Patent ID: 7997057

Claim:
A gas turbine engine comprising: a compressor and a turbine rotatably connected to a rotor shaft; an annular combustor having an outer wall and an inner wall, the inner wall forming a central opening in which the rotor shaft extends; a turbine guide vane located in the exhaust gas flow path downstream from the combustor with respect to the direction of exhaust gas flow and upstream from the turbine, the guide vane including a cooling air passage extending through the guide vane; an enclosure to enclose the combustor and form a cooling air path around the combustor; an aft roller bearing located near a hot zone of the combustor, the roller bearing including an inner race and an outer race and a plurality of rolling elements; and, the enclosure and the rotor shaft forming a cooling air passage to direct cooling air from the compressor through the guide vane cooling air passage, and then through the aft roller bearing, and then into the combustor to provide cooling for the aft roller bearing.