Abstract: Excellent fuel atomization in a turbine engine may be obtained with fuel injectors 46 including elongated, laminar discharge orifices 72 and impingement surfaces 76 disposed in the path of fuel 78 being discharged through the discharge orifices 72. Preferably, the fuel 78 is discharged as a flat spray generally tangentially to the annular combustion space 40 of an annular combustor 26.

Abstract: Excellent fuel atomization in a turbine engine may be obtained with fuel injectors 46, 47 including elongated, laminar discharge orifices 72, 100 and impingement surfaces 76, 102 disposed in the path of fuel 78, 106 being discharged through the discharge orifices 72, 100. Preferably, the fuel 78, 106 is discharged as a flat spray generally tangentially to the annular combustion space 40 of an annular combustor 26.

Abstract: The large mass of a containment ring for a gas turbine and the cost of the material fabricating the same may be minimized in a gas turbine including a rotor 12 having a radial inflow turbine wheel with blades 14 and a nozzle 50 adapted to direct hot gases at the blades 14 to cause rotation of the rotor 12. An annular combustor 18 for supplying gases to the nozzle 50 is surrounded on its inner and outer sides by a housing including a rear shroud 46 and in turn defines a dilution air outlet 34 just upstream of the nozzle 50. A containment ring 70, 80, 90 is disposed in the dilution air path just upstream of the nozzle 34 so as to be cooled by air flowing therein. As a consequence, the containment ring 70, 80, 90 may be located at a radially inward position to minimize its mass and is adequately cooled so as to allow the use of nonexotic materials in fabricating the same.

Abstract: Improved performance in a hot gas generator 10 is achieved by providing a pair of hemispherical liners 22 and 24 loosely positioned within an interior wall 14 of a vessel 12 so as to be disposed above a combustion chamber 20 therein. The hemispherical liners 22 and 24 normally have a groove 26 at an interface therebetween and are formed of a material adapted to thermally expand under heat. Specifically, the hemispherical liners 22 and 24 expand to close the groove 26 at the interface in a manner producing relatively little stress thereon.

Abstract: A fuel injector 46 for a turbine engine includes an elongated, generally cylindrical metal housing 76 having a cylindrical surface 78 terminating in an end 84 having a frustoconical surface 86. A bore 88 having an axis 89 normal to the frustoconical surface 86 extends through the housing 76 to provide an air inlet 90 in the cylindrical surface 78 and a fuel and air outlet 94 in the frustoconical surface 86. The bore 88 is narrowed at the outlet to provide a constriction 110 thereat. A curved tube 96 of substantially lesser diameter than the bore 88 is located within the bore 88 to serve as a fuel injecting tube and has an open end 100 on and normal to the axis 89 and located in close adjacency to the constriction 110 without increasing the resistance to air flow through the constriction 110.

Abstract: Problems involving the cooling of a front turbine shroud having a radial section 110 and an axial section 112 connected by a radius 114 and employed in a turbine engine are minimized or eliminated by telescoping the radially outer wall 34 of an annular combustor 26 into the axial section 112 and radially spacing the same inwardly therefrom. An inlet 128 in fluid communication with the compressed air source of the turbine extends to a swirling strip 130 which between the radially outer wall 34 and the axial section 112 and generates a film of cooling air and applies it to the radius 114 of the front shroud 27 to cool the same.

Abstract: Undesirably high and damaging temperature gradients resulting from hot spots in combustors 26 for housing a hot gas generating oxidation reaction are avoided in a construction including a combustor housing haivng a wall 32, 34, 39 with an interior surface defining a combustion space 38, 40 and an exterior surface thereof and provided with an outlet 36. A plenum 44, 80, 82 surrounds the combustor 26 and a fuel injector 50, 52 is provided for introducing a fuel to be oxidized into the combustion space 38, 40. Oxidant inlets 54 to the combustion space 38, 40 are provided and various structures including the plenum 44, 80, 82 flow cooling gas in a path about the exterior surface of the walls, 32, 34, 39 to cool the combustor housing. Trip strips 114, 118 are located on the exterior surface of the walls 32, 34, 39 and extend into the cooling gas flow path and are located to minimize the temperature gradient between points along those walls 32, 34 and 39.

Abstract: High flame stability and good starting qualities are obtained in a relatively smoke free hot gas generator including a housing 10 having an interior combustion chamber 12 with a diverging interior wall 20 that is generally a surface of revolution. An axially directed opening 18 is centered in the wall 20 and an outer, oxidant inlet 48, 52 is provided and includes swirler vanes 50 for introducing into the chamber 12 at the interior wall 20 a swirling, hollow body of oxidant such that centrifugal force will create a diverging hollow body of swirling oxidant on the interior wall 20. A central fuel inlet 52, 58 is located within the opening 18 and within the oxidant inlet 48, 52 and is generally concentric therewith.

Abstract: The expense of fabricating an annular combustor for use with a small diameter gas turbine engine is minimized in a construction including a bell-shaped housing 52, an axially extending sleeve 66 within the housing 52, an annular liner 74 within the housing 52 and about the sleeve 66 and including inner, outer and radial walls 80, 76, 78, respectively, spaced from the sleeve 66 and the housing 52 and all being formed of sheet metal. A circular fuel manifold 108 with angularly spaced fuel dispensing openings 122 is disposed between the housing 52 and the outer wall 76 and a plurality of open ended, elongated tubes 112 extend through the outer wall 76 and are in fluid communication with respective openings 122 in the fuel manifold 108 to introduce air and fuel generally tangentially into the liner 74.

Abstract: Reliable starting of air breathing turbines even at high altitude is assured in a turbine engine of the type including an annular combustor 26 by locating one or more start injectors 96 away from the bottom of the combustor 26 and making the bottom of the combustor 26 free of start injector 96.

Abstract: Carbon buildup in a turbine engine including a compressor 16 coupled to a turbine wheel 22 mounted for rotation about an axis and having a nozzle 24 disposed to direct gas at the turbine wheel 22 to drive the same, an annular combustor 26 disposed about the axis and in fluid communication with the nozzle 24 and having a radially inner wall 32, a radially outer wall 34 and a generally radially extending wall 46, a plurality of fuel injectors 48, a compressed air plenum 42, 44, 45 surrounding the combustor 26, a plurality of circumferentially spaced apertures 66 in the radial wall 34 and a cooling strip 68 for directing air passing through the apertures 66 along the radial wall 39 is reduced by locating the apertures 66 closely adjacent the radially outer part of the radial wall 39 and locating the cooling strips 68 to direct air passing through the apertures 66 inwardly as at 72 along the radial wall 39.

Abstract: The combustion dynamics and efficiency of a gas turbine having an annular combustor 26 provided with fuel injection nozzles 50 that inject fuel generally tangentially is improved by providing the walls 32, 34, 39 of the combustor 26 with cooling air film injectors 70, 86; 72, 88; 74, 90 at substantially equally angularly spaced locations about each such wall and which are oriented to generally tangentially inject a film-like air stream on the associated wall 32, 34, 39.

Abstract: Warping of the rear turbine shroud 54 and the resulting cracking of turbine nozzle vanes 24 may be eliminated in a radial inflow turbine having an annular combustor 30 with a radially outer wall 32 opening on a compressed air plenum 48 by locating a plurality of tubes 70 on the radially outer wall 32 in fluid communication with the plenum 48 and extending the tubes 70 inwardly so that the radially inner ends 76 are adjacent the radially outer edge 56 of the turbine shroud 54. The tubes 70 thus direct sweeping streams of cooling air along the rear turbine shroud 54 to cool the same and prevent warpage.

Abstract: The turbine engine may be started without the use of start injectors by a method including the steps of initiating rotation of a compressor and turbine wheel by applying an external angular accelerating force thereto, introducing fuel through a minority of the fuel injectors employed at about 5-10% of rated engine speed while continuing the application of the accelerating force, introducing fuel through the remainder of the injectors after ignition of the fuel introduced by the prior step and when the engine reaches 15-25% of rated speed while maintaining injection through the minority of injectors, and thereafter modulating fuel flow through all of the injectors to operate the engine in a desired fashion. Also disclosed is a turbine engine practicing the foregoing method.

Abstract: Improved performance in a hot gas generator is achieved by disposing a multiple port fuel injector 42 having three spaced fuel discharge ports 46, 48, 49 on the longitudinal axis 28 of a vessel 18 having a narrow inlet 22, an opposite narrow outlet 14 and an intermediate, enlarged chamber 24 which serves as a combustion chamber.

Abstract: Carbon build-up in a hot gas generator is avoided in a construction including a vessel 24 having a narrow inlet end 26, a narrow outlet end 28 and an intermediate, relatively wide, combustion chamber 30 by either disposing a heat shield 50 on the interior surface 48 of the combustion chamber 30 or locating a flow path 54 for coolant about the exterior surface 52 of the vessel 24, or both.

Abstract: The turbine engine may be started without the use of start injectors by a method including the steps of initiating rotation of a compressor and turbine wheel by applying an external angular accelerating force thereto, introducing fuel through a minority of the fuel injectors employed at about 5-10% of rated engine speed while continuing the application of the accelerating force, introducing fuel through the remainder of the injectors after ignition of the fuel introduced by the prior step and when the engine reaches 15-25% of rated speed while maintaining injection through the minority of injectors, and thereafter modulating fuel flow through all of the injectors to operate the engine in a desired fashion. Also disclosed is a turbine engine practicing the foregoing method.

Abstract: The cost of fuel injection nozzles 50 and their tendency to clog in a gas turbine having an annular combustor 26 can be reduced by alternating the fuel injection nozzles 50 with bender jets 56 configured to introduce a combustion supporting gas into an annular combustion zone 40 at locations between the fuel injectors 50 to achieve uniform turbine inlet temperature distribution while requiring fewer of the nozzles 50 and allowing those nozzles 50 that are utilized to have larger fluid flow paths that are less prone to clogging.

Abstract: Manifold head effects at low fuel flows in a fuel injected air breathing turbine are minimized by utilizing fuel injectors having fuel injecting tubes 66 with open ends 70 for fuel injection and provided with elongated capillary tubes 99 upstream thereof and connected to receive fuel from a fuel manifold 48.

Abstract: The expense of fabricating an annular combustor for use with a small diameter gas turbine engine is minimized in a construction including a bell-shaped housing 52, an axially extending sleeve 66 within the housing 52, an annular liner 74 within the housing 52 and about the sleeve 66 and including inner, outer and radial walls 80, 76, 78, respectively, spaced from the sleeve 66 and the housing 52 and all being formed of sheet metal. A circular fuel manifold 108 with angularly spaced fuel dispensing openings 122 is disposed between the housing 52 and the outer wall 76 and a plurality of open ended, elongated tubes 112 extend through the outer wall 76 and are in fluid communication with respective openings 122 in the fuel manifold 108 to introduce air and fuel generally tangentially into the liner 74. An end 68 of the sleeve 66 and an end 86 of the outer wall 76 define an outlet in fluid communication with a turbine nozzle structure 46 having turbine nozzle blades 136.