Patent attributes
A gas turbine engine includes a rotor section proximate to a combustor section, where the rotor section is subject to bowing effects due to thermal differences and heat transfer at engine shutdown. The gas turbine engine also includes a heat pipe system. The heat pipe system includes one or more heat pipes installed between an upper portion of the rotor section and a lower portion of the rotor section. The heat pipe system is operable to accept heat at a hot side of the heat pipe system at the upper portion, flow heat from the hot side to a cold side of the heat pipe system, and reject heat from the cold side of the heat pipe system at the lower portion to reduce a thermal differential between the upper portion and the lower portion at engine shutdown.