General Electric Company

Exxonmobil Upstream Research Company

Anthony Wayne Krull

Gilbert Otto Kraemer

Geoffrey David Myers

Timothy Andrew Healy

Pradeep Aadi Gopala Krishna

Jonathan Dwight Berry

Lewis Berkley Davis, Jr

Willy Steve Ziminsky

James Michael Storey

Rex Allen Morgan

Karl Dean Minto

Garth Curtis Frederick

Dullal Ghosh

Saurav Dugar

Matthew Paul Berkebile

Douglas Frank Beadie

James Harold Westmoreland

David Leach

Julio Enrique Mestroni

Ertan Yilmaz

Alexey V Vert

John Joseph Lipinski

Timothy Joseph Rehg

Donald Earl Floyd

Nan Zong

Eugene Delano White

David Kaylor Toronto

Danielle Marie Kalitan

David Lee Williamson

Samer Aljabari

Tejas Bharat Shinde

Jason Randolph Marshall

A system includes a gas turbine engine that includes a combustor section having a turbine combustor that generates combustion products, a turbine section having one or more turbine stages driven by the combustion products, an exhaust section disposed downstream of the turbine section, an oxygen sensor adaptor housing disposed in at least one of the combustor section, the turbine section, or the exhaust section, or any combination thereof, and an oxygen sensor disposed in the oxygen sensor adaptor housing. The oxygen sensor adaptor housing is configured to maintain a temperature of a portion of the oxygen sensor below an upper threshold.

System and method for a gas turbine engine sensor

A combustor includes a combustor housing defining a combustion chamber having a plurality of combustion zones. A plurality of temperature detectors are disposed in communication with the combustion chamber. The plurality of temperature detectors detect a temperature in the plurality of combustion zones. A controller communicating with the plurality of temperature detectors is programmed to determine an occurrence of a flame holding condition or a flashback condition in the plurality of combustion zones based on signals from the plurality of temperature detectors.

Combustor flashback/flame holding detection via temperature sensing

In a gas turbine engine that includes a compressor and a combustor, wherein the combustor includes a primary fuel injector within a fuel nozzle and a secondary fuel injector that is upstream of the fuel nozzle and configured to inject fuel into a flow annulus of the combustor, a method for detecting a flame holding condition about a fuel injector. The method may include the steps of: detecting an upstream pressure upstream of the secondary fuel injector; detecting a downstream pressure downstream of the secondary fuel injector; determining a measured pressure difference between the upstream pressure and the downstream pressure; and comparing the measured pressure difference to an expected pressure difference.

Systems and methods for detecting combustor casing flame holding in a gas turbine engine

A system is provided for detecting and controlling flashback and flame holding in a combustor of a gas turbine. The system includes at least one flame indicator disposed in a combustor and at least one detector disposed downstream from the flame indicator. The flame indicator may be configured to produce light when exposed to a flame and the detector may be configured to detect the light produced by the flame indicator.

System and method for detecting and controlling flashback and flame holding within a combustor

A system is disclosed that includes a combustor having an end cover and at least one fuel nozzle assembly extending from an inner face of the end cover. A cartridge may extend through the end cover and into the fuel nozzle assembly. The cartridge may define an opening for receiving light emitted from within the combustor. Additionally, a fiber optic cable may be disposed within the cartridge and may be configured to capture at least a portion of the light received through the opening.

System and method for controlling combustor operating conditions based on flame detection

Optical flame holding and flashback detection systems and methods are provided. Exemplary embodiments include a combustor including a combustor housing defining a combustion chamber having combustion zones, flame detectors disposed on the combustor housing and in optical communication with the combustion chamber, wherein each of the flame detectors is configured to detect an optical property related to one or more of the combustion zones.

Optical flame holding and flashback detection

A turbine to detect a flame holding event includes a combustion section to receive a fluid from a compressor, to heat the fluid by combusting a fuel to generate heat, and to output the heated fluid to a turbine section. The combustion section includes a combustor having a combustion chamber in which the fuel is combusted, and the combustion section having a sensor to sense a static pressure within the combustion chamber. A combustion control device detects a flame holding event in the combustion chamber based only on the sensed static pressure.

Detection system and method to detect flame holding event

A method for detecting defects in a combustion duct in a combustion system of a turbine engine while the turbine engine operates, wherein the combustion duct comprises an inner surface, which, during operation, is exposed to the hot-gas flowpath, the method comprising the steps of: providing a first electrode that is electrically connected to the combustion duct; providing a second electrode that resides within the hot-gas flowpath; applying a voltage across the first electrode and the second electrode; and detecting current flowing between the first electrode and the second electrode.

Methods, systems and apparatus for detecting material defects in combustors of combustion turbine engines

A nozzle includes a center body that defines an axial centerline. A shroud circumferentially surrounds at least a portion of the center body to define an annular passage between the center body and the shroud. A plenum is inside the center body and substantially parallel to the axial centerline, and an igniter is inside the center body and generally adjacent to the plenum. A method for igniting a combustor includes flowing a fuel through a center body axially aligned in a nozzle and flowing a working fluid through an annular passage, wherein the annular passage is substantially parallel to and radially outward of the center body. The method further includes projecting at least one of a beam, spark, or flame from an igniter located inside the center body.

Apparatus and method for igniting a combustor

A system for detecting defects in a combustion duct of a combustion system of a combustion turbine engine while the combustion turbine engine operates, wherein the combustion duct comprises a hot side, which is exposed to combustion gases and, opposing the hot side, a cold side. The system may include: an indicator coating disposed on an outer surface of the combustion duct, the indicator coating comprising a detectable substance; and a gas sensor positioned downstream of the combustor, the gas sensor configured to take a measurement of the amount of the detectable substance in the combustion products of the combustion turbine engine.

A system may detect a flame about a fuel nozzle of a gas turbine. The gas turbine may have a compressor and a combustor. The system may include a first pressure sensor, a second pressure sensor, and a transducer. The first pressure sensor may detect a first pressure upstream of the fuel nozzle. The second pressure sensor may detect a second pressure downstream of the fuel nozzle. The transducer may be operable to detect a pressure difference between the first pressure sensor and the second pressure sensor.

Systems and methods for detecting a flame in a fuel nozzle of a gas turbine

In one embodiment, a system includes an engine that includes a combustion chamber and a viewing port into the combustion chamber. The engine also includes a camera configured to obtain an image of a flame in the combustion chamber through the viewing port and a controller configured to adjust a parameter of the engine based on the image of the flame.

System and method for adjusting engine parameters based on flame visualization

A system for detecting defects in a combustion duct of a combustion system of a combustion turbine engine while the combustion turbine engine operates, wherein the combustion duct comprises a hot side, which is exposed to combustion gases and, opposing the hot side, a cold side. In one embodiment, the system comprises: a photodetector aimed at the cold side of the combustion duct, the photodetector being configured to detect a visible change to the cold side of the combustion duct.

A method may detect a flashback condition in a fuel nozzle of a combustor. The method may include obtaining a current acoustic pressure signal from the combustor, analyzing the current acoustic pressure signal to determine current operating frequency information for the combustor, and indicating that the flashback condition exists based at least in part on the current operating frequency information.

Growing community of inventors

Shepherdsville, KY, United States of America

Anthony Wayne Krull