Combustor assembly

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10317085-B2
Application number	US-201615053522-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 25, 2016
Priority date	Feb 25, 2016
Publication date	Jun 11, 2019
Grant date	Jun 11, 2019

Abstract

A combustor assembly for a gas turbine engine includes a combustor dome having a hot side and a cold side and at least in part defining a combustion chamber. The combustor assembly additionally includes a fuel-air injector hardware assembly having a first member and a second member. The first member is positioned at least partially adjacent to the cold side of the combustor dome and the second member is positioned at least partially adjacent to the hot side of the combustor dome. The first and second members together define an attachment interface joining the first member to the second member and mounting the fuel-air injector hardware assembly to the combustor dome. The attachment interface may be shielded from the combustion chamber to protect the attachment interface from an undesirable amount of thermal expansion and to maintain the materials within desired material operating temperature limits.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A combustor assembly for a gas turbine engine, the combustor assembly comprising:
a combustor dome at least partially defining a combustion chamber and including a hot side and a cold side; and
a fuel-air injector hardware assembly comprising
a first member positioned at least partially adjacent to the cold side of the combustor dome; and
a second member positioned at least partially adjacent to the hot side of the combustor dome, the first and second members together defining an attachment interface joining the first member to the second member and mounting the fuel-air injector hardware assembly to the combustor dome, the attachment interface shielded from the combustion chamber;
wherein the first member defines a slot, wherein the combustor dome defines a slot, wherein the fuel-air injector assembly further comprises a pin extending through the slot in the first member and into the slot in the dome to prevent rotation of the first member relative to the combustor dome, and wherein the pin is disengaged from the second member.

2. The combustor assembly of claim 1 , wherein the first member comprises a first flange positioned adjacent to the cold side of the combustor dome, wherein the second member comprises a second flange positioned adjacent to the hot side of the combustor dome, and wherein the first and second flanges are pressed towards each other by the attachment interface.

3. The combustor assembly of claim 2 , wherein the first flange is positioned directly against the cold side of the combustor dome, and wherein the second flange is positioned directly against the hot side of the combustor dome.

4. The combustor assembly of claim 1 , wherein the first member is rotatably engaged with the second member at the attachment interface.

5. The combustor assembly of claim 4 , wherein the first member is additionally attached to the second member by welding or using a mechanical fastener.

6. The combustor assembly of claim 1 , wherein the first member is a seal plate, and wherein the second member is a heat shield.

7. The combustor assembly of claim 6 , wherein the fuel-air injector hardware assembly further comprises a swirler, and wherein the swirler is attached to the seal plate.

8. The combustor assembly of claim 1 , wherein the combustor dome defines an opening, and wherein the fuel-air injector hardware assembly extends at least partially through the opening.

9. The combustor assembly of claim 8 , wherein the opening of the combustor dome is a first opening of a plurality of openings defined by the combustor dome, wherein the fuel-air injector hardware assembly is a first fuel-air injector hardware assembly of a plurality of fuel-air injector hardware assemblies of the combustor dome, wherein each fuel-air injector hardware assembly is positioned at least partially within one of the plurality of openings of the combustor dome, and wherein one or more of the fuel-air injector hardware assemblies are attached to the combustor dome independently of an adjacent fuel-air injector hardware assembly.

10. The combustor assembly of claim 1 , wherein the combustor dome is formed of a CMC material.

11. The combustor assembly of claim 1 , wherein the combustor dome defines a plurality of cooling holes for providing a flow of cooling air to the second member and reducing a temperature of the attachment interface.

12. A combustor assembly for a gas turbine engine, the combustor assembly comprising:
a combustor dome at least partially defining a combustion chamber and including a hot side and a cold side and defining an opening; and
a fuel-air injector hardware assembly for providing a fuel-air mixture to the combustion chamber, the fuel-air injector hardware assembly comprising a first member positioned at least partially adjacent to the cold side of the combustor dome; and
a heat shield for shielding at least a portion of the fuel-air injector hardware assembly and positioned at least partially adjacent to the hot side of the combustor dome, the heat shield joined to the first member to mount the fuel-air injector hardware assembly to the combustor dome,
wherein the first member and heat shield together define an attachment interface positioned at least partially in the opening, wherein a portion of the heat shield defining the attachment interface is positioned inward of a portion of the first member defining the attachment interface relative to a center of the opening, and wherein the heat shield further comprises a flange positioned adjacent to the hot side of the combustor dome covering the portion of the first member defining the attachment interface relative to the combustion chamber;
wherein the first member defines a slot, wherein the combustor dome defines a slot, wherein the fuel-air injector assembly further comprises a pin extending through the slot in the first member and into the slot in the dome to prevent rotation of the first member relative to the combustor dome, and wherein the pin is disengaged from the heat shield.

13. The combustor assembly of claim 12 , wherein the first member is joined to the heat shield at the attachment interface, wherein the heat shield is configured to protect the attachment interface from an amount of heat in the combustion chamber during operation of the combustor assembly.

14. The combustor assembly of claim 12 , wherein the first member is rotatably engaged with the heat shield at the attachment interface.

15. The combustor assembly of claim 12 , wherein the first member is a seal plate, wherein the fuel-air injector hardware assembly further comprises a swirler, and wherein the swirler is attached directly to the seal plate.

16. The combustor assembly of claim 12 , wherein the fuel-air injector hardware assembly extends at least partially through the opening.

17. The combustor assembly of claim 12 , wherein the first member comprises a first flange positioned directly adjacent to the cold side of the combustor dome, wherein the wherein the flange of the heat shield is a second flange positioned directly adjacent to the hot side of the combustor dome, and wherein the first and second flanges are pressed towards each other to mount the fuel-air injector hardware assembly to the combustor dome.

18. The combustor assembly of claim 12 , wherein the combustor dome includes a raised boss extending around a circumference of the opening on the cold side of the combustor dome, and wherein the combustor dome includes a recess extending around a circumference of the opening on the hot side of the combustor dome.

19. The combustor assembly of claim 1 , wherein the combustor dome defines an opening, wherein the attachment interface is positioned at least partially in the opening, wherein a portion of the second member defining the attachment interface is positioned inward of a portion of the first member defining the attachment interface relative to a center of the opening, and wherein the second member further comprises a flange positioned adjacent to the hot side of the combustor dome covering the portion of the first member defining the attachment interface relative to the combustion chamber.

Assignees

• Gen Electric

Inventors

• Hannwacker David Andrew
• Howell Stephen John
• Jacobson John Carl

Classifications

• F23R3/14

  by using swirl vanes · CPC title

• F23R3/60 Primary

  Support structures; Attaching or mounting means · CPC title

• F23R3/283

  Attaching or cooling of fuel injecting means including supports for fuel injectors, stems, or lances · CPC title

• F23R3/38 Primary

  comprising rotary fuel injection means · CPC title

• F02C7/20

  Mounting or supporting of plant; Accommodating heat expansion or creep · CPC title