Torch igniters

In a liquid fueled gas turbine engine, including at least one combustion chamber consisting of a flame casing, a pressure casing encompassing said flame casing in a spaced apart relationship therewith and defining therebetween an air passage, means for supplying compressor bleed air to said air passage, said pressure casing being situated in said engine such that at least a part of its surface abuts a bypass duct and is exposed to cool air in said bypass duct, an improved torch igniter comprising:

• a flame lighter comprising an elongate body with an electrical ignition source at a tip section of said flame lighter;
• a sleeve, with said flame lighter located within said sleeve, defining a fuel/air passage around said elongate body, and having a discharge port within which said electrical ignition source is located;
• at least one air inlet port within said sleeve at a position remote from said discharge port;
• at least one fuel inlet port within said sleeve at a position remote from said discharge port but no further from the discharge port than said at least one air inlet port;
• an air blast atomizer lip means within said fuel/air passage located adjacent to said discharge port;
• and
• a conduit, leading from said pressure casing through said bypass duct thence to said sleeve, wherein compressor bleed air from said air passage is directed through the conduit to discharge into said fuel/air passage via said at least one air inlet, wherein at least a portion of said conduit is exposed to and in a heat exchange relationship with said cool air.

In a liquid fueled gas turbine engine, including at least one combustion chamber consisting of a flame casing, a pressure casing encompassing said flame casing in a spaced apart relationship therewith and defining therebetween an air passage, and a means for supplying compressor bleed air to said passage, said pressure casing being situated in said engine such that at least a part of its surface abuts a bypass duct and is exposed to cool air in said bypass duct, an improved torch igniter comprising:

• a flame lighter comprising an cylindrical body with an electrical ignition source at a tip section thereof;
• a sleeve concentrically mounted with said cylindrical body and encompassing at least a portion of said cylindrical body, one end of said sleeve penetrating the wall of said flame casing but not extending beyond the internal surface of said wall and being open ended to define a fuel/air discharge port within which said tip section of the ignition source is located;
• at least one air inlet port within said sleeve at the end thereof distant from the flame casing;
• a tube concentrically mounted with said sleeve and encompassing at least a portion of said sleeve intermediate said flame casing and said distant end, defining in combination with said cylindrical body a conduit leading from said air passage to said at least one air inlet, said tube being exposed in a heat exchange relationship to said cool air in said bypass duct;
• at least one fuel inlet port within said sleeve distant from said discharge port but no further from said discharg port than said at least one air inlet port;
• a second tube concentrically mounted with said sleeve and encompassing at least a portion of said sleeve at the fuel/air discharge port end, said second tube penetrating said flame casing but not extending beyond an internal surface of said flame casing, said second tube and said cylindrical body defining in combination a secondary passage leading from said air space to an auxiliary discharge port surrounding said fuel/air discharge port;
• and
• a chamfered lip end to said second tube at the discharge port end of said second tube, comprising in combination with said fuel/air port and said auxiliary discharge port, an air blast atomizer.