Rolls-royce North American Technologies Inc.

Allison Advanced Development Company

Calvin W Emmerson

Philip Harold Snyder

Robert Anthony Ress, Jr

Stephen Norman Hammond

A wave rotor assembly includes a wave rotor combustor and an exit duct. The wave rotor combustor includes an aft plate formed to include an exit port and a rotor drum mounted for rotation relative to the aft plate. The rotor drum is formed to include a plurality of rotor passages arranged to align with the exit port during rotation of the rotor drum. The exit duct is coupled to the aft plate and defines a passage arranged to receive exhaust gasses flowing through the exit port.

Exhaust mixer for wave rotor assembly

A wave rotor combustor includes an inlet plate, an outlet plate, and a rotor drum assembly positioned therebetween. The inlet plate is formed to include an inlet port arranged to receive a mixture of fuel and air. The outlet plate is formed to include an outlet port arranged to receive combusted gasses flowing out of the wave rotor combustor. The rotor drum assembly is arranged to rotate relative to the inlet and outlet plates and to combust the fuel and air mixture as part of a combustion process. Conditioned air is passed through the wave rotor combustor to regulate a temperature distribution of the wave rotor combustor.

Wave rotors with temperature control features

A diffuser is provided having a number of diffuser channels defined by a top wall, bottom wall, and two sidewalls. The sidewalls can be constructed according to an involute of a circle which provides constant interwall distance between the sidewalls along the length of the diffuser channel. The top and bottom walls, however, diverge from one another along the length of the diffuser channel to provide a desired diffusion.

Diffuser for a compressor

A constant volume combustor device includes, in one form, a detonative combustion. The apparatus includes inlet and outlet ports that interface with a plurality of fluid flow passageways on a rotor. A buffer gas is routed through some of the inlet and outlet ports and into and out of the plurality of fluid flow passageways. One of the inlet ports is a buffer gas inlet port that when placed in registry with a fluid flow passageway allows the flow of buffer gas into the respective passageway. Fuel is delivered into the buffer gas proximate the buffer gas inlet port so that only a portion of the buffer gas inlet port receives any fuel. In one form the wave rotor of the constant volume combustor is supported by magnetic bearings.

Constant volume combustor having rotating wave rotor

In one embodiment a centrifugal impeller has an axis of rotation, a plurality of blades, and a plurality of pitches defined between the blades. A cavity may be formed in a back side of the impeller, opposite with at least one of the plurality of pitches. In one form the cavity may not extend below a radius determined according to a stress criteria or stress limitation.

Gas turbine engine centrifugal impeller

A pressure wave apparatus utilizing the principles of pulsed detonation and wave rotor technologies. The apparatus includes inlet and outlet ports that interface with a plurality of fluid flow passageways on a rotor. A buffer gas is routed through some of the inlet and outlet ports and into and out of the plurality of fluid flow passageways. One of the inlet ports is a buffer gas inlet port that when placed in registry with a fluid flow passageway allows the flow of buffer gas into the respective passageway. Fuel is delivered into the buffer gas proximate the buffer gas inlet port so that only a portion of the buffer gas inlet port receives any fuel.

Constant volume combustor having a rotating wave rotor

A constant volume combustor device includes, in one form, a detonative combustion. In one form the wave rotor of the constant volume combustor is supported by magnetic bearings. The constant volume combustor device includes a rotor having a number of fluid passageways that rotate about an axis. End plates having at least one inlet port and at least one outlet port are located on either end of the rotor. Relatively compressed air enters the rotor through the at least one inlet port, is burned with fuel in a pulsed combustion process, and exits at least one exit port. The pulsed combustion process can be a pulsed detonation combustion process or a pulsed deflagration combustion process.

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Martinsville, IN, United States of America

Calvin W Emmerson