This application is a national phase application of International Patent Application PCT/FR2021/051209 (“the '209 application”), filed on Jul. 2, 2021 and titled “ANNULAR COMBUSTION CHAMBER FOR AN AIRCRAFT TURBOMACHINE,” which application is related to and claims priority benefits of France Patent Application No. 2007328 (“the '328 application”), filed on Jul. 10, 2020. The '209 and '328 applications are hereby incorporated in their entireties by this reference.
The present invention relates to an annular combustion chamber for an aircraft turbomachine.
The prior art comprises, in particular, the documents WO-A1-2019/224484, EP-A1-0821201 and EP-A2-0724119.
A turbomachine comprises a gas generator comprising in particular one or more compressors, for example low pressure and high pressure, arranged upstream of a combustion chamber.
By convention, in the present application, the terms “upstream” and “downstream” are defined in relation to the direction of gas flow in the turbomachine. Similarly, by convention in the present application, the terms “internal” and “external” are defined radially with respect to the longitudinal axis of the turbomachine, which is in particular the axis of rotation of the compressor rotors.
With reference to
The injector 15 is angled and has one end fixed to the external casing and an opposite end forming a head which is engaged and centred in the injection system 16.
The injection system 16 is mounted in the aperture 100 of the chamber bottom 10. The injection system 16 comprises, from upstream to downstream with reference to the gas flow, a supporting and centering means 17 of the head of the injector 15, an air injection means 18, and an air-fuel mixture diffusing means 19 into the chamber 1.
In
The chamber 1 is supplied with compressed air 7 from the high pressure compressor (not shown) via an annular diffuser 8, and with fuel via injectors 15 distributed angularly around the axis A. The combustion of the air/fuel mixture is initiated by an igniting device 22 and generates heat radiation from downstream to upstream in the direction of the chamber bottom 10. The chamber bottom 10 is thus subjected to high temperatures (generally between 1200 and 2000° C.).
In order to protect the chamber bottom 10, at least one annular deflector 14 (also called heat shield) is placed in the chamber 1 downstream of and facing the chamber bottom 10 in a substantially parallel manner, and at a short distance from the latter. The deflector 14 may be annular or sectorised into a plurality of deflector sectors angularly distributed around the axis A.
With reference to
Furthermore, the collar 196 is also cooled by the impact of air jets coming from the high-pressure compressor and penetrating the chamber 1 through the cooling air passage orifices 190′.
Although this architecture allows for the cooling of part of the deflector 14, the bowl 19′ and the chamber bottom 10, it does pose some difficulties, and in particular certain areas of the chamber bottom may not be cooled effectively. For example, the areas where the deflector 14 and the injection devices 13 are attached to the chamber bottom 10 are difficult to cool through the bores 20 and the orifices 190, 190′.
Indeed, in general, the areas 10a of the chamber bottom 10 are cooled and the area 10b of the chamber bottom 10 is not cooled (
Insufficient cooling of this attachment zone can therefore reduce the lifetime of the chamber bottom and the performance of the combustion chamber of a turbomachine.
The objective of the present invention is to remedy at least in part these drawbacks.
The invention proposes an annular combustion chamber for an aircraft turbomachine, this chamber comprising two coaxial annular walls, respectively, an internal and an external, which are connected upstream by an annular bottom wall of the chamber, an injection device passing through an axis X and comprising an air injection system, and a frustoconical bowl which is flared downstream and comprising air passage orifices, the chamber also comprising an annular deflector placed downstream of the annular bottom wall of the chamber, substantially parallel to the latter.
The air injection system, the bottom wall, the deflector and the bowl of the chamber are thus integrally formed.
Such a configuration allows to effectively cool the entire annular bottom wall of the chamber while maintaining the integration of the air passage orifices of the frustoconical bowl, to the benefit of the combustion efficiency and more generally of the turbomachine. This configuration also allows to reduce the size of the combustion chamber.
The chamber according to the invention may comprise one or more of the following features, taken in isolation from each other or in combination with each other:
A second object of the invention is a turbomachine comprising a combustion chamber as previously described.
The invention will be better understood and other details, characteristics and advantages of the invention will become clearer on reading the following description made by way of non-limiting example and with reference to the attached drawings in which:
An embodiment of the combustion chamber 1 according to the invention is shown schematically in
The chamber 1 is located downstream of one or more compressors, for example low pressure and high pressure, and upstream of one or more turbines, for example high pressure and low pressure.
The axis A of revolution of the chamber 1 coincides with the longitudinal axis of the turbomachine 3, which is in particular the axis of rotation of the rotors of the compressors and turbines.
The chamber 1 is placed in an annular enclosure 4 radially delimited by an external annular casing 5 and an internal annular casing 6. A compressed air flux 7 generated by the compressors enters the enclosure 4 via an annular diffuser 8.
The chamber 1 is delimited by coaxial annular internal 11 and external 12 walls. The walls 11, 12 are connected upstream by an annular bottom wall of chamber 10 (also called “chamber bottom 10” or “bottom wall 10”) which is substantially transverse to the axis A.
According to the embodiment illustrated in
The chamber 1 is supplied with a mixture of air and fuel by several air and fuel injection devices 13 distributed angularly in a regular manner around the axis A. In
The injector 15 is angled and has one end fixed to the external casing 5 and an opposite end forming a head which is engaged and centred in the injection system 16, to enable the fuel/air mixture to be sprayed into the chamber 1.
In
The chamber 1 is thus supplied with compressed air by the injection system 19, this compressed air being mixed with the fuel supplied by the injectors 15.
With reference to
According to the example, the chamber bottom 10 is covered upstream by an annular shroud 24 (around the axis A) to thus form with the chamber bottom 10 an annular compartment 241. In the area of each injection device 13, the shroud 26 comprises an opening 242 for the passage of an air flux and for mounting the injector 15.
The combustion of the air/fuel mixture is initiated via one or more igniting devices 22 attached to the external wall 12. According to the illustrated example, the igniting devices 22 are located longitudinally at the primary holes 20a.
In order to protect the chamber bottom 10 in particular from the thermal radiation generated by the combustion, the chamber 1 further comprises at least one annular deflector 14 placed in the chamber 1, substantially opposite bores 20 made in the chamber bottom 10 (
With reference to
A special feature of the invention is that each of the segmented chamber bottom walls 10 is integral with the air injection system 16 and the deflector 14. The air injection system 16 can be mounted in the aperture 100 of the associated chamber bottom wall 10.
More particularly, the air injection system 16, the bottom wall 10, the deflector 14 and the bowls 19′ are integrally formed.
According to the embodiment illustrated in
With reference to
The annular portion 142 comprises an annular rim 144 at its external periphery with respect to the axis X, referred to as the “external rim 144”, and which extends downstream substantially parallel to the external wall 12 of the chamber 1. The external rim 144 is spaced from the external wall 12 by an annular space 23 for air passage (
This annular portion 142 is separated from the bottom 10 by a first annular space 140. This first space 140 is in fluid communication with the spaces 23.
Furthermore, an upstream face 142a of the portion 142 is disposed substantially opposite and downstream of the wall bottom 10. The upstream face 142a is separated from the bottom wall 10 by the first space 140.
The annular portion 142 comprises an external end and an internal end 148 opposite with respect to the axis X. The external rims 144 and/or internal rims 146 are located on the external end of the portion 142. The internal end 148 connects the deflector 14 to the chamber bottom 10 and the bowl 19′.
In
The chamber bottom 10 is fixed upstream to each of the two external walls 12 and internal walls 11 of the chamber 1, by the extensions 102.
The wall 101 is opposite and upstream of the portion 142 of the deflector 14. As described above, the wall 101 is connected to the end 148 of the annular portion 142 of the deflector 14. The bores 20 are made in the wall 101 and these bores 20 open towards the upstream face 142a of the deflector 14. This wall 101 is connected to an external peripheral edge 195b of a downstream end 195 of the bowl 19′. This allows, in particular, to form junctions between the wall 101 and the bowl 19′ which are arranged around the orifices 190. Thus, between the orifices 190, each of the junctions comprises a passage for an air flux (for example from a second space 198 and/or the orifices 190).
The bowl 19′ comprises a first frustoconical wall 192 and a second frustoconical wall 194 substantially parallel to each other. The frustoconical walls each flare, from upstream to downstream, from the air injection means 18 towards the chamber bottom 10 and the deflector 14. The frustoconical walls 192, 194 are separated from each other by the second space 198. As described above, the first wall 192 is arranged opposite and separated from the second wall 192 by the second space 198. The frustoconical walls 192, 194 are connected to each other by an upstream end 193 and the opposite downstream end 195 separated by the second space 198.
Advantageously, the first wall 192 comprises bores 20′ which open into opposite the second wall 194.
The downstream end 195 of the bowl 19′ comprises the internal 195a and external 195b peripheral edges opposite each other. As described above, the external edge 195b is connected to the wall 101 of the chamber bottom 10, while the internal edge 195a of the bowl 19′ is connected to the wall 142 of the deflector 14.
The downstream end 195 of the bowl 19′ further comprises the air passage orifices 190 made and distributed (for example in the form of circumferential rows) around the axes X. These orifices 190 extend through the frustoconical walls 192, 194 of the bowl 19′ to open into the chamber 1 (
In particular, the orifices 190 each comprise an upstream perimeter opening towards the end 195 and the wall 101, and a downstream perimeter opening towards the end 195 and the end 148 of the portion 142.
These orifices 190 may be inclined circumferentially with respect to the axis X. The inclination of the orifices 190 allows, in particular, to rotate the air flux leaving the bowl 19′ and to maintain the flame in the chamber 1. Preferably, the orifices 190 are inclined at an angle of between 15 and 75°, in particular at an angle of approximately 45° (
The upstream end 193 of the bowl 19′ is connected, in particular by internal 193a and external 193b peripheral edges of the bowl 19′, downstream of the air injection means 18.
According to the example, the radial swirlers of the means 18, respectively primary 181 and secondary 182, are coaxial and each delimit a radial air flux with respect to the axis X. An annular venturi 183 is interposed between the two swirlers 181, 182. This configuration allows a mixture of air, coming from the air flows of the swirlers, and fuel, coming from the injector 15, to be injected and then burned in the chamber 1.
With reference to
The means 18 comprises a first annular surface 184 upstream of the primary swirler 181, and a second annular surface 185 downstream of the secondary swirler 182. This second surface 185 may be integrated with the upstream end 192 of the bowl 19′. The first surface 184 is configured to be mounted on the means 17 for supporting and centering the head of the injector 15.
The support and centering means 17 comprise coaxial internal 171 and external 172 annular surfaces, respectively. The surface 171 being configured to be mounted on the first surface 184 of the air injection means 18. The surface 172 comprises an internal face configured to position the head of the injector 15. For example, the means 17 are annular centering rings.
In order to protect the various areas of the chamber bottom from the temperature of the burnt gases and the radiation of the flame, a part of the air supplied by the compressor is used to cool these walls.
As illustrated in
With reference to
In particular, the cooling air flux 74, passing through the bores 20, passes into the first space 140 and then through the spaces 23. This allows the internal and external walls of the chamber to be cooled by convection. The air flux 74 passing through the bores 20′ may also pass into the first space 140 and then through the spaces 23. Advantageously, the second 198 and/or the first 140 spaces may be at least partly in fluid communication through the orifices 190.
Thus, with reference to
Advantageously, the cooling air flux 74 also passes through the orifices 190 of the bowls 19′. This allows the orifices 190 to participate in the performance of the combustion chamber, since they allow the air flow in the cone of sprayed fuel upstream of the combustion chamber to be enriched. Indeed, the homogenisation of the air/fuel mixture is thus improved so as to reduce, for example, the production of soot and unburnt hydrocarbon emissions (generally entrained by the cooling air films of the internal and external walls of the chamber, substantially at the level of spaces 23).
The combustion chamber according to the invention provides several advantages which are especially of:
Overall, this proposed solution is simple, effective and economical to build and assemble on an aircraft turbomachine, while ensuring optimal and homogeneous cooling across an entire combustion chamber bottom.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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2007328 | Jul 2020 | FR | national |
Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
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PCT/FR2021/051209 | 7/2/2021 | WO |
Publishing Document | Publishing Date | Country | Kind |
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WO2022/008820 | 1/13/2022 | WO | A |
Number | Name | Date | Kind |
---|---|---|---|
5941076 | Sandelis | Aug 1999 | A |
7908865 | Cayre | Mar 2011 | B2 |
20020038549 | Ebel | Apr 2002 | A1 |
20090151359 | Cayre | Jun 2009 | A1 |
20210199297 | Chapelle et al. | Jul 2021 | A1 |
Number | Date | Country |
---|---|---|
0724119 | Jul 1996 | EP |
0821201 | Jan 1998 | EP |
0821201 | Aug 2003 | EP |
3115692 | Jan 2017 | EP |
3141818 | Mar 2017 | EP |
3115692 | Feb 2020 | EP |
2019224484 | Nov 2019 | WO |
Entry |
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International Patent Application No. PCT/FR2021/051209, International Search Report (and translation) and Written Opinion, dated Sep. 23, 2021. |
Number | Date | Country | |
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20230250962 A1 | Aug 2023 | US |