Low emissions can combustor with dilution hole arrangement for a turbine engine

A combustor can for a turbine engine, comprising:

• a liner with a centerline and a set of eleven axially adjacent louvers disposed about the liner centerline, the can having a forward end with a fuel injector port extending therethrough, the port being radially bordered by a fuel injector guide having a discharge opening, the can also having an aft end terminating at the trailing edge of the eleventh louver, the liner circumscribing a combustion zone and having an effective axial length;
• a first array of equiangularly distributed circular dilution holes each having a common first diameter and penetrating the sixth louver;
• a second array of equiangularly distributed circular dilution holes each having a common second diameter smaller than the first diameter and penetrating the seventh louver, each hole of the second hole array being substantially circumferentially aligned with a hole of the first hole array;
• and
• a third array of nonequiangularly distributed circular dilution holes having nonuniform third diameters and penetrating the tenth louver.

A combustor can for a turbine engine, comprising:

• a liner having a centerline, a forward end with a fuel injector port extending therethrough and an aft end terminating at a trailing edge, the liner circumscribing a combustion zone and having an effective axial length and comprising a set of eleven axially adjacent louvers;
• a first array of dilution holes penetrating the sixth of the eleven louvers about midway along the effective axial length of the liner;
• a second array of dilution holes penetrating the seventh of the eleven louvers a predetermined distance aft of the first array, each hole of the second array being substantially circumferentially aligned with a hole of the first hole array;
• and
• a third array of dilution holes penetrating the tenth of the eleven louvers a predefined distance aft of the first array, the holes of the third array being circumferentially distributed and sized so that a combustion gas stream issuing from the aft end of the liner exhibits a radial temperature profile that approximates a prescribed temperature profile.

A combustion chamber assembly comprising:

• a combustor can comprising:
• a liner having a centerline, a forward end with a fuel injector port extending therethrough and an aft end terminating at a trailing edge, the liner circumscribing a combustion zone and having an effective axial length;
• a first array of dilution holes penetrating the liner about midway along the effective axial length of the liner;
• a second array of dilution holes penetrating the liner a predetermined distance aft of the first array, each hole of the second hole array being substantially circumferentially aligned with a hole of the first hole array;
• and
• a third array of dilution holes penetrating the liner aft of the second array and a predefined distance aft of the first array, the holes of the third array being circumferentially distributed and sized so that a combustion gas stream issuing from the aft end of the liner exhibits a radial temperature profile that approximates a prescribed temperature profile;
• and a fuel injector projecting into the combustor can, the fuel injector comprising:
• a pressure atomizing core nozzle disposed about an injector centerline, the core nozzle having a discharge orifice for injecting a stream of primary fuel into a combustion zone of the module;
• first and second partitions circumscribing the core nozzle to define radially inner and outer extremities of an annular inner air passage for injecting a stream of inner air into the combustion zone;
• a third partition circumscribing the second partition and cooperating therewith to define a secondary fuel passage having an outlet oriented to direct a stream of secondary fuel into the combustion zone toward the injector centerline;
• an outer wall circumscribing the third partition and forming the radially outermost border of an annular outer air passage having an outlet oriented to direct a stream of outer air into the combustion zone toward the injector centerline;
• and
• an air distribution baffle having a cap with a plurality of air injection orifices extending therethrough, the cap extending radially across the inner air passage and having an outer edge radially spaced from the second partition to define an air injection annulus so that the cap divides the inner air stream into an annular substream that flows through the air injection annulus and a plurality of air jets that issue from the air injection orifices.

A retrofit kit for a gas turbine engine combustor module, comprising:

• a combustor can comprising:
• a liner having a centerline, a forward end with a fuel injector port extending therethrough and an aft end terminating at a trailing edge, the liner circumscribing a combustion zone and having an effective axial length;
• a first array of dilution holes penetrating the liner about midway along the effective axial length of the liner;
• a second array of dilution holes penetrating the liner a predetermined distance aft of the first array, each hole of the second hole array being substantially circumferentially aligned with a hole of the first hole array;
• and
• a third array of dilution holes penetrating the liner aft of the second array and a predefined distance aft of the first array, the holes of the third array being circumferentially distributed and sized so that a combustion gas stream issuing from the aft end of the liner exhibits a radial temperature profile that approximates a prescribed temperature profile;
• and a fuel injector comprising:
• a pressure atomizing core nozzle disposed about an injector centerline, the core nozzle having a discharge orifice for injecting a stream of primary fuel into a combustion zone of the module;
• first and second partitions circumscribing the core nozzle to define radially inner and outer extremities of an annular inner air passage for injecting a stream of inner air into the combustion zone;
• a third partition circumscribing the second partition and cooperating therewith to define a secondary fuel passage having an outlet oriented to direct a stream of secondary fuel into the combustion zone toward the injector centerline;
• an outer wall circumscribing the third partition and forming the radially outermost border of an annular outer air passage having an outlet oriented to direct a stream of outer air into the combustion zone toward the injector centerline;
• and
• an air distribution baffle having a cap with a plurality of air injection orifices extending therethrough, the cap extending radially across the inner air passage and having an outer edge radially spaced from the second partition to define an air injection annulus so that the cap divides the inner air stream into an annular substream that flows through the air injection annulus and a plurality of air jets that issue from the air injection orifices.

A combustor module for a gas turbine engine, comprising:

• a) an annular pressure vessel defined by inner and outer cases disposed about an axially extending centerline;
• b) a plurality of combustor cans, each can having an inner extremity and an outer extremity, the cans being equiangularly distributed within the pressure vessel annulus so that the inner extremities of the cans are equidistant from the module centerline, each can being secured to the outer case, each combustor can comprising:
• a liner having a centerline, a forward end with a fuel injector port extending therethrough and an aft end terminating at a trailing edge, the liner circumscribing a combustion zone and having an effective axial length;
• a first array of dilution holes penetrating the liner about midway along the effective axial length of the liner;
• a second array of dilution holes penetrating the liner a predetermined distance aft of the first array, each hole of the second hole array being substantially circumferentially aligned with a hole of the first hole array;
• and
• a third array of dilution holes penetrating the liner aft of the second array and a predefined distance aft of the first array, the holes of the third array being circumferentially distributed and sized so that a combustion gas stream issuing from the aft end of the liner exhibits a radial temperature profile that approximates a prescribed temperature profile;
• and
• c) a plurality of fuel injectors, each secured to the outer case and each projecting into the combustor can through one of the fuel injector ports, each fuel injector comprising:
• a pressure atomizing core nozzle disposed about an injector centerline, the core nozzle having a discharge orifice for injecting a stream of primary fuel into a combustion zone of the module;
• first and second partitions circumscribing the core nozzle to define radially inner and outer extremities of an annular inner air passage for injecting a stream of inner air into the combustion zone;
• a third partition circumscribing the second partition and cooperating therewith to define a secondary fuel passage having an outlet oriented to direct a stream of secondary fuel into the combustion zone toward the injector centerline;
• an outer wall circumscribing the third partition and forming the radially outermost border of an annular outer air passage having an outlet oriented to direct a stream of outer air into the combustion zone toward the injector centerline;
• and
• an air distribution baffle having a cap with a plurality of air injection orifices extending therethrough, the cap extending radially across the inner air passage and having an outer edge radially spaced from the second partition to define an air injection annulus so that the cap divides the inner air stream into an annular substream that flows through the air injection annulus and a plurality of air jets that issue from the air injection orifices.