Gas turbine engine combustor main mixer with vane supported centerbody

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10801728-B2
Application number	US-201615371615-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 7, 2016
Priority date	Dec 7, 2016
Publication date	Oct 13, 2020
Grant date	Oct 13, 2020

Abstract

A main mixer including a swirler along an axis, the swirler including an outer swirler with a multiple of outer vanes, and a center swirler with a multiple of center vanes and a swirler hub along the axis, the swirler hub including a fuel manifold and an inner swirler with a multiple of inner vanes that support a centerbody, the multiple of inner vanes interconnect the fuel manifold and the centerbody.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A main mixer, comprising:
a swirler body along an axis, wherein the swirler body contains an outer swirler with a multiple of outer vanes, and a center swirler with a multiple of center vanes;
a swirler hub along the axis radially inward of the swirler body, the swirler hub having a fuel manifold;
a frusto-conical centerbody, wherein the centerbody forms an inner diameter of an annular mixer passage, and an inner diameter of the swirler body forms an outer diameter of the annular mixer passage, wherein the centerbody comprises a multiple of effusion/film cooling passages arranged in a circular distribution through an upstream wall of the centerbody to extend through a sidewall and form non-circular exits, and wherein the swirler hub includes an inner swirler comprising a multiple of inner vanes that support the centerbody, the multiple of inner vanes interconnecting the swirler hub and the centerbody; and
wherein the annular mixer passage is for mixing a fuel flow from the fuel manifold and an air flow from each of the inner swirler, center swirler, and the outer swirler.

2. The main mixer as recited in claim 1 , wherein attachment points for the centerbody to the swirler hub are in an air stream with an absence of fuel.

3. The main mixer as recited in claim 1 , wherein the multiple of outer vanes are formed to co-rotate the airflow with the multiple of inner vanes.

4. The main mixer as recited in claim 3 , wherein the center vanes counter-rotate the airflow with respect to both the inner vanes and the outer vanes.

5. The main mixer as recited in claim 1 , wherein the centerbody is coated with a thermal barrier coatings (TBC).

6. A main mixer for an axially controlled stoichiometry combustor, comprising:
a swirler body along an axis, the swirler including an outer swirler with a multiple of outer vanes, and a center swirler with a multiple of center vanes; and
a swirler hub along the axis radially inward of the swirler body, the swirler hub comprising a fuel manifold, the swirler hub supported within the multiple of center vanes, and the swirler hub comprising an inner swirler with a multiple of inner vanes that support a centerbody, the multiple of inner vanes interconnect the swirler hub and the centerbody, wherein the centerbody includes a multiple of effusion/film cooling passages arranged in a circular distribution through an upstream wall of the centerbody to extend through a sidewall and form non-circular exits, and
an annular mixer passage for mixing a fuel flow from the fuel manifold and an air flow from each of the inner swirler, center swirler, and the outer swirler, wherein the annular mixer passage is defined between an inner sidewall of the swirler body and a sidewall of the centerbody.

7. The main mixer as recited in claim 6 , wherein the centerbody includes a second multiple of effusion/film cooling passages arranged in a circular distribution in an upstream wall of the centerbody upstream of the multiple of effusion/film cooling passages that forms the non-circular exits, the second multiple of effusion/film cooling passages form circular exits.

8. The main mixer as recited in claim 7 , wherein an inner surface of the centerbody is coated with a thermal barrier coatings (TBC).

9. The main mixer as recited in claim 6 , wherein the centerbody includes a second multiple of effusion/film cooling passages arranged in a circular distribution in an upstream wall of the centerbody.

10. The main mixer as recited in claim 6 , wherein the fuel manifold includes a ramped downstream section.

11. The main mixer as recited in claim 10 , wherein a multiple of fuel jets of the fuel manifold extend through an outer ramped surface of the swirler body.

12. The main mixer as recited in claim 6 , wherein a multiple of fuel jets of the fuel manifold form an angle with respect to a central axis of the swirler hub.

13. The main mixer as recited in claim 6 , wherein the main mixer is radially located within a combustor.

14. The main mixer as recited in claim 6 , wherein the main mixer is downstream of an axial pilot fuel injection system.

15. A main mixer for an axially controlled stoichiometry combustor, comprising:
a centerbody along an axis, comprising a multiple of effusion/film cooling passages arranged in a circular distribution through an upstream wall of the centerbody to extend through a sidewall and form non-circular exits;
a swirler hub along the axis, wherein the swirler hub is radially outward of the centerbody;
a fuel manifold within the swirler hub and configured to provide a fuel flow;
an inner swirler, wherein the inner swirler comprises a multiple of inner vanes that extend between the swirler hub and the centerbody;
a swirler body along the axis, wherein the swirler body is radially outward of the swirler hub;
an outer swirler extending from the swirler body;
a center swirler that extends between the outer swirler and the swirler hub; and
an annular mixer passage for mixing the fuel flow and an air flow from each of the inner swirler, center swirler, and the outer swirler, wherein the annular mixer passage is defined between an inner sidewall of the swirler body and the sidewall of the centerbody.

16. The main mixer as recited in claim 15 , wherein the outer swirler comprises a multiple of outer vanes, and the center swirler comprises a multiple of center vanes.

17. The main mixer as recited in claim 16 , wherein the outer swirler defines a diameter larger than an annular mixer passage diameter of the annular mixer passage.

18. The main mixer as recited in claim 17 , wherein the sidewall of the centerbody is at least partially parallel to a downstream portion of the swirler body.

19. The main mixer as recited in claim 16 , wherein the multiple of outer vanes are formed to counter-rotate the airflow with the multiple of center vanes.

20. The main mixer as recited in claim 19 , wherein the multiple of outer vanes are formed to co-rotate the airflow with the multiple of inner vanes.

21. The main mixer as recited in claim 20 , wherein the air flow from inner swirler takes 20% to 45% of a total main mixer air flow, the center swirler takes 30% to 40% of the total main mixer air flow, and outer swirler takes 30% to 50% of the total main mixer air flow.

22. The main mixer as recited in claim 21 , wherein the airflow from the inner swirler enhances mixing by providing a shear layer to increase the fuel flow penetration from fuel jets of the fuel manifold as well as minimize or eliminates the low velocity region associated with airflow swirl and fuel jets.

Assignees

• United Technologies Corp
• Raytheon Tech Corp

Inventors

• Dai Zhongtao
• Smith Lance L
• Cohen Jeffrey M

Classifications

• F23R3/283 Primary

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

• F23D11/24

  by pressurisation of the fuel before a nozzle through which it is sprayed by a substantial pressure reduction into a space · CPC title

• F23R3/14

  by using swirl vanes · CPC title

• F23R3/286 Primary

  having fuel-air premixing devices (F23R3/30 takes precedence) · CPC title

• F23R3/343

  Pilot flames, i.e. fuel nozzles or injectors using only a very small proportion of the total fuel to insure continuous combustion (ignition in gas-turbine plants F02C7/264; pilot flame igniters F23Q9/00) · CPC title