Leaned deswirl vanes behind a centrifugal compressor in a gas turbine engine

Abstract

A compressor includes a deswirl assembly to improve aerodynamic coupling with the combustor. The assembly includes an annular housing and a plurality of vanes. The annular housing includes an inner and an outer annular wall disposed concentric to each other, and a flowpath defined therebetween. The plurality of vanes is disposed in the flowpath in a substantially annular pattern. Each vane has a leading edge, a trailing edge, a convex surface, and concave surface, and each of the convex and concave surfaces extends between the leading and trailing edges. Additionally, each vane extends between and is angled relative to the inner and the outer annular walls such that the concave surface faces the outer annular wall and the convex surface faces the inner annular wall. The vanes preferably have a uniform axial cross section for ease of manufacturing.

1 . A deswirl assembly for receiving air flow from a diffuser, the deswirl assembly comprising: 
 an annular housing including an inner annular wall, an outer annular wall disposed concentric to the inner annular wall, and a flowpath defined therebetween; and    a plurality of vanes disposed in the flowpath in a substantially annular pattern, each vane having a leading edge, a trailing edge, a convex surface, and concave surface, each of the convex and concave surfaces extending between the leading and trailing edges, each vane extending between and angled relative to the inner and the outer annular walls such that the concave surface faces the outer annular wall and the convex surface faces the inner annular wall.    
   
   
       2 . The deswirl assembly of  claim 1 , wherein each vane has an axial cross section shape, and each axial cross section shape is substantially the same.  
   
   
       3 . The deswirl assembly of  claim 1 , further comprising a second plurality of vanes disposed in the flowpath in a substantially annular pattern downstream of the first plurality of vanes.  
   
   
       4 . The deswirl assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the trailing edges of the vanes of the first plurality of vanes are disposed around a first circumferential position around the inner annular wall and the leading edges of the vanes of the second plurality of vanes are disposed around a second circumferential position around the inner annular wall.  
   
   
       5 . The deswirl assembly of  claim 4 , wherein the first and second circumferential positions do not overlap.  
   
   
       6 . The deswirl assembly of  claim 4 , wherein the first circumferential position is disposed downstream of the first circumferential position.  
   
   
       7 . The deswirl assembly of  claim 4 , wherein the vanes of the second plurality of vanes are each staggered between vanes of the first plurality of vanes.  
   
   
       8 . The deswirl assembly of  claim 7 , wherein at least one vane of the first plurality of vanes is disposed between two vanes of the second plurality of vanes and a first distance between the at least one vane of the first plurality of vanes and one of the two vanes of the second plurality of vanes is less than a second distance between the two vanes of the second plurality of vanes.  
   
   
       9 . The deswirl assembly of  claim 8 , wherein the first distance is about 35% of the second distance.  
   
   
       10 . A deswirl assembly for receiving air flow from a diffuser, the deswirl assembly comprising: 
 an annular housing including an inner annular wall, an outer annular wall disposed concentric to the inner annular wall, and a flowpath defined therebetween;    a first plurality of vanes disposed in the flowpath in a substantially annular pattern, each vane having a leading edge, a trailing edge, a convex surface, and concave surface, each of the convex and concave surfaces extending between the leading and trailing edges, each vane extending between and angled relative to the inner and the outer annular walls such that the concave surface faces the outer annular wall and the convex surface faces the inner annular wall and each vane has an axial cross section shape, each axial cross section shape being substantially the same; and    a second plurality of vanes disposed in the flowpath in a substantially annular pattern downstream of the first plurality of vanes, each vane having a leading edge, a trailing edge, a convex surface, and concave surface, each of the convex and concave surfaces extending between the leading and trailing edges, each vane extending between and angled relative to the inner and the outer annular walls such that the concave surface faces the outer annular wall and the convex surface faces the inner annular wall and each vane has an axial cross section shape, each axial cross section shape being substantially the same.    
   
   
       11 . The deswirl assembly of  claim 10 , wherein the trailing edges of the vanes of the first plurality of vanes are disposed around a first circumferential position around the inner annular wall and the leading edges of the vanes of the second plurality of vanes are disposed around a second circumferential position around the inner annular wall.  
   
   
       12 . The deswirl assembly of  claim 11 , wherein the first and second circumferential positions do not overlap.  
   
   
       13 . The deswirl assembly of  claim 11 , wherein the first circumferential position is disposed downstream of the first circumferential position.  
   
   
       14 . The deswirl assembly of  claim 11 , wherein the vanes of the second plurality of vanes are each staggered between vanes of the first plurality of vanes.  
   
   
       15 . The deswirl assembly of  claim 14 , wherein at least one vane of the first plurality of vanes is disposed between two vanes of the second plurality of vanes and a first distance between the at least one vane of the first plurality of vanes and one of the two vanes of the second plurality of vanes is less than a second distance between the two vanes of the second plurality of vanes.  
   
   
       16 . The deswirl assembly of  claim 15 , wherein the first distance is about 35% of the second distance.  
   
   
       17 . A system for aerodynamically coupling air flow from a centrifugal compressor to an axial combustor, the compressor and combustor disposed about a longitudinal axis, the system comprising: 
 a diffuser having an inlet, an outlet and a flow path extending therebetween, the diffuser inlet in flow communication with the centrifugal compressor, and the diffuser flow path extending radially outward from the longitudinal axis;    a deswirl assembly coupled to the diffuser and comprising: 
 an annular housing including an inner annular wall, an outer annular wall disposed concentric to the inner annular wall, and a flowpath defined therebetween, the flow path in flow communication with the diffuser outlet to receive air flowing in a radially outward direction, and the deswirl assembly flow path configured to redirect the air in a radially inward and axial direction through the deswirl assembly outlet at an angle toward the longitudinal axis; and  
 a plurality of vanes disposed in the flowpath in a substantially annular pattern, each vane having a leading edge, a trailing edge, a convex surface, and concave surface, each of the convex and concave surfaces extending between the leading and trailing edges, each vane extending between and angled relative to the inner and the outer annular walls such that the concave surface faces the outer annular wall and the convex surface faces the inner annular wall;  
   a combustor inner annular liner disposed about the longitudinal axis, the inner annular liner having an upstream end;    a combustor outer annular liner disposed concentric to the combustor inner annular liner and forming a combustion plenum therebetween, the outer annular liner having an upstream end;    a combustor dome coupled to and extending between the combustor inner and outer annular liner upstream ends; and    a curved annular plate coupled to the combustor inner and outer annular liner upstream ends to form a combustor subplenum therebetween, the curved annular plate having a first opening and a second opening formed therein, the first opening aligned with the deswirl assembly outlet to receive air discharged therefrom.    
   
   
       18 . The deswirl assembly of  claim 17 , wherein each vane has an axial cross section shape, and each axial cross section shape is substantially the same.  
   
   
       19 . The deswirl assembly of  claim 17 , further comprising a second plurality of vanes disposed in the flowpath in a substantially annular pattern downstream of the first plurality of vanes.  
   
   
       20 . The deswirl assembly of  claim 17 , wherein: 
 the vanes of the second plurality of vanes are each staggered between vanes of the first plurality of vanes;    at least one vane of the first plurality of vanes is disposed between two vanes of the second plurality of vanes and a first distance between the at least one vane of the first plurality of vanes and one of the two vanes of the second plurality of vanes is less than a second distance between the two vanes of the second plurality of vanes; and    the first distance is about 35% of the second distance.