Method and apparatus for gas turbine combustor inner cap and high frequency acoustic dampers

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10220474-B2
Application number	US-201615367245-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 2, 2016
Priority date	Dec 2, 2016
Publication date	Mar 5, 2019
Grant date	Mar 5, 2019

Abstract

A method of making a combustor cap assembly uses an additive manufacturing process of consecutively adding material in layers along an upstream axial build direction starting from a base side positioned transverse to the upstream axial build direction. The base side has at least one acoustic port. A bump side extends from the base side in the upstream axial build direction and has at least one damper projecting from the bump side. The damper has at least one inclined face forming an angle with the upstream axial build direction of less than or equal to 45 degrees. The resulting cap assembly includes a hot side with an acoustic port and a cold side with at least one damper with an inclined face and a damper chamber in communication with the acoustic port.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of making a combustor cap assembly using an additive manufacturing process, the method comprising:
consecutively adding material along an upstream axial build direction to produce a base side positioned transverse to the upstream axial build direction, wherein the step of consecutively adding material to produce a base side results in a plurality of acoustic ports being defined through the base side; and
consecutively adding material to the base side in the upstream axial build direction to produce a bump side integrally formed with the base side, the bump side comprising a plurality of dampers,
wherein each damper of the plurality of dampers comprises a longitudinal axis parallel to the upstream axial direction and a hollow body symmetrical about the longitudinal axis, the hollow body having at least one inclined face and an apex at a boundary of the at least one inclined face distal to the base side, the apex being aligned with the longitudinal axis; and wherein the hollow body defines a damper chamber therein, the damper chamber being in fluid communication with at least one of the plurality of acoustic ports.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the additive manufacturing process is direct metal laser melting (DMLM).

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the step of consecutively adding material to produce the bump side produces a first damper of the plurality of dampers comprising a purge hole disposed through the at least one inclined face of the first damper, the purge hole being in fluid communication with a respective damper chamber of the first damper.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the step of consecutively adding material to produce the bump side comprises consecutively adding material in layers having a common profile to produce at least one extension ledge in at least one damper of the plurality of dampers, the at least one extension ledge extending in the upstream axial build direction parallel to the longitudinal axis.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the step of consecutively adding material to produce the base side further comprises depositing the material in such a manner as to define at least one cooling channel extending in a direction transverse to the upstream axial build direction.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the step of consecutively adding material to produce the bump side comprises depositing a first series of layers of a common profile and different sequential sizes, wherein each layer of the first series of layers is stacked in the upstream axial build direction in overhanging fashion relative to a subsequent layer to produce the at least one inclined surface.

7. The method of claim 6 , wherein the depositing of the first series of layers comprises depositing a first subset of layers with a sequentially decreasing size and subsequently depositing a second subset of layers with a sequentially increasing size on the first set of layers in the upstream axial build direction.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the step of consecutively adding material to produce the bump side comprises depositing a first closed shape and a second closed shape in layers, the first closed shape being radially inward of and concentric with the second closed shape relative to the longitudinal axis; and wherein the first closed shapes in layers have a sequentially increasing or decreasing size in the upstream axial build direction, and the second closed shapes in layers have an opposing sequentially decreasing or increasing size in the upstream axial build direction to produce a damper of the plurality of dampers having annularly interconnected surfaces.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the step of consecutively adding material to produce the bump side comprises consecutively adding layers to produce a damper having a central portion surrounded by an outer annularly interconnected portion; and wherein the central portion defines a central damper chamber in fluid communication with a first acoustic port of the plurality of acoustic ports, and the outer annularly interconnected portion defines an annular damper chamber in fluid connection with a second acoustic port of the plurality of acoustic ports.

10. A combustor cap assembly comprising:
a base side comprising a plurality of acoustic ports; and
a bump side integrated with and extending from the base side in an upstream axial direction, the bump side comprising a plurality of dampers, wherein each damper of the plurality of dampers comprises a longitudinal axis parallel to the upstream axial direction and a hollow body symmetrical about the longitudinal axis, the hollow body having at least one inclined face and an apex at a boundary of the at least one inclined face distal to the base side, the apex being aligned with the longitudinal axis; and wherein the hollow body defines a damper chamber therein, the damper chamber being in fluid communication with at least one of the plurality of acoustic ports.

11. The combustor cap assembly of claim 10 , wherein at least one damper of the plurality of dampers comprises a purge hole disposed through the at least one inclined face, the purge hole being in fluid communication with a respective damper chamber of the at least one damper.

12. The combustor cap assembly of claim 10 , wherein at least one damper of the plurality of dampers comprises an extension ledge having a common profile and extending in the upstream axial direction in parallel to the longitudinal axis.

13. The combustor cap assembly of claim 10 , wherein the base side further comprises at least one cooling channel extending in a direction transverse to the upstream axial direction.

14. The combustor cap assembly of claim 10 , wherein the at least one inclined face is configured to support the apex, such that the damper chamber extends unimpeded from the bump side to the apex.

15. The combustor cap assembly of claim 10 , wherein the at least one inclined face of a first damper of the plurality of dampers comprises a first inclined face oriented at a first angle relative to the longitudinal axis and a second inclined face oriented at a second angle relative to the longitudinal axis; wherein the second inclined face is stacked on first inclined face in the upstream axial direction.

16. The combustor cap assembly of claim 15 , wherein the stacked first inclined face and second inclined face are annularly interconnected.

17. The combustor cap assembly of claim 10 , wherein at least one damper of the plurality of dampers comprises a central portion surrounded by an outer annularly interconnected portion; and wherein the central portion defines a central damper chamber in fluid communication with a first acoustic port of the plurality of acoustic ports, and the outer annularly interconnected portion defines an annular damper chamber in fluid connection with a second acoustic port of the plurality of acoustic ports.

Assignees

• Gen Electric
• General Electricd Company

Inventors

• Theuer Andre
• Palys Dariusz Oliwiusz
• Imfeld Jost

Classifications

• F23R3/002 Primary

  Wall structures (F23R3/02 and F23R3/007 take precedence) · CPC title

• B23K2101/001

  Turbines · CPC title

• F05D2260/96

  Preventing, counteracting or reducing vibration or noise · CPC title

• F23R2900/00014

  Reducing thermo-acoustic vibrations by passive means, e.g. by Helmholtz resonators · CPC title

• B33Y80/00

  Products made by additive manufacturing · CPC title