# US 10,502,424 B2 · Volute combustor for gas turbine engine > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 10,502,424 B2 - Document ID: US10502424B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 15/673,620 - Filed: 2017-08-10 - Published: 2019-02-14 - Granted: 2019-12-10 - Earliest claimed: 2017-08-10 - Assignees: General Electric Company - Applicants: General Electric Company - Inventors: Joseph Douglas Monty; John Carl Jacobson - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10502424B2 ## CPC - F23R 3/14: by using swirl vanes - F01D 5/04: for radial-flow machines or engines - F02C 7/10: by means of regenerative heat-exchangers - F23R 3/52: Toroidal combustion chambers - F23R 3/58: Cyclone or vortex type combustion chambers - F02C 7/08: Heating air supply before combustion, e.g. by exhaust gases - F23R: GENERATING COMBUSTION PRODUCTS OF HIGH PRESSURE OR HIGH VELOCITY, e.g. GAS-TURBINE COMBUSTION CHAMBERS (fluidised bed combustion apparatus specially adapted for operation at superatmospheric pressures F23C10/16) - F01D: NON-POSITIVE DISPLACEMENT MACHINES OR ENGINES, e.g. STEAM TURBINES (machines or engines for liquids F03; non-positive displacement pumps F04D) - F02C: GAS-TURBINE PLANTS; AIR INTAKES FOR JET-PROPULSION PLANTS; CONTROLLING FUEL SUPPLY IN AIR-BREATHING JET-PROPULSION PLANTS (construction of turbines F01D; jet-propulsion plants F02K; construction of compressors or fans F04; generating combustion products of high pressure or high velocity F23R; using gas turbines in compression refrigeration plants F25B11/00) ## Abstract The present disclosure is directed to a combustor assembly for a gas turbine engine. The combustor assembly comprises a volute walled enclosure defining a spiral scroll pitch axis disposed at least partially circumferentially around a centerline axis of the gas turbine engine, in which the walled enclosure is defined around the pitch axis, and the walled enclosure defines a combustion chamber therewithin. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A combustor assembly for a gas turbine engine, the combustor assembly comprising: a volute walled enclosure defining a spiral scroll pitch axis disposed at least partially circumferentially around a centerline axis of the gas turbine engine, wherein the walled enclosure is defined around the pitch axis, the walled enclosure defining a combustion chamber therewithin; an outer casing surrounding the volute walled enclosure, and a plurality of inlet members positioned around the centerline axis, wherein the plurality of members defines an inlet opening at the outer casing in fluid communication with an upstream end of the volute walled enclosure, wherein a primary flowpath extends from a compressor section through a heat exchanger and into the inlet opening at the outer casing entering the combustion chamber and exiting through a turbine section, and further wherein the primary flow path extends from the turbine section through the heat exchanger. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The combustor assembly of claim 1, wherein the walled enclosure defines the combustion chamber as a scroll contour, wherein a cross sectional area of the combustion chamber defined by the walled enclosure decreases along a downstream direction to provide an approximately constant axial velocity downstream flow of combustion gases through the combustion chamber along the pitch axis. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The combustor assembly of claim 1, wherein the pitch axis is further extended along the axial direction, the pitch axis defining a helix around the centerline axis of the gas turbine engine. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The combustor assembly of claim 3, wherein the combustor defines a radius of the pitch axis relative to the centerline axis generally decreasing along a length along the axial direction relative to an upstream end of the combustion chamber, and wherein the walled enclosure defines a cross sectional area of the combustion chamber decreasing along the axial direction. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The combustor assembly of claim 1, wherein the walled enclosure defines an end wall disposed at an upstream end of the walled enclosure. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The combustor assembly of claim 5, further comprising: a fuel injector assembly disposed at least partially through the end wall of the walled enclosure, wherein the fuel injector assembly is disposed approximately along the pitch axis. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The combustor assembly of claim 1, wherein the outer casing is defined at least partially co-directional to the walled enclosure around the centerline axis of the gas turbine engine. ### Claim 8 A gas turbine engine defining a centerline axis, the gas turbine engine comprising: a compressor section; a turbine section; a heat exchanger; and a combustor assembly comprising a volute walled enclosure defining a spiral scroll pitch axis disposed at least partially circumferentially around a centerline axis of the gas turbine engine, wherein the walled enclosure is defined around the pitch axis, the walled enclosure defining a combustion chamber therewithin; an outer casing surrounding the volute walled enclosure, and one or more inlet members positioned around the centerline axis, wherein the one or more inlet members is connected to the combustor assembly, and wherein the one or more inlet members defines an inlet opening at the outer casing in fluid communication with an upstream end of the volute walled enclosure, and wherein the outer casing defines a pressure plenum surrounding the volute walled enclosure, wherein a primary flowpath extends from the compressor section through the heat exchanger and into the inlet opening at the outer casing entering the combustion chamber and exiting through the turbine section, and further wherein the primary flow path extends from the turbine section through the heat exchanger. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The gas turbine engine of claim 8, wherein the volute walled enclosure of the combustor assembly defines the combustion chamber as a scroll contour, wherein a cross sectional area of the walled enclosure defining the combustion chamber decreases along a downstream direction to provide an approximately constant velocity downstream flow of combustion gases through the combustion chamber along the pitch axis. ### Claim 10 (depends on 8) The gas turbine engine of claim 8, wherein the pitch axis is further extended along the axial direction, the pitch axis defining a helix around the centerline axis of the gas turbine engine. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The gas turbine engine of claim 10, wherein the combustor defines a radius of the pitch axis relative to the centerline axis decreasing along a length along the axial direction relative to an upstream end of the combustion chamber, and wherein the walled enclosure defines a cross sectional area of the combustion chamber decreasing along the axial direction. ### Claim 12 (depends on 8) The gas turbine engine of claim 8, wherein the volute walled enclosure of the combustor assembly defines one or more dilution openings therethrough in fluid communication with the pressure plenum. ### Claim 13 (depends on 8) The gas turbine engine of claim 8, wherein the turbine section comprises a first vane assembly coupled to the volute walled enclosure and disposed at a downstream end of the combustion chamber. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) The gas turbine engine of claim 13, wherein the first vane assembly comprises a plurality of airfoils in adjacent circumferential arrangement around the centerline axis. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The gas turbine engine of claim 14, wherein the plurality of airfoils are in asymmetric circumferential arrangement, and wherein asymmetric circumferential arrangement of the plurality of airfoils provides an approximately constant axial velocity downstream flow of combustion gases. ### Claim 16 (depends on 8) The gas turbine engine of claim 8, wherein the compressor section defines a centrifugal compressor. ### Claim 17 (depends on 8) The gas turbine engine of claim 8, wherein the gas turbine engine comprises a single combustor assembly defining a single volute walled enclosure. ### Claim 18 (depends on 13) The gas turbine engine of claim 13, wherein the one or more inlet members is connected to the volute walled enclosure, the turbine section, and the heat exchanger. ### Claim 19 (depends on 8) The gas turbine engine of claim 8, wherein the inlet member comprises a plurality of inlet airfoils positioned around the centerline axis, wherein the plurality of airfoils defines the inlet opening at the outer casing in fluid communication with an upstream end of the volute walled enclosure.