Fuel-cooled engine component(s)

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12258906-B2
Application number	US-202318519583-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 27, 2023
Priority date	Mar 9, 2021
Publication date	Mar 25, 2025
Grant date	Mar 25, 2025

Abstract

An assembly is provided for a turbine engine with a flowpath. This assembly includes a fuel source and an engine component. The engine component forms a peripheral boundary of the flowpath. The engine component includes a component internal passage. The engine component is configured to receive fuel from the fuel source. The engine component is configured to crack at least some of the fuel within the component internal passage thereby cooling the engine component and providing at least partially cracked fuel. The assembly is configured to direct the at least partially cracked fuel into the flowpath for combustion.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An assembly for a turbine engine with a flowpath, comprising:
a fuel source;
a turbine rotor comprising a plurality of turbine blades; and
a blade outer air seal forming a radial outer peripheral boundary of the flowpath, the blade outer air seal comprising a seal internal passage disposed radially outboard of the flowpath, the blade outer air seal configured to receive fuel from the fuel source, the blade outer air seal radially outboard of and extending axially along tips of the plurality of turbine blades, and the blade outer air seal configured to crack at least some of the fuel within the seal internal passage thereby cooling the blade outer air seal and providing at least partially cracked fuel;
wherein the assembly is configured to direct the at least partially cracked fuel into a stator vane internal passage of a stator vane upstream of the plurality of turbine blades and into the flowpath for combustion, and
wherein the stator vane internal passage includes a zigzag internal passage along a radial length of the stator vane.

2. The assembly of claim 1 , wherein the at least partially cracked fuel comprises hydrogen (H 2 ) gas.

3. The assembly of claim 1 , wherein
the fuel comprises ammonia; and
the at least partially cracked fuel comprises hydrogen gas and nitrogen gas.

4. The assembly of claim 1 , wherein the blade outer air seal comprises a catalytic material at least partially lining the seal internal passage, and the catalytic material is selected to facilitate the cracking of the at least some of the fuel within the seal internal passage.

5. The assembly of claim 1 , wherein the blade outer air seal comprises material that at least partially forms the seal internal passage, and the material comprises nickel (Ni).

6. The assembly of claim 1 , wherein the blade outer air seal comprises material that at least partially forms the seal internal passage, and the material comprises iron (Fe).

7. The assembly of claim 1 , wherein the blade outer air seal comprises material that at least partially forms the seal internal passage, and the material comprises ruthenium (Ru).

8. The assembly of claim 1 , wherein the blade outer air seal comprises material that at least partially forms the seal internal passage, and the material comprises platinum (Pt).

9. The assembly of claim 1 , wherein
the fuel directed into the seal internal passage comprises liquid fuel;
the blade outer air seal is configured to vaporize the liquid fuel to provide vaporized fuel; and
the blade outer air seal is further configured to crack at least some of the vaporized fuel to provide the at least partially cracked fuel.

10. The assembly of claim 1 , wherein
the fuel directed into the seal internal passage comprises vaporized fuel; and
the blade outer air seal is configured to crack at least some of the vaporized fuel to provide the at least partially cracked fuel.

11. The assembly of claim 1 , further comprising:
a combustor comprising a combustion chamber, wherein the combustion chamber forms part of the flowpath;
the assembly configured to direct the at least partially cracked fuel into the combustion chamber for combustion.

12. The assembly of claim 11 , wherein
the combustor comprises a fuel injector; and
the fuel injector is configured to direct the at least partially cracked fuel into the combustion chamber for combustion.

13. The assembly of claim 11 , further comprising:
a turbine vane adjacent the combustor;
the turbine vane comprising a vane internal passage that is fluidly coupled to the fuel source through the seal internal passage.

14. The assembly of claim 1 , further comprising an airframe component comprising an airframe internal passage that is fluidly coupled with the fuel source and the seal internal passage.

15. An assembly for a turbine engine with a flowpath, comprising:
a fuel source;
a turbine section including a rotor stage; and
a shroud forming a radial outer peripheral boundary of the flowpath, the shroud comprising a shroud internal passage disposed radially outboard of the flowpath, the shroud configured to receive fuel from the fuel source, the shroud extending circumferentially around the rotor stage, and the shroud configured to crack at least some of the fuel within the shroud internal passage thereby cooling the shroud and providing at least partially cracked fuel;
the assembly configured to direct the at least partially cracked fuel into a stator vane internal passage of a stator vane upstream of the rotor stage and into the flowpath for combustion, and
wherein the stator vane internal passage includes a zigzag internal passage along a radial length of the stator vane.

16. An assembly for a turbine engine with a flowpath, comprising:
a fuel source;
a combustor including a combustion chamber and a fuel injector, the combustion chamber forming a part of the flowpath;
a turbine rotor downstream of the combustor; and
a shroud forming a radial outer peripheral boundary of the flowpath downstream of the combustion chamber along the flowpath, the shroud comprising a shroud internal passage disposed radially outboard of the flowpath, and the shroud circumscribing the turbine rotor;
wherein the assembly is configured to direct fuel received from the fuel source through the shroud internal passage to a stator vane internal passage of a stator vane upstream of the turbine rotor and to the fuel injector, the fuel injector is configured to direct the fuel into the combustion chamber for combustion, and the fuel directed into the combustion chamber by the fuel injector comprises gaseous fuel, and
wherein the stator vane internal passage includes a zigzag internal passage along a radial length of the stator vane.

17. The assembly of claim 16 , wherein the gaseous fuel comprises hydrogen (H 2 ) gas.

18. The assembly of claim 17 , wherein the fuel directed into the shroud internal passage comprises ammonia.

19. The assembly of claim 17 , wherein the shroud is configured to crack at least some of the fuel within the shroud internal passage thereby cooling the shroud and providing at least partially cracked fuel that comprises the hydrogen (H 2 ) gas.

Assignees

• Rtx Corp

Inventors

• Davis Dustin W
• Smith Lance L
• Kim Won-Wook

Classifications

• F23R3/40

  characterised by the use of catalytic means · CPC title

• F05D2300/1432

  Ruthenium · CPC title

• F05D2300/11

  Iron · CPC title

• F05D2260/232

  characterized by the cooling medium · CPC title

• F05D2240/36

  Fuel vaporizer · CPC title