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.
Claims19
An assembly for a turbine engine with a flowpath, comprising:
- a fuel source;
- a turbine rotor comprising a plurality of turbine blades;
- and
- a blade outer air seal forming a radial outer peripheral boundary of the flowpath, the blade outer air seal comprising a seal internal passage disposed radially outboard of the flowpath, the blade outer air seal configured to receive fuel from the fuel source, the blade outer air seal radially outboard of and extending axially along tips of the plurality of turbine blades, and the blade outer air seal configured to crack at least some of the fuel within the seal internal passage thereby cooling the blade outer air seal and providing at least partially cracked fuel;
- wherein the assembly is configured to direct the at least partially cracked fuel into a stator vane internal passage of a stator vane upstream of the plurality of turbine blades and into the flowpath for combustion, and
- wherein the stator vane internal passage includes a zigzag internal passage along a radial length of the stator vane.
An assembly for a turbine engine with a flowpath, comprising:
- a fuel source;
- a turbine section including a rotor stage;
- and
- a shroud forming a radial outer peripheral boundary of the flowpath, the shroud comprising a shroud internal passage disposed radially outboard of the flowpath, the shroud configured to receive fuel from the fuel source, the shroud extending circumferentially around the rotor stage, and the shroud configured to crack at least some of the fuel within the shroud internal passage thereby cooling the shroud and providing at least partially cracked fuel;
- the assembly configured to direct the at least partially cracked fuel into a stator vane internal passage of a stator vane upstream of the rotor stage and into the flowpath for combustion, and
- wherein the stator vane internal passage includes a zigzag internal passage along a radial length of the stator vane.
An assembly for a turbine engine with a flowpath, comprising:
- a fuel source;
- a combustor including a combustion chamber and a fuel injector, the combustion chamber forming a part of the flowpath;
- a turbine rotor downstream of the combustor;
- and
- a shroud forming a radial outer peripheral boundary of the flowpath downstream of the combustion chamber along the flowpath, the shroud comprising a shroud internal passage disposed radially outboard of the flowpath, and the shroud circumscribing the turbine rotor;
- wherein the assembly is configured to direct fuel received from the fuel source through the shroud internal passage to a stator vane internal passage of a stator vane upstream of the turbine rotor and to the fuel injector, the fuel injector is configured to direct the fuel into the combustion chamber for combustion, and the fuel directed into the combustion chamber by the fuel injector comprises gaseous fuel, and
- wherein the stator vane internal passage includes a zigzag internal passage along a radial length of the stator vane.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.