Self-adapting gas turbine firebox with variable geometry
AssigneeOffice National d'Etudes et de Recherches Aerospatiales
InventorsChristian Guin, Florin Paun
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A self-adapting gas turbine firebox with variable geometry includes at least one system with variable opening for automatically adjusting a combustion configuration inside a combustion chamber according to an air temperature, particularly of air from a compressor. The adjustment is performed by a thermosensitive member that controls at least one cross-sectional area of a passage to the combustion chamber, for air which participates in the combustion of fuel or participates in a dilution of gases effective inside the combustion chamber.
Claims20
A self-adapting gas turbine firebox with variable geometry, comprising:
- a combustion chamber (101);
- an air supply system for supplying air exiting a compressor (200), arranged to supply the combustion chamber (101) with the air having a variable temperature;
- and
- at least one system with a variable opening, comprising:
- an intake passage, arranged to allow the air coming from the air supply system to enter the combustion chamber (101),
- a movable closure member, which changes an open cross-sectional area of the intake passage when moved, and
- a thermosensitive member, having a shape which varies depending on a temperature of said thermosensitive member, the thermosensitive member being arranged in a stream of combustion air between the air supply system and the intake passage, and being connected to the closure member so that a deformation of the thermosensitive member causes said closure member to move,
- wherein the intake passage is arranged with respect to the combustion chamber (101) so that the combustion air entering said combustion chamber through said intake passage is air which participates in combustion of a fuel in the combustion chamber such that the turbine firebox is self-adapting for automatically adjusting a combustion configuration inside the combustion chamber according to an operational power setting of the turbine firebox,
- wherein the at least one system is arranged to vary an intake flow rate of the combustion air coming from the air supply system and entering the combustion chamber (101) through an air supply swirler (103), located axially upstream of said combustion chamber relative to a combustion chamber axis, and
- wherein the closure member comprises a ring (2) with openings (2a) which laterally surrounds the air supply swirler, so that the openings are aligned or offset relative to channels (103a) of said air supply swirler (3), in order to vary a cross-sectional area of an access to said channels according to an angular position of the ring around the air supply swirler, forming the open cross-sectional area of the intake passage.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.