# US 11,898,753 B2 · System and method for sweeping leaked fuel in gas turbine system > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 11,898,753 B2 - Document ID: US11898753B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 17/498,705 - Filed: 2021-10-11 - Published: 2023-04-13 - Granted: 2024-02-13 - Earliest claimed: 2021-10-11 - Assignees: GE Infrastructure Technology LLC - Applicants: General Electric Company - Inventors: Shreekrishna Rao; Mohan Krishna Bobba; Lucas J. Stoia; Homayoon Feiz - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11898753B2 ## CPC - F02C 7/22: Fuel supply systems - F23R 3/16: with devices inside the flame tube or the combustion chamber to influence the air or gas flow - F02C 3/04: having a turbine driving a compressor (power transmission arrangements F02C7/36; control of working fluid flow F02C9/16) - F23R 3/10: for primary air (F23R3/06, F23R3/045 take precedence) - F23R 3/26: Controlling the air flow - F23R 3/286: {having fuel-air premixing devices (F23R3/30 takes precedence)} - F23R 3/46: Combustion chambers comprising an annular arrangement of {several essentially tubular} flame tubes within a common annular casing or within individual casings - F05D 2240/35: Combustors or associated equipment - F23R 2900/00004: Preventing formation of deposits on surfaces of gas turbine components, e.g. coke deposits - F23R 2900/03044: Impingement cooled combustion chamber walls or subassemblies - 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) - 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) - F05D: INDEXING SCHEME FOR ASPECTS RELATING TO NON-POSITIVE-DISPLACEMENT MACHINES OR ENGINES, GAS-TURBINES OR JET-PROPULSION PLANTS ## Abstract A system is provided with a fuel sweep system configured to couple to a flow sleeve of a combustor along a first fuel conduit. The flow sleeve is configured to be disposed about a liner of the combustor, and the first fuel conduit is configured to extend along the flow sleeve in a compressor discharge chamber disposed about the flow sleeve. The fuel sweep system includes a first fuel sweep louver adjacent a first fuel sweep opening defined through the flow sleeve. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A system, comprising: a combustor, comprising: a combustion chamber; a liner disposed about the combustion chamber; a flow sleeve disposed about the liner; and a passage disposed between the liner and the flow sleeve, wherein the passage is in fluid communication with the combustion chamber; a compressor discharge chamber disposed about the flow sleeve; a first fuel conduit disposed in the compressor discharge chamber along the flow sleeve, wherein the first fuel conduit is offset from an exterior surface of the flow sleeve in a radial direction relative to a longitudinal axis of the combustor, and the first fuel conduit is configured to couple to and extend between a fuel supply and a first fuel nozzle; and a fuel sweep system configured to sweep a leaked fuel from the first fuel conduit into the passage, wherein the fuel sweep system comprises a first fuel sweep opening in the flow sleeve and a first fuel sweep louver coupled to the flow sleeve adjacent the first fuel sweep opening, the first fuel sweep opening and the first fuel sweep louver are disposed radially inward relative to the first fuel conduit, and the first fuel conduit overlaps with the first fuel sweep opening and the first fuel sweep louver along the flow sleeve in an axial direction and a circumferential direction relative to the longitudinal axis of the combustor; wherein the first fuel conduit is centered over the first fuel sweep opening. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the fuel sweep system comprises a hood disposed over the first fuel conduit, the first fuel sweep opening, and the first fuel sweep louver, wherein the hood is coupled to the flow sleeve outside of a boundary of the first fuel sweep opening such that the hood completely surrounds the first fuel sweep opening. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein a width of the first fuel sweep opening and the first fuel sweep louver along a first axis oriented crosswise to a central axis of the first fuel conduit is greater than a diameter of the first fuel conduit at least along a portion of the first fuel conduit overlapping with the first fuel sweep opening and the first fuel sweep louver. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the first fuel sweep opening and the first fuel sweep louver extend laterally beyond a perimeter of the first fuel conduit in opposite first and second directions along a first axis oriented crosswise to a central axis of the first fuel conduit. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the first fuel sweep louver protrudes into the passage. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The system of claim 5, wherein the first fuel sweep louver comprises a turning portion. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The system of claim 6, wherein the first fuel sweep louver comprises an axial portion extending axially along an interior surface of the flow sleeve, and the first fuel sweep louver extends from the flow sleeve over an axial distance that is at least half of an axial dimension of the first fuel sweep opening in the axial direction relative to the longitudinal axis of the combustor. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, comprising the first fuel nozzle extending radially through the flow sleeve and the liner. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the flow sleeve comprises a plurality of impingement openings configured to impinge a flow from the compressor discharge chamber onto the liner, wherein the fuel sweep system having the first fuel sweep opening and the first fuel sweep louver are structurally different from the plurality of impingement openings. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the combustor comprises a combustor portion and a head end portion; wherein the combustor portion comprises the combustion chamber, the liner, the flow sleeve, and the passage; wherein the head end portion comprises a plurality of primary fuel nozzles in a head end chamber; wherein the combustor comprises a cap plate disposed between the head end chamber and the combustion chamber; wherein an air flow path extends from the compressor discharge chamber, through openings in the flow sleeve into the passage, along the passage to the head end chamber, and through the plurality of primary fuel nozzles into the combustion chamber, wherein the first fuel sweep louver extends from the flow sleeve into the passage toward the head end chamber. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the combustor is a gas turbine combustor. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The system of claim 11, comprising a turbine downstream from the combustion chamber, and a compressor upstream from the compressor discharge chamber. ### Claim 13 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the fuel sweep system comprises a second fuel sweep opening in the flow sleeve and a second fuel sweep louver coupled to the flow sleeve adjacent the second fuel sweep opening, the second fuel sweep opening and the second fuel sweep louver are disposed radially inward relative to the first fuel conduit, and the first fuel conduit overlaps with the second fuel sweep opening and the second fuel sweep louver in the axial direction and the circumferential direction relative to the longitudinal axis of the combustor. ### Claim 14 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, comprising a second fuel conduit disposed in the compressor discharge chamber along the flow sleeve, wherein the second fuel conduit is offset from the exterior surface of the flow sleeve in the radial direction relative to the longitudinal axis of the combustor, the fuel sweep system comprises a second fuel sweep opening in the flow sleeve and a second fuel sweep louver coupled to the flow sleeve adjacent the second fuel sweep opening, the second fuel sweep opening and the second fuel sweep louver are disposed radially inward relative to the second fuel conduit, and the second fuel conduit overlaps with the second fuel sweep opening and the second fuel sweep louver in the axial direction and the circumferential direction relative to the longitudinal axis of the combustor. ### Claim 15 A system, comprising: a fuel sweep system configured to couple to a flow sleeve of a combustor along a first fuel conduit, wherein the flow sleeve is configured to be disposed about a liner of the combustor to define a passage, the first fuel conduit is configured to extend along the flow sleeve in a compressor discharge chamber disposed about the flow sleeve, the first fuel conduit is offset from an exterior surface of the flow sleeve in a radial direction relative to a longitudinal axis of the combustor, wherein the fuel sweep system comprises a first fuel sweep louver adjacent a first fuel sweep opening, the first fuel sweep opening and the first fuel sweep louver overlap the first fuel conduit in a circumferential direction and an axial direction relative to the longitudinal axis of the combustor, the first fuel conduit is centered over the first fuel sweep opening, and the fuel sweep system is configured to sweep a leaked fuel from the first fuel conduit into the passage. ### Claim 16 (depends on 15) The system of claim 15, comprising the flow sleeve having the fuel sweep system, the combustor having the flow sleeve, a gas turbine system having the combustor, or a combination thereof. ### Claim 17 (depends on 15) The system of claim 15, wherein the fuel sweep system comprises a second fuel sweep louver adjacent a second fuel sweep opening; wherein the second fuel sweep opening and the second fuel sweep louver are configured to couple to the flow sleeve along the first fuel conduit or a second fuel conduit in the compressor discharge chamber disposed about the flow sleeve. ### Claim 18 A method, comprising: directing a leaked fuel from a first fuel conduit through a first fuel sweep opening of a fuel sweep system into a passage between a liner and a flow sleeve of a combustor, wherein the liner is disposed about a combustion chamber, the flow sleeve is disposed about the liner, the passage is in fluid communication with the combustion chamber, a compressor discharge chamber is disposed about the flow sleeve, the first fuel conduit is disposed in the compressor discharge chamber along the flow sleeve, the first fuel conduit is offset from an exterior surface of the flow sleeve in a radial direction relative to a longitudinal axis of the combustor, the first fuel sweep opening is disposed in the flow sleeve, and the first fuel conduit is centered over the first fuel sweep opening; and directing the leaked fuel from the first fuel sweep opening in a flow direction along the passage via a first fuel sweep louver of the fuel sweep system, wherein the first fuel sweep louver is coupled to the flow sleeve adjacent the first fuel sweep opening, the first fuel sweep opening and the first fuel sweep louver are disposed radially inward relative to the first fuel conduit, and the first fuel sweep opening and the first fuel sweep louver overlap the first fuel conduit in a circumferential direction and an axial direction relative to the longitudinal axis of the combustor. ### Claim 19 (depends on 18) The method of claim 18, wherein a width of the first fuel sweep opening and the first fuel sweep louver along a first axis oriented crosswise to a central axis of the first fuel conduit is greater than a diameter of the first fuel conduit at least along a portion of the first fuel conduit overlapping with the first fuel sweep opening and the first fuel sweep louver, wherein the first fuel sweep opening and the first fuel sweep louver extend laterally beyond a perimeter of the first fuel conduit in opposite first and second directions along the first axis.