Fuel feed passages for an attritable engine

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11465247-B2
Application number	US-201916448801-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 21, 2019
Priority date	Jun 21, 2019
Publication date	Oct 11, 2022
Grant date	Oct 11, 2022

Abstract

An additively manufactured attritable engine includes a compressor section, a combustion section, a turbine section, and an engine case wall, which surrounds the compressor section, the combustion section, and the turbine section. The engine case wall includes a first cavity embedded in the engine case wall that defines an injector that is in fluid communication with the combustion section. The engine case wall includes a second cavity embedded within the engine case wall and defines a fuel feed passage that is in thermal communication through the exterior surface of the engine case wall.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An engine comprising:
a compressor section;
a combustion section;
a turbine section; and
an engine case wall surrounding the compressor section, the combustion section, and the turbine section, the engine case wall extending radially between an interior surface of the engine case wall and an exterior surface of the engine case wall, and the engine case wall comprising:
a first cavity, embedded within material of the engine case wall, defining an injector, wherein the injector is in fluid communication with the combustion section; and
a second cavity, embedded within the material the engine case wall, defining a fuel feed passage, wherein the fuel feed passage is in thermal communication with the exterior surface of the engine case wall through the material of the engine case wall.

2. The engine of claim 1 , wherein the fuel feed passage is substantially parallel to the exterior surface of the engine case wall.

3. The engine of claim 1 , wherein the injector includes an injector inlet and an injector outlet.

4. The engine of claim 3 , further comprising a third cavity, embedded within the engine case wall, defining a fuel line, wherein the fuel line is connected to the fuel feed passage and wherein the fuel line is in fluid communication with the fuel feed passage.

5. The engine of claim 4 , wherein the fuel feed passage is connected to the injector at the injector inlet and wherein the fuel feed passage is in fluid communication with the injector.

6. The engine of claim 5 , wherein the fuel line extends around the engine case wall circumferentially and is connected to N number of fuel feed passages and is in fluid communication with N number of fuel feed passages.

7. The engine of claim 5 , wherein the combustor section is connected to the injector outlet.

8. The engine of claim 1 , wherein the engine case is formed of a nickel alloy.

9. The engine of claim 1 , wherein
the combustor section includes a combustor and a combustor wall forming a radial outer boundary of the combustor; and
the engine case wall is separated from the combustor wall by an air channel.

10. An engine comprising:
a compressor section;
a combustion section comprising a combustor;
a turbine section; and
an engine case wall surrounding the compressor section, the combustion section, and the turbine section, the engine case wall spaced radially outboard from the combustor, and the engine case wall comprising:
a first cavity, embedded within the engine case wall, defining an injector, wherein the injector is in fluid communication with the combustion section; and
a second cavity, embedded within the engine case wall, defining a fuel feed passage, wherein the fuel feed passage is in thermal communication with an exterior surface of the engine case wall.

11. The engine of claim 10 , wherein the fuel feed passage is substantially parallel to the exterior surface of the engine case wall.

12. The engine of claim 10 , wherein the injector includes an injector inlet and an injector outlet.

13. The engine of claim 12 , further comprising a third cavity, embedded within the engine case wall, defining a fuel line, wherein the fuel line is connected to the fuel feed passage and wherein the fuel line is in fluid communication with the fuel feed passage.

14. The engine of claim 13 , wherein the fuel feed passage is connected to the injector at the injector inlet and wherein the fuel feed passage is in fluid communication with the injector.

15. The engine of claim 14 , wherein the fuel line extends around the engine case wall circumferentially and is connected to N number of fuel feed passages and is in fluid communication with N number of fuel feed passages.

16. The engine of claim 12 , wherein the combustor is connected to the injector outlet.

17. The engine of claim 10 , wherein the engine case is formed of a nickel alloy.

18. The engine of claim 10 , wherein
the combustor comprises a combustor wall; and
an air channel extends radially between and is formed by the combustor wall and the engine case wall.

19. The engine of claim 10 , wherein
the engine case wall has a wall thickness that extends radially between an interior surface of the engine case wall and the exterior surface of the engine case wall; and
the second cavity is embedded within the engine case wall radially between the interior surface of the engine case wall and the exterior surface of the engine case wall.

20. An engine, comprising:
a combustion section comprising a combustor; and
an engine case wall housing the combustion section, the engine case wall comprising a fuel line, a fuel feed passage and an injector;
the fuel line extending circumferentially about an axis within material of the engine case wall;
the fuel feed passage extending axially within the material of the engine case wall, the fuel feed passage configured to direct fuel received from the fuel line to the injector; and
the injector extending within the material of the engine case wall to an injector outlet, the injector configured to direct the fuel received from the fuel feed passage into the combustor through the injector outlet.

Assignees

• Raytheon Tech Corp

Inventors

• Binek Lawrence A
• Morganson David W

Classifications

• F02C7/222 Primary

  Fuel flow conduits, e.g. manifolds · CPC title

• B23P15/26 Primary

  heat exchangers {or the like (making heat exchangers by methods covered by other subclasses B21D53/02)} · CPC title

• F23R3/283

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

• F05D2250/82

  Micromachines · CPC title

• F28D2021/0026

  for combustion engines, e.g. for gas turbines or for Stirling engines · CPC title