Gas turbine engine with rotor bore heating
A gas turbine engine has a compressor rotor with blades and a disk. A bore is defined radially inwardly of the disk. A combustor includes a burner nozzle. A tap taps air that has been combusted in the combustor section through a valve, and into the bore of the disk. A method is also disclosed.
1. A gas turbine engine comprising:
a compressor rotor including blades and a disk, with a bore defined radially inwardly of said disk;
a combustor, including a burner nozzle;
a tap for tapping air that has been combusted in the combustor through a valve, and into said bore of said disk;
said valve is controlled to only be opened under certain periods of operation of the gas turbine engine; and
a control for said valve is programmed to be open when an aircraft associated with the gas turbine engine is at idle and to be closed at take-off.
2. The gas turbine engine as set forth in claim 1 , wherein a second valve is provided to provide for redundancy.
3. The gas turbine engine as set forth in claim 1 , wherein a supplemental compressor is provided on a flow path from said tap to said bore of said disk.
4. The gas turbine engine as set forth in claim 1 , wherein the tapped air is also delivered to a bore of a turbine section.
5. The gas turbine engine as set forth in claim 4 , wherein a labyrinth seal prevents leakage of the tapped air into a diffusor chamber in the turbine section.
6. The gas turbine engine as set forth in claim 1 , wherein a location of the tap is within the combustor.
7. The gas turbine engine as set forth in claim 1 , wherein said tapped air heats said disk to a temperature that exceeds a temperature of said blades while the gas turbine engine is at an idle point of operation.
8. A gas turbine engine comprising:
a compressor rotor including blades and a disk, with a bore defined radially inwardly of said disk;
a combustor, including a burner nozzle;
a tap for tapping air that has been combusted in the combustor through a valve, and into said bore of said disk; and
said tapped air is jacketed in a jacket of compressed air.
9. The gas turbine engine as set forth in claim 8 , wherein said valve is controlled to only be opened under certain periods of operation of the gas turbine engine.
10. The gas turbine engine as set forth in claim 9 , wherein a control for said valve is programmed to be open when an aircraft associated with the gas turbine engine is at idle and to be closed at take-off.
11. A method of operating a gas turbine engine comprising:
tapping air that has been combusted in a combustor section through a valve, and into a bore of a disk of a compressor rotor;
said valve is opened only under certain periods of operation of the gas turbine engine; and
said valve is opened when an aircraft associated with the gas turbine engine is at idle and is closed at take-off.
12. The method as set forth in claim 11 , wherein a second valve is provided for redundancy.
13. The method as set forth in claim 11 , wherein a supplemental compressor is provided on a flow path from a tap for tapping the air to said bore of said disk.
14. The method as set forth in claim 11 , wherein the tapped air is also delivered to a bore of a turbine section.
15. The method as set forth in claim 13 , wherein a labyrinth seal prevents leakage of the tapped air toward a vane in the turbine section.
16. The method as set forth in claim 11 , wherein a location of a tap is for tapping the air within the combustor.
17. The method as set forth in claim 11 , wherein said tapped air is jacketed in a jacket of compressed air, on a path for delivery into said bore of said disk.
18. The method as set forth in claim 11 , wherein said tapped air heats said disk to a temperature that exceeds a temperature of said blades while the gas turbine engine is at an idle point of operation.