Fuel-cooled engine component(s)

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12560122-B2
Application number	US-202519088506-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 24, 2025
Priority date	Mar 9, 2021
Publication date	Feb 24, 2026
Grant date	Feb 24, 2026

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; and an engine component forming a peripheral boundary of the flowpath, the engine component comprising a component internal passage, the engine component configured to receive fuel from the fuel source, and the engine component 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; and a turbine vane comprising a vane internal passage that is fluidly coupled with the component internal passage, wherein the vane internal passage includes a non-linear internal passage that directs the fuel radially inward along a radial length of the turbine vane, wherein the vane internal passage includes a plurality of turns along the radial length, the plurality of turns are aligned along a longitudinal direction of the turbine engine, such that the fuel flows alternately downstream and upstream the longitudinal direction through the plurality of turns; wherein the assembly is configured to direct the at least partially cracked fuel into the flowpath for combustion.

2 . The assembly of claim 1 , wherein the at least partially cracked fuel comprises hydrogen 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 engine component comprises a catalytic material at least partially lining the component internal passage, and the catalytic material is selected to facilitate the cracking of the at least some of the fuel within the component internal passage.

5 . The assembly of claim 1 , wherein the engine component comprises material that at least partially forms the component internal passage, and the material comprises at least one of nickel (Ni), iron (Fe), ruthenium (Ru) or platinum (Pt).

6 . The assembly of claim 1 , wherein
the fuel directed into the component internal passage comprises liquid fuel; the engine component is configured to vaporize the liquid fuel to provide vaporized fuel; and the engine component is further configured to crack at least some of the vaporized fuel to provide the at least partially cracked fuel.

7 . The assembly of claim 1 , wherein
the fuel directed into the component internal passage comprises vaporized fuel; and the engine component is configured to crack at least some of the vaporized fuel to provide the at least partially cracked fuel.

8 . The assembly of claim 1 , wherein the engine component comprises a flowpath wall.

9 . The assembly of claim 1 , wherein the engine component comprises a blade outer air seal.

10 . 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.

11 . The assembly of claim 10 , 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.

12 . The assembly of claim 10 , wherein
the combustor comprises the engine component; the engine component is configured as a combustor wall; and the combustor wall comprises one or more fuel injection orifices configured to direct the at least partially cracked fuel into the combustion chamber for combustion.

13 . The assembly of claim 10 , wherein:
the turbine vane is adjacent the combustor; the vane internal passage fluidly couples the fuel source with the component internal passage; and the engine component is configured as an inner wall of the combustor.

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 component internal passage.

15 . An assembly for a turbine engine with a flowpath, comprising:
a fuel source; an engine component forming a peripheral boundary of the flowpath, the engine component comprising a component internal passage, and the engine component configured to receive fuel from the fuel source and flow the fuel within the component internal passage for cooling the engine component; and a turbine vane comprising a vane internal passage that is fluidly coupled with the component internal passage, wherein the vane internal passage includes a non-linear internal passage along a radial length of the turbine vane, wherein the vane internal passage includes a plurality of turns along the radial length, the plurality of turns are aligned along a longitudinal direction of the turbine engine, such that the fuel flows alternately downstream and upstream the longitudinal direction through the plurality of turns; wherein the assembly is configured to direct the fuel used for cooling the engine component from the engine component into the flowpath for combustion, and the fuel directed into the flowpath comprises hydrogen gas.

16 . The assembly of claim 15 , wherein the engine component is configured to crack at least some of the fuel within the component internal passage to provide at least partially cracked fuel, and the at least partially cracked fuel comprises the hydrogen gas.

17 . An assembly for a turbine engine, comprising:
a fuel source, a turbine vane and an annular combustor; the turbine vane comprising a vane internal passage, wherein the vane internal passage includes a non-linear internal passage along a radial length of the turbine vane, wherein the vane internal passage includes a plurality of turns along the radial length, the plurality of turns are aligned along a longitudinal direction of the turbine engine; the annular combustor comprising a combustion chamber and a combustor inner wall, and the combustor inner wall comprising an inner wall internal passage; the assembly configured to direct fuel from the fuel source sequentially through the vane internal passage and the inner wall internal passage, such that the fuel flows alternately downstream and upstream the longitudinal direction through the plurality of turns to cool the turbine vane and the combustor inner wall; and the assembly configured to direct the fuel used for cooling the turbine vane and the combustor inner wall into the combustion chamber for combustion.

18 . The assembly of claim 17 , wherein
the annular combustor further includes a combustor outer wall that circumscribes the combustor inner wall; the combustor outer wall comprises an outer wall internal passage; the assembly is configured to direct additional fuel from the fuel source through the outer wall internal passage to cool the combustor outer wall; and the assembly is configured to direct the additional fuel used to cool the combustor outer wall into the combustion chamber for combustion.

19 . The assembly of claim 17 , wherein
at least one component of the assembly is configured to crack at least some of the fuel flowing therethrough to provide at least partially cracked fuel, and the assembly is configured to direct the at least partially cracked fuel into the combustion chamber for combustion; and the at least one component of the assembly is configured as the turbine vane or the combustor inner wall.

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