System and apparatus for gas turbine combustor inner cap and resonating tubes

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10228138-B2
Application number	US-201615367265-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 2, 2016
Priority date	Dec 2, 2016
Publication date	Mar 12, 2019
Grant date	Mar 12, 2019

Abstract

A damping system and apparatus are disclosed for dampening acoustic pressure oscillations of a gas flow in a combustor of a gas turbine engine having at least one combustor with a combustor liner. A second inner cap portion is disposed on the at least one combustor inner liner. The second inner cap portion can have a hot surface, a cold surface, at least one burner opening protruding from the cold surface, and at least one neck ring having an internal opening and protruding from the cold surface. At least one resonating tube having a resonating tube neck is integrated with and protruding from the at least one neck ring. The at least one resonating tube is disposed between adjacent burner openings, and is configured such that the radial dimension is greater than or equal to the axial dimension.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A damping system for dampening acoustic pressure oscillations of a gas flow in a combustor, the damping system comprising:
a combustor defining a centerline in an axial direction and comprising a combustor liner surrounding a combustion chamber and circumscribing the centerline, the combustor liner having a forward end and an aft end;
a cap assembly disposed across the forward end of the combustor liner to define an upstream boundary of the combustion chamber, the cap assembly comprising:
a plate having a hot surface and a cold surface;
a plurality of burner openings defined through the plate and protruding upstream from the cold surface;
a first neck ring comprising an internal opening defined through the plate from the hot surface to the cold surface, the first neck ring protruding upstream from the cold surface between adjacent burner openings of the plurality of burner openings; and
a first resonating tube comprising a non-cylindrical body and a first resonating tube neck welded to the first neck ring, the first resonating tube protruding upstream from the first neck ring, the first resonating tube being disposed between the adjacent burner openings, and

wherein the non-cylindrical body of the first resonating tube is configured with a radially oblong shape such that, relative to the centerline of the combustor, a radial dimension of the first resonating tube is greater than or equal to an axial dimension of the first resonating tube.

2. The damping system of claim 1 , wherein the non-cylindrical body of the first resonating tube comprises a first wall defining a closed end, a second wall parallel to the first wall and defining an open end comprising the first resonating tube neck, a first axially extending side wall connecting the first wall and the second wall, and a first chamber defined by the first wall, the second wall, and the first axially extending side wall; and wherein the first resonating tube neck defines a neck opening, and the first chamber is in fluid communication, through the neck opening and the internal opening of the first neck ring, with an interior of the combustor.

3. The damping system of claim 2 , further comprising:
a second neck ring comprising an internal opening defined through the plate from the hot surface to the cold surface, the second neck ring protruding upstream in an axial direction from the cold surface between adjacent burner openings of the plurality of burner openings; and
a second resonating tube comprising a non-cylindrical body with a radially oblong shape, the non-cylindrical body comprising a third wall defining a closed end, a fourth wall parallel to the first wall and defining an open end comprising a second resonating tube neck, a second axially extending side wall connecting the third wall and the fourth wall, and a second chamber defined by the third wall, the fourth wall, and the second axially extending side wall, the second resonating tube welded to and protruding upstream from the second neck ring, the second resonating tube being disposed between the adjacent burner openings separate and apart from the first resonating tube; and
wherein the first chamber comprises a first damping volume and the second chamber comprises a second damping volume.

4. The damping system of claim 3 , wherein the first resonating tube defining the first damping volume is disposed between a first pair of adjacent burner openings of the adjacent burner openings, and the second resonating tube defining the second damping volume is disposed adjacent the first resonating tube between the first pair of adjacent burner openings of the adjacent burner openings.

5. The damping system of claim 3 , wherein the first and second damping volumes are different.

6. The damping system of claim 5 , wherein the first and second damping volumes are configured to dampen acoustic pressure oscillations resonating at two different target frequencies less than or equal to 1000 Hz.

7. The damping system of claim 1 , wherein the cap assembly is aligned essentially perpendicular to the centerline of the combustor.

8. The damping system of claim 1 , wherein the first resonating tube is one of a plurality of resonating tubes, each resonating tube of the plurality of resonating tubes comprising a respective resonating tube neck of a plurality of resonating tube necks; wherein the first resonating tube neck is one of the plurality of resonating tube necks; wherein the first neck ring is one of a plurality of neck rings; and wherein each resonating tube neck of the plurality of resonating tube necks is fixedly coupled to a respective neck ring of the plurality of neck rings.

9. The damping system of claim 1 , wherein the first resonating tube is configured to dampen acoustic pressure oscillations resonating at a target frequency less than or equal to 1000 Hz.

10. An engine comprising:
a compressor section;
a combustor configured in a combustion section positioned downstream from the compressor section, the combustor defining a centerline in an axial direction and comprising a combustor liner surrounding a combustion chamber, the combustor liner having a forward end and an aft end;
a turbine section positioned downstream from the combustion section; and
a damping system for dampening acoustic pressure oscillations of a gas flow in the combustor of the engine, the damping system comprising:
a cap assembly disposed across the forward end of the combustor to define an upstream boundary of the combustion chamber, the cap assembly comprising:
a plate having a hot surface and a cold surface;
a plurality of burner openings defined through the plate and protruding upstream from the cold surface;
a first neck ring comprising an internal opening defined through the plate from the hot surface to the cold surface, the first neck ring protruding upstream from the cold surface between adjacent burner openings of the plurality of burner openings; and
a first resonating tube comprising a non-cylindrical body and a first resonating tube neck welded to the first neck ring, the first resonating tube protruding upstream from the first neck ring, the first resonating tube being disposed between the adjacent burner openings, and

wherein the non-cylindrical body of the first resonating tube is configured with a radially oblong shape such that, relative to the centerline of the combustor, a radial dimension of the first resonating tube is greater than or equal to an axial dimension of the first resonating tube.

11. The engine of claim 10 , wherein the non-cylindrical body of the first resonating tube comprises a first wall defining a closed end, a second wall parallel to the first wall and defining an open end comprising the first resonating tube neck, a first axially extending side wall connecting the first wall and the second wall, and a first chamber defined by the first wall, the second wall, and the first axially extending side wall; and wherein the first resonating tube neck defines a neck opening, and the first chamber is in fluid communication, through the neck opening, with an interior of the combustor.

12. The engine of claim 11 , further comprising:
a second neck ring comprising an internal opening defined through the plate from the hot surface to the cold surface, the second neck ring protruding upstream in an axial direction from the cold surface between adjacent burner openings of the plurality of burner openings; and
a second resonating tube comprising a non-cylindrical body with a radially oblong shape, the non-cylindrical body comprising a third wall defining a closed end, a fourth wall parallel to the first wall and defining an open end

Assignees

• Gen Electric

Inventors

• Theuer Andre
• Palys Dariusz Oliwiusz
• Imfeld Jost
• Schuermans Bruno

Classifications

• F23R2900/00014

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

• F23R3/16 Primary

  with devices inside the flame tube or the combustion chamber to influence the air or gas flow · CPC title

• F23R3/002 Primary

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