Staged fuel and air injection in combustion systems of gas turbines

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9945562-B2
Application number	US-201514978068-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 22, 2015
Priority date	Dec 22, 2015
Publication date	Apr 17, 2018
Grant date	Apr 17, 2018

Abstract

A gas turbine that includes: a combustor coupled to a turbine that define a working fluid flowpath; a compressor discharge cavity; a staged injection system that includes the forward injector and a staged injector; a stator blade positioned extending across the working fluid flowpath between an inboard sidewall and an outboard sidewall. A one-way continuous coolant flowpath that includes: an intake section that comprises an upstream port connected to the compressor discharge cavity and a downstream port formed through one of the inboard and outboard sidewalls; an outtake section that comprises a downstream port connected to the staged injector and an upstream port formed through the same one of the inboard and outboard sidewalls; and a cooling circuit extending through an interior of the airfoil of the stator blade and connecting to the downstream port of the intake section and the upstream port of the outtake section.

First claim

That which is claimed:

1. A gas turbine that comprises:
a combustor coupled to a turbine that together define a working fluid flowpath, the working fluid flowpath extending aftward along a longitudinal axis from a forward end defined by a forward injector in the combustor, through an interface at which the combustor connects to the turbine, and then through the turbine to an aftward end defined therein;
a compressor discharge cavity formed about the working fluid flowpath for receiving a combustor air supply delivered thereto by a compressor;
a staged injection system that includes the forward injector and, axially spaced aftward therefrom along the longitudinal axis of the working fluid flowpath, a staged injector;
a stator blade positioned within a row of circumferentially spaced stator blades in the turbine, the stator blade comprising an airfoil extending across the working fluid flowpath between an inboard sidewall and an outboard sidewall;
fuel directing structure configured to apportion a combustor fuel supply between the forward injector and the staged injector; and
air directing structure for apportioning the combustor air supply between the forward injector and the staged injector;
wherein the air directing structure includes a one-way continuous coolant flowpath, the coolant flowpath comprising:
an intake section that comprises an upstream port that is fluidly coupled to the compressor discharge cavity and a downstream port that is formed through one of the inboard sidewall and the outboard sidewall;
an outtake section that comprises a downstream port that is fluidly coupled to the staged injector and an upstream port formed through whichever of the inboard sidewall and the outboard sidewall is the same as the one that the downstream port of the intake section is formed through; and
a cooling circuit extending through an interior of the stator blade connecting the intake section to the outtake section, wherein the cooling circuit comprises an upstream end that connects to the downstream port of the intake section and a downstream end that connects to the upstream port of the outtake section;

further comprising:
a flow annulus surrounding the working fluid flowpath; and
an axial partition positioned within the flow annulus;

wherein:
the row of stator blades comprises a forward most row of stator blades in the turbine; and

the intake section and the outtake section of the coolant flowpath comprise adjacent axial sections of the flow annulus that reside to each side of the axial partition, the axial partition configured to fluidly seal each from the other.

2. The gas turbine according to claim 1 , wherein the interior of the stator blade through which the cooling circuit extends comprises at least one of the inboard sidewall and the outboard sidewall.

3. The gas turbine according to claim 1 , wherein the interior of the stator blade through which the cooling circuit extends comprises the airfoil.

4. The gas turbine according to claim 1 , wherein the downstream port of the intake section and the upstream port of the outtake section are each formed through the inboard sidewall.

5. The gas turbine according to claim 1 , wherein the downstream port of the intake section and the upstream port of the outtake section are each formed through the outboard sidewall.

6. The gas turbine according to claim 1 , wherein the staged injector intersects the flow annulus so to attain an injection point within the working fluid flowpath; and
wherein, relative an axial position of the injection point, a forward annulus section is defined to a forward side of the injection point, and an aftward annulus section is defined to an aftward side of the injection point.

7. The gas turbine according to claim 6 , wherein the axial partition is positioned in the flow annulus so to axially coincide with the staged injector;
wherein the axial partition is configured for fluidly sealing the forward annulus section from the aftward annulus section such that:
substantially all of the air of the combustor air supply flowing into the forward annulus section is directed to the forward injector; and
substantially all of the air of the combustor air supply flowing into the aftward annulus section is directed to the staged injector.

8. The gas turbine according to claim 1 ,
wherein a flowpath wall defines the working fluid flowpath, the flowpath wall having a hot side, which faces the working fluid flowpath, and, opposite the hot side, a cold side, which faces the flow annulus; and
wherein an annulus wall surrounds and is offset from the flowpath wall so to form the flow annulus therebetween, the annulus wall having a hot side, which faces the flow annulus, and a cold side, which fluidly communicates with the compressor discharge cavity.

9. The gas turbine according to claim 8 , wherein the upstream port of the intake section of the coolant flowpath comprises openings formed through a corresponding section of the annulus wall for allowing a portion of the combustor air supply entry into the intake section; and
wherein the openings are configured for metering the portion of the combustor air supply flowing to the staged injector relative a remaining portion of the combustor air supply flowing to the forward injector.

10. The gas turbine according to claim 9 , wherein the openings formed through the annulus wall comprises impingement ports configured for cooling the cold side of the flowpath wall.

11. The gas turbine according to claim 9 , wherein the metering the combustor air supply includes directing at least 30% of the combustor air supply to the staged injector.

12. The gas turbine according to claim 9 , wherein the metering the combustor air supply includes directing at least 50% of the combustor air supply to the staged injector.

13. The gas turbine according to claim 8 , wherein:
within the turbine:
the flowpath wall comprises an inboard flowpath wall that defines an inboard boundary of the working fluid flowpath and an outboard flowpath wall that defines an outboard boundary of the working fluid flowpath; and
the flow annulus comprises an inboard flow annulus and an outboard flow annulus, and the annulus wall comprises an inboard annulus wall and an outboard annulus wall, wherein the inboard sidewall and the outboard sidewall comprise, respectively, axial sections of the inboard flowpath wall and the outboard flowpath wall;
the inboard annulus wall is offset from the inboard flowpath wall so to form the inboard flow annulus therebetween; and
the outboard annulus wall is offset from the outboard flowpath wall so to form the outboard flow annulus therebetween; and

within the combustor:
the flowpath wall comprises an inner radially wall; and
the annulus wall comprises an outer radial wall formed about the inner radial wall, the inner radial wall and the outer radial wall concentrically arranged about the longitudinal axis of the working fluid flowpath.

14. The gas turbine according to claim 13 , wherein the axial partition is positioned within the inboard flow annulus; and
wherein:
the intake section and the outtake section of the coolant flowpath comprise adjacent axial sections of the inboard flow annulus;
the axial partition is positioned within an axial range defined between a leading edge and a trailing edge of the stator blade; and
the intake section of the coolant flowpath resides to an aftward side of the axial partition and the outtake section of the coolant flowpath resides to a forward side of the axial partition.

15. The gas turbine according to claim 13 , wherein the axial partitio

Assignees

• Gen Electric

Inventors

• Hughes Michael John
• Berry Jonathan Dwight

Classifications

• F05D2240/35

  Combustors or associated equipment · CPC title

• F01D25/12

  Cooling · CPC title

• F05D2260/202

  by film cooling · CPC title

• F02C3/04

  having a turbine driving a compressor (power transmission arrangements F02C7/36; control of working fluid flow F02C9/16) · CPC title

• F23R3/346 Primary

  for staged combustion · CPC title