Combustor nozzles in gas turbine engines

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9759426-B2
Application number	US-201414448321-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 31, 2014
Priority date	Jul 31, 2014
Publication date	Sep 12, 2017
Grant date	Sep 12, 2017

Abstract

A micro-mixer nozzle for use in a combustor of a combustion turbine engine, the micro-mixer nozzle including: a fuel plenum defined by a shroud wall connecting a periphery of a forward tube sheet to a periphery of an aft tubesheet; a plurality of mixing tubes extending across the fuel plenum for mixing a supply of compressed air and fuel, each of the mixing tubes forming a passageway between an inlet formed through the forward tubesheet and an outlet formed through the aft tubesheet; and a wall mixing tube formed in the shroud wall.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A micro-mixer nozzle for use in a combustor of a combustion turbine engine, the micro-mixer nozzle comprising:
a fuel plenum defined by a shroud wall connecting a periphery of a forward tube sheet to a periphery of an aft tubesheet;
wherein the shroud wall further comprises surface boundaries circumferentially surrounding the fuel plenum and a plurality of mixing tubes;
wherein the fuel plenum extends from the aft tubesheet to the forward tubesheet;
the plurality of mixing tubes extending across the fuel plenum for mixing a supply of compressed air and fuel, each of the mixing tubes forming a passageway between an inlet formed through the forward tubesheet and an outlet formed through the aft tubesheet;
a plurality of wall mixing tubes formed and incorporated in the shroud wall, such that the plurality of wall mixing tubes are formed and defined by the surface boundaries of the shroud wall; and
wherein each of the plurality of wall mixing tubes comprises axially spaced fuel ports that fluidly communicate with the interior of the fuel plenum.

2. The micro-mixer nozzle according to claim 1 , wherein each wall mixing tube of the plurality of wall mixing tubes extends between an inlet formed through the forward tubesheet and an outlet formed through the aft tubesheet.

3. The micro-mixer nozzle according to claim 2 , wherein each of the plurality of mixing tubes comprises axially spaced fuel ports that fluidly communicate with the interior of the fuel plenum.

4. The micro-mixer nozzle according to claim 3 , wherein the shroud wall comprises inner and outer surface; and
wherein the fuel ports of the plurality of wall mixing tubes comprise an inlet formed through the inner surface of the shroud wall, and wherein the shroud wall is solid along the outer surface.

5. The micro-mixer nozzle according to claim 2 , wherein inlets of the plurality of wall mixing tubes and the plurality of mixing tubes on the forward tubesheet are configured for receiving the supply of compressed air from a chamber positioned just forward of the forward tube sheet; and
wherein the outlets of the plurality of wall mixing tubes and the plurality of mixing tubes on the aft tubesheet are configured for injecting a mixed flow of compressed air and fuel into a combustion zone.

6. A combustor in a combustion turbine engine, the combustor comprising a nozzle for mixing a supply of compressed air with a supply of fuel, wherein the nozzle further comprises:
a fuel plenum axially stacked between an upstream first chamber and a downstream second chamber, wherein the fuel plenum is defined between by a circumferentially extending shroud wall that extends axially between a forward tubesheet, which is directly adjacent to the upstream first chamber, and an aft tube sheet, which is directly adjacent to the downstream second chamber, and wherein the fuel plenum is radially divided into nozzle sections defined by sidewalls that extends between the forward tubesheet and the aft tubesheet;
wherein the shroud wall further comprises surface boundaries circumferentially surrounding the fuel plenum and a plurality of mixing tubes;
the plurality of mixing tubes positioned within each of the nozzle sections of the fuel plenum so to define a passageway connecting an inlet formed through the forward tubesheet to an outlet formed through the aft tubesheet; and
a plurality of wall mixing tubes formed and incorporated in the sidewalls of each of the nozzle sections of the fuel plenum, such that the plurality of wall mixing tubes are formed and defined by surface boundaries of the sidewalls;
wherein each mixing tube of the plurality of mixing tubes and the plurality of wall mixing tubes include fuel ports fluidly communicating with an interior of the fuel plenum.

7. The combustor according to claim 6 , wherein the shroud wall further comprises the plurality of wall mixing tubes.

8. The combustor according to claim 7 , wherein the forward tubesheet and the aft tubesheet are parallel, and wherein each comprises a planar configuration.

9. The combustor according to claim 6 , wherein the first chamber comprises a connection with a flow annulus defined between an inner radial wall and an outer radial wall;
wherein the first chamber includes a fuel line extending between an end cover and the fuel plenum; and
wherein the second chamber comprises a combustion zone.

10. The combustor according to claim 6 , wherein the fuel plenum comprises a cylindrical shape, and wherein the nozzle sections comprise wedge-shaped cross-sectional profiles.

11. The combustor according to claim 6 , wherein an interior surface of the sidewalls of the nozzle sections comprises an undulating contour.

12. The combustor according to claim 11 , wherein the undulating contour of the interior surface of the sidewalls includes alternating thick and thin sections; and
wherein the plurality of wall mixing tubes are positioned so to correspond with the thick sections.

13. The combustor according to claim 11 , wherein the fuel plenum comprises a first row of mixing tubes extending near and in spaced relation to the interior surface of the sidewalls; and
wherein the first row of mixing tubes are positioned so to correspond with the thin sections of the undulating contour.

14. The combustor according to claim 11 , wherein the fuel plenum comprises a first row of mixing tubes extending near and in spaced relation to the interior surface of the sidewalls;
wherein the undulating contour of the interior surface of the sidewalls includes alternating thick and thin sections;
wherein the plurality of wall mixing tubes are positioned so to correspond with the thick sections; and
wherein the first row of mixing tubes are positioned so to correspond with the thin sections.

15. The combustor according to claim 12 , wherein an exterior surface of the sidewalls of the nozzle sections comprise an undulating contour.

16. The combustor according to claim 13 , wherein the undulating contour of the exterior surface of the sidewalls includes alternating thick and thin sections; and
wherein the alternating thick and thin sections of the exterior surface correspond to the alternating thick and thin sections of the interior surface.

17. A combustion turbine engine having a compressor and a turbine operably connected by a combustor, wherein the combustor comprises:
a flowpath that includes: an upstream portion having ports fluidly communicating with a combustor discharge cavity into which compressed air from the compressor is supplied; and a downstream portion that directs a flow of combustion products into the turbine;
an inner radial wall and an outer radial wall that define a flow annulus;
an axially stacked first, second, and third chambers defined within the inner radial wall, wherein:
the first chamber extends between an endcover and the second chamber, wherein the endcover defines a forward axial boundary of the flowpath, and wherein the first chamber fluidly connects to the flow annulus via ports formed through the inner radial wall;
the second chamber extends between a forward tubesheet configured to separate the first and second chambers and an aft tubesheet configured to separate the second and third chambers;
the second chamber includes a circumferential extending shroud wall that encloses a fuel plenum from the forward tubesheet to the aft tubesheet;
wherein the shroud wall further comprises surface boundaries circumferentially surrounding the fuel plenum and a plurality of mixing tubes;
the plurality of mixing tubes extending ac

Assignees

• Gen Electric

Inventors

• Johnson Thomas Edward
• Keener Christopher Paul
• Stewart Jason Thurman
• Ostebee Heath Michael

Classifications

• F23R3/286 Primary

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

• F23R3/10

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