1. Technical Field
This disclosure relates generally to a turbine engine and, more particularly, to a combustor of a turbine engine.
2. Background Information
A floating wall combustor for a turbine engine typically includes a bulkhead, an inner combustor wall and an outer combustor wall. The bulkhead extends radially between the inner and the outer combustor walls. Each combustor wall includes a shell and a heat shield that defines a respective radial side of a combustion chamber. Cooling cavities extend radially between the heat shield and the shell. These cooling cavities fluidly couple impingement apertures defined in the shell with effusion apertures defined in the heat shield.
Each combustor wall may also include a plurality of quench aperture grommets located between the shell and the heat shield. Each of the quench aperture grommets defines a respective quench aperture radially through the combustor wall. The quench aperture grommets as well as adjacent portions of the heat shield are typically subject to relatively high temperatures during engine operation, which can induce relatively high thermal stresses within the grommets and the heat shield.
There is a need in the art for an improved turbine engine combustor.
According to an aspect of the invention, an assembly is provided for a turbine engine. A combustor wall of the turbine engine assembly includes a shell, a heat shield and an annular body. The annular body extends through the combustor wall. The annular body at least partially defines a quench aperture along a centerline through the combustor wall. The annular body defines a first cooling aperture fluidly coupled between a cooling cavity and the quench aperture. The cooling cavity is between the shell and the heat shield.
According to another aspect of the invention, another assembly is provided for a turbine engine. A combustor wall of the turbine engine assembly includes a shell, a heat shield and an annular body. The annular body extends laterally between an inner surface and an outer surface. The inner surface at least partially defines a quench aperture along a centerline through the combustor wall. The outer surface is vertically between the heat shield and the shell. A cooling aperture, defined by the annular body, extends through the annular body from the outer surface to the inner surface.
According to another aspect of the invention, a grommet is provided for a combustor wall. The grommet includes an annular body, which includes an annular land. The annular land has an inner surface which at least partially defines a quench aperture through the combustor wall along a centerline. The annular land defines a cooling aperture that extends through the annular body and is fluidly coupled with the quench aperture.
The annular body may extend laterally between the inner surface and an outer surface. The annular body may include an annular rim that extends vertically from the land. The cooling aperture may extend through the annular body from the outer surface to the inner surface.
The body may include an annular land and an annular rim. The land may define the first cooling aperture and may be connected to the panel base. The rim may extend vertically from the land.
The cooling aperture may be one of a plurality of cooling apertures that extend through the annular body and that are fluidly coupled with the quench aperture.
The first cooling aperture may be one of a plurality of first cooling apertures defined by the body. Each of the first cooling apertures may be fluidly coupled between the cooling cavity and the quench aperture.
At least an outlet portion or the entire first cooling aperture may extend substantially radially relative to the centerline of the quench aperture.
At least an outlet portion or the entire first cooling aperture may extend substantially tangentially relatively to a surface of the body that defines the quench aperture; e.g., the inner surface.
At least an outlet portion or the entire first cooling aperture may extend along a centerline that is acutely angled relative to a surface of the body that defines the quench aperture; e.g., the inner surface.
The first cooling aperture may extend along a substantially straight centerline.
The first cooling aperture may extend along a curved and/or compound centerline.
The annular body may include an annular land and an annular rim. The land may extend from the heat shield and may engage the shell. The rim may extend from the land into or through an aperture defined by the shell. The land may define the first cooling aperture.
The shell may include a surface that further defines the quench aperture through the combustor wall.
The cooling cavity may fluidly couple one or more second cooling apertures defined by the shell with the first cooling aperture and one or more third cooling apertures defined by the heat shield.
The heat shield may include a plurality of panels. These panels may be attached to the shell. The body may be connected to one of the panels.
A combustor bulkhead may extend between the combustor wall and a second combustor wall. The heat shield, the second combustor wall and the combustor bulkhead may define a combustion chamber.
The foregoing features and the operation of the invention will become more apparent in light of the following description and the accompanying drawings.
Each of the engine sections 28, 29A, 29B, 31A and 31B includes a respective rotor 38-42. Each of the rotors 38-42 includes a plurality of rotor blades arranged circumferentially around and connected to one or more respective rotor disks. The rotor blades, for example, may be formed integral with or mechanically fastened, welded, brazed, adhered and/or otherwise attached to the respective rotor disk(s).
The fan rotor 38 is connected to a gear train 44 through a fan shaft 46. The gear train 44 and the LPC rotor 39 are connected to and driven by the LPT rotor 42 through a low speed shaft 47. The HPC rotor 40 is connected to and driven by the HPT rotor 41 through a high speed shaft 48. The shafts 46-48 are rotatably supported by a plurality of bearings 50. Each of the bearings 50 is connected to the second engine case 36 by at least one stationary structure such as, for example, an annular support strut.
Air enters the turbine engine 20 through the airflow inlet 24, and is directed through the fan section 28 and into an annular core gas path 52 and an annular bypass gas path 54. The air within the core gas path 52 may be referred to as “core air”. The air within the bypass gas path 54 may be referred to as “bypass air”.
The core air is directed through the engine sections 29-31 and exits the turbine engine 20 through the airflow exhaust 26. Within the combustor section 30, fuel is injected into a combustion chamber 56 and mixed with the core air. This fuel-core air mixture is ignited to power the turbine engine 20 and provide forward engine thrust. The bypass air is directed through the bypass gas path 54 and out of the turbine engine 20 through a bypass nozzle 58 to provide additional forward engine thrust. Alternatively, the bypass air may be directed out of the turbine engine 20 through a thrust reverser to provide reverse engine thrust.
The turbine engine assembly 60 also includes one or more fuel injector assemblies 66. Each fuel injector assembly 66 may include a fuel injector 68 mated with a swirler 70. The fuel injector 68 injects the fuel into the combustion chamber 56. The swirler 70 directs some of the core air from the plenum 64 into the combustion chamber 56 in a manner that facilitates mixing the core air with the injected fuel. One or more igniters (not shown) ignite the fuel-core air mixture. Quench apertures 72 (see also
The combustor 62 may be configured as an annular floating wall combustor. The combustor 62 of
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The aperture surfaces 102 may be arranged circumferentially around the centerline 22. Each aperture surface 102 defines an aperture 106 for receiving a respective one of the quench aperture bodies 88. Each aperture 106 extends vertically through the shell 80 from the shell exterior surface 96 to the shell interior surface 98.
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The heat shield 82 may include one or more heat shield panels 108 and 110, one or more of which may have an arcuate geometry. The panels 108 and 110 are respectively arranged at discrete locations along the centerline 22. The panels 108 are disposed circumferentially around the centerline 22 and form a forward hoop. The panels 110 are disposed circumferentially around the centerline 22 and form an aft hoop. Alternatively, the heat shield 82 may be configured from one or more tubular bodies.
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Each panel 110 includes a panel base 118 and one or more rails 120-124. The panel base 118 and the panel rails 120 and 122-124 may collectively define the interior surface 112. The panel base 118 and the panel rails 121-124 may collectively define the interior surface 114. The panel base 118 may define the exterior surface 116.
The panel base 118 may be configured as a generally curved (e.g., arcuate) plate. The panel base 118 extends axially between an axial forward end 126 and an axial aft end 128. The panel base 118 extends circumferentially between opposing circumferential ends 130 and 132.
The panel rails may include one or more axial end rails 120 and 121 and one more circumferential end rails 122 and 123. The panel rails may also include at least one axial intermediate rail 124. Each of the panel rails 120-124 of the inner wall 76 extends radially in from the respective panel base 118; see
The axial end and intermediate rails 120, 121 and 124 extend circumferentially between and are connected to the circumferential end rails 122 and 123. The axial end rail 120 is arranged at (e.g., on, adjacent or proximate) the forward end 126. The axial end rail 121 is arranged at the aft end 128. The axial intermediate rail 124 is disposed axially between the axial end rails 120 and 121, for example, proximate the aft end 128. The circumferential end rail 122 is arranged at the circumferential end 130. The circumferential end rail 123 is arranged at the circumferential end 132.
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Each quench aperture body 88 includes an annular land 138 and an annular rim 140. The land 138 is connected to the respective panel base 118. The land 138 extends vertically from the panel base 118 to a distal land end surface 142. The land 138 extends laterally between a land outer surface 144 and a body inner surface 146, which at least partially defines a respective one of the quench apertures 72 in the combustor wall 76, 78. The body inner surface 146, for example, defines a through-hole that extends vertically through the panel 110 from a distal rim end surface 148 to the exterior surface 116.
The land outer surface 144 may have a circular cross-sectional geometry. The body inner surface 146 may also have a circular cross-sectional geometry. Of course, in other embodiments, one or more of the surfaces 144 and 146 may each alternatively have a non-circular cross-sectional geometry; e.g., an oval cross-sectional geometry, a polygonal (e.g., rectangular) cross-sectional geometry, or any geometry resulting from an overlap or connection of any of the previously mentioned shapes.
The land 138 includes one or more aperture surfaces 150. These aperture surfaces 150 may be arranged around a centerline 152 of the respective quench aperture 72. Each of the aperture surfaces 150 defines a cooling aperture 154. This cooling aperture 154 extends substantially laterally through the land 138 from the land outer surface 144 to the body inner surface 146. Of course, in other embodiments, one or more of the cooling apertures 154 may also extend vertically through the land 138.
The rim 140 is connected to the land 138. The rim 140 extends vertically from the land 138 and the land end surface 142 to the rim end surface 148. The rim 140 extends laterally between a rim outer surface 156 and the body inner surface 146. The rim outer surface 156 may have a circular cross-sectional geometry. Of course, in other embodiments, the rim outer surface 156 may alternatively have a non-circular cross-sectional geometry.
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During turbine engine operation, core air from the plenum 64 is directed into each cooling cavity 85 through respective cooling apertures 104. This core air (e.g., cooling air) may impinge against the respective panel base 118, thereby impingement cooling the panel 110 and the heat shield 82.
Some of the cooling air within each cooling cavity 85 is directed through the cooling apertures 136 into the combustion chamber 56 to film cool a downstream portion of the heat shield 82. Within each cooling aperture 136, the core air may also cool the heat shield 82 through convective heat transfer.
Some of the cooling air within each cooling cavity 85 is directed through the cooling apertures 154 into each quench aperture 72. Within each cooling aperture 154, the core air may cool the quench aperture body 88 through convective heat transfer. The cooling apertures 154 of
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The terms “forward”, “aft”, “inner”, “outer”, “radial”, circumferential” and “axial” are used to orientate the components of the turbine engine assembly 60 and the combustor 62 described above relative to the turbine engine 20 and its centerline 22. One or more of these turbine engine components, however, may be utilized in other orientations than those described above. The present invention therefore is not limited to any particular spatial orientations.
The turbine engine assembly 60 may be included in various turbine engines other than the one described above. The turbine engine assembly 60, for example, may be included in a geared turbine engine where a gear train connects one or more shafts to one or more rotors in a fan section, a compressor section and/or any other engine section. Alternatively, the turbine engine assembly 60 may be included in a turbine engine configured without a gear train. The turbine engine assembly 60 may be included in a geared or non-geared turbine engine configured with a single spool, with two spools (e.g., see
While various embodiments of the present invention have been disclosed, it will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art that many more embodiments and implementations are possible within the scope of the invention. For example, the present invention as described herein includes several aspects and embodiments that include particular features. Although these features may be described individually, it is within the scope of the present invention that some or all of these features may be combined within any one of the aspects and remain within the scope of the invention. Accordingly, the present invention is not to be restricted except in light of the attached claims and their equivalents.
This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Appln. No. 61/912,869 filed Dec. 6, 2013, which is hereby incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
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PCT/US2014/068381 | 12/3/2014 | WO | 00 |
Number | Date | Country | |
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61912869 | Dec 2013 | US |