Combustor for a turbine engine
AssigneeGeneral Electric Company
InventorsJoseph Zelina, Shai Birmaher, Sibtosh Pal, Clayton S. Cooper
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A combustor for a turbine engine. The combustor includes a fuel injector and a fluid injection system in fluid communication with the combustor. The fuel injector includes a mixer assembly with a pilot mixer and a main mixer. The pilot mixer and the main mixer operate during high power operation of the turbine engine. The fluid injection system injects a fluid into the combustor during high power operation of the turbine engine. The fluid is shut off during low power operation of the turbine engine and during mid-level power operation of the turbine engine.
Claims20
A method of operating a combustor for a turbine engine, the method comprising:
- operating a pilot mixer and a main mixer of a mixer assembly of the combustor during a high power operation of the turbine engine;
- injecting a fluid into the combustor during the high power operation;
- and
- shutting off the fluid during a low power operation of the turbine engine and during a mid-level power operation of the turbine engine.
A method of operating a combustor for a turbine engine, the method comprising:
- determining a power level for the turbine engine;
- determining whether the turbine engine is in a high power operation based on the power level;
- operating a pilot mixer and a main mixer of a mixer assembly of the combustor during the high power operation of the turbine engine;
- injecting a fluid into the combustor during the high power operation;
- shutting off the fluid into the combustor if the turbine engine is not in the high power operation;
- determining whether the turbine engine is in a mid-level power operation;
- operating the pilot mixer and the main mixer of the mixer assembly during the mid-level power operation such that a fuel split or a compressed air split between the pilot mixer and the main mixer is different during the mid-level power operation than during the high power operation;
- preventing the fluid from being injected into the combustor during the mid-level power operation;
- determining whether the turbine engine is in a low power operation;
- shutting off the main mixer and operating only the pilot mixer during the low power operation;
- and
- preventing the fluid from being injected into the combustor during the low power operation.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.