Gas turbine engine having a combustion section with steam provided to second combustor plenum

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12416409-B2
Application number	US-202418436180-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 8, 2024
Priority date	Feb 8, 2024
Publication date	Sep 16, 2025
Grant date	Sep 16, 2025

Abstract

A gas turbine engine includes a steam generating system, and a combustion section having a first combustor and a second combustor in fluid communication with a secondary combustion zone of the first combustor. The second combustor is operable to receive compressor bleed air and fuel, along with steam from the steam generating system. During a non-idle operating state and a power-augmentation operating state, when the steam system is operable, steam is provided to the second combustor and then to the secondary combustion zone of the first combustor. When the steam generating system is inoperable, the fuel and bleed air are provided to the second combustor and combusted, and combustion products are provided to the first combustor. When the steam generating system is partially operable, the steam, the bleed air, and the fuel are provided to the second combustor, and combustion products are provided to the first combustor.

First claim

We claim:

1. A gas turbine engine comprising:
a compressor section having a compressor bleed air system connected thereto;
a steam turbine;
a combustion section, comprising:
a combustor outer casing and a combustor inner casing defining a first combustor pressure plenum therewithin;
a first combustor arranged within the combustor outer casing and the combustor inner casing, and having (a) a first combustor outer liner and a first combustor inner liner that define a first combustion chamber having a primary combustion zone and a secondary combustion zone downstream of the primary combustion zone, and (b) at least one swirler assembly, an outer flow passage being defined between the combustor outer casing and the first combustor outer liner, and an inner flow passage being defined between the combustor inner casing and the first combustor inner liner, the first combustor being arranged to receive a flow of compressed air from the compressor section and to provide a flow of the compressed air into the first combustion chamber; and
a second combustor arranged within one of the outer flow passage or the inner flow passage, the second combustor having a second combustor casing and a second combustor liner defining a second combustion chamber therewithin, a second combustor plenum being defined between the second combustor casing and the second combustor liner, the second combustion liner having an outlet, the second combustor casing being in fluid communication with the compressor bleed air system to receive a flow of compressor bleed air from the compressor bleed air system into the second combustor plenum, and the outlet providing fluid communication between the second combustion chamber and the first combustion chamber of the first combustor;

a first fuel nozzle arranged to provide a first flow of fuel to the at least one swirler assembly of the first combustor;
a second fuel nozzle arranged to provide a second flow of fuel to the second combustion chamber; and
a steam generating system arranged to provide a flow of steam to the second combustor plenum and to the steam turbine.

2. The gas turbine engine according to claim 1 , wherein the outlet is arranged to direct a flow of steam or a flow of combustion products therefrom in a downstream direction within the secondary combustion zone of the first combustion chamber.

3. The gas turbine engine according to claim 1 , wherein the compressor bleed air system includes a bleed air valve that controls the flow of the compressor bleed air to the second combustor plenum, and the steam generating system includes a steam control valve that controls the flow of steam to the second combustor plenum.

4. The gas turbine engine according to claim 1 , wherein the second combustor includes (i) a plurality of second combustor liners, each of the plurality of second combustor liners defining a respective one of a plurality of second combustion chamber that each have a respective outlet in fluid communication with the secondary combustion zone of the first combustion chamber, and (ii) a plurality of second fuel nozzles, respective ones of the plurality of second fuel nozzles being arranged to provide the second flow of fuel to a respective one of the plurality of second combustion chambers.

5. The gas turbine engine according to claim 1 , wherein the steam generating system is arranged downstream of an exhaust section of the gas turbine engine, and utilizes exhaust gases from the exhaust section to generate steam within a boiler.

6. The gas turbine engine according to claim 5 , wherein the steam generating system further includes a condenser and a separator that utilize the exhaust gases to recover water from the exhaust gases and to replenish water within the boiler.

7. The gas turbine engine according to claim 1 , wherein the outlet of the second combustor liner is in fluid communication with the secondary combustion zone of the first combustion chamber.

8. The gas turbine engine according to claim 7 , wherein the outlet is arranged to extend through at least one dilution opening in one of the first combustor outer liner or the first combustor inner liner.

9. The gas turbine engine according to claim 1 , wherein the combustor outer casing and the combustor inner casing extend annularly about a combustor centerline axis, the first combustor is an annular combustor extending annularly about the combustor centerline axis, and the second combustor is a localized combustor that does not extend annularly about the combustor centerline axis.

10. The gas turbine engine according to claim 9 , wherein the second combustor is a partial-annular combustor that extends partially annularly about the combustor centerline axis.

11. The gas turbine engine according to claim 1 , wherein the second combustor casing surrounds the second combustor liner.

12. The gas turbine engine according to claim 11 , wherein the second combustor liner is a trapped vortex combustor liner.

13. The gas turbine engine according to claim 11 , wherein the second combustor liner includes a plurality of openings therethrough providing fluid communication between the second combustor plenum and the second combustion chamber.

14. The gas turbine engine according to claim 13 , wherein, in a non-idle operating state and in a power-augmentation operating state of the gas turbine engine, and, in a case when the steam generating system is operational to generate the steam at a first steam generating level, (i) the flow of steam is provided by the steam generating system to the second combustor plenum, to the second combustion chamber via the plurality of openings, and to the secondary combustion zone of the first combustion chamber, (ii) the compressor bleed air system is disabled from providing compressor bleed air to the second combustor plenum, and (iii) the second fuel nozzle is disabled from providing the second flow of fuel to the second combustion chamber.

15. The gas turbine engine according to claim 13 , wherein, in a non-idle operating state and in a power-augmentation operating state of the gas turbine engine, and, in a case when the steam generating system is operational to generate steam at a second steam generating level less than a first steam generating level, (i) the steam is provided by the steam generating system to the second combustor plenum, and to the second combustion chamber via the plurality of openings, (ii) the compressor bleed air system is enabled and provides the flow of the compressor bleed air to the second combustor plenum, and to the second combustion chamber via the plurality of openings, (iii) the second fuel nozzle is enabled and provides the second flow of fuel to the second combustion chamber where the second flow of fuel, the compressor bleed air, and the steam mix within the second combustion chamber to form a steam-air-fuel mixture, and (iv) the steam-air-fuel mixture is ignited and burned within the second combustion chamber to generate combustion products that are provided to the secondary combustion zone of the first combustion chamber via the outlet.

16. The gas turbine engine according to claim 13 , wherein, in a non-idle operating state and in a power-augmentation operating state of the gas turbine engine, and, in a case when the steam generating system is not generating the steam, (i) the steam generating system is disabled from providing steam to the second combustor plenum, (ii) the compressor bleed air system is enabled to provide the flow of compressor bleed air to the second combustor plenum, and the compressor bleed air flows into the second combustion chamber via the pl

Assignees

• Gen Electric

Inventors

• Naik Pradeep
• Cooper Clayton S
• Vise Steven C
• Benjamin Michael A
• Pal Sibtosh
• Marakovits Steven
• Mohan Sripathi
• Zelina Joseph

Classifications

• F02C3/305

  Increasing the power, speed, torque or efficiency of a gas turbine or the thrust of a turbojet engine by injecting or adding water, steam or other fluids (F01K21/04 takes precedence) · CPC title

• F02C7/1435

  by water injection · CPC title

• F02C7/141

  of working fluid · CPC title

• F02C7/047

  Heating to prevent icing · CPC title

• F02C3/30 Primary

  Adding water, steam or other fluids {for influencing combustion, e.g. to obtain cleaner exhaust gases (F02C7/141, F02C7/30, F01D21/00, F01K21/04, F23D11/10 take precedence)} · CPC title