With Fuel Injector Patents (Class 60/740)
  • Patent number: 10539328
    Abstract: A nozzle guide support device, that supports a nozzle guide of a fuel nozzle on an open flange part encircling a fuel supply hole of a combustor of a gas turbine engine, is formed by fixing a cap that supports the nozzle guide in a floating state to the open flange part by means of a rivet. Rotation of the nozzle guide relative to the open flange part is restricted by engagement between a recess portion of the nozzle guide and a spacer fitted to the rivet. Accordingly, not only is it possible to cut production time and production cost compared with a case in which the nozzle guide support device is fixed by welding or brazing, but it is also possible to suppress unlimited rotation of the fuel nozzle guide while enabling the fuel nozzle guide to float in a radial direction and a axial direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 27, 2016
    Date of Patent: January 21, 2020
    Assignee: HONDA MOTOR CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Yasuharu Kamoi, Takeshi Kiyama
  • Patent number: 10508759
    Abstract: A flowpath assembly has a first conduit defining a flowpath radially inward, and a second conduit spaced radially outward from the first conduit. A void defined between the first and second conduits contains an insulating material that may have a greater porosity than the first and second conduits. The assembly may be additive manufactured generally as one unitary piece with the raw material of the conduits being melted and solidified on a slice-by-slice basis and the insulating material being selectively bypassed by an energy gun of an additive manufacturing system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 27, 2017
    Date of Patent: December 17, 2019
    Assignee: United Technologies Corporation
    Inventors: Joe Ott, John J. Rup, Jr., Shawn Stempinski, Stanley J. Funk, Dennis M. Moura, Lexia Kironn, Roger O. Coffey
  • Patent number: 10495312
    Abstract: An arrangement for an aircraft turbine engine combustion chamber including an injection system and a fuel injector is provided. The injection system includes an injector nozzle guide, the inner surface of which delimits an opening for centering the nozzle, which includes an outer casing. The arrangement further includes a sealing device between the inner surface of the guide and the outer casing. The sealing device includes a first part accommodated in a groove of the outer casing, the groove being delimited, in part, by a downstream delimiting surface, the first part having a first sealing surface and bearing axially against the downstream delimiting surface; and a second part having a second sealing surface bearing radially against the inner surface of the guide.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 18, 2016
    Date of Patent: December 3, 2019
    Assignee: SAFRAN AIRCRAFT ENGINES
    Inventors: Jose Roland Rodrigues, Christophe Chabaille
  • Patent number: 10495310
    Abstract: Combustor assemblies are provided. For example, a combustor assembly includes a combustor liner defining a combustion chamber and an annular combustor dome positioned at a forward end of the combustor liner that defines a plurality of dome apertures. The combustor assembly further includes an annular heat shield positioned between the combustor dome and the combustion chamber, a plurality of adapters positioned forward of the heat shield, and a plurality of collars. The heat shield defines a plurality of heat shield apertures that are aligned with the dome apertures. One adapter is attached to the combustor dome at each dome aperture, and the adapters are. One collar extends through each heat shield aperture to couple the heat shield to the combustor dome. Further, ceramic matrix composite (CMC) heat shields are provided that may include an annular body defining a plurality of heat shield apertures, as well as inner and outer wings.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 30, 2016
    Date of Patent: December 3, 2019
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventor: Donald Michael Corsmeier
  • Patent number: 10488049
    Abstract: The invention relates to a combustion chamber for a turbomachine, such as an aircraft turbojet engine or turboprop engine, comprising an internal annular shroud and an external annular shroud which at their upstream ends are connected by an annular chamber end wall (48), said chamber comprising deflectors (50) mounted upstream of the annular chamber end wall (48). Injectors (19) are mounted in sleeves (44) at least one of which comprises a radially annular flange (66) which is designed to slide radially between the chamber end wall (48) and the deflector (50) and which is blocked axially between the chamber end wall (48) and the deflector (50).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 29, 2015
    Date of Patent: November 26, 2019
    Assignee: Safran Aircraft Engines
    Inventors: Romain Nicolas Lunel, Thomas Olivier Marie Noel, Matthieu François Rullaud
  • Patent number: 10309654
    Abstract: In a structure for cooling a gas turbine engine, an open flange part encircling a fuel supply hole formed in a combustor includes a conical portion enlarging in a conical shape toward an outside of the combustor and a flat portion extending radially outward in a flat plate shape from an extremity of the conical portion, and a nozzle guide includes a cylindrical portion covering an outer periphery of a fuel nozzle for supplying fuel to the fuel supply hole and a bottom flange portion being bent radially outward from a corner portion at an extremity of the cylindrical portion and supported in a floating state on the flat portion. A cooling hole for supplying air that cools the open flange part and the nozzle is formed in the corner portion of the guide, and a direction of the cooling hole is inclined toward an axis of the nozzle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 27, 2016
    Date of Patent: June 4, 2019
    Assignee: HONDA MOTOR CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Yasuharu Kamoi, Daisuke Kato
  • Patent number: 10294865
    Abstract: A combustor assembly in a gas turbine engine includes a gas generator casing, an annular combustor supported within the casing, and a fuel injection system that includes an internal fuel manifold assembly having a fuel manifold ring with at least one fuel conveying passage in fluid flow communication with fuel injection nozzles. An inlet member is connected to the manifold ring and includes a drainage passage for collecting possible leaked fuel that is defined between the inlet member and a heat shield surrounding the inlet member. Any leaked fuel is discharged out of the inlet member at an exit of the fuel passage on an end surface of the inlet member proximate the second end thereof.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 15, 2017
    Date of Patent: May 21, 2019
    Assignee: PRATT & WHITNEY CANADA CORP.
    Inventor: Oleg Morenko
  • Patent number: 10253976
    Abstract: A fuel swirler with anti-rotation features is provided. A swirler assembly may comprise a swirler, a guide plate, and a retaining ring. The swirler, the guide plate, and/or the retaining ring may comprise recessions configured to receive a retaining element. The retaining element may be configured to interface with the recessions to create an interference in the swirler assembly. The interference may at least partially resist rotation of the guide plate with respect to the swirler.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 24, 2017
    Date of Patent: April 9, 2019
    Assignee: United Technologies Corporation
    Inventor: Peter E. Gunderson
  • Patent number: 10190776
    Abstract: A fuel injector system with a fuel feed arm extending inwardly from an outer casing of combustion equipment of a gas turbine engine to a flame tube of the equipment, which ends in an injection nozzle which penetrates a head of the tube to deliver fuel. The system has a swirler arranged coaxially with the nozzle at the head of the tube, including one or more circuits which produce flows of swirling air around the fuel. A seal ring seals the nozzle to the swirler, the nozzle being removably inserted into the ring. The ring has a flange portion, and the swirler has a pair of spaced retention grooves at a front face thereof. Opposite edges of the flange portion slidingly locate in the grooves so it sealingly engages to the front face. The swirler has a spring mechanism which retains the flange portion in the grooves.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 22, 2016
    Date of Patent: January 29, 2019
    Assignee: ROLLS-ROYCE plc
    Inventors: Alan Geary, Keith Bell
  • Patent number: 10174946
    Abstract: A nozzle guide is provided for a combustor of a gas turbine engine. The nozzle guide includes an annular structure including a plurality of cooling holes, a guide plate including a plurality of openings on an outer periphery of the guide plate, and a plurality of cooling passages within the annular structure to provide air flow from the plurality of cooling holes to the plurality of openings.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 24, 2015
    Date of Patent: January 8, 2019
    Assignee: UNITED TECHNOLOGIES CORPORATION
    Inventors: Frank J. Cunha, Stanislav Kostka
  • Patent number: 10151485
    Abstract: A turbine engine having an annular combustion chamber formed by two coaxial annular shrouds, an inner shroud and an outer shroud relative to the axis of the turbine engine, which shrouds are arranged one inside the other and are connected together at their upstream ends by an annular chamber end wall that is fastened to an outer casing surrounding the outer annular shroud, the downstream ends of the inner and outer annular shrouds being connected to flanges fastened to an inner casing and to the outer casing, respectively. The upstream end of at least one of the inner and outer shrouds is centered by bearing radially against the annular chamber end wall and co-operates therewith in leaktight axial sliding.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 11, 2015
    Date of Patent: December 11, 2018
    Assignee: SAFRAN AIRCRAFT ENGINES
    Inventors: Romain Nicolas Lunel, Denis Jean Maurice Sandelis
  • Patent number: 10082082
    Abstract: A fuel injector for a gas turbine engine is disclosed. The fuel injector includes a flange assembly with a distribution block, three main gas tubes, and an injector head. The distribution block evenly distributes a main gas fuel to the three main gas tubes. The injector head includes an injector body with a primary gas gallery including an annular shape. The three main gas tubes are connected in a parallel configuration between the distribution block and the primary gas gallery. The three main gas tubes are all in flow communication with the primary gas gallery and provide the main gas fuel from the same main gas fuel source.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 5, 2016
    Date of Patent: September 25, 2018
    Assignee: Solar Turbines Incorporated
    Inventors: Sean Kelly Spivey, Donald James Cramb, James Scott Piper, Michael John Ramotowski
  • Patent number: 10072845
    Abstract: An aft heat shield for a fuel nozzle tip includes: an annular shield wall; an annular shield flange extending radially outward from an aft end of the shield wall; an annular baffle flange surrounding the conical section, and disposed such that an axial gap is defined between the shield flange and the baffle flange, the baffle flange including a radially outer rim extending axially forward therefrom; and a plurality of impingement cooling holes passing through the baffle flange and oriented to as to direct air flow towards the shield wall.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 15, 2013
    Date of Patent: September 11, 2018
    Assignee: GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY
    Inventors: Joshua Tyler Mook, Michael Anthony Benjamin, David Richard Barnhart, Sean James Henderson, Ramon Martinez, Neerav Atul Patel, Mark Richard Shaw
  • Patent number: 10041679
    Abstract: A combustor for a gas turbine engine includes an inner combustor wall and an outer combustor wall radially outboard of the inner combustor wall. The inner and outer combustor walls define a combustion space therebetween with an upstream inlet and a downstream outlet. A combustor dome connects between inner and outer combustor walls at the upstream inlet of the combustion space. The combustor dome includes a plurality of circumferentially spaced apart nozzles and a plurality of tiles mounted to the combustor dome to fluidly separate a downstream side of the combustor dome from an upstream side of the combustor dome.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 24, 2015
    Date of Patent: August 7, 2018
    Assignee: DELAVAN INC
    Inventor: Lev A. Prociw
  • Patent number: 9989258
    Abstract: A gas turbine combustor forms a combustion region R1 therein by burning a premixed gas obtained by previously mixing a fuel and combustion air. The gas turbine combustor includes: a burner cylinder (51) in which the premixed gas passes; a film air supply port (61) that is provided on the burner cylinder 51, and supplies a film air formed into a film shape and flowing along the inner wall surface (the inner circumferential surface) of the burner cylinder (51); and a cooling passage (71) in which a cooling air passes. The cooling air cools a back-step surface (65) facing the formed combustion region R1. The cooling passage (71) includes a side from which the cooling air flows out, and the side is connected to the film air supply port (61).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 22, 2013
    Date of Patent: June 5, 2018
    Assignee: MITSUBISHI HITACH POWER SYSTEMS, LTD.
    Inventors: Keijiro Saito, Satoshi Takiguchi, Toshihiko Saito, Shinji Akamatsu
  • Patent number: 9982579
    Abstract: A heat shield comprising a sidewall portion, a top portion, and a plurality of flexible tabs attached to the sidewall portion is described herein, in accordance with various embodiments. The top portion may comprise an aperture. The sidewall portion may extend at an angle between 80 degrees and 100 degrees from the top portion. The sidewall portion may bound a hexagonal void. The flexible tab may comprise an angle between 80 degrees and 100 degrees. The flexible tab may be fixed to the sidewall portion, wherein the flexible tab is configured to be attached to a fitting.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 7, 2015
    Date of Patent: May 29, 2018
    Assignee: United Technologies Corporation
    Inventors: Pawel Socha, Richard Joseph Bulkovitch, Kelsey Honious, Jonathan C Reuben
  • Patent number: 9933161
    Abstract: A combustor dome heat shield has a heat shield panel adapted to be mounted to a combustor dome with a back face of the heat shield panel in spaced-apart facing relationship with an inner surface of the combustor dome to define an air gap between the heat shield panel and the combustor dome. Rails extend from the back face of the heat shield panel across the air gap. An anti-rotation notch is defined in at least one of the rails for receiving an anti-rotation tab of an adjacent element, such as a fuel nozzle floating collar. The rails include notch cavity rails extending on either side of the anti-rotation notch. The notch cavity rails define a notch cavity for capturing coolant air leaking through the anti-rotation notch.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 12, 2015
    Date of Patent: April 3, 2018
    Assignee: PRATT & WHITNEY CANADA CORP.
    Inventor: Michael Papple
  • Patent number: 9879606
    Abstract: The described method of supplying fuel to an internal fuel manifold of a bypass gas turbine engine includes directing a fuel flow through a fuel fairing having an outer surface exposed to a cool bypass airflow, directing the fuel flow in the fuel fairing through a heat exchanging structure on the outer surface of the fuel fairing to cool the fuel flow being below a coking temperature of the fuel, and then feeding the cooled fuel flow from the fuel fairing to the internal fuel manifold.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 28, 2014
    Date of Patent: January 30, 2018
    Assignee: PRATT & WHITNEY CANADA CORP.
    Inventors: Oleg Morenko, Bryan Olver
  • Patent number: 9829198
    Abstract: A gas turbine combustor floating collar for mounting an igniter or fuel nozzle to a combustor is provided with an outer periphery in a non-circular shape, for example having at least one section thereof formed with a flat surface, such as a square or triangular shape. The outer periphery of the floating collar is complementary to and completely surrounded by an inner periphery surface of a recess of a boss affixed on the combustor, thereby preventing substantial rotation of the floating collar with respect to the boss.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 12, 2013
    Date of Patent: November 28, 2017
    Assignee: PRATT & WHITNEY CANADA CORP.
    Inventors: Honza Stastny, Bhawan B. Patel, Ram Kulathu, Sudhakara Reddy Annem, Balakrishna Gaja, Bharath Mandya Nagaraj
  • Patent number: 9765974
    Abstract: A fuel nozzle for a combustor of a gas turbine engine includes a body defining an axial direction and a radial direction, an air passageway defined axially in the body, and a fuel passageway defined axially in the body radially outwardly from the air passageway. The fuel passageway has an outer wall including an exit lip at a downstream portion of the outer wall. The exit lip has a surface treatment including a swirl-inducing relief. A gas turbine engine and a method of inducing swirl in at least one of pressurised fuel and air exiting a fuel nozzle of a gas turbine engine are also presented.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 3, 2014
    Date of Patent: September 19, 2017
    Assignee: Pratt & Whitney Canada Corp.
    Inventors: Yen-Wen Wang, Nigel Davenport, Eduardo Hawie
  • Patent number: 9765970
    Abstract: A combustion chamber module for an aircraft turbomachine, including an annular combustion chamber in which each of primary and dilution ports of an outer annular wall, which is located at least partly in a wake of a fuel injector, has a discharge coefficient higher than that of its homologous port of an inner annular wall. A method for designing such a module includes determining wakes generated by fuel injectors, and then geometrically defining air inlet ports of coaxial walls of the combustion chamber such that an air flow rate actually entering through ports of the outer wall is substantially equal to an air flow rate entering through ports of the inner wall.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 24, 2012
    Date of Patent: September 19, 2017
    Assignee: Safran Aircraft Engines
    Inventors: Sebastien Alain Christophe Bourgois, Jean-Francois Cabre
  • Patent number: 9746184
    Abstract: A combustor heat shield comprises a heat shield body adapted to be mounted to a combustor wall with a back side of the heat shield body in spaced-apart facing relationship with the combustor wall to define an air gap between the heat shield body and the combustor wall. At least one nozzle opening is defined in the heat shield bod. The opening is bordered by a nozzle opening boss. The boss extends from the back side of the heat shield body across the air gap for sealing engagement with an adjacent part of the combustor. An annular array of effusion holes is provided adjacent the nozzle opening boss. The effusion holes extend through the heat shield body for passing cooling air from the back side to a front side of the heat shield body. Fins are interspersed between the effusion holes on the back side of the heat shield.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 13, 2015
    Date of Patent: August 29, 2017
    Assignee: PRATT & WHITNEY CANADA CORP.
    Inventors: Michael Papple, Robert Sze
  • Patent number: 9726777
    Abstract: A proximity sensor includes a lead supported on an outer surface of a case structure and a sensor wire that extends from the lead and through an opening in the case structure. The sensor is formed by applying alternating layers of electrically conductive and non-conductive materials in a non-cured state. A base non-conductive layer is applied to an inner surface of the case structure around the sensor wire in a non-cured state. Once cured, a conductive layer is deposited onto the base non-conductive layer and encapsulates the sensor wire. A cover non-conductive layer is then deposited over portions of the conductive layer to insulate the conductive layer. Portions of the non-conductive layer are then removed such that an area of the conductive layer is exposed to define a sensor area.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 23, 2013
    Date of Patent: August 8, 2017
    Assignee: United Technologies Corporation
    Inventors: Eli Cole Warren, Jerusalem Negash
  • Patent number: 9714767
    Abstract: A premix fuel nozzle assembly includes a center body, a pilot premix fuel nozzle assembly that extends axially through the center body and that includes a premix tip having a plurality of premix tubes that each defines a premix passage and a fuel port. The premix passage of each premix tube is in fluid communication with the pilot air passage. The premix fuel nozzle assembly further includes a purge air cartridge assembly that extends axially within the pilot air passage. The purge air cartridge assembly includes a feed tube portion and a tip portion that define a purge air passage within the pilot air passage. The tip portion comprises an aft wall that extends at least partially through an opening defined by the premix tip. The aft wall includes a single axially extending orifice that is in fluid communication with the purge air passage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 26, 2014
    Date of Patent: July 25, 2017
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Jason Thurman Stewart, Michael Christopher Gibson, Bryan Wesley Romig
  • Patent number: 9631812
    Abstract: A support frame for assembling a combustion module for a gas turbine includes a base plate disposed at a bottom end of the support frame and a support plate that is vertically separated from the base plate by one or more vertical support members. The support plate defines an opening that is sized to allow a portion of the combustion module to pass therethrough. A support block extends vertically from the base plate towards the support plate where the support block defines one or more fastener holes for connecting an aft end of a combustion liner of the combustion module to the support block. A central support column extends vertically from the base plate towards the support plate. A horizontal support extends radially outward from the central support column to align the combustion liner with the opening in the support plate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 18, 2013
    Date of Patent: April 25, 2017
    Assignee: GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY
    Inventors: Lucas John Stoia, Richard Martin DiCintio, William Michael Poschel, Patrick Benedict Melton
  • Patent number: 9599344
    Abstract: A combustion chamber (110) for a turbine engine, such as an airplane turboprop or turbojet, the combustion chamber comprising two coaxial annular walls, respectively an inner wall and an outer wall, that are connected together at their upstream ends by a chamber end wall (118) having an annular row of openings (119) for mounting fuel injection devices (120), the combustion chamber being characterized in that an annular metal sheet (130) is mounted upstream from the end wall and includes mounting orifices for receiving the above-mentioned injection devices, the sheet being substantially parallel to the end wall and co-operating therewith to define an annular air flow cavity (140).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 4, 2013
    Date of Patent: March 21, 2017
    Assignee: SNECMA
    Inventors: Jacques Marcel Arthur Bunel, Gilles Ulryck
  • Patent number: 9587831
    Abstract: A cooled combustor seal having a plurality of channels enabling cooling air to pass from outside of a combustion chamber to cool an area inside the combustion chamber around the seal is disclosed. The channels may be provided through a slider, a housing, and/or a washer of the combustor seal. One set of channels or multiple of sets of channels may be provided in the combustor seal. Each of these sets of channels may be in the slider, housing, or washer. The cooled combustor seal may be used in conjunction with an igniter to purge a cavity between the seal and the igniter.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 27, 2012
    Date of Patent: March 7, 2017
    Assignee: UNITED TECHNOLOGIES CORPORATION
    Inventors: Jonathan M. Jause, Kevin Joseph Low, David Kwoka
  • Patent number: 9581121
    Abstract: A nozzle for a fuel injector can include an outer air swirler having an inner surface with the outer air swirler having a groove on the inner surface and a prefilmer located concentrically within the outer air swirler with the prefilmer having at least one detent finger to engage the groove on the inner surface of the outer air swirler. The nozzle can also include a fuel swirler located concentrically within the prefilmer and configured to convey fuel to a forward end of the nozzle with the fuel swirler having at least one tab extending axially at an aft end, and an inner air swirler having a cylindrical forward end located concentrically within the fuel swirler and an aft support extending radially outward to contact the outer air swirler with the cylindrical forward end contacting at least one tab of the fuel swirler to hold the fuel swirler in place.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 24, 2014
    Date of Patent: February 28, 2017
    Assignee: Delavan Inc.
    Inventors: Jason Ryon, Mark Caples, John David Canny, Nicole L. Nelson
  • Patent number: 9534786
    Abstract: There is provided a combustor comprising a dome and a shell extending from the dome defining a combustion chamber. A dome heat shield is mounted to the dome inside the combustion chamber. A front heat shield is mounted to the shell and spaced therefrom. The dome heat shield has a lip extending generally away from the dome heat shield and generally parallel to the shell and spaced inwardly of the front heat shield to define a gap between the lip and the front heat shield. The front heat shield has a leading edge opposite the lip. The combustor has impingement holes extending through the shell and disposed to direct impingement cooling jets to the upstream portion of the front heat shield. The leading edge, of the front heat shield has at least one scallop defining an opening and disposed to allow the impingement cooling jets to impinge directly on a portion of the peripheral lip adjacent the scallop.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 8, 2014
    Date of Patent: January 3, 2017
    Assignee: PRATT & WHITNEY CANADA CORP.
    Inventors: Sri Sreekanth, Michael Papple, Robert Sze
  • Patent number: 9528444
    Abstract: A system includes a multi-tube fuel nozzle. The multi-tube fuel nozzle includes an end cover, a first plate, and multiple tubes. The multiple tubes are disposed and supported in a floating arrangement between the end cover and the first plate. Each tube includes a forward end adjacent the end cover and an aft end adjacent the first plate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 12, 2013
    Date of Patent: December 27, 2016
    Assignee: GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY
    Inventors: James Harold Westmoreland, Gregory Allen Boardman, Patrick Benedict Melton
  • Patent number: 9528702
    Abstract: A system includes a combustor cap assembly for a multi-tube fuel nozzle. The combustor cap assembly includes a support structure defining an interior volume configured to receive an air flow. The combustor cap assembly also includes multiple mixing tubes disposed within the interior volume, wherein each mixing tube is configured to mix air and fuel to form an air-fuel mixture. The combustor cap assembly further includes a combustor cap removably coupled to the support structure. The combustor cap includes multiple nozzles integrated within the combustor cap. Each nozzle of the multiple nozzles is coupled to a respective mixing tube of the multiple mixing tubes. The combustor cap is configured to internally cool itself via one or more cooling features integrated within the combustor cap.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 21, 2014
    Date of Patent: December 27, 2016
    Assignee: GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY
    Inventors: Gregory Allen Boardman, Michael John Hughes, Johnie Franklin McConnaughhay
  • Patent number: 9518743
    Abstract: Methods are directed to operating a burner of a gas turbine. The burner includes a swirl generator and, downstream of it, a mixing tube. The swirl generator is defined by at least two walls facing one another to define a conical swirl chamber and includes nozzles arranged to inject fuel and apertures arranged to feed an oxidizer into the swirl chamber. The burner includes a lance which extends along a longitudinal axis of the swirl generator and side nozzles for ejecting a fuel within the burner. The side nozzles have their axes inclined with respect to the axis of the lance and can be positioned along the axis of the burner. During operation, an oil fuel or gaseous fuel is injected into to the burner through the lance tip and the lance side nozzles at various percentages depending on an operating mode of the gas turbine.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 7, 2013
    Date of Patent: December 13, 2016
    Assignee: GENERAL ELECTRIC TECHNOLOGY GMBH
    Inventor: Adnan Eroglu
  • Patent number: 9447972
    Abstract: A cooled combustor seal having a plurality of channels enabling cooling air to pass from outside of a combustion chamber to cool an area inside the combustion chamber around the seal is disclosed. The channels may be provided through a slider, a housing, and/or a washer of the combustor seal. One set of channels or multiple of sets of channels may be provided in the combustor seal. Each of these sets of channels may be in the slider, housing, or washer. The cooled combustor seal may be used in conjunction with an igniter to purge a cavity between the seal and the igniter.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 27, 2012
    Date of Patent: September 20, 2016
    Assignee: UNITED TECHNOLOGIES CORPORATION
    Inventors: Jonathan M. Jause, Kevin Joseph Low, David Kwoka
  • Patent number: 9404422
    Abstract: In accordance with an exemplary embodiment, a fuel injector assembly is provided for a gas turbine engine with a compressor section and a combustion section. The fuel injector assembly includes a stem defining a fuel path for fuel and a flow guide coupled to and extending along the stem. The flow guide receives an air flow. The assembly further includes a swirler apparatus coupled to the stem and configured to receive the fuel. The swirler apparatus is further coupled to the flow guide and configured to receive the air flow. The swirler apparatus is configured to mix the fuel and the air flow and direct the mixture into a combustor of the combustor assembly.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 23, 2013
    Date of Patent: August 2, 2016
    Assignee: HONEYWELL INTERNATIONAL INC.
    Inventors: Frank J. Zupanc, Ronald B. Pardington, Paul Yankowich
  • Patent number: 9360220
    Abstract: The present application provides a micro-mixer combustion nozzle for mixing a flow of fuel and a flow of air in a gas turbine engine. The micro-mixer combustion nozzle may include a fuel plate with a number of fuel plate apertures and a fuel plate passage in communication with the flow of fuel and an air plate with a number of air plate apertures and an air plate passage in communication with the flow of air. The fuel plate passage and the air plate passage may align to mix in part the flow of fuel and the flow of air.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 6, 2012
    Date of Patent: June 7, 2016
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Wei Chen, Kevin Weston McMahan, Gregory Allen Boardman, Jerome David Brown
  • Patent number: 9328926
    Abstract: A combustion chamber head for a gas turbine, with the gas turbine having a substantially annular outer combustion chamber wall, at least one substantially annular inner combustion chamber wall, and several burners 106 distributed around a circumference of the gas turbine. Several segment-like head segments are arranged over the circumference in equal number to the number of burners and extend in the radial direction between the inner combustion chamber wall and the outer combustion chamber wall and in the circumferential direction between radial planes formed by the burner axes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 21, 2012
    Date of Patent: May 3, 2016
    Assignee: Rolls-Royce Deutschland Ltd & Co KG
    Inventors: Stefan Penz, Miklos Gerendas, Sermed Sadig
  • Patent number: 9222675
    Abstract: A combustion chamber head of a gas turbine has a base plate 113 provided with a centric recess 121 in which at least one burner 106 is arranged, with the base plate 113 being connected to walls of the combustion chamber 108 and to a burner seal 116 sealing the burner 106 towards the rim of the recess 121. The burner seal 116 is arranged upstream of the base plate 113 and can be brought into contact with a collar 118 provided on the base plate 113 and forming the rim of the centric recess 121. A holding element 117 of the burner seal 116 is formed as a ring and arranged upstream of the burner seal 116 and engages with at least one projection 114 of the base plate 113 in a tension-free state.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 23, 2012
    Date of Patent: December 29, 2015
    Assignee: Rolls-Royce Deutschland Ltd & Co KG
    Inventor: Miklos Gerendas
  • Patent number: 9222676
    Abstract: An apparatus is disclosed including a main fuel supply fluidly coupled to a main fuel valve and an arcuate fuel passage receiving main fuel through the main fuel valve. The arcuate fuel passage includes a passage diameter and a radius of curvature which provides sufficient rotational acceleration to the main fuel such that a liquid portion of the main fuel is deposited on an outer wall of the arcuate fuel passage. The apparatus includes a fuel injector nozzle that receives the main fuel from the arcuate fuel passage, and injects the main fuel into a combustion chamber for a turbine engine. The apparatus further includes a pilot fuel supply fluidly coupled to a pilot fuel passage and a fuel selector structured to selectively provide the main fuel or the pilot fuel to the fuel injector nozzle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 23, 2011
    Date of Patent: December 29, 2015
    Assignee: Rolls-Royce Corporation
    Inventor: Timothy C. Roesler
  • Patent number: 9127844
    Abstract: A fuel nozzle is provided and includes a nozzle body defining first and second interior regions for providing a supply of first and second fluids, a collar defining a third interior region and radial slots permitting radial ingress of a third fluid to the third interior region and a nozzle tip interposed between the nozzle body and the collar. The nozzle tip defines an annular slot, first discrete passageways by which the first fluid is communicated from the first interior region to the annular slot, second discrete passageways by which the first fluid is communicated from the annular slot to the radial slots, and third discrete passageways by which the second fluid is communicated from the second interior region to the radial slots.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 2, 2011
    Date of Patent: September 8, 2015
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Ilya Aleksandrovich Slobodyanskiy, William Francis Carnell, Jr.
  • Patent number: 9115897
    Abstract: Gas turbine engine systems and methods involving enhanced fuel dispersion are provided. In this regard, a representative method for operating a gas turbine engine includes: providing a gas path through the engine; introducing a spray of fuel along the gas path downstream of a turbine of the engine; and impinging the spray of fuel with a relatively higher velocity flow of air such that atomization of the fuel is increased.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 4, 2008
    Date of Patent: August 25, 2015
    Assignee: United Technologies Corporation
    Inventors: Timothy S. Snyder, Steven W. Burd, Randal G. McKinney, George F. Titterton, Joey Wong
  • Patent number: 9062885
    Abstract: A fuel nozzle for a gas turbine combustor includes: an internal cylinder; a burner cylinder concentrically provided on the outer circumference of the internal cylinder in the vicinity of its distal end to surround the distal end portion of the internal cylinder; an air passage provided between the burner cylinder and the internal cylinder for delivering combustion air; a space provided at an axial center of the internal cylinder and extending in the axial direction of the internal cylinder; a plurality of inner passages provided at approximately equal intervals in the circumferential direction of the internal cylinder for injecting fluid through its distal end portion; and at least one communication portion provided on the upstream side of the distal end portion of the internal cylinder and extending from the outer wall of the internal cylinder toward the inner side in the radial direction to communicate with the space.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 24, 2011
    Date of Patent: June 23, 2015
    Assignee: MITSUBISHI HITACHI POWER SYSTEMS, LTD.
    Inventors: Eiji Takami, Katsunori Tanaka, Koichi Nishida, Shinji Akamatsu, Hideki Haruta, Tomo Kawakami, Kei Inoue
  • Patent number: 9062606
    Abstract: The subject of the present invention is a combustion turbine (1) for intermittent combustion with at least one combustion chamber (3) having inlet valves (2) and an ignition device (18), the at least one combustion chamber (3) having no shut-off devices on the off-gas side and being thus open on the off-gas side at all times. Downstream of the at least one combustion chamber (3), a turbine (4), which can be impinged with process gas obtained in the combustion chamber (3), is positioned, with a flow-through chamber (5) being positioned between the at least one combustion chamber (3) and the turbine (4) axially behind the at least one combustion chamber (3). The flow-through chamber (5) is separated from the at least one combustion chamber (3) by a guiding plate (6) or a further turbine (7). The subject of the present invention is furthermore a process for operation of a combustion turbine (1) and a drive system for a machine having as its core a combustion turbine (1) according to the invention.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 5, 2009
    Date of Patent: June 23, 2015
    Inventors: Edmund Lorenz, Franz Niederl, Helmuth Gabl
  • Patent number: 9046271
    Abstract: A fuel injector device for an annular combustion chamber including a pilot circuit feeding an injector and a multipoint circuit feeding injection orifices formed in a front face of an annular chamber, an annular ring being mounted in the annular chamber to define therein a fuel feed circuit for the injection orifices and a cooling circuit operating by passing the fuel feeding the injector and extending over the front face of the chamber in immediate vicinity of the injection orifices.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 12, 2010
    Date of Patent: June 2, 2015
    Assignee: SNECMA
    Inventors: Didier Hippolyte Hernandez, Thomas Olivier Marie Noel
  • Patent number: 9032703
    Abstract: In a gas turbine engine that includes a compressor and a combustor, wherein the combustor includes a primary fuel injector within a fuel nozzle and a secondary fuel injector that is upstream of the fuel nozzle and configured to inject fuel into a flow annulus of the combustor, a method for detecting a flame holding condition about a fuel injector. The method may include the steps of: detecting an upstream pressure upstream of the secondary fuel injector; detecting a downstream pressure downstream of the secondary fuel injector; determining a measured pressure difference between the upstream pressure and the downstream pressure; and comparing the measured pressure difference to an expected pressure difference.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 20, 2011
    Date of Patent: May 19, 2015
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Anthony Wayne Krull, Gilbert Otto Kraemer, Garth Curtis Frederick, David Kaylor Toronto
  • Patent number: 9027349
    Abstract: A combustor of the prior art that defines the outlet position and direction of an air hole and suppresses adhesion of flame to an air hole outlet can reduce a discharge amount of NOx by increasing a distance over which fuel and air are mixed with each other. However, such a combustor is not sufficiently discussed for measures to suppress the occurrence of combustion oscillation resulting from the variation of a flame surface. A combustor 2 according to the present invention includes a combustion chamber 5 to which fuel and air are supplied; air holes 32 adapted to supply air to the combustion chamber 5; fuel nozzles 25 adapted to supply gaseous fuel to the air holes 32; and orifices 24 adapted to allow the gaseous fuel supplied to the air holes 32 to cause a pressure drop.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 25, 2012
    Date of Patent: May 12, 2015
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Hitachi Power Systems, Ltd.
    Inventors: Keisuke Miura, Tomomi Koganezawa, Satoshi Dodo, Takeo Saito
  • Patent number: 9021781
    Abstract: A fuel injector for a combustor of a gas turbine includes an annular main body. A fluid circuit extends at least partially through the main body. An axially extending inner body extends within the main body. The inner body at least partially defines an inner chamber that extends at least partially through the inner body. The inner chamber is in fluid communication with the fluid circuit. A retractable igniter extends linearly outward from the inner chamber when the fluid circuit is charged.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 4, 2013
    Date of Patent: May 5, 2015
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Kaitlin Marie Graham, James Scott Flanagan, Jeffrey Scott LeBegue
  • Patent number: 9010119
    Abstract: A premixing nozzle of a combustor is provided and includes a gas premixer module, a centerbody, which is breech-loadable into the gas premixer module and a deformable, compliant interface between the gas premixer module and the centerbody.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 3, 2010
    Date of Patent: April 21, 2015
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventor: Geoffrey David Myers
  • Patent number: 9003802
    Abstract: A fuel injector device for an annular combustion chamber of a turbine engine, including a pilot circuit feeding an injector and a multipoint circuit feeding injection orifices formed in a front face of an annular ring mounted in an annular chamber, together with a thermal insulation mechanism insulating the front face and including an annular cavity formed around the injection orifices between the front face of the annular ring and a front wall of the annular chamber and configured to be filled in operation with air or with coked fuel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 6, 2010
    Date of Patent: April 14, 2015
    Assignee: SNECMA
    Inventors: Didier Hippolyte Hernandez, Emilie Lachaud, Thomas Olivier Marie Noel
  • Patent number: 9003804
    Abstract: A multipoint combustion system for a gas turbine engine includes a housing defining a pressure vessel. A master injector is mounted to the housing for injecting fuel along a central axis. A plurality of slave injectors are each disposed outward of the master injector for injecting fuel and air in an ignition plume radially outward of fuel injected through the master injector. The master injector and slave injectors are configured and adapted so the injection plume of the master injector intersects with the ignition plumes of the slave injectors. A primary manifold is included within the pressure vessel for distributing fuel to the slave injectors. An auxiliary manifold is in fluid communication with the auxiliary nozzles of the slave injectors for issuing an auxiliary flow of fuel from the auxiliary nozzles that is separate from the fuel flow of the primary manifold.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 9, 2012
    Date of Patent: April 14, 2015
    Assignee: Delavan Inc
    Inventor: Lev Alexander Prociw
  • Patent number: 9003803
    Abstract: A support structure for a burner tube in a combustor cap assembly for a gas turbine combustor includes an outer annular ring; an inner annular hub; and a plurality of struts extending radially between said outer annular ring and the inner hub. The inner hub is provided with a piston ring groove and a piston ring adapted to receive and seal an inner end of the burner tube.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 3, 2012
    Date of Patent: April 14, 2015
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Ansley Michelle Pangle, Matthew Bernard Wilson, William Michael Poschel