Gas turbine combustion chamber arrangement

A gas turbine comprising:

• a rotatable unit mounted for rotation about a system axis, said rotatable unit including a compression component and an expansion component,
• a combustion chamber disposed between said compression and expansion components, said gas turbine having a gas flow path serially through said compression component, said combustion chamber, and said expansion component,
• said combustion chamber being of toroidal configuration and having two distinct annular zones, a primary zone and a dilution zone, structure in said combustion chamber having a radially extending dished surface, first ports in said combustion chamber for injecting discharge air from said compression component into said primary zone toward said dished surface, the injection of compressor discharge air into said primary zone against said dished surface setting up a toroidal recirculation pattern of generally circular cross-sectional configuration in said primary zone, said toroidal recirculation pattern including an annular flow component adjacent the inner periphery of said primary zone that is generally coaxial with said system axis,
• fuel injecting structure at the inner periphery of said primary zone including a stationary fuel supply source and slinger structure mounted for rotation about said system axis and spaced from the discharge end of said supply source, said slinger structure having a hub with a series of vanes therein for driving compressor discharge air to the rear of said slinger structure for cooling said combustion chamber and a generally cylindrical fuel distribution surface that is disposed coaxially with said system axis and receives fuel from said supply source for distribution and flow in a thin sheet across said generally cylindrical surface and discharge from said surface in a radially outward direction in a thin radial sheet of minute droplets across said annular flow component in a direction generally normal thereto and towards the center of said toroidal recirculation pattern, the radial flow of fuel droplets interacting with said toroidal recirculation pattern for achieving intimate mixing of fuel and air, and resulting efficient combustion within said primary zone, the resulting combustion product from said primary zone into said dilution zone, and second ports in said combustion chamber for injecting discharge air from said compression component into said dilution zone diluting the products of combustion from said primary zone prior to flow to said expansion component.

A gas turbine comprising:

• a rotatable unit mounted for rotation about a system axis, said rotatable unit including a compression component and an expansion component,
• a combustion chamber disposed between said compression and expansion components, said gas turbine having a gas flow path serially through said compression component, said combustion chamber, and said expansion component,
• said combustion chamber being of toroidal configuration and having two distinct annular zones, a primary zone and a dilution zone, structure in said combustion chamber having a radially extending dished surface, first ports in said combustion chamber for injecting discharge air from said compression component into said primary zone toward said dished surface, the injection of compressor discharge air into said primary zone against said dished surface setting up a toroidal recirculation pattern of generally circular cross-sectional configuration in said primary zone, said toroidal recirculation pattern including an annular flow component adjacent the inner periphery of said primary zone that is generally coaxial with said system axis,
• fuel injecting structure at the inner periphery of said primary zone including a stationary fuel supply source and slinger structure mounted for rotation about said system axis and spaced from the discharge end of said supply source, said slinger structure having a generally cylindrical fuel distribution surface that is disposed coaxially with said system axis, is coned slightly outwardly, a hub with a series of vanes therein for driving compressor discharge air to the rear of said slinger structure for cooling said combustion chamber, an axial vent to the rear of said slinger structure for control of air leakage through said slinger structure, and said stationary fuel supply includes an annular lip portion closely adjacent and cooperating with a lip portion of said slinger structure to define a labyrinth path, and an outer surface of conical configuration so that any fuel that flows to said surface tends to drop back into said rotatable slinger structure, said slinger structure receiving fuel from said fuel supply for distribution and flow in a thin sheet across said generally cylindrical surface and discharge from said surface in a radially outward direction in a thin annular sheet of minute droplets across said annular flow component in a direction manually normal thereto and towards the center of said toroidal recirculation pattern, the radial flow of fuel droplets interacting with said toroidal recirculation pattern for achieving intimate mixing of fuel and air, and resulting efficient combustion within said primary zone, the resulting combustion product flowing from said primary zone into said dilution zone, and second ports in said combustion chamber for injecting discharge air from said compression component into said dilution zone diluting the products of combustion from said primary zone prior to flow to said expansion component.

A gas turbine comprising:

• a rotatable unit mounted for rotation about a system axis, said rotatable unit including a compression component and an expansion component,
• a combustion chamber disposed between said compression and expansion components, said gas turbine having a gas flow path serially through said compression component, said combustion chamber, and said expansion component,
• said combustion chamber being fabricated of a plurality of formed sheet members that are free to move relative to one another, comprising an outer main member in which said first and second ports are disposed, second and third annular sheet members cooperating to define structure separating said primary and dilution zones and being spaced to define a passage for flow of compressor discharge air between said second and third sheet members and radially outwardly into said combustion chamber between said primary and dilution zones, and a fourth annular sheet member cooperating with said main member to define an annular port through which combustion products are discharged from said dilution zone to said expansion component,
• said combustion chamber being of toroidal configuration and having two distinct annular zones, a primary zone and a dilution zone, structure in said combustion chamber having a radially extending dished surface, first ports in said combustion chamber for injecting discharge air from said compression component into said primary zone toward said dished surface, the injection of compressor discharge air into said primary zone against said dished surface setting up a toroidal recirculation pattern of generally circular cross-sectional configuration in said primary zone, said toroidal recirculation pattern including an annular flow component adjacent the inner periphery of said primary zone that is generally coaxial with said system axis,
• fuel injecting structure at the inner periphery of said primary zone for injecting fuel in a radially outward direction in a thin annular sheet of minute droplets across said annular flow component and towards the center of said toroidal recirculation pattern, the radial flow of fuel droplets interacting with said toroidal recirculation pattern for achieving intimate mixing of fuel and air, and resulting efficient combustion within said primary zone, the resulting combustion product flowing from said primary zone into said dilution zone, and second ports in said combustion chamber for injecting discharge air from said compression component into said dilution zone, the injection of compressor discharge air into said dilution zone diluting the products of combustion from said primary zone prior to flow to said expansion component.

A gas turbine comprising

• a rotatable unit, said rotatable unit including a compression component and an expansion component,
• a toroidal combustion chamber disposed between said compression and expansion components, exhaust duct structure, said gas turbine having a gas flow path serially through said compression component, said combustion chamber, said expansion component and said exhaust duct structure, said combustion chamber being fabricated of a plurality of formed sheet members, comprising a main housing member, second and third sheet members cooperating to define separation structure that divides said combustion chamber into two distinct zones, a primary zone and a dilution zone, said second and third sheet members defining a passage therebetween for the injection of compressor discharge air into said combustion chamber between said primary and dilution zone and a fourth sheet member cooperating with said main member to define said dilution zone and an annular port through which combustion products are discharged from said dilution zone to said expansion component, a first series of ports in said main housing member for injecting discharge air from said compression component into said primary zone toward said separation structure for deflection into a toroidal recirculation pattern of generally circular cross-sectional configuration in said primary zone, a second series of ports in said main housing member for injecting discharge air from said compression component into said dilution zone on the side of said separation structure opposite said primary zone, and structure for injecting fuel into said primary zone, said fuel injecting structure comprising a rotatably mounted fuel slinger configured to receive fuel from a stationary supply source and inject the fuel into said combustion chamber in a radial sheet of uniformly dispersed droplets, said slinger including an annular distribution surface, an annular supply region into which fuel flows from the stationary supply source, and a web separating said supply region from said distribution surface, said web having passages therethrough to accelerate the fuel to the peripheral velocity of the slinger while restricting the rate of flow onto said annular distribution surface, the toroidal recirculation pattern in said primary zone interacting with the radial flow of fuel droplets from said rotatably mounted slinger structure and achieving intimate mixing of fuel and air for uniform and efficient burning, and the injection of compressor discharge air into said dilution zone diluting the products of combustion from said primary zone prior to flow to said expansion component.

A gas turbine comprising:

• a rotatable unit, said rotatable unit including a compression component and an expansion component,
• a combustion chamber disposed between said compression and expansion components, said gas turbine having a gas flow path serially through said compression component, said combustion chamber, and said expansion component, said combustion chamber including separation structure dividing said combustion chamber into two distinct annular zones, a primary zone and a dilution zone, said separation structure having a dished surface, a first series of ports in said combustion chamber for injecting discharge air from said compression component into said primary zone against said dished surface of said separation structure to set up a toroidal recirculation pattern in said primary zone, fuel slinger structure at the inner periphery of said primary zone, said fuel slinger structure comprising a stationary fuel inlet supply source and structure mounted for rotation and spaced from the discharge end of said supply source for injecting the fuel radially outwardly into said primary zone, said rotatably mounted fuel slinger structure including a generally cylindrical distribution surface that is coned slightly outwardly, an annular supply region into which fuel flows from said stationary supply source, and a web separating said supply region from said distribution surface, said web having passages therethrough to accelerate the fuel to the peripheral velocity of the slinger while restricting the rate of flow onto said cylindrical distribution surface, the radial flow of fuel from said rotatably mounted slinger structure interacting with said toroidal recirculation pattern for achieving intimate mixing of fuel and air, and resulting efficient combustion within said primary zone, the resulting combustion product flowing in a radially outward direction from said primary zone past said separation structure into said dilution zone and a second series of ports in said combustion chamber for injecting discharge air from said compression component into said dilution zone on the side of said separation structure opposite said primary zone, the injection of compressor discharge air into said dilution zone diluting the products of combustion from said primary zone prior to flow to said expansion component.

A gas turbine comprising

• a rotatable unit, said rotatable unit including a compression component and an expansion component,
• a toroidal combustion chamber disposed between said compression and expansion components, said gas turbine having a gas flow path serially through said compression component, said combustion chamber, and said expansion component, said combustion chamber including separation structure that divides said combustion chamber into two distinct zones and has a radially extending imperforate dished surface, a primary zone and a dilution zone, a first series of ports in said combustion chamber for injecting discharge air from said compression component into said primary zone toward said separation structure for deflection by said dished surface into a toroidal recirculation pattern of generally circular cross-sectional configuration in said primary zone, a second series of ports in said combustion chamber for injecting discharge air from said compression component into said dilution zone on the side of said separation structure opposite said primary zone, and structure for injecting fuel into said primary zone, said fuel injecting structure comprising a rotatably mounted fuel slinger including a radially inwardly facing annular distribution surface of generally cylindrical configuration that has a closed end and an open end axially spaced from said closed end, the flow of air in said toroidal recirculation pattern adjacent said distribution surface being generally parallel to said distribution surface and flowing in the direction from said closed end towards said open end, said distribution surface being configured to receive fuel from a stationary supply source, form that fuel into a thin annular sheet on said distribution surface and inject that fuel into said combustion chamber in a radial sheet of uniformly dispersed droplets, by flow over said open end of said distribution surface, the toroidal recirculation pattern in said primary zone interacting with the radial flow of fuel droplets from said rotatably mounted slinger structure and achieving intimate mixing of fuel and air for uniform and efficient burning, and the injection of compressor discharge air into said dilution zone diluting the products of combustion from said primary zone prior to flow to said expansion component.

A gas turbine comprising

• a rotatable unit, said rotatable unit including a compression component and an expansion component,
• a toroidal combustion chamber disposed between said compression and expansion components, said gas turbine having a gas flow path serially through said compression component, said combustion chamber, and said expansion component, said combustion chamber including separation structure that divides said combustion chamber into two distinct zones, a primary zone and a dilution zone, a first series of ports in said combustion chamber for injecting discharge air from said compression component into said primary zone, a second series of ports in said combustion chamber for injecting discharge air from said compression component into said dilution zone, and structure for injecting fuel into said primary zone, said fuel injecting structure comprising a rotatably mounted fuel slinger, said slinger including a hub having series of vanes therein for driving compressor discharge air to the rear of said slinger for cooling said combustion chamber, said slinger injecting fuel into said combustion chamber in a radial sheet of uniformly dispersed droplets, the recirculation pattern in said primary zone interacting with the radial flow of fuel droplets from said rotatably mounted slinger structure and achieving intimate mixing of fuel and air for uniform and efficient burning, and the injection of compressor discharge air into said dilution zone diluting the products of combustion from said primary zone prior to flow to said expansion component.

A gas turbine comprising:

• a rotatable unit mounted for rotation about a system axis, said rotatable unit including a compression component, an expansion component,
• a combustion chamber disposed between said compression and being fabricated of a plurality of formed annular sheet members such that a primary zone and a dilution zone are defined, said formed sheet members comprising a main housing member, second and third members cooperating to define a port for injection of compressor discharge air between said primary and dilution zones and a fourth member cooperating with said main member to define an annular port through which combustion products are discharged to said expansion component, first ports in said main housing member for injecting discharge air from said compression component into said primary zone,
• fuel injecting structure at the inner periphery of said primary zone for injecting fuel in a radially outward direction into said primary zone, the radial flow of fuel mixing with discharge air from said compression component with resulting combustion within said primary zone, the resulting combustion product flowing from said primary zone into said dilution zone, and second ports in said main housing member for injecting discharge air from said compression component into said dilution zone, the injection of compressor discharge air into said dilution zone diluting the products of combustion from said primary zone prior to flow to said expansion component.