General Electric Company

Kapil Kumar Singh

Kwanwoo Kim

Sarah Marie Monahan

Shiva Kumar Srinivasan

Fei Han

Arin Elspeth Lastufka Cross

Thomas Michael Lavertu

Venkat Eswarlu Tangirala

Joel Meier Haynes

Keith Robert McManus

Daniel Louis Depperschmidt

Hannah Erin Bower

Narendra Digamber Joshi

Benjamin Paul Lacy

Gilbert Otto Kraemer

Anthony John Dean

Qingguo Zhang

Sravan Kumar Dheeraj Kapilavai

Mathew Paul Thariyan

Preetham Balasubramanyam

Lewis Berkley Davis, Jr

Gregory Allen Boardman

Manampathy Gangadharan Giridharan

Christian Lee Vandervort

Ertan Yilmaz

Balachandar Varatharajan

Thomas Earl Dyson

Sarah Lori Crothers

Eric John Ruggiero

Andrew Maxwell Peter

Mark David Durbin

Andrew Joseph Wickersham

John Joseph Lynch

Aaron J Glaser

Owen Graham

Nan Zong

Suhui Li

Venkateswarlu Narra

Krishna Kumar Venkatesan

Liangyu Wang

Sherif Hatem Abdulla Mohamed

Keith Robert Mcmanus

Matthew Paul Thariyan

Balachander Varatharajan

Shiva Srinivasan

Deepali Nitin Bhate

Shiva Kumar Srnivasan

Balasubramanyam Preetham

A method of operating a rotating detonation combustor includes providing a flow of air through an air inlet to flow into a detonation chamber, providing a flow of fuel from at least one fuel injector into the detonation chamber, mixing the flow of the fuel and the flow of the air in the detonation chamber to generate a fuel-air mixture, detonating the fuel-air mixture in the detonation chamber to generate rotating detonation waves within the detonation chamber, and controlling, during operation of the rotating detonation combustor from a first power operating state to a second power operating state, different from the first power operating state, the air inlet wall to control the flow of the air through the air inlet into the detonation chamber to control a discharge coefficient and an operating mode within the detonation chamber.

Method of operating a rotating detonation combustor

A rotating detonation combustion system includes a detonation channel including an inner wall and an outer wall and extend in a longitudinal direction from an inlet of the detonation channel to an outlet of the detonation channel. A first mixing element and a second mixing element are disposed in the rotating detonation combustion system. The first mixing element forming a ring on the inner wall and the second mixing element forming a ring on the outer wall of the detonation channel adjacent the inlet. Each of the first mixing element and the second mixing element comprise a plurality of protrusions disposed circumferentially along the inner wall and the outer wall and extend into the detonation channel such that the plurality of protrusions affects vectors of at least a portion of the fuel and at least a portion of the fluid passing through recesses between the plurality of protrusions.

Mixing elements for rotating detonation combustion systems

Combustor systems are provided that include rotating detonation combustors (RDCs) arranged in series. In some embodiments, a combustor system includes a volume that receives a core oxidizer-fuel mixture. The combustor system includes a first RDC having a first detonation chamber. The first detonation chamber receives a first pilot oxidizer-fuel mixture and is bounded by a first channel formed in a peripheral wall. The combustor system further includes at least one additional RDC having a second detonation chamber. The second detonation chamber receives a second pilot oxidizer-fuel mixture and is bounded by a second channel formed in the peripheral wall. The first pilot oxidizer-fuel mixture reacts in the first detonation chamber and the second pilot oxidizer-fuel mixture reacts in the second detonation chamber to generate rotating detonation combustion waves that are guided by the first channel and the second channel to support a reaction that consumes the core oxidizer-fuel mixture.

Serial rotating detonation combustor systems

The present disclosure is directed to a rotating detonation combustor that includes a forward wall, a radially inner wall, and a radially outer wall. The forward wall is disposed at an inlet end of the rotating detonation combustor. The radially inner wall surrounds a longitudinal axis and extends downstream from the forward wall to an outlet end of the rotating detonation combustor. The radially outer wall extends downstream from the forward wall to the outlet end and surrounds the radially inner wall to define at least one annular plenum between the radially inner wall and the radially outer wall. At least one partition is proximate to the inlet end and defines at least two mixing zones. A plurality of oxidizer inlets and a plurality of fuel inlets are disposed at the inlet end in fluid communication with the at least two mixing zones.

Rotating detonation combustor with discrete detonation annuli

A detonation combustion system includes a detonation combustor. The detonation combustor includes a detonation manifold and one or more detonation chamber walls defining a detonation chamber. The detonation manifold includes a plurality of detonation fluid pathways defined by a monolithic structure of the detonation manifold, and a plurality of detonation orifice groups respectively including a plurality of detonation orifices disposed about a surface of the detonation manifold. Respective ones of the plurality of detonation orifice groups provide fluid communication from a corresponding one of the plurality of detonation fluid pathways to the detonation chamber through the plurality of detonation orifices corresponding to the respective one of the plurality of detonation orifice groups. The plurality of detonation orifices may be symmetrically oriented about a reference element of the detonation combustor.

Detonation combustion systems

A computer-implemented method for multi-mode operation of a combustion system, a combustion system, and a heat engine are provided. The method includes initializing combustion of a fuel/oxidizer mixture, determining whether conditions at the combustion system meet or exceed a first threshold operating parameter, transitioning to detonation combustion of the fuel/oxidizer mixture if conditions at the combustion system meet or exceed the first threshold operating parameter, and maintaining or increasing fuel flow through a deflagrative fuel circuit if conditions at the combustion system do not meet or exceed the first threshold operating parameter.

Multi-mode combustion control for a rotating detonation combustion system

A premixer for a gas turbine combustor includes a centerbody, a swirler assembly, and a mixing duct. The swirler assembly includes an inner swirler with vanes that rotate air in a first direction and an outer swirler with vanes that rotate air in an opposite direction. The inner swirler vanes and the outer swirler vanes are separated by an annular splitter. The outer swirler vanes define an outlet plane, and the inner swirler vanes each have a trailing edge that is disposed at an acute angle relative to the outlet plane. In one aspect, the inner swirler is axially offset from the outer swirler. The mixing duct may also define fuel passages that deliver fuel to fuel outlets on the downstream end of the mixing duct. The premixer is designed for operation on gaseous fuel or liquid fuel.

Premixer for low emissions gas turbine combustor

A combustion system includes an annular tube disposed between an inner wall and an outer wall, the annular tube extending from an inlet end to an outlet end; at least one annulus inlet disposed in the annular tube proximate the inlet end, the annulus inlet providing a conduit through which fluid flows into the annular tube; at least one outlet disposed in the annular tube proximate the outlet end; at least one inlet fluid plenum disposed upstream of the annulus inlet; and at least one fluid inlet disposed upstream of the inlet fluid plenum. The fluid inlet is linearly offset from the annulus inlet.

Rotating detonation combustor with offset inlet

A rotating detonation combustion (RDC) system is provided. The RDC includes a first outer wall and a second outer wall each extended around a centerline axis, and a detonation chamber formed radially inward of the second outer wall. A fuel passage extended between the first outer wall and the second outer wall, the fuel passage including a first inlet opening proximate to the aft end through which a flow of fuel is received into the fuel passage. The flow of fuel is provided through the fuel passage from the aft end to the forward end of the RDC system and to the detonation chamber.

Rotating detonation combustion and heat exchanger system

A combustion system includes an annular tube disposed between an inner wall and an outer wall, the annular tube extending from an inlet end to an outlet end; at least one fluid inlet disposed in the annular tube proximate the inlet end, the fluid inlet providing a conduit through which fluid flows into the annular tube; at least one outlet disposed in the annular tube proximate the outlet end; at least one primary fuel injector, the primary fuel injector dispersing fuel into a fluid stream entering the annular tube via the fluid inlet; and at least one secondary fuel injector, the secondary fuel injector disposed in the annular tube.

Fuel staging for rotating detonation combustor

The present disclosure relates to a fuel-air premixer for a turbine system. The fuel-air premixer includes a swirler and a centerbody. The swirler is configured to direct a flow of air through the premixer, and the centerbody is configured to inject fuel into the flow of air. Additionally, the centerbody includes an airfoil shape that reduces and/or substantially eliminates recirculation pockets to prevent autoignition and/or flame holding in a combustion chamber. Accordingly, the turbine system may produce fewer NOemissions.

Fuel-air premixer for a gas turbine

A combustor is configured to operate in a rotating detonation mode and a deflagration mode. The combustor includes a housing and at least one initiator. The housing defines at least one combustion chamber and is configured for a deflagration process to occur within the at least one combustion chamber during operation in the deflagration mode and a rotating detonation process to occur within the at least one combustion chamber during operation in the rotating detonation mode. The at least one initiator is configured to initiate the rotating detonation process within the at least one combustion chamber during operation in the rotating detonation mode and to initiate the deflagration process within the at least one combustion chamber during operation in the deflagration mode.

Combustor for rotating detonation engine and method of operating same

A gas turbine engine is presented. The gas turbine engine includes a control unit having a first bypass channel that is coupled between an outlet of a first turbine and an inlet of a second turbine. Further, the control unit includes a second bypass channel coupled between a first outlet of a compressor unit and the inlet of the second turbine. Additionally, the control unit includes a first control valve coupled to the first bypass channel and configured to direct at least a first portion of exhaust gas from the first turbine to the inlet of the second turbine via the first bypass channel. Furthermore, the control unit includes a second control valve coupled to the second bypass channel and configured to direct at least a first portion of compressed air from the compressor unit to the inlet of the second turbine via the second bypass channel.

System and method for improving efficiency of a gas turbine engine

A combustion dynamics control system for an aviation based or land based gas turbine engine employs an acoustic driver that is configured to drive pressure perturbations across a premixed fuel injection orifice to substantially zero in response to a control signal such that fuel flow perturbations across the fuel injection orifice are substantially zero.

System and method for combustion dynamics control by acoustic control/cancellation of fuel flow fluctuation at fuel injection location

A combustor for a gas turbine engine and related method is provided in which a plurality of combustor cans are selectively adapted with corresponding resonators. The resonators may, for example, be attached to every can in the consecutive arrangement of combustor cans, every other can, every third can or the like, and may be tuned to the same or first, second, third, etc. frequencies of operation. Such selective tuning is configured to suppress one or more of out-of-phase and in-phase dynamic interaction of streams discharged from adjacent combustor cans by changing the frequencies of pressure oscillation instabilities across the arrangement of consecutive cans.

Resonator assembly for mitigating dynamics in gas turbines

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Rexford, NY, United States of America

Kapil Kumar Singh