial compressor.

The turbine section 115 can also include stages of blades 135 disposed in an axial direction along rotor shaft 125. For example, the turbine section 115 can include forward stages of blades 135, mid stages of blades 135, and aft stages of blades 135. The forward stages of blades 135 are situated at the front or forward end of the turbine section 115 along rotor shaft 125 at the portion where a hot compressed motive gas, also known as a working fluid, enters the turbine from combustor 110 for expansion. The mid and aft stages of blades are the blades disposed downstream of the forward stages along the rotor shaft 125 where the working fluid is further expanded. Accordingly, the length of the blades 135 in the turbine section 115 increases from forward to mid to aft stages.

Each of the stages in the turbine section 115 can include rotating blades 135 arranged in a circumferential array about the circumference of the rotor shaft 125 to define moving blade rows extending radially outward from the rotatable shaft. Like the stages for the compressor section 105, the moving blade rows of the turbine section 115 are disposed axially along rotor shaft 125 in locations that are situated in the forward stages, the mid stages, and the aft stages. In addition, each of the stages can include annular rows of stationary vanes extending radially inward towards rotor shaft 125 in the forward stages, the mid stages, and the aft stages. In one embodiment, the annular rows of stationary vanes can be disposed on the turbine's casing (not illustrated) that surrounds the rotor shaft 125.

In each of the stages, the annular rows of stationary vanes can be arranged with the moving blade rows in an alternating pattern along an axial direction of the rotor shaft 125 parallel with its axis of rotation. A grouping of a row of stationary vanes and row of moving blades defines an individual “stage” of the turbine section 105. In this manner, the moving blades in each stage are cambered to apply work and to turn the flow, while the stationary vanes in each stage are cambered to turn the flow in a direction best suited to prepare it for the moving blades of the next stage.

The load compressor 160 can also include stages of blades 165 disposed in an axial direction along rotor shaft 125. For example, the compressor 160 can include forward stages of blades 165, mid stages of blades 165, and aft stages of blades 165. The forward stages of blades 165 are situated at the front or forward end of the load compressor 160 along rotor shaft 125 upstream of gas turbine 10. The mid and aft stages of blades are the blades disposed downstream of the forward stages along the rotor shaft 125 where a hydrocarbon or balance-of-plant gas (fluid) is further compressed. Examples of fluids that may be compressed by the load compressor 160 include hydrocarbons, such as ethane, methane, propane, and butane, and balance-of-plant gases, such as nitrogen oxides.

Each of the stages in the load compressor 160 can include rotating blades 165 arranged in a circumferential array about the circumference of the rotor shaft 125 to define moving blade rows extending radially outward from the rotatable shaft. Like the stages for the compressor section 105 and the turbine section 115, the moving blade rows of the load compressor 160 are disposed axially along the rotor shaft 125 in locations that are situated in the forward stages, the mid stages, and the aft stages. In addition, each of the stages can include annular rows of stationary vanes extending radially inward towards rotor shaft 125 in the forward stages, the mid stages, and the aft stages. In one embodiment, the annular rows of stationary vanes can be disposed on the turbine's casing (not illustrated) that surrounds the rotor shaft 125.

In each of the stages, the annular rows of stationary vanes can be arranged with the moving blade rows in an alternating pattern along an axial direction of the rotor shaft 125 parallel with its axis of rotation. In this manner, the moving blades in each stage are cambered to apply work and to turn the flow toward the axial direction, while the stationary vanes in each stage are cambered to turn the flow toward the axial direction, preparing it for the moving blades of the next stage. As described herein, at least one of the rotating components (e.g., blades 130, 135, and 165) in one of the compressor section 105, the turbine section 115, and the load compressor 160 can be formed from a low-density material.

Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the amount and placement of rotating blades 130, 135 and 165 that include a low-density material can vary by design and application in which the mechanical drive architecture operates. For example, some or all of rotating blades 130, 135 and 165 of a particular section (e.g., the compressor section 105, the turbine section 115, or the load compressor 160) can include a low-density material. In instances where rotating blades 130, 135 and 165 in one or more rows or stages are formed of a low-density material, then rotating blades 130, 135 and 165 in other rows or stages may be formed from a high-density material.

Referring back to FIG. 1, the bearings 140 support the rotor shaft 125 along the drive train. For example, a pair of bearings 140 can each support the turbine rotor shaft part, the compressor rotor shaft part of the gas turbine, and the load compressor rotor shaft part of rotor shaft 125. In one embodiment, each pair of bearings 140 can support the turbine rotor shaft part, the compressor rotor shaft part of the gas turbine, and the load compressor rotor shaft part at their respective opposite ends of rotor shaft 125. However, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the pair of bearings 140 can support the turbine rotor shaft part, the compressor rotor shaft part of the gas turbine, and the load compressor rotor shaft part at other suitable points. Moreover, those skilled in the art will appreciate that each of the turbine rotor shaft part, the compressor rotor shaft part of the gas turbine, and the load compressor rotor shaft part of rotor shaft 125 is not limited to support by a pair of bearings 140. The bearing 140 shown between the compressor section 105 and the turbine section 115 (that is, beneath the combustors 110) may be optional, in some configurations. In the various embodiments described herein, at least one of the bearings 140 can include a mono-type low-loss bearing.

The bearings 140 include fluids supplied by a bearing fluid skid 150, which is illustrated in FIG. 1. The bearing fluid skid 150 is marked with an “A” (for air), “G” (for gas), “F” (for magnetic flux), “S” (for steam), and “O” (for oil), although it should be understood that one or a combination of these fluids may be used to supply the multiple bearings 140 in the drive train. In the present invention, an architecture having at least one bearing with a very low viscosity fluid is preferred. In these architectures, the bearings 140 are of a low-loss type—that is, bearings including a very low viscosity fluid, such as air, gas, magnetic flux, or steam, as described above.

The bearing fluid skid 150 may include equipment standard for bearing fluid skids, such as reservoirs, pumps, accumulators, valves, cables, control boxes, piping, and the like. The piping necessary to deliver the fluid(s) from the bearing fluid skid 150 to the one or more bearings 140 is represented in the Figures by arrows from the bearing fluid skid 150 to each of the bearings 140. In some instances, it may be possible for the bearing fluid skid 150 to provide two or more different types of fluids (such as oil and one or more of the low-viscosity fluids described above). Alternately, if two or more different bearing types are used, bearing fluid skids 150 for each fluid type may be employed.

Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the selection of mono-type low-loss bearings used for bearings 140 can vary by design and application in which the mechanical drive architecture operates. For example, one, some or all of bearings 140 can include mono-type low-loss bearings. In addition, a combination of different bearing types, including a combination of mono-type low-loss bearings with conventional oil bearings, may be used along the drive train. In those sections where the rotor shaft is supported by mono-type low-loss bearings, it may be preferred to incorporate low-density materials in the respective section to create a section whose weight is more easily supported and rotated.

In addition, those skilled in the art will appreciate that for clarity, the mechanical drive architecture shown in FIG. 1, and those illustrated in FIGS. 2-9, only show those components that provide an understanding of the various embodiments of the invention. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that there are additional components other than those that are shown in these figures. For example, a mechanical drive architecture and/or gas turbine architecture, as described herein, could include secondary components such as gas fuel circuits, a gas fuel skid, liquid fuel circuits, a liquid fuel skid, flow control valves, a cooling system, etc.

In a mechanical drive architecture such as those illustrated herein, which includes multiple bearings, the balance-of-plant (BoP) viscous losses are reduced in each location where a low-loss bearing is substituted for a conventional viscous fluid bearing. Thus, replacing multiple—if not all—of the viscous fluid bearings with low-loss bearings, as described, significantly reduces viscous losses, thereby increasing the outputs of the drive train at a base load of operation and/or a part load of operation.

The efficiency and output of the drive train architecture may be further improved by using rotating components of larger radial length. The challenge heretofore with producing rotating components of larger lengths has been that their weight makes them incompatible with low-loss bearings. However, the use of low-density materials for one or more of the rotating components permits the fabrication of components of the desired (longer) lengths without a corresponding increase in the airfoil pulls and rotor wheel diameter. As a result, a greater volume of air may be employed in producing motive fluid to drive the gas turbine, and low-loss bearings may be used to support the drive train section in which the low-density rotating components are located.

Below are brief descriptions of the gas turbine-driven mechanical drive architectures illustrated in FIGS. 2-9. Specific gas turbine architectures, which may be employed in the mechanical drive architectures in FIGS. 1-4, are illustrated in FIGS. 5-9. All of these Figures illustrate different types of drive trains that can be implemented for a particular industrial mechanical drive application. Although each architecture may operate in a different manner than the configuration of FIG. 1, they are similar in that the embodiments in FIGS. 2-9 can have at least one low-density rotating component (e.g., the rotor blades 130, 135 and 160 of the compressor section 105, the turbine section 110, and the load compressor 120, respectively). Similarly, these embodiments can use at least one mono-type low-loss bearing for bearings 140. As noted above, some or all of the rotating components 130, 135, 160 can be of a low-density material. With particular reference to blades in the compressor, turbine, or load compressor sections, rotating components of low-density material can be interspersed by stage with rotating components of high-density material. Likewise, some or all of the bearings 140 can be a mono-type low-loss bearing. In this manner, bearings of a low-loss bearing type can be interspersed with other types of bearings such as oil bearings.

Further, the use of low-density rotating components and mono-type low-loss bearings in a drive train of a mechanical drive architecture are not meant to be limited to the examples illustrated in FIGS. 1-9. Instead, these examples are merely illustrative of some of the possible architectures in which the use of low-density rotating components and mono-type low-loss bearings can be implemented in a drive train of a mechanical drive architecture. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that there are many permutations of possible configurations of the examples illustrated herein. The scope and content of the various embodiments are meant to cover those possible permutations, as well as other possible drive train configurations that can be implemented in an industrial mechanical drive application that uses a gas turbine.

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a mechanical drive architecture 200 having a front-end drive gas turbine 12 with a reheat section 205. As shown in FIG. 2, the reheat section 205 includes a second combustor section 210 and a second turbine section 215, also referred to as a reheat combustor and reheat turbine, respectively, downstream of the first combustor section 110 and the first turbine section 115. The mechanical drive architecture 200 includes at least one mono-type low-loss bearing 140, which is in fluid communication with the bearing fluid skid 150 (as described above). In this embodiment, both the turbine section 115 and the turbine section 215 can have rotating components (such as blades 135, 220, respectively), which include at least one rotating component that includes a low-density material. In one embodiment, all or some of the rotating blades 135 and/or 220 in one, some, or all of the turbine stages can include the low-density material. In another embodiment, the rotating components (e.g., blades 130) in the compressor section may include a low-density material. In yet another embodiment, at least one of the compressor section 105 and the turbine section 115 may include rotating components 130, 135 of a low-density material, while the rotating components 220 of the reheat turbine section 215 can be of a different type of material (e.g., a high-density material). If desired, each of the compressor section 105, the turbine section 115, and the reheat turbine 215 may include one or more stages of rotating components 130, 135, 220 of a low-density material. Other rotating components—including rotating components in the load compressor 160—may be made of a low-density material, in addition to, or instead of, the rotating blades 130, 135, 220 described herein.

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of a mechanical drive architecture 300 having a rear-end drive gas turbine 14, a load compressor 160, and a bearing fluid skid 150. In the architecture 300, the gas turbine 14 is arranged such that the load compressor 160 is coupled, via load coupling 104, to the turbine section 115 of the gas turbine, thus creating a “rear-end drive” gas turbine 14.

As with the architecture 100 shown in FIG. 1, the mechanical drive architecture 300 includes at least one mono-type low-loss bearing 140, which is in fluid communication with the bearing fluid skid 150. At least one rotating component (such as compressor blades 130, turbine blades 135, or load compressor blades 165) is made of a low-density material, according to an embodiment of the present invention. Since the individual components of the architecture 300 are the same as those in the architecture 100, reference is made to the previous discussion of FIG. 1, and the discussion of each element is not repeated here.

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of a multi-shaft mechanical drive architecture 400 having a rear-end drive gas turbine 14, a torque-altering mechanism 170 (e.g., a gearbox), and a load compressor 160. The gas turbine 14 is coupled to the torque-altering mechanism 170 along a first shaft 125, via a load coupling 104. The load compressor 160 is positioned along a second shaft 126, which is operably connected to the torque-altering mechanism 170. The torque-altering mechanism 170 permits the first shaft 125 to operate at a different rotational speed than the second shaft 126.

The bearings 140 supporting the gas turbine sections and the torque-altering mechanism 170 along the first shaft 125 may include one or more low-loss bearings, as described herein, the bearings 140 being in fluid communication with the bearing fluid skid. Similarly, the bearings 140 supporting the load compressor 160 and the torque-altering mechanism 170 along the second shaft 126 may include one or more low-loss bearings, which are in fluid communication with the bearing fluid skid 150. Although a single bearing fluid skid is illustrated, it should be understood that bearing fluid skids 150 may be associated with each shaft 125, 126 and/or each respective fluid being provided.

FIG. 4 shows that the rotating blades 130 of the compressor section 105, the rotating blades 135 of the turbine section 115, and the rotating blades 165 of the load compressor 160 can include one or more stages of low-density blades. This is one possible implementation and is not meant to limit the scope of architecture 400. As mentioned above, there can be any combination of low-density blades with blades made from other materials (e.g., high-density blades), as long as there is at least one rotating blade used in the drive train that includes a low-density material. Alternately or in addition, rotating components other than the blades 130, 135, 165 may be made from low-density material; thus, the disclosure is not limited to an arrangement where only the blades are made from low-density material. Preferably, the low-density rotating components 105, 135, and/or 165 are used in a section of the gas turbine 400 that is supported by bearings 140 that are mono-type low-loss bearings.

FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of a multi-shaft gas turbine architecture 500, including a rear-end drive gas turbine 16 having a compressor section 105, a combustor section 110, and a turbine section 115 on a first shaft 310. The gas turbine 16 further includes a power turbine section 305 on a second shaft 315, which is downstream of the turbine section 115. The gas turbine 16 of FIG. 5 may be substituted for the gas turbine 14 in the power train architecture 300 of FIG. 3 and the power train architecture 400 of FIG. 4.

In this embodiment, a rear-end drive arrangement is provided, in which the single shaft (as shown in the gas turbine 14 of FIG. 3) has been replaced with a multi-shaft arrangement. In particular, a first single rotor shaft 310 extends through the compressor section 105 and the turbine section 115, while a second single rotor shaft 315, separated from the shaft 310, extends from the power turbine section 305 to the load compressor 160 (not shown, but indicated by the legend “To Load Compressor”).

In operation, the first rotor shaft 310 can serve as the input shaft, while the second rotor shaft 315 can serve as the output shaft. In one embodiment, the output speed of the rotor shaft 315 spins at a constant speed (e.g., 3600 RPMs) to ensure that the load compressor (160) operates at a constant speed, while the input speed of the rotor shaft 310 may be different than that of the rotor shaft 315 (e.g., may be greater than 3600 RPMs).

Bearings 140 can support the various gas turbine sections on the rotor shaft 310 and the rotor shaft 315. In one embodiment, at least one of the bearings 140 can include a mono-type low-loss bearing, as described herein. The bearings 140 are in fluid communication with the bearing fluid skid 150, as shown, for example, in FIG. 3.

In one embodiment, the power turbine 305 can have at least one rotating component 405 (e.g., a blade) that is made of a low-density material. FIG. 5 shows that the rotating blades 130 of the compressor section 105, the rotating blades 135 of the turbine section 115, and the rotating blades 405 of the power turbine section 305 can include one or more stages of low-density blades. This is one possible implementation and is not meant to limit the scope of architecture 500. As mentioned above, there can be any combination of low-density blades with blades made from other materials (e.g., high-density blades), as long as there is at least one rotating blade used in the drive train that includes a low-density material. Alternately or in addition, rotating components other than the blades 130, 135, 405 may be made from low-density material; thus, the disclosure is not limited to an arrangement where only the blades are made from low-density material. Preferably, the low-density rotating components 105, 135, and/or 405 are used in a section of the gas turbine 500 that is supported by bearings 140 that are mono-type low-loss bearings.

FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram of a multi-shaft, rear-end drive gas turbine architecture 600 having a power turbine 305 and a reheat section 205. The gas turbine architecture 600 further includes at least one mono-type low-loss bearing 140 and at least one rotating component made of a low-density material in use with the drive train of the gas turbine, according to an embodiment of the present invention. As with FIG. 5, the gas turbine 18 of FIG. 6 may be substituted for the gas turbine 14 in the power train architecture 300 of FIG. 3 and the power train architecture 400 of FIG. 4.

Gas turbine architecture 600 is similar to the one illustrated in FIG. 5, except that the gas turbine 18 includes a reheat section 205 having a reheat combustor section 210 and a reheat turbine section 215. The reheat section 205 is added to the input drive shaft 310. FIG. 6 shows that the rotating blades 130 of the compressor section 105, the rotating blades 135 of the turbine section 115, the rotating blades 220 of the reheat turbine section 215, the rotating blades 405 of the power turbine section 30, and the rotating blades 137 of the load compressor 160 (shown in FIG. 2) can include low-density materials. This is one possible implementation and is not meant to limit the scope of architecture 600. As mentioned above, there can be any combination of low-density blades with blades that include other materials (e.g., high-density blades), as long as there is at least one rotating blade used in the drive train that includes a low-density material. For greater efficiency, the section(s) of the architecture 600 that are supported by mono-type low-loss bearings 140 include rotating components made of low-density material, wherein at least some of the rotating components are made of low-density material.

FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram of a front-end drive gas turbine architecture 700 having a gas turbine 20 whose architecture includes a stub shaft 620 to reduce the speed of forward stages of a compressor section 605. The gas turbine 20 further includes at least one mono-type low-loss bearing 140 in use with the drive train of the gas turbine, according to an embodiment of the present invention. The gas turbine 20 may be substituted for the front-end drive gas turbine 10 in FIG. 1.

In this embodiment, the compressor section 605 is illustrated with two stages 610 and 615, where stage 610 represents the forward stages of the compressor section 605 and stage 615 represents the mid and aft stages of the compressor section 605. This is only one configuration, and those skilled in the art will appreciate that compressor 605 could be illustrated with more stages. In any event, the rotating blades 710 associated with stage 610 are coupled to a stub shaft 620, while the rotating blades 715 of stage 615 and turbine 115 are coupled along rotor shaft 125. At least one of the forward stages of the compressor 610, the mid and aft stages of the compressor 615, the turbine section 115, and/or the load compressor (160) may include one or more rotating components made of a low-density material. The rotating components of low-density material may be interspersed (e.g., by stage) with rotating components of other materials (e.g., high-density materials).

In one embodiment, the stub shaft 620 can be radially outward from the rotor shaft 125 and circumferentially surround the rotor shaft 125. Bearings 140 are located about the compressor section 605, the turbine section 115, and the load compressor 160 (indicated by “To Load Compressor”) to support the stub shaft 620 and the rotor shaft 125. All, some, or at least one of the bearings 140 in this configuration may be mono-type low-loss bearings, as described herein, such low-loss bearings being particularly well-suited for supporting those sections of the architecture 700 having rotating components made of low-density materials.

In operation, the rotor shaft 125 enables the turbine section 115 to drive the load compressor (160, as shown in FIG. 1). The stub shaft 620 can rotate at a slower operational speed than rotor shaft 125, which causes the blades 710 of the forward stage 610 to rotate at a slower rotational speed than the blades 715 in the mid and aft stages of stage 615 (which are coupled to the rotor shaft 125). In another embodiment, the stub shaft 620 can be used to rotate the blades 710 of stage 610 in a different direction than the blades 715 of stage 615. Having the rotating blades 710 of stage 610 rotate at a slower rotational speed and/or in a different direction than the blades 715 of stage 615 can enable the stub shaft 620 to slow down the rotational speed of the forward stages of blades (e.g., approximately 3000 RPMs), while the rotor shaft 125 can maintain the rotational speed of the rotating blades 135 of the turbine section 115, and thus the speed of the load compressor 160, to operate at a constant speed (e.g., 3600 RPMs).

Slowing down the rotational speed of the forward stages of blades 710 in stage 610 in relation to the mid and aft stages of blades 715 in stage 615 facilitates the use of larger blades in the forward stages. As a result of their larger size, the airflow (or gas flow) through the compressor section 605 is increased over a conventional compressor, which means that more airflow will flow through the gas turbine20. More airflow through gas turbine 20 translates to more output.

Further, because the rotating blades 710 of the forward stages can operate at a reduced speed, attachment stresses that typically arise in these stages can be mitigated. As a result, if a compressor manufacturer desires to continue using blades of a high-density material in the forward stages, the slower rotational speed of the forward stage 610 permits the rotating blades of the forward stages to be made in larger sizes and still remain within prescribed AN²limits. U.S. patent application Ser. No. ______, entitled “MULTI-STAGE AXIAL COMPRESSOR ARRANGEMENT”, Attorney Docket No. 257269-1 (GEEN-0458), filed concurrently herewith and incorporated by reference herein, provides more details on the use of a stub shaft to attain a slower rotational speed at the forward stages of a compressor.

FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram of a gas turbine architecture 800 having a gas turbine 22 with a reheat section 205. The architecture 800 further includes a stub shaft 620 to reduce the speed of forward stages of a compressor in the gas turbine 22, at least one mono-type low-loss bearing, and at least one rotating component made of a low-density material, according to an embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment, reheat section 205 can be added to the configuration illustrated in FIG. 7. In this manner, the rotating blades 705 and 710 in stages 610 and 615, respectively, of the compressor section 605, the rotating blades 135 of the turbine section 115, the rotating blades 220 of the reheat turbine section 215, and the rotating blades 165 of the load compressor 160 can include blades that are made of a low-density material.

Again, this is one possible implementation and is not meant to limit the scope of architecture 800. For example, there can be any amount of low-density blades in combination with blades of other types of material (e.g., high-density blades) in the drive train, as long as there is at least one rotating component that includes a low-density material. Alternately, or in addition, rotating components other than the blades may be made of low-density materials in one or more sections. The gas turbine 22 of FIG. 8 may be substituted for the gas turbine 12 in those power train architectures having a gas turbine with a reheat section 205, including the power train architecture 200 of FIG. 2.

FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram of a gas turbine architecture 900 having a multi-shaft gas turbine 26 with a low-speed spool 805 and a high-speed spool 905. The gas turbine 26 further includes at least one low-loss bearing 140 in use with the drive train of the gas turbine, according to an embodiment of the present invention. The gas turbine 26 of FIG. 9 may be substituted for the front-end drive gas turbine 10 in the drive train architecture 100 shown in FIG. 1.

In this embodiment, a compressor 1100 comprises a low pressure compressor 810 and a high pressure compressor 815 separated from the low pressure compressor 810 by air. In addition, gas turbine architecture 900 comprises a turbine 1000 that comprises a low pressure turbine 1010 and a high pressure turbine 1015 separated from the low pressure turbine 1010 by air. The low-speed spool 805 can include low pressure compressor 810, which is driven by low pressure turbine 1010. The high-speed spool 905 can include the high pressure compressor 815, which is driven by high pressure turbine 1015. In this architecture 900, the low-speed spool 805 can drive the load compressor (160, as indicated by “To Load Compressor”) at a desired rotational speed (e.g., 3600 RPMs), while the high-speed spool 905 can operate at a rotational speed that is greater than that of the low speed spool (e.g., greater than 3600 RPMs), forming a dual spool arrangement.

In FIG. 9, at least one of the bearings 140 that support the drive train 900 can be a mono-type low-loss bearing. The bearings 140 are in fluid communication with the bearing fluid skid 150, as shown in FIG. 1, for example. FIG. 9 shows that the rotating blades 820, 825 of the compressor sections 810, 815, the rotating blades 1020, 1025 of the turbine sections 1010, 1015, and the rotating blades 165 of the load compressor 160 can be made of a low-density material, as indicated by the dashed lines. This is one possible implementation and is not meant to limit the scope of the architecture 900. Again, there can be any combination of low-density rotating components (e.g., blades) in use with rotating components (e.g., blades) made of different compositions (e.g., high-density materials), as long as there is at least one rotating component used in the drive train that includes a low-density material. In at least one embodiment, the low-density materials are used in one or more rotating components in the section(s) of the drive train architecture 900 supported by mono-type low-loss bearings.

Optionally, a torque-altering mechanism 1208 such as a gearbox, torque-converter, gear set, or the like may be positioned along the low-speed spool 805 between the gas turbine 26 and the load compressor (not shown, but indicated by “To Load Compressor”). When a torque-altering mechanism 1208 is included, the torque-altering mechanism 1208 provides output correction, such that the low-speed spool 805 can operate at a rotational speed greater than 3600 RPMs and drive the load compressor at a lower rotational speed of 3600 RPMs and still achieve an operating output of 60 Hz. Such an arrangement may be desirable for some mechanical drive arrangements.

As described herein, embodiments of the present invention describe various mechanical drive architectures that can use mono-type low-loss bearings and low-density materials as part of a drive train used for industrial applications. These gas turbine-driven mechanical drive architectures with mono-type low-loss bearings and low-density materials can deliver a high airflow rate in comparison to other drive trains that use oil bearings and high-density materials. In addition, this delivery of a higher airflow rate occurs while minimizing viscous losses that are typically introduced into the drive train through the use of oil-based bearings. An oil-free environment that arises from use of the mono-type low-loss bearings translates into a reduction in maintenance costs since components pertaining to the oil bearings can be removed.

The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the disclosure. As used herein, the singular forms “a”, “an” and “the” are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will be further understood that the terms “comprises,” “comprising,” “includes,” “including,” and “having,” when used in this specification, specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or groups thereof. It is further understood that the terms “front” and “back” are not intended to be limiting and are intended to be interchangeable where appropriate.

While the disclosure has been particularly shown and described in conjunction with a preferred embodiment thereof, it will be appreciated that variations and modifications will occur to those skilled in the art. Therefore, it is to be understood that the appended claims are intended to cover all such modifications and changes as fall within the true spirit of the disclosure.

MECHANICAL DRIVE ARCHITECTURES WITH MONO-TYPE LOW-LOSS BEARINGS AND LOW-DENSITY MATERIALS

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