Gas turbine engine with soft mounted pre-swirl nozzle

1. A gas turbine engine comprising:

a compressor;

a turbine;

a combustor disposed between the compressor and the turbine, the combustor having an inner casing, the combustor defining a front chamber, the combustor further defining a bypass chamber in contact with the inner casing; and

a pre-swirl nozzle configured to receive a cooling stream from the compressor, and to direct at least a portion of the cooling stream to the turbine, wherein the cooling stream exits the pre-swirl nozzle into a pre-swirl chamber, and a bypass channel extends through the pre-swirl nozzle from the front chamber to the bypass chamber to enable reverse flow from the pre-swirl chamber to the front chamber;

wherein the pre-swirl nozzle is flexibly mounted to the combustor inner casing.

2. The gas turbine engine of claim 1 further comprising a mounting component attached to the combustor inner casing and to the pre-swirl nozzle such that the pre-swirl nozzle is flexibly mounted to the combustor inner casing.

3. The gas turbine engine of claim 2 wherein the mounting component is substantially conically shaped with a base at which location the mounting component is attached to the combustor inner casing.

4. The gas turbine engine of claim 2 wherein the mounting component is attached to the combustor inner casing by a retaining ring configured to create an interference fit between the mounting component and the combustor inner casing.

5. The gas turbine engine of claim 1 wherein the pre-swirl nozzle is made of a titanium alloy.

6. The gas turbine engine of claim 1 further comprising an inboard nozzle seal and an outboard nozzle seal, the outboard nozzle seal being configured to control a first portion of the cooling stream in a first direction, and the inboard nozzle seal being configured to control a second portion of the cooling stream in a reverse direction.

7. The gas turbine engine of claim 6 wherein at least one of the inboard nozzle seal and the outboard nozzle seal is a low-diameter seal.

8. The gas turbine engine of claim 6 further comprising a bypass channel that enables the reverse flow direction of the second portion of the cooling stream by reducing the pressure upstream of the inboard nozzle seal.

9. The gas turbine engine of claim 1 wherein the cooling stream is supplied by a cooled cooling air stream.

10. A pre-swirl nozzle assembly for a gas turbine engine, the gas turbine engine having a compressor, a combustor, and a turbine, the combustor being disposed between the compressor and the turbine, the combustor having an inner casing, the combustor defining a front chamber, the combustor further defining a bypass chamber in contact with the inner casing, the pre-swirl nozzle assembly comprising:

a pre-swirl nozzle configured to receive a cooling stream, and to direct at least a portion of the cooling stream to the turbine, the pre-swirl nozzle being flexibly mountable to an inner casing of the combustor, wherein the cooling stream exits the pre-swirl nozzle into a pre-swirl chamber; and

a bypass channel extends through the pre-swirl nozzle from the front chamber to the bypass chamber to enable reverse flow from the pre-swirl chamber to the front chamber.

11. The pre-swirl nozzle assembly of claim 10 further comprising a mounting component attachable to the combustor inner casing such that the pre-swirl nozzle is flexibly mounted to the combustor inner casing.

12. The pre-swirl nozzle assembly of claim 11 wherein the mounting component is substantially conically shaped with a base at which location the mounting component is attachable to the combustor inner casing.

13. The pre-swirl nozzle assembly of claim 11 wherein the mounting component is attachable to the combustor inner casing by a retaining ring configured to create an interference fit between the mounting component and the combustor inner casing.

14. The pre-swirl nozzle assembly of claim 10 wherein the pre-swirl nozzle is made of a titanium alloy.

15. The pre-swirl nozzle assembly of claim 10 further comprising an inboard nozzle seal and an outboard nozzle seal, the outboard nozzle seal being configured to control a first portion of the cooling stream in a first direction, and the inboard nozzle seal being configured to control a second portion of the cooling stream in a reverse direction.

16. The pre-swirl nozzle assembly of claim 15 wherein at least one of the inboard nozzle seal and the outboard nozzle seal is a low-diameter seal.

17. The pre-swirl nozzle assembly of claim 15 further comprising a bypass channel that enables the reverse flow direction of the second portion of the cooling stream by reducing the pressure upstream of the inboard nozzle seal.

18. A gas turbine engine comprising:

a compressor configured to compress ambient air into a primary gas stream, a portion of which is cooled to form a cooled cooling air stream;

a combustor having an inner casing, the combustor defining a front chamber, the combustor further defining a bypass chamber in contact with the inner casing;

a turbine having a rotor with a plurality of blades; and

a pre-swirl nozzle assembly having:

a pre-swirl nozzle configured to receive a portion of the cooled cooling air stream from the compressor to be utilized as a cooling stream to provide cooling to at least the plurality of blades, wherein the cooling stream exits the pre-swirl nozzle into a pre-swirl chamber;

a mounting component configured to flexibly attach the pre-swirl nozzle to the combustor inner casing; and

a bypass channel extends through the pre-swirl nozzle from the front chamber to the bypass chamber to enable reverse flow from the pre-swirl chamber to the front chamber.