Metering Cooling Flows in the Water-Cooled Gas Turbine

Metering of coolant flow to bucket cooling passages in the water-cooled gas turbine rotor was experimentally evaluated. Through water flow per cooling passage is approximately one gallon per hour and rotor “g” field is approximately 20,000 g’s, the water-cooled gas turbine depends on uniform water distribution. Measurements indicative of water distribution accuracy to eight buckets and representative cooling passages in each bucket were made in separate tests. Rotor water pressure measurements were made at both metering elements and compared to static differential pressure data. This work is part of the technology development and component verification testing of an advanced water-cooled gas turbine, firing at 2600°F (1427°C) being performed by General Electric under Phase II of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) funded High Temperature Turbine Technology (HTTT) Program.