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;
- 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, 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;
- and
- a turbine vane comprising a vane internal passage that is fluidly coupled with the component internal passage, wherein the vane internal passage includes a non-linear internal passage that directs the fuel radially inward along a radial length of the turbine vane,
- wherein the vane internal passage includes a plurality of turns along the radial length, the plurality of turns are aligned along a longitudinal direction of the turbine engine, such that the fuel flows alternately downstream and upstream the longitudinal direction through the plurality of turns;
- wherein the assembly is configured to direct the at least partially cracked fuel into the flowpath for combustion.
An assembly for a turbine engine with a flowpath, comprising:
- a fuel source;
- 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 fuel from the fuel source and flow the fuel within the component internal passage for cooling the engine component;
- and
- a turbine vane comprising a vane internal passage that is fluidly coupled with the component internal passage, wherein the vane internal passage includes a non-linear internal passage along a radial length of the turbine vane,
- wherein the vane internal passage includes a plurality of turns along the radial length, the plurality of turns are aligned along a longitudinal direction of the turbine engine, such that the fuel flows alternately downstream and upstream the longitudinal direction through the plurality of turns;
- wherein the assembly is configured to direct the fuel used for cooling the engine component from the engine component into the flowpath for combustion, and the fuel directed into the flowpath comprises hydrogen gas.
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, wherein the vane internal passage includes a non-linear internal passage along a radial length of the turbine vane,
- wherein the vane internal passage includes a plurality of turns along the radial length, the plurality of turns are aligned along a longitudinal direction of the turbine engine;
- 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, such that the fuel flows alternately downstream and upstream the longitudinal direction through the plurality of turns 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.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.