COMBUSTOR LINER FOR A CAN-ANNULAR GAS TURBINE ENGINE AND A METHOD FOR CONSTRUCTING SUCH A LINER
A combustor liner (30) for a can-annular gas turbine engine (10) and a method for constructing such a liner are provided. The combustor liner includes an annular wall member (32) A cooling channel (34, 42, 50, 54, 56, 58) is formed through the wall member and extends from an inlet end of the liner to an outlet end of the liner A property of the cooling channel may be varied along a length of the cooling channel. The cooling channel may be formed through the combustor liner using an electro-chemical machining (ECM) process or a three dimensional printing process (3DP).
This application claims benefit of the 6 Feb. 2013 filing date of U.S. provisional patent application No. 61/761,367 which is incorporated by reference herein.
FIELD OF THE INVENTIONThe present invention is generally related to gas turbine engines and, more particularly, to a combustor liner for a gas turbine engine, and a method for constructing such a liner
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTIONPower generation systems, such as can-annular gas turbine engines, include sophisticated combustion components and processes for improving combustion efficiency. Market trends push for longer lifetime for components of the engine, reduced emissions of nitrogen oxides (NOx) and higher firing temperatures. Known combustor liners for can-annular gas turbine engines typically involve a pair of concentric rings, such as a plate with grooves and a sleeve which cooperate to direct cooling air to maintain appropriate liner temperatures at the combustor exhaust zone. These grooves are constructed using traditional machining techniques, and, consequently are not suited for structural refinements which would allow to more efficiently meeting thermal transfer demands along the combustor liner Thus, there continues to be a need for an improved combustor liner for a can-annular gas turbine engine, and a method for constructing such a liner.
The invention is explained in the following description in view of the drawings that show.
The present inventors have innovatively recognized certain limitations in connection with known combustor liners for can-annular gas turbine engines. For example, structural limitations of known combustor liners may impede the ability to vary one or more properties of the cooling channel along a length of the cooling channel This ability would allow tailoring the cooling channel to more efficiently meet expected thermal transfer demands along the combustor liner In view of such recognition, the present inventors propose an innovative combustor liner for a can-annular gas turbine engine, and a method for constructing such a liner, where a cooling channel may be formed through the combustor liner using a process for forming a structure, such as may involve complex geometries and/or tightly-controlled tolerances In one non-limiting embodiment, the forming process may be based on subtraction of material, such as an electro-chemical machining (ECM) process In another non-limiting embodiment, the forming process may be based on addition of material, such as a three dimensional printing (3DP) process, also referred to as additive manufacturing
In the following detailed description, various specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of such embodiments. However, those skilled in the art will understand that embodiments of the present invention may be practiced without these specific details, that the present invention is not limited to the depicted embodiments, and that the present invention may be practiced in a variety of alternative embodiments. In other instances, methods, procedures, and components, which would be well-understood by one skilled in the art have not been described in detail to avoid unnecessary and burdensome explanation.
Furthermore, various operations may be described as multiple discrete steps performed in a manner that is helpful for understanding embodiments of the present invention However, the order of description should not be construed as to imply that these operations need be performed in the order they are presented, nor that they are even order dependent unless otherwise so described. Moreover, repeated usage of the phrase “in one embodiment” does not necessarily refer to the same embodiment, although it may. Lastly, the terms “comprising”, “including”, “having”, and the like, as used in the present application, are intended to be synonymous unless otherwise indicated.
In one example embodiment, as may be appreciated in
In one example embodiment, the use of ECM or 3DP may further provide the ability to vary a property of the cooling channel along the length of the cooling channel. For example, as illustrated in
Further examples of respective cooling channel properties that may be varied along the length of the cooling channel through the use of ECM or 3DP may be as conceptually illustrated in
While various embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described herein, it will be apparent that such embodiments are provided by way of example only. Numerous variations, changes and substitutions may be made without departing from the invention herein. Accordingly, it is intended that the invention be limited only by the spirit and scope of the appended claims.
Claims
1. A combustor liner for a can-annular gas turbine engine comprising.
- an annular wall member; and
- a cooling channel formed through the wall member and extending from an inlet end of the liner to an outlet end of the liner,
- wherein a property of the cooling channel varies along a length of the cooling channel.
2. The combustor liner of claim 1, wherein a circumferential position of the cooling channel varies along a longitudinal axis of the liner
3. The combustor liner of claim 2, wherein the cooling channel defines a curved shape
4. The combustor liner of claim 2, wherein the cooling channel defines a helix shape.
5. The combustor liner of claim 1, wherein a diameter of the cooling channel is not constant along its length.
6. The combustor liner of claim 1, wherein a surface finish of the cooling channel is not constant along its length
7. The combustor liner of claim 1, wherein a cross-sectional shape of the cooling channel is not constant along its length.
8. The combustor liner of claim 1, wherein a cross-sectional shape of the cooling channel comprises a multi-lobe shape.
9. A combustor comprising the combustor liner of claim 1.
10. A method for constructing a combustor liner for a can-annular gas turbine engine, the method comprising:
- establishing expected thermal transfer demands along the combustor liner;
- forming a cooling channel through the combustor liner using a process for forming a structure; and
- controlling the forming process to vary a cooling channel property along a length of the cooling channel based on the expected thermal transfer demands.
11. The method of claim 10, wherein the forming process comprises an electro-chemical machining process.
12. The method of claim 10, wherein the forming process comprises a three-dimensional printing process
13. The method of claim 10, further comprising varying a circumferential position of the cooling channel along a longitudinal axis of the liner.
14. The method of claim 13, wherein the cooling channel defines a helix shape
15. The method of claim 10, further comprising controlling the forming process such that a diameter of the cooling channel is not constant along its length.
16. The method of claim 10, further comprising controlling the forming process such that a surface finish of the cooling channel is not constant along its length.
17. The method of claim 10, further comprising controlling the forming process such that a cross-sectional shape of the cooling channel is not constant along its length
18. The method of claim 10, further comprising controlling the forming process such that a cross-sectional shape of the cooling channel comprises a multi-lobe shape
19. A combustor liner for a can-annular gas turbine engine comprising.
- an annular wall member, and
- a cooling channel formed through the wall member and extending from an inlet end of the liner to an outlet end of the liner,
- wherein a property of the cooling channel varies along a length of the cooling channel, and wherein the cooling channel is formed by a process selected from the group consisting of an electro-chemical machining process and a three-dimensional printing process.
Type: Application
Filed: Dec 26, 2013
Publication Date: Aug 7, 2014
Inventors: Weidong Cai (Oviedo, FL), Krishna C. Miduturi (Orlando, FL), David M. Ritland (Winter Park, FL)
Application Number: 14/140,610
International Classification: F23R 3/00 (20060101);