Patent ID: 8328508

Claim:
A cooling system, comprising: a rotor; a bearing assembly mounted to the rotor; a static aft bearing structure surrounding the bearing assembly and including a cylindrical section defining a cavity within which the bearing assembly is disposed; an outer casing surrounding the static aft bearing structure and defining a portion of an exhaust pathway; a plurality of hollow struts extending from the static aft bearing structure towards the outer casing and through the exhaust pathway, each hollow strut including an outer radial end configured to receive a gas from an air source and to provide a pathway for the gas to flow into the cavity; and a center-body cap disposed over an end of the static aft bearing structure, the center-body cap including a rim configured to create a low pressure region at an interface between the static aft bearing structure and the center-body cap, wherein the low pressure region has a pressure that is lower than a pressure within the cavity.