Combustion chamber assembly for operation with liquid and/or gaseous fuel, gas turbine assembly and method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12460822-B2
Application number	US-202318358647-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 25, 2023
Priority date	Aug 10, 2022
Publication date	Nov 4, 2025
Grant date	Nov 4, 2025

Abstract

The invention concerns a combustion chamber assembly, in particular for use in an aircraft engine, including:
a peripheral wall which borders a combustion space oriented along a longitudinal axis, and at least one, preferably a plurality of fuel nozzle(s) arranged on the input side of the combustion space for the supply of liquid fuel to the combustion space.

An alternative and/or combined optimised operation with fuels of different aggregate states can be achieved with comparatively low structural complexity in that the combustion chamber assembly is configured for operation with liquid and/or gaseous fuel, wherein at least one, preferably a plurality of gas supply openings arranged downstream of the fuel nozzle(s) on the peripheral wall is/are present, by means of which gaseous fuel can be introduced into the combustion space.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1 . A combustion chamber assembly, for use in an aircraft engine, comprising:
a peripheral wall which borders a combustion space oriented along a longitudinal axis, and at least one fuel nozzle arranged on an input side of the combustion space for supply of liquid fuel to the combustion space, wherein the combustion chamber assembly is configured for operation with the liquid and/or a gaseous fuel, and includes a plurality of mixing openings arranged downstream of the at least one fuel nozzle in the peripheral wall for supply of mixing air to the combustion space, wherein the mixing openings are arranged in at least one opening row, wherein z mixing openings are present per each of the at least one opening row and are arranged at a uniform axial position and equidistantly from one another in a circumferential direction of the peripheral wall, a plurality of gas nozzles, each having a gas supply opening, by which the gaseous fuel is introduced into the combustion space, each of the gas supply openings arranged in a respective one of the mixing openings to form an air/gas supply assembly, wherein for at least one of the at least one opening row, one of the air/gas supply assemblies is formed in every nth mixing opening, with n=2 to z.

2 . The combustion chamber assembly according to claim 1 , wherein the gas nozzles are each arranged centrally inside the respective mixing opening.

3 . The combustion chamber assembly according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one opening row includes a plurality of opening rows which are offset in an axial direction of the combustion space, wherein least one air/gas supply assemblies is arranged at least in a first downstream one of the opening rows.

4 . The combustion chamber assembly according to claim 1 , wherein the mixing openings are formed flush with the peripheral wall relative to the combustion space and/or are offset inwardly into the combustion space relative to the peripheral wall.

5 . The combustion chamber assembly according to claim 1 , wherein the gas supply opening are formed flush with the peripheral wall relative to the combustion space and/or are offset inwardly into the combustion space relative to the peripheral wall and/or the respective one of the mixing openings.

6 . The combustion chamber assembly according to claim 1 , wherein each of the mixing openings in the air/gas supply assemblies has a first flow cross-section, and at least one of the mixing opening not part of the one of the air/gas assemblies has a second flow cross-section, wherein
a size of the first flow cross-section corresponds to a size of the second flow cross-section.

7 . The combustion chamber assembly according to claim 1 , wherein the combustion space is formed as a ring running around a central axis, wherein the peripheral wall has a radial inner flame tube wall and a radially outer flame tube wall.

8 . The combustion chamber assembly according to claim 7 , wherein the gas nozzles are arranged on the radially inner flame tube wall and/or on the radially outer flame tube wall.

9 . The combustion chamber assembly according to claim 1 , wherein an axial distance a of the gas supply openings and/or the mixing openings from the at least one fuel nozzle is between 0.2 and 1.5 times a height of the combustion space.

10 . The combustion chamber assembly according to claim 9 , wherein the axial distance of the gas supply openings and/or the mixing openings from the at least one fuel nozzle is between 0.3 and 1.0 times the height of the combustion space.

11 . The combustion chamber assembly according to claim 1 , wherein the peripheral wall is formed as a double wall with an inner wall on a side of the combustion space and an outer wall.

12 . The combustion chamber assembly according claim 1 , and further comprising a segmented gas distribution line for supplying the gaseous fuel to the gas supply openings, wherein a separate fuel connection is assigned to each segment.

13 . A gas turbine assembly having a turbine assembly and the combustion chamber assembly according to claim 1 .

14 . The combustion chamber assembly according to claim 1 , wherein the each of the mixing openings in the air/gas supply assemblies has a first flow cross-section, and at least one of the mixing opening not part of the one of the air/gas assemblies has a second flow cross-section, wherein a size of the first flow cross-section is greater than a size of the second flow cross-section.

15 . The combustion chamber assembly according to claim 1 , wherein each of the mixing openings in the air/gas supply assemblies has a first flow cross-section, and at least one of the mixing opening not part of the one of the air/gas assemblies has a second flow cross-section, wherein a contour of the first flow cross-section corresponds to a contour of the second flow cross-section.

16 . The combustion chamber assembly according to claim 1 , wherein n forms an ordinate of an integral quotient of z.

17 . A method for operating a combustion chamber assembly comprising:
providing the combustion chamber assembly, for use in an aircraft engine, comprising:
a peripheral wall which borders a combustion space oriented along a longitudinal axis, and
at least one fuel nozzle arranged on an input side of the combustion space for supply of liquid fuel to the combustion space,
wherein the combustion chamber assembly is configured for operation with the with liquid and/or a gaseous fuel, and includes:
a plurality of mixing openings arranged downstream of the at least one fuel nozzle in the peripheral wall for supply of mixing air to the combustion space,
wherein the mixing openings are arranged in at least one opening row, wherein z mixing openings are present per each of the at least one opening row and are arranged at a uniform axial position and equidistantly from one another in a circumferential direction of the peripheral wall,
a plurality of gas nozzles, each having a gas supply opening, by which the gaseous fuel is introduced into the combustion space, each of the gas supply openings arranged in a respective one of the mixing openings to form an air/gas supply assembly,
wherein for at least one of the at least one opening row, one of the air/gas supply

assemblies is formed in every nth mixing opening, with n=2 to z,
supplying the liquid fuel to the combustion space via the at least one fuel nozzle, and additionally, or alternatively to the liquid fuel, supplying the gaseous fuel to the combustion space via the gas supply openings.

18 . The method according to claim 17 , wherein n forms an ordinate of an integral quotient of z.

Assignees

• Rolls Royce Deutschland Ltd & Co Kg

Inventors

• Clemen Carsten
• Dörr Thomas

Classifications

• F23R3/286

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

• F05D2220/323

  for aircraft propulsion, e.g. jet engines · CPC title

• F05D2240/35

  Combustors or associated equipment · CPC title

• F23R2900/00002

  Gas turbine combustors adapted for fuels having low heating value [LHV] · CPC title

• F23R3/36 Primary

  Supply of different fuels · CPC title