US 12,404,781 B2
Systems for treating an installed and assembled gas turbine engine
Byron Andrew Pritchard, Jr., Loveland, OH (US); Keith Anthony Lauria, Wells, NY (US); Erica Elizabeth Sampson, Scotia, NY (US); Bernard Patrick Bewlay, Niskayuna, NY (US); Ambarish Jayant Kulkarni, Glenville, NY (US); Michael Robert Millhaem, Cincinnati, OH (US); William Francis Navojosky, Ballston Spa, NY (US); Nicole Jessica Tibbetts, Delanson, NY (US); Gongguan Wang, Shanghai (CN); and Andrew Crispin Graham, Badminton (GB)
Assigned to General Electric Company, Evendale, OH (US); and Oliver Crispin Robotics Limited, Altrincham (GB)
Filed by General Electric Company, Schenectady, NY (US); and Oliver Crispin Robotics Limited, Altrincham (GB)
Filed on Aug. 17, 2022, as Appl. No. 17/889,629.
Application 17/889,629 is a continuation of application No. 17/220,112, filed on Apr. 1, 2021, granted, now 11,555,413.
Application 17/889,629 is a continuation of application No. 17/027,754, filed on Sep. 22, 2020, granted, now 11,371,425, issued on Jun. 28, 2022.
Prior Publication US 2022/0389834 A1, Dec. 8, 2022
Int. Cl. F01D 25/00 (2006.01); B08B 3/02 (2006.01)
CPC F01D 25/002 (2013.01) [B08B 3/02 (2013.01); F05D 2220/323 (2013.01); F05D 2230/72 (2013.01); F05D 2230/90 (2013.01)] 21 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A system for treating at least one component of an installed and assembled gas turbine engine, the gas turbine engine comprising a core gas turbine engine and a fan section, the system comprising:
a storage vessel configured for containing a treating fluid;
a control unit;
a delivery assembly operably coupled to the storage vessel and the control unit, the delivery assembly being configured to atomize a portion of the treating fluid to develop a treating mist comprising a plurality of atomized droplets, the atomized droplets having a median diameter facilitating suspension of the atomized droplets within at least one flow path of the core gas turbine engine, wherein the median diameter of the atomized droplets is less than or equal to 10 microns, the treating mist configured to occupy a cross-sectional area of the at least one flow path of the core gas turbine engine to establish a simultaneous cross-sectional contact therein;
a flow generation assembly, the flow generation assembly configured to facilitate a passage of the treating mist along the at least one flow path of the core gas turbine engine; and
a humidity sensor configured to be positioned at a point-of-departure from the gas turbine engine and communicatively coupled to the control unit, wherein the humidity sensor is configured to monitor a humidity level at the point-of-departure from the gas turbine engine, wherein the control unit is configured to utilize the monitored humidity level to determine a percentage of the treating mist remaining suspended at the point-of-departure from the gas turbine engine, and wherein the control unit is configured to adjust a treating mist volume delivered to an annular inlet of the core gas turbine engine based on the determined percentage so as to achieve a desired level of wetting of the at least one component.