Patent ID: 8500392

Claim:
A gas turbine engine comprising: a segmented vane array disposed radially between annular outer and inner engine cases and including a segmented annular outer duct wall, a segmented annular inner duct wall, and a plurality of hollow airfoils radially extending between the outer and inner duct walls, a plurality of seals extending between adjacent segments on the inner and outer duct walls to thereby provide a gas path between the inner and outer duct walls, the gas path extending in an axial direction; an annular seal housing adjacent to one of the inner and outer walls and extending axially substantially along an entire axial length of said adjacent one of the duct walls, the seal housing spaced apart from said adjacent one of the duct walls and from an adjacent one of the inner and outer engine cases to thereby provide an annular case cavity between said adjacent one of the cases and the seal housing and an annular duct cavity between the seal housing and said adjacent one of the duct walls, the case cavity in fluid communication with an engine source of pressurized cooling air, the seal housing sealingly mounted within the engine to in use permit said cooling air to provide a pressure differential in the case cavity relative to the duct cavity; and wherein the inner and outer engine cases have a plurality of load spokes extending radially therebetween through the airfoils, and wherein the seal housing has openings to allow the respective load spokes to radially extend through the seal housing, and wherein the seal housing has a sealing apparatus at each opening to seal between the case cavity and the duct cavity; the sealing apparatus including a plurality of insulation tubes disposed around respective load spokes and extending through the airfoils, the tubes aligning with the openings in the seal housing and attached to the seal housing.