Gas Turbine Engine Flow Regulating

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016138807-A1
Application number	US-201314899982-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Jun 18, 2013
Priority date	Jun 18, 2013
Publication date	May 19, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

A gas turbine combustor assembly includes a fuel injector, a dome stator around the fuel injector, and a dome sleeve coupled to the dome stator. The dome sleeve defines an air inlet opening with the dome stator, and is carried to move with respect to the dome stator to change a flow area of the air inlet opening. The dome sleeve also defines a nozzle sloping downstream from the air inlet opening toward an outlet of the combustor assembly. The sloping nozzle defines an annular pinch gap adjacent an outlet of the fuel injector, and is coupled to move with the dome sleeve to change a flow area through the pinch gap.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A gas turbine combustor assembly, comprising:
a fuel injector; a dome stator around the fuel injector; a dome sleeve coupled to the dome stator and defining:
an air inlet opening with the dome stator, the dome sleeve carried to move with respect to the dome stator and change a flow area of the air inlet opening as the dome sleeve moves; and
a nozzle sloping downstream from the air inlet opening toward an outlet of the combustor assembly and defining an annular pinch gap adjacent an outlet of the fuel injector, the sloping nozzle coupled to move with the dome sleeve and change a flow area through the pinch gap as the dome sleeve moves.

2 . The combustor assembly of claim 1 , wherein the sloping nozzle converges to a throat mixing region at a point down downstream from the pinch gap.

3 . The combustor assembly of claim 1 , wherein the sloping nozzle diverges to accommodate a flared surface of the fuel injector outlet.

4 . The combustor assembly of claim 1 , wherein the fuel injector, the dome stator, and the dome sleeve are positioned along a shared axis, and the air inlet opening is oriented in a radial direction relative to the shared axis.

5 . The combustor assembly of claim 4 , wherein the air inlet opening comprises an angled air swirler side surface.

6 . The combustor assembly of claim 1 , wherein the dome sleeve is coupled to the dome stator by a finger joint coupling, the air inlet comprising radial gaps in the finger joint.

7 . The combustor assembly of claim 6 , wherein the finger joint comprises a set of alternating ribs and grooves formed on the dome stator and an interlocking set of alternating fingers and sockets formed on the dome sleeve.

8 . The combustor assembly of claim 1 , wherein the fuel injector comprises one of a plurality of fuel injectors and the dome stator comprises one of a plurality of dome stators paired with respective fuel injectors, and
wherein the dome sleeve is coupled to the plurality of dome stators, defining a respective air inlet opening with each dome stator.

9 . The combustor assembly of claim 1 , further comprising:
a second fuel injector; a second dome stator around the second fuel injector; a second dome sleeve coupled to the second dome stator and defining:
a second air inlet opening with the second dome stator, the second dome sleeve carried to move with respect to the second dome stator and change a flow area of the second air inlet opening as the second dome sleeve moves; and
a second nozzle sloping downstream from the second air inlet opening toward the outlet of the combustor assembly and defining a second annular pinch gap adjacent an outlet of the second fuel injector, the second sloping nozzle coupled to move with the second dome sleeve and change a flow area through the second pinch gap as the second dome sleeve moves.

10 . The combustor assembly of claim 9 , wherein the second dome sleeve is positioned radially adjacent of a first dome sleeve.

11 . The combustor assembly of claim 9 , wherein the second dome sleeve is coupled to a flange of a first dome sleeve.

12 . The combustor assembly of claim 9 , wherein the second dome sleeve is carried to move independently of a first dome sleeve.

13 . The combustor assembly of claim 9 , wherein the second dome sleeve is carried to move in unison with a first dome sleeve in at least one axial direction.

14 . The combustor assembly of claim 13 , wherein the second dome sleeve is carried to move independently of the first dome sleeve in at least one axial direction.

15 . The combustor assembly of claim 9 , wherein the second fuel injector is coupled to a different fuel source than a first fuel injector.

16 . A method of operating a gas turbine assembly, the method comprising:
directing an axial flow of fuel ejected from a fuel injector to a converging nozzle throat of a movable dome sleeve, the dome sleeve attached to a dome stator mounted fixedly to the fuel injector; directing a primary axial flow of gas ejected from the fuel injector toward the nozzle throat; receiving a secondary radial flow of gas from an inlet opening defined by a coupling attaching the dome sleeve to the dome stator; directing the secondary airflow, through an annular pinch gap adjacent an outlet of the fuel injector, to the nozzle throat to mix with the axial flow of fuel and the primary axial flow gas; and simultaneously changing a flow area through the inlet opening and the pinch gap by moving the dome sleeve axially relative to the dome stator and fuel injector.

17 . The method of claim 16 , wherein simultaneously changing a flow area through the inlet opening and the pinch gap comprises proportionately changing the flow area through the inlet opening and the pinch gap.

18 . The method of claim 16 , further comprising changing a flow rate of fuel provided to the fuel injector, and
wherein the flow area through the inlet opening and the pinch gap is changed in response to the change in the flow rate of the fuel.

19 . The method of claim 16 , further comprising changing a flow rate of the primary flow of gas provided to the fuel injector, and
wherein the flow area through the inlet opening and the pinch gap is changed in response to the change in the flow rate of the primary flow of gas.

20 . The method of claim 16 , further comprising imparting a swirling motion on the secondary airflow before the secondary airflow is directed through the pinch gap.

21 . The method of claim 16 , further comprising simultaneously changing a flow area through a second inlet opening and a second pinch gap by moving a second dome sleeve axially relative to a second dome stator and a second fuel injector,
wherein the flow area through the second inlet opening and the second pinch gap is changed independently of the flow area through a first inlet opening and a first pinch gap.

22 . A gas turbine engine comprising:
a compressor; combustor assembly fluidically coupled to the compressor, and comprising:
a fuel injector;
a dome stator around the fuel injector;
a dome sleeve coupled to the dome stator and defining:
an air inlet opening with the dome stator, the dome sleeve carried to move with respect to the dome stator and change a flow area of the air inlet opening as the dome sleeve moves; and
a nozzle sloping downstream from the air inlet opening toward an outlet of the combustor assembly and defining an annular pinch gap adjacent an outlet of the fuel injector, the sloping nozzle coupled to move with the dome sleeve and change a flow area through the pinch gap as the dome sleeve moves; and

a turbine fluidically coupled to the combustor assembly.

Assignees

• Woodward Inc
• Us Government

Inventors

• Mongia Hukam Chand
• Lee Chi-Ming
• Bulzan Daniel L
• Lee Fei Philip
• Tacina Kathleen M

Classifications

• F23R3/36

  Supply of different fuels · CPC title

• F23C7/008

  Flow control devices (F23C7/006 takes precedence) · CPC title

• F23D2900/11101

  Pulverising gas flow impinging on fuel from pre-filming surface, e.g. lip atomizers · CPC title

• F23R3/10

  for primary air (F23R3/06, F23R3/045 take precedence) · CPC title

• F23R3/26

  Controlling the air flow · CPC title