Abstract: A cyclone combustor of the present invention uses a novel pre-mixture injection scheme to optimize performance. The cyclone combustor includes a cylindrical combustor can and three fuel/air premixing tubes entering the combustor can radially, with a tangential offset. The tangential offset is designed to provide an optimized circulation in the combustor can for improvement of liner life span, flame stability and engine turn-down. The ignition and pilot fuel systems are placed to take advantage of the premixing tube entry locations and the tangential direction of the mixture flow momentum in the combustor can. The special combination of the parallel axes of the combustor can and the mixing tubes provides a right angle between an outlet section and the major tube section of each premixing tube. The cyclone combustor of the present invention can meet the requirements for low NOx and CO emissions.

Abstract: A multi-stage compressor rotor for a gas turbine engine comprises an axial-flow rotor followed by a centrifugal rotor. The axial-flow rotor and the centrifugal rotor are diffusion bonded together to form a unitary dual flow impeller having blades with continues axial-flow and centrifugal stage sections. By eliminating the gap between the axial flow and centrifugal stages, unsynchronized air deflection between the successive arrays of blades is prevented, thereby improving the aerodynamic performance of the compressor rotor.

Abstract: The invention provides a diffuser assembly constructed of internal and external concentrically nested bowl-shaped shells for directing an outward flow of compressed air from a centrifugal compressor impeller to an axially rearward diffused annular flow. One of the shells is formed with grooves separated by seam edges and the other shell includes a smooth surface of revolution. The grooves on the one shell are closed by the other shell when the two shells are nested together and the seam edges are secured to the smooth surface by fastening means thus defining individual diffuser ducts extending from the compressor impeller to the outer shell edges. The shells can be easily manufactured from metal castings and sheet metal respectively, thereby eliminating much of the cost and the time involved in fabricating prior art diffusers of multiple formed pipes brazed to a separately machined hub.

Abstract: A gas turbine engine rotor assembly such as a fan or compressor includes fan blades spaced axially from stator vanes inside an annular duct. A controlled air blowing system is secured to the annular duct and adapted to blow a hot air flow in a direction opposite to the rotation of the fan blades into the annular duct between the fan blades and the stator vanes, to impart an opposite rotational momentum with respect to the air compressed by the rotor blades, in a asymmetrical pattern to interfere with or destroy a symmetrical pattern of the blade rotation-wake of the compressed air, thereby reducing the strength or preventing the generation of the spinning mode so that the fan-stator interaction tones are significantly reduced.

Abstract: A cooled airfoil has an internal cooling passage in which a plurality of trip strips are arranged to effect variable coolant flow and heat transfer coefficient distribution so as to advantageously minimize the amount of coolant flow required to adequately cool the airfoil structure. In one embodiment, this is accomplished by varying the dimensions of the trip strips along a transversal axis relative to the cooling passage.