Patent ID: 7303371

Claim:
An axial flow gas turbine engine arranged about a central axis, comprising: a compressor section; a combustion chamber; a turbine section having a plurality of guide vane rings and rotor blade rings arranged in axial succession in a hot-gas duct that contains a hot gas flow; a cooling air flow for cooling the guide vane rings and the rotor blade rings, where the pressure of the cooling air flow decreases in the direction of the hot gas flow; a guide vane carrier a flat sealing element arranged between a groove in the guide vane ring and a groove in the guide vane carrier which seals the different pressure levels associated with respective adjacent rings and extends as a single piece around at least a quarter of a circle concentric with the central axis of the engine; and means for urging the sealing element against the grooves in the guide vane ring and guide vane carrier and applying pressure against the middle of the sealing element so as to evenly apply the pressure to both the grooves.