US 4,763,481 AGranted

Combustor for gas turbine engine

AssigneeRuston Gas Turbines Limited

InventorMichael F. Cannon

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Abstract

A combustor for a gas turbine engine. The combustor employs an array of fuel injectors arranged across and in the mouth plane of the combustor flame tube. Each injector has a baffle plate through which the injector nozzle projects, the baffle plate having axial holes for atomization air to intercept and atomize radial fuel jets from the injector nozzle. Cooling of the flame tube is performed by full coverage impingement and effusion without disturbing the cooling film by entry and penetration of transverse air jets. Flame stabilization is achieved under all required operating conditions by the radial-fuel/axial-air atomization in conjunction with the baffle plates. Comprehensive combustion mixing and dilution is achieved by the uniformly distributed supply of up to 90% of the total air supplied to the combustor around and through the baffle plates. There is a resultant economy in the air used for cooling, a uniformity of temperature distribution, stability of operation, and minimal emission of oxides of nitrogen.

Claims15

Dependent claims

A combustor for a gas turbine engine, said combustor comprising:

(A) a flame tube for containing a burning fuel/air mixture, said flame tube having a flame tube axis and including:
(i) outer and inner walls,
(ii) an annular space between said walls,
(iii) multiple holes in said outer wall of a size to permit impingement cooling of said inner wall,
(iv) multiple holes in said inner wall of a size to permit effusion cooling of said inner wall, and
(v) said holes in said inner wall being out of alignment with and more numerous than said holes in said outer wall;
(B) a plurality of fuel injectors mounted for discharging fuel into said flame tube, each of said fuel injectors having a fuel injector axis substantially parallel to said flame tube axis and each fuel injector including:
(i) a fuel injector body having a plurality of fuel discharge orifices each having an orifice axis directed outwardly from said fuel injector axis,
(ii) flame stabilization means including a cup-shaped baffle plate comprising a plate mounted and disposed upstream of said fuel discharge orifices and a peripheral lip providing the cup-shape, said fuel injector body projecting through said baffle plate and said baffle plate having a ring of atomization holes surrounding said fuel injector body, each, of said atomization holes having a flow axis parallel to said fuel injector axis, and said flow axis intersecting a respective said orifice axis,
(iii) said cup-shaped baffle plate opening toward a downstream end of the flame tube and forming a containment wall for a flame stabilization region;
(C) the baffle plates lying in a common plane transverse to said flame tube axis and separated by combustion air apertures;
and
(D) means for supplying air to the combustor, including:
(i) means for supplying compressed cooling air along a first path into said flame tube, said first path passing through said outer wall, through said inner wall and into said flame tube,
(ii) means for supplying compressed air along second path into said flame tube, said second path passing through said apertures between said baffle plates and axially through said atomization holes to intercept said orifice axes, and
(iii) said first and second paths having resistances to the flow of air, which resistances are in a relation such that between 70% and 90% of the total air supplied to the combustor takes said second path and the remaining proportion takes said first path.

13 more elements

A combustor for a gas turbine engine, said combustor comprising:

(A) a flame tube for containing a burning fuel/air mixture, said flame tube having a flame tube axis and including:
(i) outer and inner walls,
(ii) an annular space between said walls,
(iii) multiple holes in said outer wall of a size to permit impingement cooling of said inner wall,
(iv) multiple holes in said inner wall of a size to permit effusion cooling of said inner wall, and
(v) said holes in said inner wall being out of alignment with and more numerous than said holes in said outer wall;
(B) means for supplying compressed cooling air along a first path into said first tube, said first path passing through said outer wall, through said inner wall and into said flame tube;
(C) a plurality of fuel injectors mounted for discharging fuel into said flame tube, each of said fuel injectors having a fuel injector axis substantially parallel to said flame tube axis and each fuel injector including:
(i) a fuel injector body having a plurality of fuel discharge orifices each having an orifice axis directed outwardly from said fuel injector axis,
(ii) flame stabilization means including a cup-shaped baffle plate comprising a plate mounted and disposed upstream of said fuel discharge orifices and a peripheral lip providing the cup-shape, said fuel injector body projecting through said baffle plate, and said baffle plate having a ring of atomization holes surrounding said fuel injector body, each of said atomization holes having a flow axis parallel to said fuel injector axis, and said flow axis intersecting a respective said orifice axis, and
(iii) said cup-shaped baffle plate opening toward a downstream end of the flame tube and forming a containment wall for a flame stabilization region;
(D) means for supplying compressed air along a second path into said flame tube, said second path passing through said baffle plates and axially through said atomization holes to intercept said orifice axes;
(E) said first and second paths having resistances to the flow of air, which resistances are in a relation such that between 70% and 90% of the total air supplied to the combustor takes said second path and the remaining proportion takes said first path;
and
(F) means for positioning each baffle plate relative to said fuel discharge orifices to produce the flame stabilization region having a fuel/air mixture circulating in one direction adjacent the baffle plate, and to produce a main combustion region having a fuel/air mixture circulating in an opposite direction downstream of the flame stabilization region.

12 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.