Combustor

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12305571-B2
Application number	US-202318501484-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 3, 2023
Priority date	Aug 22, 2023
Publication date	May 20, 2025
Grant date	May 20, 2025

Abstract

A combustor includes a combustion chamber and an annular dome. The combustion chamber includes an outer liner and an inner liner and has a combustion zone. The annular dome is coupled to the outer liner and the inner liner. A plurality of mixing assemblies operably injects a fuel-air mixture into the combustion zone of the combustion chamber to produce combustion gases. A combustor steam system is in fluid communication with the combustion chamber. The combustor steam system includes a steam path defined by at least one of the outer liner, the inner liner, or the annular dome. The combustor steam system operably directs steam through the steam path from the at least one of the outer liner, the inner liner, or the annular dome and into the combustion chamber.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A combustor comprising:
a combustion chamber including an outer liner and an inner liner and having a combustion zone;
an annular dome coupled to the outer liner and the inner liner at a forward end of the combustion chamber;
a plurality of mixing assemblies that operably injects a fuel-air mixture into the combustion zone of the combustion chamber to produce combustion gases;
one or more air dilution holes that operably directs compressed air into the combustion chamber through at least one of the outer liner or the inner liner; and
a combustor steam system in fluid communication with the combustion chamber, the combustor steam system including:
a steam path defined by, and disposed within, at least one of the outer liner or the inner liner, such that the steam path is axially aft of the annular dome;
one or more steam injectors extending from a forward portion of the steam path that is axially forward of the one or more air dilution holes; and
one or more steam injector holes extending from an aft portion of the steam path that is axially aft of the one or more air dilution holes and into the combustion chamber,

wherein the combustor steam system operably directs steam into the steam path via the one or more steam injectors and into the combustion chamber via the one or more steam injector holes.

2. The combustor of claim 1 , wherein the combustor steam system operably directs the steam away from the combustion zone.

3. The combustor of claim 1 , wherein a water-to-air ratio of the steam and the compressed air in the combustion chamber is 0.0% to 60%.

4. The combustor of claim 1 , further including one or more steam dilution holes extending from the steam path and into the combustion chamber through the at least one of the outer liner or the inner liner, wherein the combustor steam system operably injects at least a portion of the steam into the combustion chamber axially aft of at least one of the one or more air dilution holes or the one or more steam dilution holes.

5. The combustor of claim 1 , wherein the combustor steam system includes one or more steam cooling holes extending from the steam path and into the combustion chamber through the at least one of the outer liner or the inner liner, the one or more steam cooling holes operably directing the steam therethrough to cool the at least one of the outer liner or the inner liner.

6. The combustor of claim 1 , wherein the one or more steam injectors are annular about the combustion chamber.

7. The combustor of claim 1 , wherein the one or more steam injection holes are positioned on at least one of the outer liner or the inner liner at least 25% of a total combustion chamber length of the combustion chamber.

8. A method of operating the combustor of claim 1 , the method comprising:
generating the fuel-air mixture with the plurality of mixing assemblies;
injecting the fuel-air mixture into the combustion zone of the combustion chamber to generate a flame in the combustion zone that produces the combustion gases;
directing the steam with the combustor steam system into the steam path defined by, and disposed within, the at least one of the outer liner or the inner liner via the one or more steam injectors; and
directing the steam from the steam path and into the combustion chamber via the one or more steam injector holes.

9. The method of claim 8 , further comprising directing the steam away from the combustion zone.

10. The method of claim 8 , further comprising injecting the steam with the combustor steam system during a mid-power operation of the combustor and during a high-power operation of the combustor.

11. The method of claim 8 , further comprising directing the steam into the combustion chamber such that a water-to-air ratio of the steam to the compressed air in the combustion chamber is 0.0% to 60%.

12. The method of claim 8 , wherein the combustor includes one or more steam dilution holes extending from the steam path and into the combustion chamber through the at least one of the outer liner or the inner liner, and the method further comprising directing at least a portion of the steam into the combustion chamber axially aft of at least one of the one or more air dilution holes or the one or more steam dilution holes.

13. The method of claim 8 , wherein the combustor steam system includes one or more steam cooling holes extending from the steam path and into the combustion chamber through the at least one of the outer liner or the inner liner, and the method further comprising operably directing the steam through the one or more steam cooling holes to cool the at least one of the outer liner or the inner liner.

14. The method of claim 8 , further comprising directing the steam from the steam path, through the one or more steam injection holes, and into the combustion chamber at a position that is at least 25% of a total combustion chamber length of the combustion chamber.

15. The method of claim 8 , further comprising directing the steam from the steam path, through the one or more steam injection holes, and into the combustion chamber at a position that is in a range of 10% to 90% of a total combustion chamber length of the combustion chamber.

16. The combustor of claim 1 , wherein the combustor steam system operably directs steam through the steam path and into the combustion chamber downstream of the combustion zone and of the one or more air dilution holes.

17. The combustor of claim 1 , wherein the steam path has a zigzag shape that extends axially afterward from the one or more steam injectors and around the one or more air dilution holes to the one or more steam injector holes.

18. The combustor of claim 1 , wherein the steam path includes one or more circumferential extending portions and one or more axial extending portions that are fluidly coupled with the one or more circumferential extending portions.

19. The combustor of claim 18 , wherein the one or more steam injector holes extends from the one or more circumferential extending portions of the steam path and into the combustion chamber.

20. The combustor of claim 18 , wherein the one or more steam injector holes extends from the one or more axial extending portions of the steam path and into the combustion chamber.

Assignees

• Gen Electric

Inventors

• Vukanti Perumallu
• Naik Pradeep
• Singh Saket
• Benjamin Michael A
• Mohan Sripathi
• Cooper Clayton S
• Wankhade Rajendra
• Nath Hiranya
• Overman Nicholas R
• Vise Steven C

Classifications

• F23R2900/03042

  Film cooled combustion chamber walls or domes · CPC title

• F05D2260/2322

  steam · CPC title

• F05D2260/202

  by film cooling · CPC title

• F23R3/04 Primary

  Air inlet arrangements · CPC title

• F23R3/06

  Arrangement of apertures along the flame tube · CPC title