Combustion wave ignition for combustors
AssigneePratt & Whitney Rocketdyne, Inc.
InventorsKenneth M Sprouse, Shahram Farhangi
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A system, such as a turbine power production system, including a plurality of combustion chambers. The combustion chamber may be provided with an ignition system that allows for substantially simultaneous ignition of each of the plurality of the combustors. Generally, a detonation wave may be provided to each of the combustion chambers substantially simultaneously from a single ignition combustion wave chamber.
Claims18
A power production system, comprising:
- a combustion oxidizer source to provide a selected volume of a combustion oxidizer;
- a combustion fuel source to provide a selected volume of a combustion fuel;
- a plurality of a combustor to combust the selected volume of the fuel and the oxidizer, wherein combusting the selected volume of the fuel and the oxidizer form expanding gases;
- a turbine powered by the expanding gasses;
- and
- an ignition system to provide substantially simultaneous ignition of each of the plurality of the combustors,
- said ignition system including a combustion wave chamber to form a detonation wave that can be transmitted through an ignition line with at least one of a selected oxidizer and a selected fuel.
A method of igniting a plurality of pilots in a plurality of main combustion chambers, each of said combustion chamber being separated from each of the other main combustion chambers, the method comprising:
- forming a detonation wave;
- transmitting the detonation wave to at least one of the main combustion chambers;
- at least one of providing and flowing a selected volume of a pilot oxidizer and a pilot fuel to the main combustion chamber;
- igniting the selected volume of the pilot oxidizer and the pilot fuel;
- combusting a selected main fuel;
- and
- powering a turbine with the combusting main fuel.
A power production system, comprising:
- a combustion oxidizer source to provide a selected volume of a combustion oxidizer;
- a combustion fuel source to provide a selected volume of a combustion fuel;
- a plurality of a combustor to combust the selected volume of the fuel and the oxidizer, wherein combusting the selected volume of the fuel and the oxidizer form expanding gases;
- a turbine powered by the expanding gasses;
- and
- an ignition system to provide substantially simultaneous ignition of each of the plurality of the combustors,
- wherein said ignition system includes an ignition line, which includes a central tube to transmit the detonation wave, a first annulus to transmit a selected pilot oxidizer and a second annulus to provide a selected pilot fuel.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.