EP-4741644-A1 - TRANSFER TUBE SYSTEM FOR GAS TURBINE ENGINE BLEED SYSTEM

EP4741644A1EP 4741644 A1EP4741644 A1EP 4741644A1EP-4741644-A1

Abstract

A transfer tube system for connecting between a compressor and a bleed unit of a turbomachine includes a valve assembly with at least one inlet. The valve assembly is disposed to control bleed air flow from the compressor through a bleed system. A strut envelopes an interior space and extends between the compressor and the valve assembly. A bleed tube conduit is connected between the port/compressor and the inlet/valve assembly to convey gas between the compressor and the valve assembly. The conduit passes through the interior space of the strut and includes a pair of bellows disposed in the interior space. Between the bellows, the conduit has a central section with a non-circular shaped cross section to enable minimizing the width of the strut.

Inventors

ALSTAD, SHAWN

Assignees

Honeywell International Inc.

Dates

Publication Date: 20260513
Application Date: 20251020

Claims (10)

A transfer tube system for connecting between a compressor and a bleed unit of a turbomachine, the transfer tube system comprising: a valve assembly with an inlet, the valve assembly disposed to control gas flow from the compressor through a bleed system; a port in fluid communication with the compressor; a strut having an interior space, the strut extending, at least partly, between the compressor and the valve assembly; and a conduit connected between the port and the inlet, the conduit configured to convey gas between the compressor and the valve assembly, wherein the conduit passes through the interior space of the strut, wherein the conduit includes a first bellows disposed in the interior space and a second bellows disposed in the interior space, wherein, between the first bellows and the second bellows, the conduit has a central section with a non-circular shaped cross section.
The transfer tube system of claim 1, wherein the conduit includes a radial bellows disposed adjacent to the inlet of the valve assembly and configured to adapt to movement of the central section relative to the inlet.
The transfer tube system of claim 1, wherein the conduit includes an internal baffle extending longitudinally in the central section, wherein the internal baffle is configured to provide structural support to the conduit.
The transfer tube system of claim 1, further comprising a second conduit, wherein the second conduit extends through the interior space from a second port of the compressor to a second inlet of the valve unit, wherein the second port is disposed at a point of the compressor that is at a different pressure as compared to the first port.
The transfer tube system of claim 1, wherein: the compressor is disposed in a core of the turbomachine, a bypass duct is defined around the core; the valve assembly is disposed on an outer wall of the bypass duct; and the strut extends through the bypass duct from the core to the outer wall.
The transfer tube system of claim 1, wherein the conduit includes a cylindrical section disposed adjacent to the port, the cylindrical section having a circular cross section and including a diffusion section that transitions the circular cross section to the non-circular cross section, wherein the non-circular cross section is provided at the central section and at both the first bellows and the second bellows.
The transfer tube system of claim 6, wherein the non-circular cross section has a flow area at least as large as the circular cross section.
The transfer tube system of claim 1, wherein the central section has an axial dimension that is at least approximately twice a magnitude of a lateral dimension of the central section.
The transfer tube system of claim 1, wherein the first bellows and the second bellows each have a wall thickness that is thinner than a second wall thickness of the central section.
The transfer tube system of claim 1, wherein the conduit has a spine configured as a smooth curve connecting an inlet vector at the port and an exit vector at the inlet, wherein the spine is substantially S-shaped, wherein the conduit is centered on the spine.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD The present disclosure generally relates to transferring pressurized gas from a compressor and through a restricted space for rotating machinery including turbomachinery, and more particularly relates to a bleed system's transfer tube system with features for routing in limited space applications such as with a gas turbine engine. BACKGROUND In the field of rotating machinery, gas flow may be generated by various components such as fans and compressors. In the case of a gas turbine engine, generated air may be routed from the engine and used as a pressurized gas source for any number of uses. When a gas turbine engine is employed on an aircraft, pressurized air may be routed out of, and away from, the engine. This bleed air is conveyed to the airframe and cabin of the aircraft where it is distributed and available for various uses such as cooling, cross starting another engine, deicing, cabin pressurization, driving motors/actuators, fluid tank pressurization, environmental control systems, and others. The compressed air is generated in the gas turbine engine, often at locations that are separated from the aircraft cabin by obstacles such as cases, ducts, nacelles and spaces/gaps. Accordingly, some form of conduit system is required to transfer the compressed air from its source to its destination(s). A part of this conduit system may be referred to as bleed tubes which receive the compressed air at location points upstream from the engine's combustor. The path from these location points to the aircraft structure may be complex and may have little available space for routing the bleed tubes. The preferred path options may require taking an indirect or tortuous path rather than a simple straight line path. Providing a bleed system, and more generally a transfer tube system in applications where space is limited is challenging. Accordingly, it is desirable to provide a system for conveying a compressed gas through a complex path with limited space while doing so in an effective and efficient manner. Furthermore, other desirable features and characteristics of the present disclosure will become apparent from the subsequent detailed description and the appended claims, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and the foregoing technical field and background. BRIEF SUMMARY This summary is provided to describe select concepts in a simplified form that are further described in the Detailed Description. This summary is not intended to identify key or essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to be used as an aid in determining the scope of the claimed subject matter. In a number of embodiments, a transfer tube system is provided for connecting between a compressor and a bleed unit of a turbomachine. A bleed system includes a valve assembly with at least one inlet. The valve assembly is disposed to control bleed air flow from the compressor through the bleed system. A strut envelopes an interior space and extends between the compressor and the valve assembly. A bleed tube conduit is connected between the port of the compressor and the inlet of the valve assembly to convey gas between the compressor and the valve assembly. The conduit passes through the interior space of the strut and includes a pair of bellows disposed in the interior space. Between the bellows, the conduit has a central section with a non-circular shaped cross section to enable minimizing the width of the strut. In additional embodiments, a transfer tube system for connecting between a compressor and a bleed unit of a turbomachine includes a valve assembly with a first inlet and a second inlet. The valve assembly is disposed to control gas flow from the compressor through a bleed system. A pair of ports are in fluid communication with the compressor. A strut has an interior space and extends between the compressor and the valve assembly. A pair of conduits are each configured as bleed tubes and are connected between the ports and the inlets. The conduits convey gas flow between the compressor and the valve assembly. The conduits extend through the interior space of the strut. Each conduit includes a pair of bellows disposed in the interior space. Each conduit has a central section between the bellows of its respective pair of bellows. Each central section has a non-circular shaped cross section. In other embodiments, a transfer tube system for connecting between a compressor and a bleed unit of a turbomachine includes a valve assembly configured as a bleed unit. The valve assembly has a pair of inlets and is disposed to control bleed air flow from the compressor through a bleed system. A pair of ports are in fluid communication with the compressor and are disposed to receive gas at different pressure levels from the compressor. A strut has an interior space and extends between the compressor and the valve assembly and through a bypass duct of the turbomachine. A pair of conduits are configured a