Fuel-cooled engine component(s)
AssigneeRtx Corporation
InventorsDustin W. Davis, Lance L. Smith, Won-Wook Kim
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An assembly is provided for a turbine engine with a flowpath. This assembly includes a fuel source and an engine component. The engine component forms a peripheral boundary of the flowpath. The engine component includes a component internal passage. The engine component is configured to receive fuel from the fuel source. The engine component is configured to crack at least some of the fuel within the component internal passage thereby cooling the engine component and providing at least partially cracked fuel. The assembly is configured to direct the at least partially cracked fuel into the flowpath for combustion.
Claims18
An assembly for a turbine engine with a flowpath, comprising:
- a fuel source;
- and
- an engine component forming a peripheral boundary of the flowpath, the engine component comprising a component internal passage, the engine component configured to receive fuel from the fuel source, the fuel flows from a downstream side towards an upstream side with respect to the flowpath, and the engine component configured to crack at least some of the fuel within the component internal passage thereby cooling the engine component and providing at least partially cracked fuel;
- wherein the assembly is configured to direct the at least partially cracked fuel into the flowpath for combustion in a combustion chamber of the turbine engine, and the at least partially cracked fuel comprises H2 gas;
- and
- wherein the engine component comprises material that at least partially forms the component internal passage, and the material comprises at least one of nickel (Ni), iron (Fe) or ruthenium (Ru).
An assembly for a turbine engine with a flowpath, comprising:
- a fuel source containing non-hydrocarbon fuel;
- and
- an engine component forming a peripheral boundary of the flowpath, the engine component comprising a component internal passage, and the engine component configured to receive the non-hydrocarbon fuel from the fuel source and flow the non-hydrocarbon fuel from a downstream side towards an upstream side, with respect to the flowpath, within the component internal passage for cooling the engine component;
- wherein the assembly is configured to direct the non-hydrocarbon fuel used for cooling the engine component from the engine component into the flowpath for combustion, and the non-hydrocarbon fuel directed into the flowpath comprises H2 gas;
- and
- wherein the component internal passage is at least partially formed by a catalytic material, and the catalytic material comprises at least one of nickel (Ni), iron (Fe) or ruthenium (Ru).
An assembly for a turbine engine, comprising:
- a fuel source, a turbine vane and an annular combustor;
- the turbine vane comprising a vane internal passage;
- the annular combustor comprising a combustion chamber and a combustor inner wall, and the combustor inner wall comprising an inner wall internal passage;
- the assembly configured to direct fuel from the fuel source sequentially through the vane internal passage and the inner wall internal passage to cool the turbine vane and the combustor inner wall;
- and
- the assembly configured to direct the fuel used for cooling the turbine vane and the combustor inner wall into the combustion chamber for combustion, wherein the fuel directed into the combustion chamber comprises H2 gas;
- wherein at least one of the vane internal passage or the inner wall internal passage is at least partially formed by a catalytic material, and the catalytic material comprises at least one of nickel (Ni), iron (Fe) or ruthenium (Ru).
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.