Air Outside Liner Flows Counter To Combustion Products Flow Within Liner Patents (Class 60/760)
  • Patent number: 6634175
    Abstract: A gas turbine combustor has homogenous air inflow by elimination of turbulence from the air, reducing combustion instability. A combustor 3 has, at its center, a pilot nozzle 8 and eight main nozzles 7 around the pilot nozzle 8. The air flows in around the individual nozzles 7 and 8 to the leading end of the combustor 3 so that it is used for combustion. An annular flow ring 20, having a semicirculat section, is disposed at the upstream end portion of a combustion cylinder 10, and a porous plate 50 and a surrounding rib 51 are disposed downstream of the flow ring 20. The air inflow is smoothly turned at first by the flow ring 20 and then straightened by the porous plate 50 so that the air flows without any disturbance around the individual nozzles 7 and 8 to the leading end, thereby reducing combustion instability.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 9, 2001
    Date of Patent: October 21, 2003
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd.
    Inventors: Yutaka Kawata, Shigemi Mandai, Yoshiaki Tsukuda, Eiji Akita, Hisato Arimura
  • Patent number: 6615588
    Abstract: The present invention relates to an arrangement for the cooling of a component, in particular of the combustion chamber of a turbo machine, wherein at least one cooling duct (5) is provided between a wall (1) to be cooled and a plate-shaped element (2) spaced apart from the wall. The plate-shaped element (2) has a number of through openings (4) for a cooling medium and is arranged such that the distance to the wall (1) increases in the flow direction of the cooling medium through the cooling channel (5). The arrangement is characterised in that the size of the through openings (4) in the plate-shaped element (2) increases with increasing distance between the plate-shaped element (2) and the wall (1). In this way a homogeneous cooling over the length of the cooling channel is achieved with simple measures.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 10, 2001
    Date of Patent: September 9, 2003
    Assignee: Alstom (Switzerland) Ltd
    Inventor: Rainer Hoecker
  • Patent number: 6609376
    Abstract: Device in a burner for gas turbines, comprising a cylindrical housing (10) and a fuel inlet tube (16) arranged centrally within said housing, said housing (10) and fuel inlet tube (16) mutually defining an annular chamber (28). The annular chamber (28) extending into an extended diameter combustion chamber (18), having means (25) for supplying combustion air to said annular chamber (28). Radial flow swirlers (14) are provided for creating a rotational movement of the combustion air in said annular chamber. The housing (10) has a downstream restriction (20) in front of the free end of the centrally located fuel inlet tube (16), at the entrance of the combustion chamber (18), for creating a rich combustion spinning tubular swirl dominated flow of a mixture of air and fuel, with a recirculation central core, said tubular spinning flow extending into the combustion chamber (18).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 21, 2002
    Date of Patent: August 26, 2003
    Assignee: Ulstein Turbine AS
    Inventor: Nils A. Rokke
  • Patent number: 6594999
    Abstract: A combustor can simultaneously reduce the amount of NOx exhaust and combustion oscillation. The combustor has an internal cylinder which accommodates a premixing nozzle and an external cylinder which accommodates the internal cylinder, and includes an air flow passage which supplies air from a compressor to the premixing nozzle. The air flow passage is provided with a punched metal plate near the maximum velocity fluctuation position whereat the velocity fluctuation of the air flow increases to a maximum.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 20, 2001
    Date of Patent: July 22, 2003
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd.
    Inventors: Shigemi Mandai, Yutaka Kawata, Atsushi Maekawa, Katsunori Tanaka, Masaharu Nishimura, Soichiro Tomimoto
  • Patent number: 6568188
    Abstract: A bypass air injection scheme for a combustor of a gas turbine. Combustor includes a body with an inner liner and a casing enclosing the body with a passageway defined therebetween. A predetermined amount of the compressor discharge air passing through the passageway is extracted through a manifold. A conduit feeds the extracted air into an injection manifold having a plurality of injection tubes for injecting the extracted air into the combustor bypassing the reactor. The injection tubes and the injection manifold are disposed in a substantially common axial plane.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 26, 2002
    Date of Patent: May 27, 2003
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Kevin Michael Kolman, James Michael Storey
  • Patent number: 6553766
    Abstract: A cooling structure of a combustor tail tube is capable of avoiding the formation of cracks in the tail tube by lessening thermal stress and preventing thermal deformation, thus extending the service life. A multiplicity of cooling jackets (5) extend in the longitudinal direction of the tail tube of a gas turbine combustor along the entire circumference of the tail tube wall. The passage sectional area of the cooling jackets (5) is varied depending on the metal temperature of parts of the tail tube (4). For example, the passage sectional area of the cooling jackets (5) formed at the rotor side wall and the mutually opposite side walls of the adjacent tail tube is larger than the passage sectional area of the cooling jackets (5) formed at the casing side wall.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 12, 2001
    Date of Patent: April 29, 2003
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd.
    Inventors: Takehiko Shimizu, Satoshi Hada, Kouichi Akagi, Katsunori Tanaka, Ryotaro Magoshi, Mitsuo Hasegawa, Shigemi Mandai, Mitsuru Kondo
  • Publication number: 20030010014
    Abstract: In gas turbines, compressed air is supplied via an air duct to combustion chambers and is heated there. Pressure losses in the air duct should be minimized in order to ensure good overall efficiency. This is achieved by the compressed air flowing with approximately constant velocity in the air duct from the compressor to the inlet into the combustion chamber. This is supported by the effective cross section of the air duct being almost constant over this distance.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 17, 2002
    Publication date: January 16, 2003
    Inventors: Robert Bland, Charles Ellis, Peter Tiemann
  • Patent number: 6494044
    Abstract: A transition piece assembly for a gas turbine includes a transition duct having one end adapted for connection to a gas turbine combustor and an opposite end adapted for connection to a first turbine stage, and a pair of side panels. The assembly also includes an impingement sleeve surrounding the transition duct and establishing a cooling path therebetween. The impingement sleeve is formed with a plurality of rows of cooling holes therein; and a plurality of flow catcher devices on an external surface of the impingement sleeve, each flow catcher device at least partially surrounding one of the cooling holes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 20, 2000
    Date of Patent: December 17, 2002
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventor: Robert James Bland
  • Patent number: 6484505
    Abstract: A combustor for a turbine includes a combustor liner; a first flow sleeve surrounding the liner, the flow sleeve having a plurality of rows of cooling holes formed about a circumference of the flow sleeve; and a transition piece connected to the combustor liner and the flow sleeve and adapted to carry hot combustion gases to a stage of the turbines. The transition piece is surrounded by a second flow sleeve which directs cooling air to the transition piece. One of the plurality of rows of cooling holes in the first flow sleeve is located adjacent the transition piece, and cooling conduits are mounted in the cooling holes of at least the first of the plurality of rows of cooling holes to direct impingement cooling air against the surface of the liner while diverting crossflow cooling air around the impingement cooling air.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 25, 2000
    Date of Patent: November 26, 2002
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Daniel Mark Brown, David Orus Fitts, Stephen Hugh Black
  • Patent number: 6449956
    Abstract: A bypass air injection scheme for a combustor of a gas turbine. Combustor includes a body with an inner liner and a casing enclosing the body with a passageway defined therebetween. A predetermined amount of the compressor discharge air passing through the passageway is extracted through a manifold. A conduit feeds the extracted air into an injection manifold having a plurality of injection tubes for injecting the extracted air into the combustor bypassing the reactor. The injection tubes and the injection manifold are disposed in a substantially common axial plane.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 9, 2001
    Date of Patent: September 17, 2002
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Kevin Michael Kolman, James Michael Storey
  • Patent number: 6446438
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for providing air cooling to the venturi and the combustion chamber in a low NOx emission combustor as used in a gas turbine engine that includes providing an annular air passage surrounding said combustion chamber and venturi where said cooling air enters the combustion chamber/venturi near the aft portion of the combustion chamber passing the air along the combustion chamber, past the venturi where the air exits near the front portion of the convergent area of the venturi. The structure prevents any channel/passage cooling air from being received into the combustion chamber at the same time introducing the outlet of the cooling air after it has passed over the combustion chamber of the venturi and been heated back into the premix chamber thereby improving the efficiency of the combustor while reducing and lowering NOx emission in the combustion process.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 28, 2000
    Date of Patent: September 10, 2002
    Assignee: Power Systems Mfg., LLC
    Inventors: Robert J. Kraft, Vincent C. Martling, Brian R. Mack, Mark A. Minnich
  • Patent number: 6438959
    Abstract: A combustion cap assembly for closing a forward end of a combustion chamber includes a radially inner substantially cylindrical component; a radially outer substantially conical component, extending substantially along an entire length dimension of the radially inner component; and an annular airflow passage therebetween.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 28, 2000
    Date of Patent: August 27, 2002
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Anthony John Dean, Christopher Nelson Chandler, Richard Scott Bourgeois
  • Patent number: 6430932
    Abstract: A combustion liner assembly for reducing nitric oxide (NOx) emissions is disclosed. This combustion liner utilizes an annular plenum outside the liner shell for the purpose of containing cooling air that has been heated and reintroducing it into the combustion process. The air plenum can be enlarged to increase the amount of cooling air contained within and still allow for installation of the liner assembly into the combustor by utilizing recesses that locally reduce the diameter of the air plenum to allow it to pass by liner mounting pegs within the combustor assembly.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 19, 2001
    Date of Patent: August 13, 2002
    Assignee: Power Systems Mfg., LLC
    Inventors: Vincent C. Martling, Brian R. Mack, Robert J. Kraft, Mark A. Minnich
  • Patent number: 6430933
    Abstract: The devices and methods according to the invention are used to attenuate acoustic and/or thermoacoustic oscillations in a combustor. The combustor may be, in most cases, constructed as a premixing combustor with low emissions of noxious substances and includes a fluid supply device, an antechamber, a premixing device, and a combustion chamber. The fluid is supplied to the combustion chamber completely or almost completely through the front panel located in the front. The combustion chamber has at least one recirculation opening for attenuating the oscillations. It is furthermore advantageous that an attenuation volume and an injector be provided. The recirculation opening preferably merges at least in part with the attenuation volume. By means of the injector, the combustor is supplied with a more compressed fluid in order to ensure an adequate and clear pressure drop across the combustor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 9, 1999
    Date of Patent: August 13, 2002
    Assignee: Alstom
    Inventor: Jakob Keller
  • Patent number: 6412268
    Abstract: A method of cooling a transition duct end frame in a gas turbine includes the steps of a) directing cooling air into the end frame from a region external of the transition duct and the impingement cooling sleeve; and b) redirecting the cooling air from the end frame into the annulus between the transition duct and the impingement cooling sleeve.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 6, 2000
    Date of Patent: July 2, 2002
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Robert Harold Cromer, William Theodore Bechtel, Maz Sutcu
  • Patent number: 6405536
    Abstract: A gas turbine combustor burning LBTU fuel gas serves to be applied to the combustion system of a small turbogenerator. The combustion system is composed of a combustor outer case, a combustor liner, a combustor transition section, a radial swirler with adjustable blades and fuel supply passages. The small turbogenerator (10 KW) with the redesigned combustion system is integrated by a LBTU gas generator. A recirculation bubble with proper size and strength is aerodynamically formed by the interaction among the swirling air jet, inclined fuel jet and the primary jets. Since an adjustable swirler is installed, the swirl number of the swirling air jet can be modified to meet the requirements of combustion load sharing and burning different LBTU fuel gases. To eliminate the possible hot spots and thus reduce the pattern factor value, two rows of cooling jet holes are arranged in the rear section of the combustor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 27, 2000
    Date of Patent: June 18, 2002
    Inventors: Wu-Chi Ho, Ling-Chia Weng, Henry Jan
  • Patent number: 6397603
    Abstract: A combustor having liners made from ceramic matrix composite materials (CMC's) that are capable of withstanding higher temperatures than metallic liners. The ceramic matrix composite liners are used in conjunction with mating components that are manufactured from superalloy materials. To permit the use of a combustor having liners made from CMC materials in conjunction with metallic materials used for the mating forward cowls, and aft seals with attached seal retainer over the broad range of temperatures of a combustor, the combustor is designed to allow for the differential thermal expansion of the differing materials at their interfaces in a manner that does not introduce stresses into the liner as a result of thermal expansion and also balances the flow of cooling air as a result of the thermal expansion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 5, 2000
    Date of Patent: June 4, 2002
    Assignee: The United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Air Force
    Inventors: Wayne Garcia Edmondson, James Dale Steibel, Harold Ray Hansel
  • Patent number: 6378310
    Abstract: A combustion chamber of a gas turbine working on liquid fuel includes a tubular enclosure (2) having at least one pressurized air inlet, a liquid fuel injection means (6) positioned on or in proximity to the longitudinal axis (XX′) of the tubular enclosure, and an outlet to the turbine. The fuel injection means (6) includes a series of orifices (62) arranged so as to create separate fuel jets, the jets being arranged in the direction of the generatrices of a cone with an angle ranging between 30° and 60° at the vertex thereof. The chamber includes at least two types of pressurized air inlets placed close to each other, the first one (7) taking in the air helically around the longitudinal axis of the combustion chamber, the second air inlet (8) being tangential to enclosure (2) so as to create, around the fuel jets, counterrotating flows intended to improve mixing of the air and of said fuel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 28, 1999
    Date of Patent: April 30, 2002
    Assignee: Institut Francais du Petrole
    Inventors: Jean-Hervé Le Gal, Patrick Flament, Gérard Martin, Guy Grienche, Gérard Schott
  • Patent number: 6341485
    Abstract: A combustion chamber has an outer wall for mechanically supporting the combustion chamber and an inner wall forming an internal space through which combustion gases flow from a chamber inlet to a chamber outlet. An envelope is defined between the inner and outer walls and an intermediate wall divides the envelope into inner and outer cooling spaces. The cooling steam enters the outer space and exits the inner space, and the intermediate wall has a plurality of orifices through which cooling steam passes for impact cooling the inside of the inner wall. The inner wall is imperforate so that the cooling steam does not enter the internal combustion chamber space. The cooling steam flow in accordance with the invention increases cooling efficiency.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 5, 2000
    Date of Patent: January 29, 2002
    Assignee: Siemens Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventor: Roland Liebe
  • Patent number: 6305172
    Abstract: A scroll for a gas turbine having a compressor for generating compressed air and a combustor for receiving the compressed air and generating combustion gas of high temperature, the scroll includes a scroll main body having a predetermined space in which the combustion gas of high temperature supplied by the combustor can flow; and a scroll housing encompassing the scroll main body and separated a predetermined distance therefrom, wherein a path through which compressed air flows is formed between the scroll main body and the scroll housing, and the compressed air flows in the path, wherein one end of the path is connected to an outlet of the compressor and the other end thereof is open toward the combustor. Thus, as the amount of air flowing to cool the scroll sharply increases, an increase in the temperature of the scroll is prevented and the efficiency of cooling and durability of the scroll can be improved.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 7, 2000
    Date of Patent: October 23, 2001
    Assignee: Samsung Aerospace Industries, Ltd.
    Inventor: Myeong-hyo Kim
  • Patent number: 6282905
    Abstract: Cooling structure of gas turbine combustor in which cooling medium flows through grooves in wall is improved so that adjustment of flow velocity, pressure loss and heat transfer rate of cooling medium flow in the wall becomes possible and cooling effect thereof is enhanced. Wall of combustor tail tube is made in double structure in which outer plate (1) and inner plate (4) are jointed together being lapped one on another. The outer plate (1) has air inlet hole (3) and groove (2) formed therein. The groove (2) is closed by jointing of the inner plate (4) to the outer plate (1). The inner plate (4) has air outlet hole (5) formed therein. The groove (2) communicates with the air inlet hole (3) and the air outlet hole (5). Cross sectional shape of the groove (2) is changed two-dimensionally or three-dimensionally such that width enlarges toward the hole (5) from the hole (3) or depth is constant or changed in tapered form.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 10, 1999
    Date of Patent: September 4, 2001
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd.
    Inventors: Yoshichika Sato, Koichi Nishida
  • Patent number: 6282886
    Abstract: In a central portion of inner tube 28 of combustor 20, pilot fuel nozzle 22 and pilot cone 33 are arranged and main fuel nozzles 21 and main swirlers 32 therearound. Air intake portion (X-1) is provided with rectifier tube 11 for making air intake uniform. In air intake portion (X-2), air holes of appropriate number of pieces are provided in circumferential wall of the inner tube 28. In main swirler portion (X-3) and pilot cone portion (X-4), bolt joint of the main swirlers 32 is employed and optimized welded structure having less influence of thermal stress of the pilot swirler 33 is employed, respectively. Tail tube cooling portion (X-5) is provided with cooling structure having less influence of thermal stress to cool flange 71 portion of tail tube 24 uniformly. By the improvements in the portions (X-1) to (X-5), obstacles in attaining higher temperature in the combustor 20 is dissolved and combustor performance is enhanced.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 10, 1999
    Date of Patent: September 4, 2001
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd.
    Inventors: Yoshichika Sato, Yoji Kochi, Koichi Akagi, Kazuya Kobayashi, Koichi Nishida, Shinji Akamatsu, Hideki Haruta, Kotaro Miyauchi, Rintaro Chikami, Shigemi Mandai, Masataka Ota
  • Patent number: 6220036
    Abstract: Gas turbine combustor tail tube cooling structure is improved so that temperature distribution along tail tube axial direction is made gentle and large thermal stress is prevented from occurring resulting in enhancement of safety and reliability of the combustor tail tube. Supply jacket (16) is disposed between upstream side discharge jacket (14) and downstream side discharge jacket (15). The upstream side discharge jacket (14) is disposed apart from tail tube inlet (2) at position close to by-pass passage (10) so as to form non-cooled zone (A) in the vicinity of the tail tube inlet (2). On the downstream side thereof, the supply jacket (16) is disposed at position in tail tube (1) contracting portion and near the downstream side discharge jacket (15) so as to shorten length of cooling pipes there.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 19, 1998
    Date of Patent: April 24, 2001
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd.
    Inventors: Mitsuru Inada, Kouichi Akagi, Jun Kubota, Koji Watanabe, Yoshichika Sato
  • Patent number: 6209327
    Abstract: A burner arrangement (20) for a gas turbine comprises an interior space (22) enclosed by a casing (23), in which interior space (22) at least one burner (21) is arranged, and into which interior space (22) in each case a jet (26, 27) of a gaseous medium, in particular air, is sprayed through at least two nozzle openings (24, 25) against the direction of flow of the burner (21) and along the inner wall (23a) of the casing (23) which jets (26, 27), guided by the inner wall (23a), meet one another from opposite directions and combine to form a secondary flow (28) flowing off perpendicularly from the inner wall (23a). In such a burner arrangement, the flow is stabilized and evened out by virtue of the fact that, to establish the impingement point of the jets (26, 27), a dividing plate (29) arranged in the flow path of the jets (26, 27) and disposed essentially perpendicularly to the inner wall (23a) is provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 9, 1999
    Date of Patent: April 3, 2001
    Assignee: Asea Brown Boveri AG
    Inventors: Jakob Keller, Jochem Fischer, Ulf Christian Müller, Frank Reiss, Pirmin Schiessel
  • Patent number: 6209325
    Abstract: The combustor has three injection stages to supply fuel or a fuel/air mixture progressively to a pre-chamber or a main combustion chamber wherein the third injection stage comprises an elongated passage with an arrangement for introducing fuel into the passage. Preferably the passage extends alongside the combustion chamber and/or another passage for cooling air.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 18, 1997
    Date of Patent: April 3, 2001
    Assignee: European Gas Turbines Limited
    Inventor: Hisham S Alkabie
  • Patent number: 6193502
    Abstract: The fuel is fed centrally into a fire tube (3), where it is mixed with combustion air in a combustion zone. The air exits through first and second air line nozzles (4 or 5) which are arranged in two directly adjoining rows (6, 7) and inclined in the direction of counterflow at an angle of 60° to the axis of the fire tube. The distance (x) between the fuel nozzle (9) and the openings of the first air line nozzles (4) is 0.70 times the diameter of the fire tube. In addition, the second air line nozzles (5) extend into the fire tube by a distance (y) which is 0.17 times the diameter of the fire tube. The total cross-section of the second air line nozzles (5) is 0.6 times that of the first air line nozzles (4). A highly turbulent toroidal eddy forms inside the fire tube (3) which generates a very homogeneous mixture across the cross-section of said fire tube (3). This results in lower NOx values and even temperature distribution already inside the fire tube.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 22, 1999
    Date of Patent: February 27, 2001
    Assignee: Ruhrgas Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventors: Anatolij Vladimirovic Sudarev, Jevgenij Dimitrijevic Vinogradov, Jurij Ivanovic Zacharov, Stanislav Vesely, Gustav Poslusny, Karl Peters, Karl-Heinz Scholz, Erik Zizow
  • Patent number: 6173561
    Abstract: This invention concerns the use of pressurized steam as the cooling medium for a gas turbine combustor. It is distinguished by the following. Steam supply manifolds or ports for the cooling steam are provided on the gas inlet and outlet sides of the combustion chamber in the gas turbine combustor. A steam exhaust manifold or port for the cooling steam is provided between the gas inlet and outlet sides, in approximately the center of the chamber. Cooling channels for the steam are created in the external wall panel of the chamber between the steam supply manifolds and the exhaust manifold. The steam supplied into the wall panel through the steam supply manifolds on the gas inlet and outlet sides of the chamber is exhausted to the exterior via the steam exhaust manifold in the center of the chamber. This design allows pressurized steam with a high thermal capacity to be used to effectively cool the wall panels of the combustor, which are exposed to extremely hot combustion gases.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 29, 1999
    Date of Patent: January 16, 2001
    Assignees: Tohoku Electric Power Co., Inc., Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd.
    Inventors: Minoru Sato, Yuichi Kobayashi, Kouichi Akagi, Mitsuru Inada
  • Patent number: 6158223
    Abstract: In gas turbine combustor in which combustion air flows on outer periphery of cylinder body and turns to enter the cylinder body while being mixed with fuel in main burner to form pre-mixture, there is provided upstream of the main burner 101 in the combustor 103 a rectifier 106 or 108 for rectifying the combustion air so as to make flow velocity of the combustion air uniform, thereby shortcomings in the prior art of concentration non-uniformity of the pre-mixture of main fuel and combustion air, high concentration of NO.sub.x generated from the main burner 101 in combustion, etc. are eliminated and larger combustion range to maintain stable combustion is attained.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 26, 1998
    Date of Patent: December 12, 2000
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd.
    Inventors: Shigemi Mandai, Masataka Ota, Satoshi Tanimura, Hideki Haruta
  • Patent number: 6148617
    Abstract: A fuel-air distribution manifold for a gas turbine engine having an annular combustor surrounds the shaft of the engine and comprises a gas distribution annulus surrounding an air distribution annulus having a plurality of fuel-air mixing channels radially aligned with nozzles on the gas annulus, respectively, and communicating with the engine combustor. A fuel duct conducts a gaseous fuel only to the gas distribution annulus and an air duct conducts air only to the air annulus.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 6, 1998
    Date of Patent: November 21, 2000
    Assignee: Williams International, Co. L.L.C.
    Inventor: Samuel B. Williams
  • Patent number: 6134877
    Abstract: A combustor for a gas-or liquid-fuelled turbine having a compressor to supply air to the combustor for combustion and cooling, comprises a radially inner member which defines a combustion chamber and a radially outer member, a passage for said air being defined between the inner member and the outer member so as to extend alongside the combustion chamber over at least part of the length thereof and a fuel/air mixer 14 being provided at the upstream end of the combustion chamber, the cross-sectional area of the passage between the two members increasing over at least part of the length of the passage in a direction from the downstream end to the upstream end of the combustion chamber, the passage having an inlet adjacent to the downstream end of the combustion chamber whereby air from the compressor enter the passage at the inlet, and flows in a direction toward the mixer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 5, 1998
    Date of Patent: October 24, 2000
    Assignee: European Gas Turbines Limited
    Inventor: Hisham S Alkabie
  • Patent number: 6122917
    Abstract: A heat transfer structure for the efficient cooling of a heated surface such as the combustor wall of a gas turbine has a high heat transfer coefficient and can therefore operate at a relatively low pressure loss. A cooling jacket is formed around the heated surface by means of an apertured wall parallel to and spaced from the heated surface. Cooling fluid such as air flows into the cooling jacket through the apertures and impinges as air jets on the heated surface. The heat transfer coefficient is greatly increased by flow diversion features associated with the apertures which act as Coanda surfaces to divert the air jets so that they impinge obliquely and turbulently on the heated surface and establish subsequent turbulent sinuous cross-flows of the cooling air on the heated surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 24, 1998
    Date of Patent: September 26, 2000
    Assignee: Alstom Gas Turbines Limited
    Inventor: Peter Senior
  • Patent number: 6106278
    Abstract: The object of the invention is to provide a novel combustion chamber which has an improved air supply and also ensures an optimum incident flow to the burners when the mass flows of cooling and combustion air are different. According to the invention, this is achieved in that the at least one cooling duct (10) is extended right into the plenum (13) and is formed inside the plenum (13) as a diffuser (14) having an orifice (12) leading into the plenum (13). The at least one opening (15, 15') in the burner dome (4) is arranged in the region of the diffuser (14) or directly downstream of its orifice (12). A bypass duct (16, 16') having an orifice (17, 17') leading into the plenum (13) follows downstream of each opening (15, 15'). The orifice (17, 17') of each bypass duct (16, 16') is oriented at least approximately in parallel with the orifice (12) of the diffuser (14) and is also designed so as to be offset step-like to the outside.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 15, 1998
    Date of Patent: August 22, 2000
    Assignee: ABB Research Ltd.
    Inventors: Leif Andersson, Peter Jansohn, Jonathan Lloyd
  • Patent number: 6047552
    Abstract: A heat-shield component with a cooling-fluid return, a hot-gas wall to be cooled, an inlet duct for conducting a cooling fluid and an outlet duct for returning the cooling fluid. The inlet duct is directed towards the hot-gas wall and widens in a direction of the hot-gas wall. Furthermore, the invention relates to a heat-shield configuration which lines a component directing a hot gas, in particular a combustion chamber of a gas-turbine plant. The heat-shield configuration and has a plurality of the heat-shield components.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 26, 1999
    Date of Patent: April 11, 2000
    Assignee: Siemens Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventors: Heinz-Jurgen Gross, Wilhelm Schulten
  • Patent number: 6018950
    Abstract: A modular cooling panel for cooling a turbine member is provided. The cooling panel comprises a first panel having a relative width, relative length, upper surface and lower surface. The upper surface defines at least one corrugated portion traversing along a portion of the relative width of the upper surface. The corrugated portion defines a cooling flow channel through which a cooling fluid can travel to cool the turbine member. The cooling flow channel has at least one inlet opening for enabling the cooling fluid to enter into the cooling flow channel. The lower portion surface of the first panel is adapted to be coupled in fluid communication with the turbine member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 13, 1997
    Date of Patent: February 1, 2000
    Assignee: Siemens Westinghouse Power Corporation
    Inventor: Scott Michael Moeller
  • Patent number: 5953919
    Abstract: A gas turbine having guide blades arranged between the combustion chamber and turbine rotor is improved by the guide blades 1.1 being integrated in the respectively associated combustion chamber 1.2. That is, the guide blades 1.1 and the associated combustion-chamber wall 1.2.1 are designed essentially in one piece and are constructed as a combustion-chamber/guide-blade unit 1. The latter sits in cold supporting structures 3.1 of the gas-turbine plant 3 and both together form cooling-air passages which allow the combustion chamber to be cooled in counterflow.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 10, 1997
    Date of Patent: September 21, 1999
    Assignee: Asea Brown Boveri AG
    Inventor: Pierre Meylan
  • Patent number: 5927066
    Abstract: In a gas turbine engine having gaseous oxidant delivered to a turbine from a source such as a pressurized bottle via a conduit or duct, a compact annular combustor is provided which offers enhanced performance through incorporation of means for uniformly distributing portions of the oxidant utilized as a diluent, and for convective cooling of engine components.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 24, 1992
    Date of Patent: July 27, 1999
    Assignee: Sundstrand Corporation
    Inventors: Jack R. Shekleton, Colin Rodgers
  • Patent number: 5850732
    Abstract: A low emissions combustion system for a gas turbine engine, including a generally annular combustor with a plurality of tangential fuel injectors (14) to introduce a fuel/air mixture. The annular combustor includes a skirt shaped flow control baffle (48) from the inner liner and air dilution holes (50-54) in the inner liner underneath the flow control baffle and also in the cylindrical outer liner. The fuel injectors (14) extend through the recuperator housing and into the combustor through an angled tube and then through a tangential guide in the cylindrical outer liner of the combustor housing. The fuel injectors generally comprise an elongated injector tube with the outer end including a coupler having at least one fuel inlet tube. Compressed combustion air is provided to the interior of the elongated injector tube from either holes or slits therein which receive compressed air from the angled tube around the fuel injector which is open to the space between the recuperator housing and the combustor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 13, 1997
    Date of Patent: December 22, 1998
    Assignee: Capstone Turbine Corporation
    Inventors: Jeffrey W. Willis, Guillermo Pont, Bruce L. Alder, Jr.
  • Patent number: 5832732
    Abstract: In an annular combustion chamber (1), which essentially comprises a plenum (7) for receiving a compressor air flow, burners (100) placed inside the plenum (7), a combustion space (122) arranged downstream of the plenum (7), and a cooling-air-carrying duct (2, 3) encasing the combustion space (122) and leading into the plenum (7), injector systems (8, 9) are arranged in the region where the coolingair-carrying duct (2, 3) leads into the plenum (7). These injector systems (8, 9) in each case consist of a flow duct as a continuation of the cooling-air-carrying duct (2, 3) and of a number of openings (5a) which are arranged in the peripheral direction of this flow duct and through which acceleration air (5) flows into the cooling-air flow. The effect of a bodiless diffuser is thereby achieved, and the pressure losses which occur given a widening in cross section are minimized.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 12, 1996
    Date of Patent: November 10, 1998
    Assignee: ABB Research Ltd.
    Inventors: Hans Peter Knopfel, Peter Senior
  • Patent number: 5802841
    Abstract: A gas turbine plant comprises a gas turbine system provided with a compressor, a gas turbine and a generator which are mounted on a common shaft and operatively connected in series to each other, a gas turbine combustor system including a gas turbine combustor composed of an outer casing and an inner cylinder accommodated in the casing, and a cooling air circulation system operatively connected to the gas turbine combustor system for circulating cooling air. A cooling passage structure is disposed along an outer peripheral surface of the inner cylinder and a circulation line is disposed for circulating cooling air in the cooling passage structure and balancing the inner pressure of the casing of the gas turbine combustor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 2, 1996
    Date of Patent: September 8, 1998
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba
    Inventor: Fukuo Maeda
  • Patent number: 5782076
    Abstract: Convective cooling of turbine hot parts using a closed loop system is disclosed. Preferably, the present invention is applied to cooling the hot parts of combustion turbine power plants, and the cooling provided permits an increase in the inlet temperature and the concomitant benefits of increased efficiency and output. In preferred embodiments, methods and apparatus are disclosed wherein air is removed from the combustion turbine compressor and delivered to passages internal to one or more of a combustor and turbine hot parts. The air cools the combustor and turbine hot parts via convection and heat is transferred through the surfaces of the combustor and turbine hot parts.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 17, 1996
    Date of Patent: July 21, 1998
    Assignee: Westinghouse Electric Corporation
    Inventors: David John Huber, Michael Scot Briesch
  • Patent number: 5685156
    Abstract: The present invention is directed to a catalytic combustion system having a gas turbine engine recuperator and an annular catalytic combustor. The annular catalytic combustor includes a pre-burner/pre-mixer which functions as a pre-burner during startup and as a pre-mixer for the fuel and air during catalytic operation. This pre-burner/pre-mixer includes a plurality of primary tangential air-fuel venturis each having a fuel injector, and a plurality of secondary tangential air dilution holes. The pre-burner/pre-mixer is joined to the annular in-line catalytic canister by a transition section which includes a plurality of tertiary air dilution holes which introduce air radially into the transition section from the inner liner thereof. The in-line annular catalyst canister includes a large plurality of microlith catalyst elements positioned between support tings and held at the open end thereof by a plurality of support spokes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 20, 1996
    Date of Patent: November 11, 1997
    Assignee: Capstone Turbine Corporation
    Inventors: Jeffrey W. Willis, James E. Belmont
  • Patent number: 5680767
    Abstract: A combustor, for a gas turbine engine, employing regenerative combustor cooling. The combustion gas flow direction extends generally longitudinally aft of the combustor fuel nozzle. A coolant flowpath between the combustor casing and the combustor liner has: 1) a longitudinally aft inlet in fluid communication with a source of compressor-derived cooling air, of lower temperature and higher pressure than diffused air from the combustor diffuser; and 2) a longitudinally forward outlet in fluid communication with the combustor fuel nozzle for "spent" cooling air to be used for combustion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 11, 1995
    Date of Patent: October 28, 1997
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Ching-Pang Lee, Gary L. Leonard, George A. Coffinberry
  • Patent number: 5660044
    Abstract: Combustion system with low polluting emissions for gas turbines, of the pre-mixing type, wherein a series of parallel burners, autonomously fed with additional fuel, is circumferentially arranged around the conjunction choke of the pre-mixing chamber with the combustion chamber, to create in the combustion zone immediately before the choke a corresponding series of additional flames for the stabilization of the main flame, the combustion air for the burners deriving from the cooling air of the tapered head of the combustion chamber, which is sent to the burners through twirled blades to give a substantially helicoidal movement to the air.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 16, 1995
    Date of Patent: August 26, 1997
    Assignee: Nuovopignone S.p.A.
    Inventors: Luciano Bonciani, Gianni Ceccherini, Roberto Modi
  • Patent number: 5647202
    Abstract: In a cooled wall part having a plurality of separate convectively cooled longitudinally cooling ducts (2) running near the inner wall (1) and parallel thereto, adjacent longitudinal cooling ducts (2) being connected to one another in each case via intermediate ribs (3), there is provided at the downstream end of the longitudinal cooling ducts (2) a deflecting device (4) which is connected to at least one backflow cooling duct (6) which is arranged near the outer wall (5) in the wall part and from which a plurality of tubelets (7) extending to the inner wall (1) of the cooled wall part and arranged in the intermediate ribs (3) branch off. By means of this wall part, the cooling medium can be put to multiple use for cooling (convective, effusion, film cooling).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 19, 1995
    Date of Patent: July 15, 1997
    Assignee: Asea Brown Boveri AG
    Inventor: Rolf Althaus
  • Patent number: 5619855
    Abstract: A combustor for a gas turbine engine is disclosed which is able to operate efficiently at inlet air flows having a high subsonic Mach Number. The combustor has an outer liner and an inner liner spaced therefrom, wherein a combustion chamber is defined therebetween. A dome inlet module is provided which is in flow communication with compressed air flow from a compressor upstream thereof. The dome inlet module has an outer member fixed to the outer liner and an inner member fixed to the inner liner, wherein a flow passage is defined by the outer and inner members for the compressed air flow to flow freely from a compressor to the combustion chamber. Fuel atomizers are then utilized to inject fuel into the flow passage so that the fuel is mixed with the compressed air stream to form a fuel/air mixture which enters the combustion chamber.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 7, 1995
    Date of Patent: April 15, 1997
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventor: David L. Burrus
  • Patent number: 5592811
    Abstract: A system for the destruction of volatile organic compounds while generating power. In a preferred embodiment the system comprises a combustor and a reaction chamber connected to an exit of the combustor. A primary inlet to the combustor supplies a primary fuel to the combustor. A secondary fuel, comprising air and an amount of one or more volatile organic compounds, is supplied to a compressor, which compresses the secondary fuel and directs the secondary fuel to the combustor and the reaction chamber. The system is suitably configured to enable the stoichiometric reaction of the two fuels in a manner sufficient to destroy the volatile organic compounds contained in the secondary fuel and power a turbine engine connected to an exit of the reaction chamber.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 3, 1995
    Date of Patent: January 14, 1997
    Assignee: AlliedSignal Inc.
    Inventors: Paul R. Dodge, Robert S. McCarty, Doug Rogers, Gail Rogers
  • Patent number: 5515680
    Abstract: An apparatus for mixing gaseous fuel and air for combustion, particularly premixing-type combustion in a gas turbine, has a conduit providing a passage for flow of the air with a reverse bend defined by opposed first and second wall portions that bound respectively the outside and the inside of said reverse bend as seen in a longitudinal section. The reverse bend establishes a flow region of air having a velocity gradient extending transversely across the conduit from a high velocity zone adjacent the first side wall portion at the outside of the reverse bend to a low velocity zone. Injection means for the gaseous fuel injects the fuel from the first side wall portion into the high velocity zone with a velocity component transverse to the air flow and in a direction towards the low velocity zone. Rapid and uniform mixing is obtained.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 18, 1994
    Date of Patent: May 14, 1996
    Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventors: Hidekazu Fujimura, Kazuhito Koyama, Shozo Nakamura, Yoshikazu Moritomo
  • Patent number: 5426943
    Abstract: In a gas turbine combustion chamber (1)--having environment-friendly burners (5) which consist of at least two hollow partial conical bodies which are positioned one upon the other in the flow direction and whose longitudinal axes of symmetry extend radially offset relative to one another, by which means tangential opposed-flow air inlet slots are produced for a combustion air flow, at least one nozzle for spraying in the fuel being placed in the hollow conical space formed by the cone-shaped partial conical bodies, and having a cooling duct (4), which is bounded by the combustion chamber inner wall (2) and the combustion chamber outer wall (3), along which the cooling air flows and in which longitudinal and transverse ribs (8) can be arranged--the cooling duct (4) has a continuously decreasing height and/or increasing surface roughness in the flow direction of the cooling air.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 14, 1994
    Date of Patent: June 27, 1995
    Assignee: Asea Brown Boveri AG
    Inventors: Rolf Althaus, Burkhard Schulte-Werning
  • Patent number: 5388412
    Abstract: In a gas turbine combustion chamber (1) cooled by means of impingement cooling, the height of the cooling duct (5) formed by the perforated plate (3) and the impingement surface (4) increases continuously in the transverse flow direction to correspond with the supply of cooling air. Tubes (7) are arranged in the cooling duct (5) on the holes (6) of the perforated plate (3) in such a way that the impingement air meets the impingement surface (4) at right angles, the height of the tubes (7) increasing in the transverse flow direction in such a way that the distance between the tubes (7) and the impingement surface (4) is constant over the complete length of the cooling duct (5). By this means, the heat transfer coefficient remains constant along the impingement cooling section and uniform removal of heat is made possible. The cooling effect can be specifically controlled by a suitable choice of the diameter of the holes (6) and the height of the tubes (7).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 15, 1993
    Date of Patent: February 14, 1995
    Assignee: Asea Brown Boveri Ltd.
    Inventors: Burkhard Schulte-Werning, Roger Suter
  • Patent number: RE34962
    Abstract: The combustion dynamics and efficiency of 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 combustion 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.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 29, 1992
    Date of Patent: June 13, 1995
    Assignee: Sundstrand Corporation
    Inventors: Jack R. Shekleton, Colin Rodgers, John P. Archibald, Robert W. Smith