Claims
- 1. A combustor for burning a fuel and a gas mixture, comprising:a mechanical housing; a combustion chamber located within said mechanical housing and having a first end and a second end and an internal volume; a radial inflow swirler located at said first end and disposed in flow communication with said internal volume, said radial inflow swirler including a plurality of first fret dispensers for delivering the fuel into the gas within said swirler and a plurality of vanes thy directing the fuel and gas flow into the internal volume to define a swirler flow; and a first plurality of circumferentially spaced fuel and gas tubular premixers connected to said combustion chamber and in flow communication with said internal volume, each of said first plurality of fret and gas tubular premixers adapted to deliver a premixed jet flow of the gas and fuel into said internal volume.
- 2. The combustor of claim 1, wherein said combustion chamber has a primary burning region, and wherein said radial inflow swirler and said first plurality of fuel and gas tubular premixers deliver fuel and gas into said primary burning region.
- 3. The combustor of claim 1, wherein each of said plurality of vanes produces an exit swirl angle within a range of about 40° to about 70°.
- 4. The combustor of claim 1, wherein said combustion chamber is defined by a combustion liner, and wherein each of said first plurality of fuel and gas tubular premixers has a tubular member with a flow passageway and a second fuel dispenser associated therewith, and wherein each of said second fuel dispensers is adapted to dispense fuel through a plurality of apertures in said tubular member.
- 5. The combustor of claim 4, wherein each of said plurality of first fuel dispensers is defined by a tube that extends along an axial length of said plurality of vanes.
- 6. The combustor of claim 1, wherein said plurality of first fuel dispensers and said first plurality of fuel and gas tubular premixers are fueled independent of one another.
- 7. The combustor of claim 1, which further includes a second plurality of fuel and gas tubular premixers connected to said combustion chamber and in flow communication with said internal volume; and wherein each of said second plurality of fuel and gas tubular premixers delivers a premixed jet flow of the gas and fuel into said internal volume;wherein said combustion chamber includes a primary burning region in a first portion of said combustion chamber and a secondary burning region in a second portion of said combustion chamber; and wherein said first plurality of fuel and gas tubular premixers deliver fuel and gas into said primary burning region, and said second plurality of fuel and gas tubular premixers delivers fuel and gas into said secondary burning region, and wherein said secondary burning region is axially spaced from said primary burning region; and wherein the gas is air.
- 8. The combustor of claim 1, wherein said radial inflow swirler discharges a swirling flow of fuel and gas, and wherein said first plurality of fuel and gas tubular premixers discharges a plurality of jet flows of fuel and gas that is at least 15% of said swirling flow.
- 9. The combustor of claim 1, wherein each of said first plurality of fuel and gas tubular premixers delivers a fuel and air jet having a significant radial inward direction.
- 10. A combustor, comprising:a mechanical housing; a combustion chamber disposed within said mechanical housing and having a first end and a second end and an internal volume; a premixer coupled to said first end of the combustion chamber and in flow communication with said internal volume, said premixer including a swirler that delivers a swirling how of fuel and a gas to said internal volume through said first end; and a dome positioned at said first end of the combustion chamber and extending into said internal volume, said dome having an outer surface contoured to minimize flow separation of the swirling flow of fuel and the gas passing from said premixer and into said combustion chamber.
- 11. The combustor of claim 10, wherein said outer surface has a geometry defined as a quart.
- 12. The combustor of claim 10, wherein said outer surface is formed on an annular ring that is symmetrical about a longitudinal axis.
- 13. The combustor of claim 10, wherein said dome includes an annular wail member located within said internal volume, said combustion chamber includes a combustion liner defining said internal volume, and wherein said annular wall member is spaced from said combustion liner.
- 14. The combustor of claim 10, which further includes a first plurality of fuel and gas tubular premixers in flow communication with said internal volume, wherein each of said first plurality of fuel and gas tubular premixers delivers a spray of fuel and gas into said internal volume.
- 15. The combustor of claim 14, which further includes a second plurality of fuel and gas tubular premixers in flow communication with said internal volume, and wherein each of said first plurality of fuel and gas tubular premixers has a first entrance into said combustion chamber, and each of said second plurality of fuel and gas tubular premixers has a second entrance into said combustor chamber, and wherein said first entrance is axially offset from said second entrance.
- 16. The combustor of claim 15, wherein said internal volume has a diameter and wherein each of said first entrances is axially spaced from said dome a distance of about ½ of said diameter.
- 17. The combustor of claim 10, wherein said internal volume is cylindrical, and a ratio of the cross-sectional area of the internal volume to the cross-sectional area defined by the smallest diameter of the quarl dome is greater than or equal to 2.75.
- 18. The combustor of claim 17, wherein said premixer further includes a center body positioned between said plurality of vanes.19.The combustor of claim 10, wherein said outer surface having a convex cross-section.
- 20. The combustor of claim 10, wherein said dome is symmetrical about a longitudinal centerline and extends axially within a portion of said internal volume.
- 21. The combustor of claim 10, wherein said swirler is a radial inflow swirler including a plurality of swirler vanes, and wherein said combustion chamber includes a combustion liner defining said internal volume, and wherein said internal volume is cylindrical, and which further includes a centerbody positioned in a space between the plurality of swirler vanes and said centerbody is spaced from and extends along a portion of said dome.
- 22. A gas turbine engine combustor, comprising:a cylindrical combustor chamber having a first end, a second end and an internal volume, said combustor chamber having a portion with a constant cross-sectional area, said combustor chamber having a plurality of first apertures in said portion and a plurality of second apertures in said portion, and said plurality of first apertures are axially spaced from said plurality of second apertures; a plurality of first fuel and gas tubular premixers coupled to said combustor chamber, each of said plurality of first fuel and gas tubular premixers in flow communication with one of said plurality of first apertures; and a plurality of second fuel and gas tubular premixers coupled to said combustor chamber, wherein each of said plurality of second fuel and gas tubular premixers in flow communication with one of said plurality of second apertures.
- 23. The combustor of claim 22, wherein each of said plurality of first fuel and gas tubular premixers includes a tubular member with a fluid flow path therein, and which further includes a mechanical flow mixer within said fluid flow path.
- 24. The combustor of claim 23, wherein each of said plurality of second fuel and gas tubular premixers includes a tubular member with a flow path therein, and which further includes a mechanical flow mixer within said flow path.
- 25. The combustor of claim 22, wherein said cylindrical combustor chamber is defined by a combustor liner, and which further includes a first fueling manifold adapted fin providing fuel to said plurality of first fuel and gas tubular premixers and a second fueling manifold adapted for providing fuel to said plurality of second fuel and gas tubular premixers, and wherein said plurality of first fuel and gas tubular premixers and said plurality of second fuel and gas tubular premixers are independent of one another.
- 26. The combustor of claim 22, wherein said internal volume has a primary combustion region and a secondary combustion region axially spaced from said primary combustion region, and wherein said plurality of first apertures is formed in said portion in a first region associated with said primary combustion region and said plurality of second apertures is formed in said portion in a second region associated with said secondary combustion region.
- 27. The combustor of claim 22, wherein said plurality of first fuel and gas tubular premixers and said plurality of second fuel and gas tubular premixers include at least one discharge turning vane to turn a flow of fuel and air passing into said internal volume.
- 28. A combustor, comprising:a mechanical housing; a combustion chamber located within said mechanical housing and having an internal volume; and a premixer coupled with said combustion chamber, said premixer comprising: a tubular member having a first end and a second end and a flow passageway therebetween; a fuel manifold disposed in fluid communication with said flow passageway for the delivery of a fuel into said flow passageway; and twist mixer means for rotating the fluid flowing within said flow passageway, said twist mixer means positioned within said flow passageway.
- 29. The combustor of claim 28, wherein said first end is an inlet adapted for receiving a flow of gas and said second end is an outlet adapted for discharging ii flow of the gas and fuel, and wherein said tubular member includes a plurality of apertures for the passage of fuel from said fuel manifold into said flow passageway.
- 30. The combustor of claim 29, wherein said plurality of apertures is circumferentially spaced around said tubular member.
- 31. The combustor of claim 28, wherein said twist mixer in located in said flow passageway downstream from said fuel manifold, and wherein said twist mixer includes a plate number twisted about a longitudinal axis.
- 32. The combustor of claim 31, wherein said plate member includes a that end and a second end, and said second end is rotated about 180 degrees from said first end.
- 33. The combustor of claim 29, wherein said twist mixer rotates the entire flow within the passageway.
- 34. The combustor of claim 1, wherein a radial inflow swirler defines only one swirler having said swirler flow, the swirler flow is only in one of a clockwise and counterclockwise direction.
- 35. The combustor of claim 1, which further includes a plurality of second fuel dispensers, wherein each of said first plurality of fuel and gas tubular premixers includes a first fluid flow passageway in flow communication with one of said second fuel dispensers, and wherein said second fuel dispensers do not obstruct said first fluid flow passageways.
- 36. The combustor of claim 22, wherein said plurality of first fuel and gas tubular premixers are circumferentially spaced.
- 37. The combustor of claim 22, wherein said plurality of second fuel and gas tubular premixers are circumferentially spaced.
- 38. At A combustor for burning a fuel and a gas mixture, comprising:a mechanical housing; a combustion chamber located within said mechanical housing and having a first end and a second end and an internal volume, said internal volume including a first burning zone and a second burning zone; a radial billow swirler portion located at said first end and in fluid communication with said internal volume, said swirler portion including a plurality of first fuel dispensers for delivering the fuel into the gas within said swirler portion, said swirler portion includes a plurality of vanes for swirling the fuel and gas into a swirled flow having only one of a clockwise and counterclockwise direction; a done positioned at said first end and extending into said internal volume, said dome configured to gradually expand the swirled flow received from said swirler portion as it moves adjacent an outer surface of said dome; a center body positioned within a space defined between said plurality of vanes; a first plurality of circumferentially spaced fuel and gas tubular premixers connected to said combustion chamber and in flow communication with said internal volume, each of said first plurality of fuel and gas tubular premixers adapted to deliver a premixed jet flow of the gas and fuel into said internal volume to interact with the swirled how from said radial inflow swirler portion; and a second plurality of circumferentially spaced hid and gas tubular premixers connected to said combustion chamber and in flow communication with said internal volume, each of said second plurality of fuel and gas tubular premixers adapted to deliver a premixed jet flow of the gas and fuel into said second burning zone.
Government Interests
The present invention was made under contract DE-FC21-96-MC33066 awarded by the United States Department of Energy. The United States Department of Energy may have rights in the invention
US Referenced Citations (24)
Non-Patent Literature Citations (2)
Entry |
Summerfield et al., Mechanical Design and Development of the RB211 Dry Low Emissions Engine, The American Society of Mechanical Engineers, 93-GT-245. |
Willis et al., Industrial RB211 Dry Low Emission Combustion, The American Society of Mechanical Engineers, 93-GT-391. |