Patent ID: 11859547
Assignee: GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY
Field: Engines, pumps, turbines (Mechanical engineering)
Classification: CPC F  Y | IPC F

Claim 18:
19. A turbine comprising:
a drive shaft rotatable about an axis;
a multi-stage compressor section circumscribing and driven by the drive shaft;
a turbine section circumscribing and operably coupled to the drive shaft;
a thrust bearing provided between the drive shaft and at least a portion of the multi-stage compressor section and rotationally supporting the drive shaft;
a balance cavity, located at least partially axially upstream of the thrust bearing, with respect to the axis, and fluidly coupled to at least a portion of the multi-stage compressor section; and
a recoup cavity fluidly coupled to the balance cavity, wherein the balance cavity and the recoup cavity each extend circumferentially about an entirety of the axis;
wherein during operation of the turbine engine, a first axial force is applied to the thrust bearing in a fore-to-aft direction by the drive shaft, with respect to the axis, and a second axial force is applied by the balance cavity in an opposing direction to the first axial force.