System and method for cleaning cooling passages of a combustion chamber

A system for cleaning one or more cooling passages associated with a combustion chamber of a gas turbine engine, the gas turbine engine including a compressor section upstream from the combustion chamber and a diffuser and deswirl system downstream from the compressor section, the system comprising:

• a source of a pressurized fluid and the source of the pressurized fluid is the gas turbine engine;
• a chamber including a plurality of particles having a predetermined particle size distribution, the chamber having an inlet in fluid communication with the source to receive the pressurized fluid and an outlet in fluid communication with an end wall of the diffuser and deswirl system, with at least a portion of the plurality of particles entrained in the pressurized fluid that flows through the chamber to clean the one or more cooling passages associated with the combustion chamber;
• an inlet conduit fluidly coupled to the outlet of the chamber and the end wall of the diffuser and deswirl system, and the pressurized fluid is injected into the end wall of the diffuser and deswirl system of the gas turbine engine upstream from the combustion chamber;
• and
• an outlet conduit fluidly coupled to a plenum and the inlet of the chamber, the plenum downstream from the diffuser and deswirl system and upstream from a portion of the combustion chamber, and the outlet conduit is coupled to the plenum so as to be downstream from the inlet conduit in a direction of fluid flow through the gas turbine engine.

A system for cleaning one or more cooling passages associated with a combustion chamber of a gas turbine engine, the gas turbine engine including a compressor section upstream from the combustion chamber and a diffuser and deswirl system downstream from the compressor section, the system comprising:

• a chamber including a plurality of aluminum oxide particles having a predetermined particle size distribution, the chamber having an inlet and an outlet;
• an inlet conduit fluidly coupled to the outlet of the chamber and to an end wall of the diffuser and deswirl system;
• and
• an outlet conduit fluidly coupled to a plenum and the inlet of the chamber, the outlet conduit coupled to the plenum so as to be downstream from the inlet conduit in a direction of fluid flow through the gas turbine engine, the plenum upstream from a portion of the combustion chamber and downstream from the diffuser and deswirl system, the outlet conduit directs pressurized fluid bled from the plenum into the chamber, the pressurized fluid entrains at least a portion of the plurality of particles, and the pressurized fluid with the entrained portion of the plurality of particles is injected via the inlet conduit through the end wall of the diffuser and deswirl system to clean the one or more cooling passages associated with the combustion chamber.