Asymmetric baseplate cooling with alternating swirl main burners

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9939156-B2
Application number	US-201314140599-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 26, 2013
Priority date	Jun 5, 2013
Publication date	Apr 10, 2018
Grant date	Apr 10, 2018

Abstract

A combustor arrangement ( 10 ) including: a pilot burner ( 22 ) having a pilot cone ( 62 ); a plurality of clockwise ( 130 ) main swirlers interposed among a plurality of counterclockwise ( 132 ) main swirlers and disposed concentrically about the pilot burner; and a base plate ( 40 ) transverse to the main swirlers. Inbound-zones ( 134 ) exist where adjacent portions ( 106 ) of adjacent flows ( 108 ) through main swirlers flow toward the pilot cone, and interposed between the inbound zones outbound zones ( 136 ) exist where adjacent portions of adjacent flows flow away from the pilot cone. The arrangement is configured to preferentially deliver more cooling fluid to the inbound zones than the outbound zones.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A combustor arrangement, comprising:
a pilot burner comprising a pilot cone;
a plurality of clockwise main swirlers interposed among a plurality of counterclockwise main swirlers and disposed concentrically about the pilot burner, wherein the plurality of clockwise main swirlers and the plurality of counterclockwise main swirlers define inbound-zones and outbound-zones interposed between one another, wherein each respective one of the plurality of clockwise main swirlers is configured to eject a main burner flow through a respective singular main burner outlet fluidly coupled to the respective one of the plurality of clockwise main swirlers, and wherein each respective one of the plurality of counterclockwise main swirlers is configured to eject a main burner flow through a respective singular main burner outlet fluidly coupled to the respective one of the plurality of counterclockwise main swirlers; and a base plate transverse to the main swirlers;
wherein at least one of the inbound-zones exists between a respective clockwise main swirler and a first counterclockwise main swirler adjacent at one side of the respective clockwise main swirler, where adjacent portions of adjacent flows through the respective clockwise main swirler and the first counterclockwise main swirler flow toward the pilot cone, and wherein at least one of the outbound zones exists between the respective clockwise main swirler and a second counterclockwise main swirler adjacent at another side of the respective clockwise main swirler opposite to the one side of the respective clockwise main swirler, wherein each inbound zone is a fuel-rich zone relative to a fuel-lean zone formed in each outbound zone, where adjacent portions of adjacent flows through the respective clockwise main swirler and the second counterclockwise main swirler flow away from the pilot cone;
wherein the base plate comprises a cooling arrangement comprising high-flow cooling apertures defining high-flow regions, and further comprising low-flow cooling apertures defining low-flow regions,
wherein the cooling arrangement comprises one of the following:
1) the high-flow cooling apertures comprising a larger diameter than a diameter of the low-flow cooling apertures;
2) the high-flow cooling apertures comprising a larger number than a number of the low-flow cooling apertures; and
3) the high-flow cooling apertures comprising a combination of both larger diameter cooling apertures and a larger number than the number of the low-flow cooling apertures;
wherein the cooling arrangement of high-flow cooling regions and low-flow cooling regions is effective to deliver more cooling fluid to each inbound-zone than the cooling fluid delivered to each outbound zone so that a ratio of fuel-to-air in each fuel-rich zone is reduced compared to a ratio of fuel-to-air in each fuel-lean zone.

2. The combustor arrangement of claim 1 , wherein the cooling arrangement of high-flow cooling apertures and low-flow cooling apertures defines the high-flow regions through each of which cooling fluid flows at a higher flow-rate, and further defines the low-flow regions through each of which the cooling fluid flows at a lower flow-rate.

3. The combustor arrangement of claim 1 , wherein a respective high-flow region is circumferentially aligned with each inbound-zone.

4. The combustor arrangement of claim 3 , wherein the high-flow region apertures permit the cooling fluid to flow through the base plate, and wherein in each high-flow region a majority of the high-flow region apertures are disposed radially outward of longitudinal axes of the respective adjacent main swirlers.

5. A combustor arrangement, comprising:
a pilot burner;
a plurality of premix main swirlers concentrically disposed about the pilot burner, the main swirlers alternate between a main swirler that imparts a clockwise swirl and a main swirler that imparts a counter-clockwise swirl, wherein the plurality of premix main swirlers defines inbound-zones and outbound zones interposed between one another, wherein each respective one of the plurality of premix main swirlers is configured to eject a main burner flow through a respective singular main burner outlet fluidly coupled to the respective one of the plurality of premix main swirlers; and
a base plate through which the main swirlers extend, wherein the base plate comprises a cooling arrangement of high-flow cooling apertures effective to form a plurality of high-flow regions through each of which cooling fluid flows at a higher flow-rate, and low-flow cooling apertures effective to form a plurality of low-flow regions through each of which the cooling fluid flows at a lower flow-rate;
wherein at least one of the inbound-zones exists between a respective clockwise main swirler and a first counterclockwise main swirler adjacent at one side of the respective clockwise main swirler, where adjacent portions of adjacent flows through the respective clockwise main swirler and the first counterclockwise main swirler flow toward the pilot burner, and wherein at least one of the outbound zones exists between the respective clockwise main swirler and a second counterclockwise main swirler adjacent at another side of the respective clockwise main swirler opposite to the one side of the respective clockwise main swirler, where adjacent portions of adjacent flows through the respective clockwise main swirler and the second counterclockwise main swirler flow away from the pilot burner, wherein each inbound zone is a fuel-rich zone relative to a fuel-lean zone formed in each outbound zone,
wherein the cooling arrangement comprises one of the following:
1) the high-flow cooling apertures comprising a larger diameter than a diameter of the low-flow cooling apertures;
2) the high-flow cooling apertures comprising a larger number than a number of the low-flow cooling apertures; and
3) the high-flow cooling apertures comprising a combination of both larger diameter cooling apertures and a larger number than the number of the low-flow cooling apertures,
wherein the cooling arrangement of high-flow cooling regions and low-flow cooling regions is effective to deliver more cooling fluid to each inbound-zone than the cooling fluid delivered to each outbound zone so that a ratio of fuel-to-air in each fuel-rich zone is reduced compared to a ratio of fuel-to-air in each fuel-lean zone.

6. The combustor arrangement of claim 5 , wherein the low-flow regions are circumferentially interposed between adjacent high-flow regions.

7. The combustor arrangement of claim 6 , wherein a respective high-flow region is demarked by planes radial to a pilot burner longitudinal axis and which bisect respective adjacent main swirlers surrounding a respective inbound-zone.

8. The combustor arrangement of claim 7 , wherein low-flow regions are those portions of the base plate in between the high-flow regions.

9. The combustor arrangement of claim 5 , wherein a respective high-flow region is circumferentially aligned with each inbound-zone.

10. The combustor arrangement of claim 5 , wherein cooling apertures through the base plate that are associated with a respective high-flow region are positioned such the cooling fluid flowing through the respective high-flow region flows into a respective inbound-zone adjacent a pilot cone of the pilot burner.

11. The combustor arrangement of claim 5 , wherein the pilot burner comprises: an inner cone; and an outer cone surrounding the inner cone and defining an annular gap there between, wherein the annular gap defines a passageway for cooling fluid to flow there through, and wherein cooling fluid exiting the annular gap enters the inbound-zone.

Assignees

• Miduturi Krishna C
• Ritland David M
• Siemens Ag

Inventors

• Miduturi Krishna C
• Ritland David M

Classifications

• F23R2900/03042

  Film cooled combustion chamber walls or domes · CPC title

• F23R3/04 Primary

  Air inlet arrangements · CPC title

• F23R3/005

  Combined with pressure or heat exchangers · CPC title

• F23R2900/03041

  Effusion cooled combustion chamber walls or domes · CPC title

• F23R3/283

  Attaching or cooling of fuel injecting means including supports for fuel injectors, stems, or lances · CPC title