Abstract: A hot gas generator includes a dual fuel injector (42) having spaced fuel discharge nozzles (48, 60) 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. The nozzle (60) injects a spray cone (64) of fuel in a cone angle that is sufficiently wide that a large angle exists between the fuel spray and the path (54) of high velocity combustion gases moving toward the outlet (14) to achieve excellent vaporization of fuel at fuel rich conditions without causing carbon buildup and/or the generation of black smoke in the exhaust.

Abstract: Problems with the cooling of a turbine nozzle (60) and a turbine wheel (20) of a gas turbine engine when the engine is uprated may be avoided or minimized by employing a combustor (36) that is free of any means for providing cooling air films on the interior walls thereof and which allows the entry of only stoichiometric quantities of air into the interior of the combustor (36) at predetermined locations along the entire axial length thereof. Consequently, the entirety of the combustor (36) is available for combustion. Cooling of the nozzle (60) and components of the engine downstream thereof is handled by the provision of an annular array of small openings (102) immediately upstream of the leading edges (98) of the vanes (58) constituting the nozzle (60) to provide excellent mixing of dilution air and combustion gases thereat.

Abstract: Difficulties in cooling the vanes or blades (46) making up a turbine nozzle (40) in a gas turbine may be minimized or eliminated by placing interior passages (62) of the blades or vanes (46) in fluid communication with the compressor (14) and providing outlet passages (64) for the passages (62) in the rear turbine shroud (42). The passages (64) are preferably angled so that their downstream ends (68) open downstream. Consequently, eductor or ejector-like formations are present and when cooling air for a combustor (30) flowing in a cooling air path (28) passes across the ends (68), a region of lower pressure is formed to positively assure the flow of cooling air through the vanes or blades (46).

Abstract: Improved fuel atomization for turbine engines utilizing high viscosity fuels is accomplished in an engine having an annular combustor (26) by providing an air injector (52) which produces an air stream (50) generally tangentially directed into the combustor (26) to intersect a fuel spray or film (46) also generally tangentially directed into the combustor (26) by a fuel injector (48) to atomize fuel for ignition by an igniter (60) in an annular outer wall (34) of the combustor (26).

Abstract: A process for operating a palladium oxide-containing catalytic combustor is useful, e.g., for powering a gas turbine. The palladium oxide is supported on a metal oxide such as alumina, lanthanide metal oxide-modified alumina, ceria, titania or tantalum oxide. The method involves maintaining control of the temperature within the combustor in such a manner as to insure the presence of palladium oxide. By maintaining the temperature below the decomposition onset temperature of palladium oxide (which is catalytically active for catalytic combustion) into metallic palladium (which is catalytically inactive) deactivation of the catalyst is avoided and high catalytic activity is retained. Regeneration of catalyst following inactivation resulting from an over-temperature is accomplished by using a heat soak in a regeneration temperature range which varies depending on the particular metal oxide used to support the palladium oxide.

Abstract: A purge system for the fuel injection system of a turbine engine is simplified by utilizing a system including first and second three-way valves 42, 44, each having an inlet port 46, an outlet port 48, and an inlet-outlet port 50 together with a movable valve element 52 which can alternately connect the inlet-outlet port 50 to the associated inlet port 46 or associated outlet port 48. A purge line 66 is connected to the outlet port 48 of each of the valves 42, 44 and extends into an exhaust conduit 20 of a turbine engine. A first line 60 is connected to the inlet-outlet port 50 of a first of the valves 42 and is connected to a start injector 30. A second line 63 is connected to the inlet-outlet port 50 of the other valve 48 and is adapted to be connected to at least one main injector 26. Separate conduits 62, 64 connected to respective ones of the inlet ports 46 are connected to respective controlled sources 36, 38, 40 of fuel under pressure.

Abstract: A fuel pump within the main shaft of a turbine engine comprises a fuel tube extending axially through the shaft, a first shaft wall and the second shaft wall spaced apart from each other at one end of the tube to define a flow passage therebetween, a plurality of substantially radially aligned vanes extending across the passageway, an annular cavity in fluid communication with the outlet of the vaned passageway and a plurality of circumferentially spaced injector nozzles in fluid communication with the annular cavity and opening into the combustion chamber of turbine engine. The pump vanes impart sufficient energy to the fuel to overcome friction losses in the injector nozzles and to overcome the pressure within the combustor chamber. In addition, the energy imparted to the fuel forms a fuel barrier which separates the combustor chamber pressure from pressure within the fuel tube.

Abstract: A hot gas overheat protection device is provided for gas turbine engines and the like. An outer metal wall having cooling air supplied through cooling holes therethrough from the outside is shielded from hot gas flow by the provision of highly temperature resistant lining wall elements spaced from the metal wall. A thin metal skin is provided between the metal wall and the wall elements defining intermediate spaces communicating with cooling air ports in the metal wall. The thin metal skin has a melting point equal to or lower than that of the metal wall so as to provide for fusion or rupture of the thin metal skin in the event the insulating wall elements are locally ruptured, whereby the cooling air is provided through the cooling air ports in a direction against the flow of hot gases to thereby mitigate the effects of the rupture and protect the metal wall.

Abstract: The invention disclosed is a solid propellant rocket motor, capable of providing two separate propulsive impulses to a missile. The rocket motor is connected at one end to the missile body, the other end including an exhaust nozzle. The rocket motor comprises two stages connected by an interstage bulkhead. The bulkhead includes a port opening which is closed by a frangible cover which prevents the second stage from igniting during burning of the first stage, but breaks up into harmless fragments during firing of the second stage.

Abstract: A new and improved gas turbine engine augmentor including a liner having a film-coolable first portion joined to a convection-coolable second portion is disclosed. A cooling gas, such as fan bypass air, is channeled to the liner for film cooling the first portion and providing a residual cooling film to the second portion. The second portion is also convection coolable by air passing over an outer surface thereof. In a particular embodiment of the invention, the augmentor liner also includes a screech portion disposed at an upstream end of the first portion and downstream of a flameholder. The screech portion includes a substantially imperforate outer wall and an inner wall spaced therefrom which define a manifold therebetween. The inner wall includes a plurality of apertures in flow communication with the combustion zone. The manifold and apertures are effective for suppressing screech while substantially preventing the leakage of cooling air therethrough.

Abstract: A low temperature gas generator 2 comprising a combustion chamber 4, an injector 6 formed with a plurality of recesses each having at least one oxidizer orifice 16, and at least one fuel orifice 10 and a mixing cup plate formed with a plurality of mixing cups 26 each communicating a respective one of said recesses with said combustion chamber 4 and formed with an aspect ratio greater than about 2.0 and less than about 5.0 and a diameter such that the flow velocity of the fuel-oxidizer mixture passing through said mixing cup 26 is in excess of about 150 feet per second.

Abstract: An improved annular combustor having a plurality of annularly disposed fuel nozzles for supplying fuel to the combustor dome, and a structure defining a dome plenum adjacent each said fuel nozzle is provided, wherein means in the form of partitions or walls are included to define a sector(s) of said plenum including a portion of said fuel nozzles for airflow control by a valve means controlling airflow through said sector(s) only, the remainder of said dome plenum annulus having no airflow valve control means; said sector(s) defining means may protrude into said combustor primary zone to define a region thereof for controlled burning of fuel supplied by the fuel nozzles included in said sector.