United Technologies Corporation

General Electric Company

Richard Sterling Tuthill

Jun Shi

Jeffrey D Melman

David J Bombara

Jason Lawrence

David C Jarmon

Zhongtao Dai

Robert James Bland

Dustin Wayne Davis

Thomas J Madden

Guy Wayne DeLeonardo

William Theodore Bechtel

Stephen Hugh Black

Craig F Smith

Harold M Craig

John Luigi Battaglioli

Sid Russell

Robert E Coburn

Terry A Clark

Jeffrey Arthur Benoit

James M Long

Joseph Charles Taura

Michael T Weber

Ronald M Gabriel

Robert H Larson

Stefan Martin Meyer

A disclosed fuel injector provides mixing of fuel with airflow by surrounding a swirled fuel flow with first and second swirled airflows that ensures mixing prior to or upon entering the combustion chamber. Fuel tubes produce a central fuel flow along with a central airflow through a plurality of openings to generate the high velocity fuel/air mixture along the axis of the fuel injector in addition to the swirled fuel/air mixture.

Fuel flexible fuel injector

A combustor assembly having a support assembly between a metal support assembly and a ceramic combustor can section that accommodates a thermal expansion difference therebetween. An air fuel mixer and an igniter are mounted to the support assembly secured to the ceramic combustion can which receives the ignition products of the ignited fuel and air mixture.

Ceramic combustor can for a gas turbine engine

Gas turbine engine systems involving cooling of combustion section liners are provided. A representative liner includes: an outer side, an inner side, an upstream end, and a downstream end, the outer side being configured to face away from a combustion reaction, the inner side being configured to face the combustion reaction; a cooling air channel, a portion of the cooling air channel being located proximate the downstream end; and cooling holes formed through the inner side of the liner, the cooling holes being in fluid communication with the cooling air channel such that cooling air provided to the cooling air channel is directed through the cooling holes and to the inner side of the liner such that at least a portion of the inner side of the liner receives cooling air despite a corresponding portion located on the outer side of the liner being obstructed from receiving cooling air.

Gas turbine engine systems involving cooling of combustion section liners

A combustion system for an engine, such as a gas turbine engine is provided. The combustion system has a ceramic component, such as ceramic combustor liner, and at least one metal support component, such as a metal ring or a plurality of metal cones, for providing radial and axial support to the ceramic component. The at least one metal support component includes a structure, such as axial slots or radial slots, for minimizing stress and for increasing compliance of the metal support component with respect to the ceramic component.

Compliant metal support for ceramic combustor liner in a gas turbine engine

A liner cap assembly is disclosed for use in a gas turbine engine combustor. The assembly includes an outer ring that extends along an axis. Multiple struts are circumferentially arranged about an inner diameter of the outer ring and extend radially inwardly therefrom. A plate is supported by and axially aligned with the struts. The plate includes multiple circumferential openings that support a collar and a premix tube at each of the openings. The plate is arranged between leading and trailing edges of the struts to provide a stiffened liner cap assembly that is robust and resistant to the vibrations typically found in dry low NOx systems.

Combustor liner cap assembly

Gas turbine engine systems involving cooling of combustion section liners are provided. In this regard, a representative liner includes: an outer side, an inner side, an upstream end and a downstream end, the outer side being configured to face away from a combustion reaction, the inner side being configured to face the combustion reaction; a cooling air channel, at least a portion of the cooling air channel being located in a vicinity of the downstream end; and cooling holes formed through the inner side of the liner, the cooling holes being in fluid communication with the cooling air channel such that cooling air provided to the cooling air channel is directed through the cooling holes and to the inner side of the liner such that at least a portion of the inner side of the liner receives cooling air despite a corresponding portion located on the outer side of the liner being obstructed from directly receiving cooling air.

A combustor assembly includes a metal section having an axial slot that receives a ceramic section. A clamp is received about the axial slot to secure the metal section and ceramic section together. Tabs on the metal section, a gasket between the metal section and the ceramic section, and springs within the clamp deform an amount that is greater than a thermal expansion difference between the metal section and the ceramic section to maintain a clamping force of the clamp.

Attachment of a ceramic combustor can

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

An improved combustor bulkhead 70 for a gas turbine engine 10 includes a plurality of holes 72 and baffles 90 which directs cooling air radially inward around a fuel injector to set up and shape a toroidal recirculation zone 114 surrounding the fuel injector vortex 116 and suppress smoke and carbon formation in the combustion chamber. Various construction details are described to provide an aerodynamically superior bulkhead design.

Combustor bulkhead with improved cooling and air recirculation zone

An atomizer having a central gas discharge conduit (112) and an annular, coaxial liquid conduit (120) includes a surrounding, annular liquid discharge opening (122) disposed immediately downstream of the gas discharge opening (116). A sized outlet orifice (131) is provided for discharging the comingled gas and liquid from the nozzle, with the orifice area (131) being sized no greater than the gas discharge opening (116).

Gas assisted liquid atomizer

An airblast fuel nozzel (16) for a gas turbine includes a central swirled airflow. The vanes (52) of the swirler (30) are cambered to provide smooth intercept and discharge of air, thereby effecting more uniform fuel distribution than the prior art.

Airblast fuel atomizer

An annulus formed in the nut of a fuel nozzle to collect, distribute and atomize water droplets fed into the fuel nozzle for increased thrust produced by a turbine type power plant powering aircraft is discretely formed adjacent the discharge juncture point and discharged angularly into and with respect to the fuel spray emitted into the combustion zone for smoke reduction purposes.

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Bolton, CT, United States of America

Richard Sterling Tuthill