Rolls-royce Corporation

David Steele

Frederic Witham

David Joel Clarke

Jonathan Mark Gregory

Steven P Jones

Timothy Minchin

Steven Jones

Fred Witham

A combustion system comprising: a combustion chamber extending in an axial direction between an inlet and an outlet, the combustion chamber configured to receive an airflow through the inlet and to discharge the airflow through the outlet; a fuel injection port configured to inject fuel into the airflow to form an air-fuel mixture; an ignition system for igniting the air-fuel mixture in the combustion chamber, the ignition system comprising an array of electrical plasma initiation points disposed downstream of the fuel injection port, and distributed radially and circumferentially around the combustion chamber, wherein each electrical plasma initiation point comprises a pair of electrodes configured to apply a voltage across an electrode gap between the pair of electrodes to produce plasma within the air-fuel mixture passing between the electrodes, thereby igniting the air-fuel mixture.

Combustion system

A fuel spray nozzle comprises a fuel passage () having at least one inlet and at least one outlet. The outlet is configured for accelerating fuel exiting the fuel passage into a jet. An air swirler () is arranged outboard of the fuel passage and converges to a single outlet chamber () adjacent the fuel passage outlet(s). The air swirler () can be nominally concentrically arranged but have some freedom to move axially or radially or change its angular position. The fuel passage outlets may be arranged symmetrically in an annular configuration. An air passage may be arranged axially within the annular array of fuel passage outlets.

Fuel spray nozzle for a gas turbine engine

A gas turbine engine () comprises a main fluid flow exhaust nozzle () bounding a main fluid flow path, and a cooling nozzle () provided upstream of the main fluid flow exhaust nozzle () in the main fluid flow path. The cooling nozzle () is arranged to provide cooling air to a surface () of the main fluid flow exhaust nozzle (), the cooling nozzle () comprises first and second outlets (). The first outlet () is located adjacent the main fluid flow exhaust nozzle surface () and is spaced from the main fluid flow path by the second outlet (). The second outlet () comprises a convergent divergent nozzle configured to accelerate cooling air exhausted from the second outlet () to a velocity greater than air exhausted from the first outlet ().

Gas turbine exhaust cooling system

A fuel manifold and fuel injector arrangement comprises an annular fuel manifold and a plurality of fuel injectors. Each fuel injector comprises a fuel injector head and a hollow fuel feed arm. Each fuel injector has a pipe to supply fuel to the fuel injector head. The pipe extends from the fuel feed arm and through a corresponding aperture in the casing. The annular fuel manifold is arranged around the casing and the annular fuel manifold comprises a plurality of connectors. Each connector has a socket aligned with a corresponding aperture in the casing. Each pipe has a plug arranged to be radially slidably mounted in the socket of the corresponding connector of the annular fuel manifold to allow relative radial movement between the casing and the annular fuel manifold.

Fuel manifold and fuel injector arrangement

Apparatus for adaptive cooling comprising a first component having at least one aperture extending therethrough with a sacrificial component positioned within the at least one aperture. The first component is operable at a maximum duty temperature and the sacrificial component has a melting or sublimation point below the maximum duty temperature of the first component. The sacrificial component defines an effective aperture the size of which may be increased if, in use, the sacrificial component is subjected to a temperature between the melting or sublimation point of the sacrificial component and the maximum duty temperature of the first component.

Cooling method and apparatus

A combustion device, such as an afterburnerfor a gas turbine engine, comprises primary and secondary fuel delivery means. Pressure fluctuations in the afterburnerare damped by reducing the supply of fuel through the primary fuel delivery meansduring pressure peaks. This is achieved by means of a spill valve, controlled by a controllerin response to pressure in the afterburneras sensed by a transducer. The spill valvediverts a proportion of the fuel to the secondary fuel delivery means. The secondary fuel delivery meansis positioned upstream of the primary fuel delivery meansby a distance X, such that the secondary fuel delivery means serves to supply additional fuel to the combustion zoneduring pressure troughs.

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Bristol, United Kingdom

David Steele