DIFFUSER OF A THERMAL ENERGY MACHINE AND THERMAL ENERGY MACHINE

Abstract

A diffuser of a thermal energy machine, in particular of a gas turbine, has a diffuser inlet, a diffuser outlet, and a plurality of air-guiding elements, wherein an air mass flow enters the diffuser through the diffuser inlet, and wherein the air mass flow that has entered the diffuser exits the diffuser through the diffuser outlet and flows off as a plurality of partial air mass flows by the air-guiding elements. At least two immediately adjacent air-guiding elements of the plurality of air-guiding elements are designed in such a way that the flow-off angles thereof with respect to the circumferential surface formed by the outlet opening of the diffuser outlet extending circumferentially in the circumferential direction differ from each other.

Claims

1-8. (canceled)

9. A diffuser of a thermal energy machine, comprising: a diffuser inlet, a diffuser outlet and a multiplicity of air guiding elements, wherein an air mass flow enters the diffuser through the diffuser inlet, and wherein the air mass flow that has entered the diffuser leaves the diffuser via the diffuser outlet, and in so doing issues via the air guiding elements as a multiplicity of circumferentially adjacent air mass partial flows, wherein at least two immediately adjacent air guiding elements of the multiplicity of air guiding elements are configured such that their circumferential component of an outflow angle αn, relative to a circumferential surface formed by the outlet opening of the diffuser outlet, differ from one another, wherein inclination angles of the air guiding elements, chosen in relation to the circumferential surface, are chosen in dependence on their respective circumferential position at the diffuser outlet.

10. The diffuser as claimed in claim 9, wherein two immediately adjacent air guiding elements with different circumferential inclination angles are arranged inclined with respect to the circumferential surface.

11. The diffuser as claimed in claim 9, wherein two air guiding elements, arranged immediately adjacent to a common adjacent air guiding element, are arranged at different inclinations with respect to this common immediately adjacent air guiding element.

12. The diffuser as claimed in claim 9, wherein the outflow angle αn and/or the inclination angle of adjacent air guiding elements are chosen in dependence on a flow outlet angle, formulated by the last compressor stage, of the air mass flow of an upstream compressor.

13. The diffuser as claimed in claim 9, wherein mutually opposite air guiding elements at the diffuser outlet have mutually different outflow angles αn and/or mutually different inclination angles.

14. The diffuser as claimed in claim 9, wherein the diffuser is configured as a diagonal annular diffuser.

15. A thermal energy machine, comprising: a compressor for compressing an air mass flow flowing in the axial flow direction along the machine longitudinal central axis, a diffuser as claimed in claim 9 axially downstream of the compressor, and two mutually opposite silo combustion chambers that are arranged radially further outward, wherein a diffuser outlet region formed by a casing of the thermal energy machine discharges radially into the supply ducts leading to the silo combustion chambers such that the air mass flow leaving the diffuser flows into the supply ducts via the diffuser outlet region.

16. The diffuser as claimed in claim 9, wherein the thermal energy machine comprises a gas turbine.

17. The diffuser as claimed in claim 12, wherein the adjacent air guiding elements comprise two immediately adjacent air guiding elements.

18. The thermal energy machine as claimed in claim 15, wherein the thermal energy machine comprises a gas turbine.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0052] In the drawing:

[0053] FIG. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view, taken transversely to a turbine longitudinal central axis, of a diffuser of a turbine; and

[0054] FIG. 2 is a schematic perspective view of part of a diffuser segment of the diffuser shown in FIG. 1.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF INVENTION

[0055] The diffuser 1 shown at least partially in FIGS. 1 and 2 is arranged downstream of, that is to say after as seen in the axial flow direction 2, a compressor (not shown here) of a thermal energy machine or turbine 3, wherein the axial flow direction 2 coincides with the longitudinal central axis 4.

[0056] In this exemplary embodiment, the turbine 3 is a gas turbine 5, wherein the turbine 3 or the gas turbine 5 is also characterized by two silo combustion chamber devices (not shown) which are arranged radially further outward and which each have one silo combustion chamber (not shown).

[0057] In this context, a diffuser outlet region 10 formed downstream of the diffuser 1 is formed at least in part by a casing 11 of the turbine 3, wherein this diffuser outlet region 10 opens laterally—and in relation to its longitudinal central axis 4 in the radial direction 12 (indicated only by way of example)—radially outward into in each case one mouth opening 13 or 14 of a supply duct 15 or 16, which each lead to the corresponding silo combustion chamber.

[0058] As shown in FIG. 2, the diffuser shown here is a diagonal annular diffuser. In that context, diagonal means that the main flow direction in the diffuser 1 is at approximately 45° to a longitudinal central axis 4 of the diffuser 1. Annular diffuser means that the diffuser outlet region 10 is in the form of an annular gap which concentrically surrounds the longitudinal central axis 4 of the diffuser 1.

[0059] As is clear in particular also from the representation of FIG. 2, an air mass flow which flows through the compressor in the axial flow direction 2 (and which is not shown more obviously here) flows through a diffuser inlet 20 into the diffuser 1, flows through a widening diffuser duct 21 of the diffuser 1 and then flows further out of a diffuser outlet 22 and the diffuser outlet region 10 to the mouth openings 13 and 14, wherein the departing air mass flow is divided, in the region of the diffuser outlet 22 and by means of a multiplicity of air guiding elements 23 (here numbered only by way of example), into a corresponding multiplicity of air mass partial flows 24 (numbered only by way of example, see FIG. 1).

[0060] The multiplicity of air guiding elements 23 is arranged in the circumferential direction 25 of the diffuser outlet 22, concentrically distributed around the turbine longitudinal central axis 4.

[0061] In order that the individual air mass partial flows 24 can depart in a more direct and more optimized manner in the direction of the mouth openings 13 and 14, at least some of the air guiding elements 23, and in particular any two immediately adjacent air guiding elements 23, are arranged inclined with an inclination angle 30 (entered only by way of example) with respect to a circumferential surface 32 defined by the outlet opening 31 of the diffuser outlet 22 such that the individual air mass partial flows 24 can depart in a more direct and more optimized manner in the direction of the mouth openings 13 and 14.

[0062] In addition or as an alternative, air guiding elements 23 can also be designed differently such that the individual air mass partial flows 24 can depart in a more direct and more optimized, or even more effective, manner in the direction of the mouth openings 13 and 14. Thus, as can be seen in the depicted exemplary embodiment shown in FIG. 1, those air mass partial flows 24 which flow out at the 3 o'clock and 9 o'clock positions of the diffuser 1 do so with approximately zero swirl. In other words: the circumferential component of the outflow angle of the air mass partial flows, or of the air guiding elements 23 directing these, is small or zero. By contrast, those air mass partial flows which flow out at the 12 o'clock and 6 o'clock positions of the diffuser are provided with more swirl. Accordingly, the circumferential component of the outflow angle of these air mass partial flows, or of the air guiding elements 23 directing these, is rather larger.

[0063] Accordingly, in the transition regions, for example at the 2 o'clock position, two air guiding elements 23 which are arranged immediately adjacent to a common adjacent air guiding element 23 are arranged at different inclinations with respect to this common immediately adjacent air guiding element 23, such that advantageously each of the air guiding elements 23 is arranged at a different inclination with respect to the circumferential surface 32.

[0064] In that regard, the air guiding elements 23 can generate different outflow angles α.sub.n with respect to the present circumferential surface 32.

[0065] Thus, one of the air guiding elements 23 generates an outflow angle α.sub.n, with a different outflow angle α.sub.n+1 being generated by a first immediately adjacent air guiding element 23 and yet another outflow angle α.sub.n−1 being generated by another indirectly adjacent air guiding element 23. Furthermore, yet another outflow angle α.sub.n+2 is generated by a first indirectly adjacent air guiding element 23, and so on.

[0066] Moreover, the inclination angles 30 of the air guiding elements 23, chosen in relation to the circumferential surface 32, are chosen in dependence on their respective circumferential position 33 at the diffuser outlet 22, whereby the individual air mass partial flows 24 depart in an even more targeted manner in the direction of the mouth openings 13 and 14.

[0067] By means of the diffuser 1 described here and integrated in the turbine 2, the air mass partial flows 24 departing from the diffuser outlet 22 can already be particularly well pre-sorted with respect to their flow direction, such that they can depart more effectively toward the mouth openings 13 and, respectively, 14.

[0068] Although the invention has been described and illustrated in more detail by way of the preferred exemplary embodiment, the invention is not restricted by this disclosed exemplary embodiment and other variations can be derived herefrom by a person skilled in the art without departing from the scope of protection of the invention.