General Electric Company

Siemens Westinghouse Power Corporation

John Luigi Battaglioli

Robert James Bland

William Theodore Bechtel

Stephen Hugh Black

James Michael Storey

Aaron John Avagliano

Richard Sterling Tuthill

Guy Wayne DeLeonardo

Ramarao V Bandaru

Anil Gulati

Jeffrey Arthur Benoit

Joseph Charles Taura

Ashley Nicole Gerbode

Stefan Martin Meyer

A method of assembling a radiant cooler includes providing a vessel shell that defines a gas flow passage therein that extends generally axially through the vessel shell, forming a tube cage from coupling a plurality of cooling tubes together to form a tube cage defined by a plurality of chevron-shaped projections that extend circumferentially about a center axis of the tube cage, each chevron-shaped projection includes a first side and a second side coupled together a tip, circumferentially-adjacent pairs of projections coupled together such that a valley is defined between each pair of circumferentially-spaced projections, each of the projection tips is positioned radially outward from each of the valleys, and orienting the tube cage within the vessel shell such that the tube cage is in flow communication with the flow passage.

Radiant coolers and methods for assembling same

Aspects according to the invention relate to a catalytic combustor system for a turbine engine and an associated method. Catalytic combustors are used in connection with turbine engines because they can minimize the formation of oxides of nitrogen during combustion. Despite this emissions advantage, catalytic combustion systems can increase the level of CO in the turbine exhaust. According to aspects of the invention, vortex formation devices includes vortex generators, swirlers and mixers can be placed downstream of each catalytic module surrounding the pilot nozzle so as to form one or more vortices in the otherwise substantially laminar flow exiting the modules. The vortices can create a suction so that a portion of the flow exiting the pilot nozzles is mixed with the flow exiting the catalyst modules. The introduction of the higher temperature pilot flow can accelerate the catalytic reaction time, promoting burnout of the CO formed during combustion.

Catalytic combustion system and method

A pre-mixing burner ( ) for a gas turbine engine having improved resistance to flashback. Fuel ( ) is supplied to a pre-mixing chamber ( ) of the burner from a plurality of fuel outlet openings ( ) formed in fuel pegs ( ) extending into the flow of air ( ) passing through the chamber. The fuel outlet openings are formed to direct the fuel in a downstream direction at an angle (A) relative to the direction of the flow of air past the respective fuel peg. This angle imparts a downstream velocity vector (V ) for increasing the net velocity of the air and a normal velocity vector (V ) for directing the fuel away from the wake ( ) formed downstream of the fuel peg. Alternate ones of the fuel outlet openings along a single fuel peg may be formed at respective positive (A) and negative (B) angles with respect to a plane ( ) extending along the wake in order to minimize the size of the wake. The propensity of the burner to support upstream flame propagation and flashback is thus reduced by increasing the net air velocity, by minimizing the amount of fuel entrained in the wake, and by minimizing the size of the wake.

Flashback resistant pre-mix burner for a gas turbine combustor

A burner for use in a combustion system of a heavy-duty industrial gas turbine includes a fuel/air premixer having an air inlet, a fuel inlet, and an annular mixing passage. The fuel/air premixer mixes fuel and air into a uniform mixture for injection into a combustor reaction zone. The burner also includes an inlet flow conditioner disposed at the air inlet of the fuel/air premixer for controlling a radial and circumferential distribution of incoming air. The pattern of perforations in the inlet flow conditioner is designed such that a uniform air flow distribution is produced at the swirler inlet annulus in both the radial and circumference directions. The premixer includes a swozzle assembly having a series of preferably air foil shaped turning vanes that impart swirl to the airflow entering via the inlet flow conditioner. Each air foil contains internal fuel flow passages that introduce natural gas fuel into the air stream via fuel metering holes that pass through the walls of the air foil shaped turning vanes. By injecting fuel in this manner, an aerodynamically clean flow field is maintained throughout the premixer. By injecting fuel via two separate passages, the fuel/air mixture strength distribution can be controlled in the radial direction to obtain optimum radial concentration profiles for control of emissions, lean blow outs, and combustion driven dynamic pressure activity as machine and combustor load are varied.

Swozzle based burner tube premixer including inlet air conditioner for low emissions combustion

A cross-fire tube for connecting adjacent combustors in a gas turbine includes a hollow tubular body having couplings at opposite free ends thereof, the hollow tubular body having a substantially circular cross-sectional shape with a maximum diameter region about mid-way between the couplings, tapering in opposite directions to smaller diameters at the free ends. A plurality of purge holes are located in the maximum diameter region.

Tapered cross-fire tube for gas turbine combustors

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Glenville, NY, United States of America

John Luigi Battaglioli