Pratt-whitney Canada Corp

United Technologies Corporation

Woodward, Inc.

Aleksandar Kojovic

Lev Alexander Prociw

Peter John Stuttaford

Oleg Morenko

Bryan Micheal Bond

Jun Shi

James B Hoke

David C Jarmon

Harris Shafique

Honza Stastny

Kevin Joseph Low

Michael Andrew Fryer

Jeffrey Richard Verhiel

Shaoluo L Butler

Saeid Oskooei

Sander G Niemeyer

David J Bombara

Lee A Hoffman

Bernhard Fischer

Gavin Rohiteswar Kisun

David Edwin Cowburn

Saeid Oskooel

Jeffrey Scott Acton

Andrew Manninen

Peter J Stuttaford

Bryan Bond

Bryan Michael Bond

Lew Alexander Prociw

A method of operating a fuel delivery system of an aircraft engine of an aircraft includes operating the aircraft engine in a standby mode by maintaining combustion in a combustor of the aircraft engine by supplying fuel to the combustor via a first set of fuel nozzles of a first fuel manifold while providing a trickle flow of fuel via a second set of fuel nozzles of a second fuel manifold into the combustor during engine operation, the trickle flow being defined as a fuel flow rate selected to prevent flame-out of the combustion while providing one of: substantially no motive power to the aircraft, and no motive power to the aircraft, via the combustion of the trickle flow of fuel. An aircraft gas turbine engine is also described.

Fuel delivery system and method

A diffuser pipe includes a tubular body defining a pipe center axis extending therethrough. The tubular body includes a first portion extending in a first direction from an inlet of the tubular body, a second portion extending in a second direction transverse to the first direction and terminating at a pipe outlet, and a bend portion fluidly linking the first portion and the second portion. A stiffening rib extends outwardly from an outer surface of the first portion of the tubular body.

Diffuser pipe with stiffening rib

A fuel supply assembly for a gas turbine engine comprises a plurality of fuel injectors configured for mounting circumferentially to an engine casing of the gas turbine engine and to be serially interconnected. At least one pair of the plurality of the fuel injectors has a first fuel injector including a first manifold adapter having a first outlet defined around a first outlet axis, and a first stem connected to the first manifold adapter at the first outlet and extending longitudinally along a first stem axis; and a second fuel injector including a second manifold adapter having a second outlet defined around a second outlet axis, and a second stem connected to the second manifold adapter at the second outlet, the first and second outlet axes being disposed circumferentially between the first and second stem axes.

Fuel manifold assembly

A fuel injector nozzle assembly includes a body extending along an axis and a core swirl plug positioned at least partially within the body. The core swirl plug has a flow modifying structure configured to swirl fuel at a location upstream from a distal end of the nozzle assembly.

Flow modifier for combustor fuel nozzle tip

A gas turbine engine fuel delivery system which includes an external fuel manifold fastened to the outer surface of a casing surrounding the combustor of the engine and which includes a plurality of inlet manifold tubes circumferentially disposed in serial flow communication. A plurality of fuel nozzles are mounted to the casing and are axially spaced apart from the fuel manifold on the outer surface of the casing. A plurality of jumper tubes are disposed outside the casing and feed fuel flow from the fuel manifold to the fuel nozzles. The jumper tubes have a rigidity that is less than that of the inlet manifold tubes of the fuel manifold such that the jumper tubes elastically deflect under load.

Fuel manifold with jumper tubes

The positioning arrangement comprises at least one pair of complimentary rounded recesses, each recess being provided on the mating face of the corresponding component. One ball is positioned between each pair of complementary recesses.

Positioning arrangement for components of a pressure vessel and method

A reverse flow combustor has an inlet end. A flowpath extends downstream from the inlet end through a turn. The turn directs the flowpath radially inward and reversing an axial flow direction. A large exit duct (LED) is along the turn. A small exit duct (SED) is along the turn and joined by a joint to a mounting structure to resist separation in a first axial direction. The joint comprises: a first surface on the SED facing partially radially inward; and a mounting feature engaging the first surface.

Reverse flow combustor duct attachment

An assembly for sealingly mounting a device in a hole in a pressure vessel casing, the assembly transferring a load produced by pressurized fluid to the casing and retaining the stem to the casing.

Internally mounted device for a pressure vessel

In the fuel nozzle, the fuel is circulated in a helical path around the interface of a stem of the fuel nozzle and a flange for increase the cooling.

Fuel nozzle for a gas turbine engine

A gas turbine engine internal fuel manifold assembly including an annular fuel distribution member defining at least one fuel flow passage therein, and a plurality of fuel nozzles having spray tips mounted to the fuel distribution member. the spray tips are in fuel flow communication with the fuel flow passage, and each fuel nozzle has at least one core airflow passage extending through a center thereof between the spray tip and an air inlet defined in the fuel nozzle.

Internal fuel manifold with airblast nozzles

A method of combustor cycle air flow adjustment for a gas turbine engine according to the present invention solves the problem of a higher flame temperature in the combustor, thereby affecting the emission levels when a heat-recuperated air flow cycle is used to increase the compressed air temperature. In low emission combustors this impact is severe because emission levels are significantly dependent on the primary combustion zone flame temperature. The method of the present invention includes a step of changing a geometry of an air flow passage and thereby changing distribution of a total air mass flow between an air mass flow for combustion and an air mass flow for cooling in order to ensure that flame temperature in a primary combustion zone of a combustor are maintained substantially the same whether the gas turbine engine is manufactured to operate as a simple air flow cycle engine or as a heat-recuperated air flow cycle engine. In an embodiment of the present invention, the changing of the geometry of the air flow passage by changing the number and size of perforations in an impingement cooling skin so that with minimal changes the impingement cooling skin serves duel purposes both as a cooling device for cooling the combustor wall and as a valve means for combustor cycle air flow adjustment, which makes the method simple and economical.

Method of combustor cycle airflow adjustment

Apparatus for adjusting combustor cycle

A cyclone combustor of the present invention uses a novel pre-mixture injection scheme to optimize performance. The cyclone combustor includes a cylindrical combustor can and three fuel/air premixing tubes entering the combustor can radially, with a tangential offset. The tangential offset is designed to provide an optimized circulation in the combustor can for improvement of liner life span, flame stability and engine turn-down. The ignition and pilot fuel systems are placed to take advantage of the premixing tube entry locations and the tangential direction of the mixture flow momentum in the combustor can. The special combination of the parallel axes of the combustor can and the mixing tubes provides a right angle between an outlet section and the major tube section of each premixing tube. The cyclone combustor of the present invention can meet the requirements for low NO and CO emissions.

Cyclone combustor

The present invention is directed to a combustor/turbine successive dual cooling arrangement in which the combustor has a one-piece hot combustor wall and front and rear cold combustor walls, and cooling air is forced under pressure through perforations in the cold combustor walls and impinges on the annular front and rear sections of the hot combustor wall for the backside cooling of the hot combustor wall. The exhaust combustor backside cooling air is directed to gain access to the hot end of the engine, that is, the turbine section, to cool the turbine components. The combustor/turbine successive dual cooling arrangement according to the present invention enables all the air typically used to cool the hot end of the engine downstream of the combustor, to be used as combustor backside cooling as well, to significantly reduce the amount of air needed for combustor and turbine cooling. Moreover, all the exhaust combustor backside cooling air must be used for turbine cooling and is never ingested into the combustion chamber, thereby avoiding negatively affecting the engine combustion emissions.

Growing community of inventors

Oakville, Canada

Aleksandar Kojovic