Flamesheet combustor dome

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9752781-B2
Application number	US-201314038064-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 26, 2013
Priority date	Oct 1, 2012
Publication date	Sep 5, 2017
Grant date	Sep 5, 2017

Abstract

The present invention discloses a novel apparatus and way for controlling a velocity of a fuel-air mixture entering a gas turbine combustion system. The apparatus comprises a hemispherical dome assembly which directs a fuel-air mixture along a portion of the outer wall of a combustion liner and turns the fuel-air mixture to enter the combustion liner in a manner coaxial to the combustor axis and radially outward of a pilot fuel nozzle so as to regulate the velocity of the fuel-air mixture.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A gas turbine combustor comprising:
a generally cylindrical flow sleeve extending along a combustor axis;
a generally cylindrical combustion liner located coaxial to and radially within the flow sleeve, the combustion liner having an inlet end and an opposing outlet end;
a set of main fuel injectors positioned radially outward of the combustion liner and proximate an upstream end of the flow sleeve;
a combustor dome assembly encompassing the inlet end of the combustion liner, the dome assembly extending from proximate the set of main fuel injectors to a generally hemispherical-shaped cap positioned a distance forward of the inlet end of the combustion liner and turns to extend a distance into the combustion liner, such that a first passageway and a second passageway are formed between the combustion liner and a dome assembly outer wall and a third passageway is formed between the combustion liner and a dome assembly inner wall, where the first passageway has a first radial height, the second passageway has a second radial height and the third passageway has a third radial height such that the second radial height regulates the volume of a fuel-air mixture entering the gas turbine combustor;
wherein the first radial height ranges from approximately 15 millimeters to approximately 50 millimeters;
wherein the second radial height ranges from approximately 10 millimeters to approximately 45 millimeters; and
wherein the third radial height ranges from approximately 30 millimeters to approximately 100 millimeters, such that the first passageway tapers towards the second passageway to accelerate the fuel-air mixture to achieve adequate flashback margin velocity of 40-80 meters per second to generate a trapped vortex adjacent the combustor liner.

2. The gas turbine combustor of claim 1 , further comprising a fourth passageway having a fourth height as measured between the inlet end of the combustion liner and the combustor dome assembly.

3. The gas turbine combustor of claim 1 , wherein the largest height of the first passageway occurs at a region adjacent the set of main fuel injectors.

4. The gas turbine combustor of claim 1 , wherein the second and third passageways are cylindrical.

5. A method of controlling a velocity of a fuel-air mixture for a gas turbine combustor comprising:
directing a fuel-air mixture through a first passageway located radially outward of a combustion liner, the first passageway having a first radial height;
directing the fuel-air mixture from the first passageway and into a second passageway located radially outward of the combustion liner, the second passageway having a second radial height;
directing the fuel-air mixture from the second passageway into a fourth passageway in a hemispherical dome cap, thereby causing the fuel-air mixture to reverse flow direction; and
directing the fuel-air mixture through a third passageway located within the combustion liner and into the combustion liner, the third passageway having a third radial height;
wherein the first radial height ranges from approximately 15 millimeters to approximately 50 millimeters;
wherein the second radial height ranges from approximately 10 millimeters to approximately 45 millimeters;
wherein the third radial height ranges from approximately 30 millimeters to approximately 100 millimeters such that a ratio of the second radial height to the third radial height is approximately 0.1 to 0.5; and
wherein the first passageway has a conical-shaped cross section that tapers towards the second passageway;
wherein the second passageway has a cylindrical-shaped cross section; and
wherein the third passageway has a cylindrical-shaped cross section.

6. The method of claim 5 , wherein the second passageway contains a minimal cross sectional area between the first, second and third passageways.

7. The method of claim 5 , wherein the ratio of the second radial height to the third radial height generates a trapped vortex.

8. The method of claim 5 , wherein a wall of the combustion liner forms parts of the first, second and third passageways.

Assignees

• Ansaldo Energia Ip Uk Ltd

Inventors

• Stuttaford Peter John
• Jorgensen Stephen
• Hui Timothy
• Chen Yan
• Rizkalla Hany
• Oumejjoud Khalid

Classifications

• F23C2900/07001

  Air swirling vanes incorporating fuel injectors · CPC title

• F23R3/286

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

• F23R3/343

  Pilot flames, i.e. fuel nozzles or injectors using only a very small proportion of the total fuel to insure continuous combustion (ignition in gas-turbine plants F02C7/264; pilot flame igniters F23Q9/00) · CPC title

• F23R2900/00014

  Reducing thermo-acoustic vibrations by passive means, e.g. by Helmholtz resonators · CPC title

• F23R3/26

  Controlling the air flow · CPC title