# US 12,215,869 B2 · Gas turbine combustor fuel nozzle assembly and combustor liner having dilution holes in arrangements > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 12,215,869 B2 - Document ID: US12215869B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 18/452,958 - Filed: 2023-08-21 - Published: 2024-08-22 - Granted: 2025-02-04 - Earliest claimed: 2022-01-14 - Assignees: General Electric Company - Applicants: General Electric Company - Inventors: Nayan Vinod Patel; Michael A. Benjamin - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12215869B2 ## CPC - F23R 3/286: {having fuel-air premixing devices (F23R3/30 takes precedence)} - F23R 3/34: Feeding into different combustion zones - F23R 3/06: Arrangement of apertures along the flame tube - F23R 3/14: by using swirl vanes - F23R 3/36: Supply of different fuels - F02C 7/22: Fuel supply systems - F23R 3/28: characterised by the fuel supply (burners F23D) - F23R 3/346: {for staged combustion} - F23R 2900/00002: Gas turbine combustors adapted for fuels having low heating value [LHV] - F23R 2900/03041: Effusion cooled combustion chamber walls or domes - 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) - 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 A turbine engine can include a compressor section, a combustion section, and a turbine section in serial flow arrangement. A combustor in the combustion section can include a combustion chamber, a fuel supply fluidly coupled to the combustion chamber, and a fuel nozzle assembly. The fuel nozzle assembly can include an air flow passage and a fuel flow passage. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A turbine engine comprising: a compressor section, a combustion section, and a turbine section in serial flow arrangement, with the combustion section including a combustor defining a longitudinal axis, the combustor comprising: a combustor liner partially defining a combustion chamber; and a set of dilution holes provided in the combustor liner, with the set of dilution holes arranged into pairs of adjacent dilution holes, with each pair of adjacent dilution holes being spaced to define a distance defined in one or both of an axial direction and a circumferential direction, relative to the longitudinal axis; wherein, relative to the longitudinal axis, a first pair of adjacent dilution holes are positioned forward of a second pair of adjacent dilution holes, the first pair of adjacent dilution holes are spaced to define a first distance, and the second pair of adjacent dilution holes are spaced to define a second distance lesser than the first distance; and wherein at least one dilution hole of the set of dilution holes is arranged at a non-orthogonal angle relative to the longitudinal axis. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The turbine engine of claim 1, wherein the set of dilution holes includes a plurality of pairs of adjacent dilution holes, wherein the distance defined by the plurality of pairs of adjacent dilution holes varies in a direction defined along the longitudinal axis. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The turbine engine of claim 2, wherein the distance of the plurality of pairs of adjacent dilution holes increases extending aft relative to the longitudinal axis. ### Claim 4 (depends on 2) The turbine engine of claim 2, wherein each dilution hole of the set of dilution holes defines a cross-sectional area, and wherein the cross-sectional area for the set of dilution holes decreases extending aft relative to the longitudinal axis. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The turbine engine of claim 4, wherein at least one dilution hole of the set of dilution holes includes an inlet cross-sectional area at an inlet of the dilution hole and an outlet cross-sectional area at an outlet of the dilution hole, and wherein the outlet cross-sectional area is less than the inlet cross-sectional area. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The turbine engine of claim 1, wherein the non-orthogonal angle is between 10-90 degrees relative to the longitudinal axis. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The turbine engine of claim 1, wherein each dilution hole of the pairs of adjacent dilution holes defines a diameter, wherein the distance for each pair of adjacent dilution holes is greater than the diameter of either dilution hole of each pair of adjacent dilution holes. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The turbine engine of claim 7, wherein at least one dilution hole of the pairs of dilution holes is non-circular, such that the diameter comprises a major diameter and a minor diameter, and wherein the distance among each pair of adjacent dilution holes is greater than the major diameter. ### Claim 9 (depends on 7) The turbine engine of claim 7, wherein the distance is at least two times greater than the diameter. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The turbine engine of claim 9, wherein the distance is between 2-100 times the diameter. ### Claim 11 A turbine engine comprising: a compressor section, a combustion section, and a turbine section in serial flow arrangement, and the combustion section having a combustor defining a longitudinal axis and comprising: a combustor liner partially defining a combustion chamber; a set of dilution holes provided in the combustor liner, with the set of dilution holes arranged into pairs of adjacent dilution holes, with each pair of adjacent dilution holes being spaced to define a distance; a deflector coupled to the combustor liner and partially defining the combustion chamber; a set of air-fuel nozzles arranged on the deflector, with each air-fuel nozzle of the set of air-fuel nozzles comprising: a body having a nozzle outlet arranged on the deflector and the nozzle outlet fluidly coupled to the combustion chamber; an air flow passage located within the body and having an air outlet at least partially defining the nozzle outlet; and a fuel flow passage located within the air flow passage and having a fuel outlet at least partially defining the nozzle outlet, and wherein at least one dilution hole of the set of dilution holes is arranged at a non-orthogonal angle relative to the longitudinal axis. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The turbine engine of claim 11, wherein the air flow passage defines an air passage width that decreases along the air flow passage toward the air outlet, and wherein the fuel flow passage defines a fuel passage width that increases along at least a portion of the fuel flow passage extending toward the fuel outlet. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The turbine engine of claim 12, wherein the fuel passage width decreases along a portion of the fuel flow passage aft of the portion that increases toward the fuel outlet. ### Claim 14 (depends on 11) The turbine engine of claim 11, wherein the distance for each pair of adjacent dilution holes of the set of dilution holes increases extending aft, relative to the longitudinal axis. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The turbine engine of claim 14, wherein the distance is defined in at least one of an axial direction or a circumferential direction, relative to the longitudinal axis. ### Claim 16 (depends on 11) The turbine engine of claim 11, wherein each dilution hole of the set of dilution holes defines a cross-sectional area, and wherein the cross-sectional area for the set of dilution holes decreases extending aft, relative to the longitudinal axis. ### Claim 17 (depends on 11) The turbine engine of claim 11, wherein the set of air-fuel nozzles includes at least two spaced air-fuel nozzles, being spaced in a radial direction defined relative to the longitudinal axis. ### Claim 18 (depends on 17) The turbine engine of claim 17, wherein the at least two radially-spaced air-fuel nozzles are unaligned, but at least partially overlap one another in a direction extending from the longitudinal axis. ### Claim 19 (depends on 11) The turbine engine of claim 11, wherein the deflector has a flat geometric profile. ### Claim 20 (depends on 11) The turbine engine of claim 11, wherein the deflector comprises at least one of ceramic or ceramic matrix composite.