This invention is about a set of common features that will characterize any machine of the new type to be produced within the set of pumps, turbines and blowers. The machines in this new category, as will be here described, will be told apart from those already in use by one main peculiarity. They will feature a stationary (non-rotating) axle for the rotation of the impeller around it but the impeller will be a solid part of the housing which will be the rotating part. Firmly, on or through the hollow core of the axle, ducts will be fitted for the intake and discharge of the powering or pumped fluid. So the housing of the machine will deliver or receive power from the body in which it will be incorporated or connected (that is torque times angular velocity). An implementation of this invention is shown in the accompanying drawings. Here the rim of a wheel of an aircraft is the rotating body. Part of the rim will serve as the housing (containing shell) of an air-driven turbine (or pump as the case may be). Accordingly, the normal stationary hub of the (formerly idle) wheel will serve as the axle of rotation for the impeller born by the rotating housing. This turbine within the rim will be powered by compressed air from the fuselage to make torque for prespinning the wheel just before touchdown. During landing, this air may be redirected to the brakes for early cooling. The rim already transformed into an air-driven turbine can be utilized to taxi or pull-out the aircraft without a tractor. In this case the turbine of this invention can be made as a two-stage regenerative machine. Research on the capabilities of the just invented turbine at the phase of development will determine the feasibility of taxiing without the main engines at least partially, using pneumatic power from the Auxiliary Power Unit.

A dual concentric turbine system for use in an air cycle environmental control system including: a shaft configured to rotate around a rotational axis of the shaft; a first turbine attached to the shaft; a second turbine attached to the shaft and concentric to the first turbine; and an integral shroud attached to the shaft, the integral shroud being radially interposed between the first turbine and the second turbine, wherein the first turbine, the second turbine, and the integral shroud are configured to rotate with the shaft around the rotational axis of the shaft.

A component for a gas turbine engine. The component includes a body. The body has an exterior surface abutting a flowpath for the flow of a hot combustion gas through the gas turbine engine. Further, the body defines a cooling passageway within the body to supply cool air to the component. The component includes a leading face and a trailing face defining a trench therebetween on the exterior surface. The body defines a plurality of cooling holes extending between the cooling passageway and a plurality of outlets defined in the trench such that the trench is fluidly coupled to the cooling passageway. Additionally, the leading face and trailing face are each tangent to at least one of the plurality of outlets. The trench directs the cool air along a contour of the component.

A component for a gas turbine engine. The component includes a body. The body has an exterior surface abutting a flowpath for the flow of a hot combustion gas through the gas turbine engine. Further, the body defines a cooling passageway within the body to supply cool air to the component. The component includes a leading face and a trailing face defining a trench therebetween on the exterior surface. The body defines a plurality of cooling holes extending between the cooling passageway and a plurality of outlets defined in the trench such that the trench is fluidly coupled to the cooling passageway. Additionally, the leading face and trailing face are each tangent to at least one of the plurality of outlets. The trench directs the cool air along a contour of the component.

A method of raising the pressure of a natural gas stream (9) on an oil or gas producing installation (1) comprises using an existing high pressure gas stream (13) at the installation to drive the turbine (12) of a turbo-compressor unit (10). It is common on oil and gas producing installations to require the pressure of a gas stream to be increased by a small amount, e.g. to allow flare gas to be fed to the production gas train thereby avoiding flaring. This system may replace the current practice of using ejectors for this purpose since ejectors are very inefficient. However, it can be advantageous to feed the output of the turbine side (12) of the turbo-compressor (10) to an ejector which can give a small pre-boost to the low pressure natural gas (9) before it enters the compressor side (11) of the turbo-compressor (10). (FIG. 2).

A method of raising the pressure of a natural gas stream (9) on an oil or gas producing installation (1) comprises using an existing high pressure gas stream (13) at the installation to drive the turbine (12) of a turbo-compressor unit (10). It is common on oil and gas producing installations to require the pressure of a gas stream to be increased by a small amount, e.g. to allow flare gas to be fed to the production gas train thereby avoiding flaring. This system may replace the current practice of using ejectors for this purpose since ejectors are very inefficient. However, it can be advantageous to feed the output of the turbine side (12) of the turbo-compressor (10) to an ejector which can give a small pre-boost to the low pressure natural gas (9) before it enters the compressor side (11) of the turbo-compressor (10). (FIG. 2).

A gas turbine engine for an aircraft includes a compressor, a combustion chamber, and a turbine having at least one stator, and at least one rotor. Each stator and rotor is formed by a plurality of blades, a fluid channel is formed between two consecutive blades, and each blade has two opposing surfaces. The compressor is in fluid communication with a first group of stator channels, and the combustion chamber is in fluid communication with a second group of stator channels, such that heat exchange can be performed through two opposing surfaces of at least one stator blade. The outer and the inner walls define a duct for the passage of the heated fluid through the rotor blades, and the outer wall is also arranged for directing the compressed air towards the combustion chamber.

A gas turbine engine for an aircraft includes a compressor, a combustion chamber, and a turbine having at least one stator, and at least one rotor. Each stator and rotor is formed by a plurality of blades, a fluid channel is formed between two consecutive blades, and each blade has two opposing surfaces. The compressor is in fluid communication with a first group of stator channels, and the combustion chamber is in fluid communication with a second group of stator channels, such that heat exchange can be performed through two opposing surfaces of at least one stator blade. The outer and the inner walls define a duct for the passage of the heated fluid through the rotor blades, and the outer wall is also arranged for directing the compressed air towards the combustion chamber.

A component for a turbine engine includes a body with an exterior surface abutting a combustion flowpath for a combustion gas flow through the turbine engine, a cooling passage defined within the body, and a trench on the exterior surface. The trench includes a plurality of outlets, and a plurality of cooling holes extending from the cooling passage to the corresponding plurality of outlets.

A component for a turbine engine includes a body with an exterior surface abutting a combustion flowpath for a combustion gas flow through the turbine engine, a cooling passage defined within the body, and a trench on the exterior surface. The trench includes a plurality of outlets, and a plurality of cooling holes extending from the cooling passage to the corresponding plurality of outlets.