Patent Application
20150285505
The subject matter disclosed herein relates generally to gas turbine systems, and more particularly to systems and methods for controlling combustion dynamics, and more specifically, for reducing modal coupling of combustion dynamics.
Gas turbine systems generally include a gas turbine engine having a compressor section, a combustor section, and a turbine section. The combustor section may include one or more combustors (e.g., combustion cans) with fuel nozzles configured to inject a fuel and an oxidant (e.g., air) into a combustion chamber within each combustor. In each combustor, a mixture of the fuel and oxidant combusts to generate hot combustion gases, which then flow into and drive one or more turbine stages in the turbine section. Each combustor may generate combustion dynamics, which occur when the combustor acoustic oscillations interact with the flame dynamics (also known as the oscillating component of the heat release), to result in a self-sustaining pressure oscillation in the combustor. A key contributor to combustion dynamics is the acoustic response of the fuel system, commonly defined as the fuel system impedance, or fuel system acoustic impedance. Combustion dynamics can occur at multiple discrete frequencies or across a range of frequencies, and can travel both upstream and downstream relative to the respective combustor. For example, the pressure waves may travel downstream into the turbine section, e.g., through one or more turbine stages, or upstream into the fuel system.
Certain downstream components of the turbine system can potentially respond to the combustion dynamics, particularly if the combustion dynamics generated by the individual combustors exhibit an in-phase and coherent relationship with each other, and have frequencies at or near the natural or resonant frequencies of the components. For the purpose of this invention, “coherence” refers to the strength of the linear relationship between two dynamic signals, and is strongly influenced by the degree of frequency overlap between them. In the context of combustion dynamics, “coherence” is a measure of the modal coupling, or combustor-to-combustor acoustic interaction, exhibited by the combustion system. Accordingly, a need exists to control the combustion dynamics, and/or modal coupling of the combustion dynamics to reduce the possibility of any unwanted sympathetic vibratory response (e.g., resonant behavior) of components in the turbine system.
Certain embodiments commensurate in scope with the originally claimed invention are summarized below. These embodiments are not intended to limit the scope of the claimed invention, but rather these embodiments are intended only to provide a brief summary of possible forms of the invention. Indeed, the invention may encompass a variety of forms that may be similar to or different from the embodiments set forth below.
In a first embodiment, a system includes a gas turbine engine including a first combustor having a first fuel nozzle and a second combustor having a second fuel nozzle. The system further includes a first acoustic adjuster having a first drive coupled to a first piston with a first fuel orifice. The first piston is disposed along a first fuel passage leading to the first fuel nozzle of the first combustor. The system further includes a second acoustic adjuster having a second drive coupled to a second piston with a second fuel orifice. The second piston is disposed along a second fuel passage leading to the second fuel nozzle of the second combustor.
In a second embodiment, a system includes a first combustor having a first fuel nozzle with a first fuel post-orifice, and a second fuel nozzle with a second fuel post-orifice. The system further includes a first acoustic adjuster having a first drive coupled to a first piston with a first fuel pre-orifice. The first piston is disposed along a first fuel passage leading to the first fuel post-orifice. The system also includes a second acoustic adjuster having a second drive coupled to a second piston with a second fuel pre-orifice. The second piston is disposed along a second fuel passage leading to the second fuel post-orifice.
In a third embodiment, a system includes a gas turbine engine having a first fuel nozzle comprising a first fuel post-orifice. The system also includes a first acoustic adjuster having a first drive coupled to a first piston with a first fuel pre-orifice. The first piston is disposed along a first fuel passage leading to the first fuel post-orifice of the first fuel nozzle.
These and other features, aspects, and advantages of the present invention will become better understood when the following detailed description is read with reference to the accompanying drawings in which like characters represent like parts throughout the drawings, wherein:
One or more specific embodiments of the present invention will be described below. In an effort to provide a concise description of these embodiments, all features of an actual implementation may not be described in the specification. It should be appreciated that in the development of any such actual implementation, as in any engineering or design project, numerous implementation-specific decisions must be made to achieve the developers' specific goals, such as compliance with system-related and business-related constraints, which may vary from one implementation to another. Moreover, it should be appreciated that such a development effort might be complex and time consuming, but would nevertheless be a routine undertaking of design, fabrication, and manufacture for those of ordinary skill having the benefit of this disclosure.
When introducing elements of various embodiments of the present invention, the articles “a,” “an,” “the,” and “said” are intended to mean that there are one or more of the elements. The terms “comprising,” “including,” and “having” are intended to be inclusive and mean that there may be additional elements other than the listed elements.
The present disclosure is directed towards reducing combustion dynamics and/or modal coupling of combustion dynamics, to reduce unwanted vibratory responses in downstream components of a gas turbine system. A gas turbine combustor (or combustor assembly) may generate combustion dynamics due to the combustion process, characteristics of intake fluid flows (e.g., fuel, oxidant, diluent, etc.) into the combustor, and various other factors. The combustion dynamics may be characterized as pressure fluctuations, pulsations, oscillations, and/or waves at certain frequencies. The fluid flow characteristics may include velocity, pressure, fluctuations in velocity and/or pressure, variations in flow paths (e.g., turns, shapes, interruptions, etc.), or any combination thereof. Collectively, the combustion dynamics can potentially cause vibratory responses and/or resonant behavior in various components upstream and/or downstream from the combustor. For example, the combustion dynamics (e.g., at certain frequencies, ranges of frequencies, amplitudes, combustor-to-combustor phases, etc.) can travel both upstream and downstream in the gas turbine system. If the gas turbine combustors, upstream components, and/or downstream components have natural or resonant frequencies that are driven by these pressure fluctuations (i.e. combustion dynamics), then the pressure fluctuations can potentially cause vibration, stress, fatigue, etc. The components may include combustor liners, combustor flow sleeves, combustor caps, fuel nozzles, turbine nozzles, turbine blades, turbine shrouds, turbine wheels, bearings, fuel supply assemblies, or any combination thereof. The downstream components are of specific interest, as they are more sensitive to combustion tones that are in-phase and coherent. Thus, reducing coherence specifically reduces the possibility of unwanted vibrations in downstream components. One way to reduce the coherence of the combustion dynamics among the combustors is to alter the frequency relationship between two or more combustors, diminishing any combustor-to-combustor coupling. As the combustion dynamics frequency in one combustor is driven away from that of the other combustors, modal coupling of combustion dynamics is reduced, which, in turn, reduces the ability of the combustor tone to cause a vibratory response in downstream components. An alternate method of reducing modal coupling is to reduce the constructive interference of the fuel nozzles within the same combustor, by introduction of a phase delay between the fuel nozzles, reducing the amplitudes in each combustor, and preventing or reducing combustor-to-combustor coupling. Furthermore, introducing a phase lag between the combustors, or otherwise altering the phase relationship between two or more combustors may also help to prevent or reduce modal coupling of the combustion dynamics.
The disclosed embodiments help to reduce unwanted vibratory responses associated with combustion dynamics by providing one or more fuel system acoustic impedance adjusters configured to adjust the fuel system acoustic impedance (magnitude and phase) of the fuel nozzles. The fuel system acoustic impedance of the fuel nozzles is defined by the geometry of the pre-orifice, the geometry of the post-orifice and the volume between the pre and post-orifice. Specifically, the fuel system acoustic impedance adjuster is a pneumatically or mechanically controlled device disposed along one or more fuel lines (e.g., fuel passages) upstream of the fuel nozzles and/or fuel injectors of the gas turbine system. In certain embodiments, each fuel system acoustic impedance adjuster incorporates a movable plunger system and an internal rotating disk system configured to adjust the geometry of the pre-orifice and/or the volume between the pre and post orifice, to adjust the fuel system acoustic impedance of one or more of the fuel nozzles. For example, the movable plunger system may be driven by any type of actuator (e.g., pneumatic, electromechanical, hydraulic, etc.) to allow in-situ adjustments within the acoustic adjuster. For example, the fuel system acoustic impedance may be adjusted by increasing or decreasing the length between a pre-orifice and a post-orifice, which in turn may increase or decrease the acoustic volume of the fuel plenum situated between the pre and post-orifice, which impacts both the phase and the magnitude of the fuel system acoustic impedance. Further, the internal rotating disk system may also affect the fuel system acoustic impedance by adjusting the interference pattern between two or more perforated plates of the disk system, thereby altering the geometry of the pre-orifice. The interference pattern may be adjusted by rotating a central perforated plate between the perforated plates of the disk system to change the cross-sectional area of one or more channels through the rotational disk system created by one or more orifices on the plates. Therefore, adjusting the interference pattern of the perforated plates varies the fuel system acoustic impedance. The plates may include a plurality of orifices with one or more geometric characteristics (e.g., size, shape, pattern, arrangement, positions, etc.).
In certain embodiments, varying various geometries of the fuel system acoustic impedance adjuster as described above may result in changes to the fuel system acoustic impedance that may lead to combustion dynamics frequencies in one or more combustors that are different, phase shifted, smeared or spread out over a greater frequency range, or any combination thereof, relative to any resonant frequencies of the components in the gas turbine system, and/or the combustion dynamics of one or more of the other combustors in the gas turbine system. By adjusting the fuel system acoustic impedance adjustor for a specific fuel nozzle, the magnitude and phase of the fuel system impedance for the fuel nozzle will be changed, which affects the fluctuating component of the heat release, and therefore the combustion dynamics of the combustor. Varying the fuel system impedance between two or more fuel nozzles within a combustor, results in different fuel system impedance magnitudes and phases for the different fuel nozzles, causing a phase delay from nozzle to nozzle and therefore, destructive interference among the fuel nozzles in the heat release zone, reducing the amplitude of the combustion dynamics, and potentially smearing the frequency content of the combustion dynamics across a broader frequency range. In addition to modifications on a combustor level (i.e., individual combustor), the disclosed embodiments may vary fuel system acoustic impedance adjuster geometries among a plurality of gas turbine combustors, thereby varying the fuel system acoustic impedance and therefore, combustion dynamics, from combustor to combustor in a manner to reduce the combustion dynamics amplitudes and/or modal coupling of the combustion dynamics among the plurality of gas turbine combustors. For example, each fuel system acoustic impedance adjuster configuration may result in combustor to combustor variations in the combustion dynamics frequency of the combustor, which is expected to reduce coherence. In addition, each fuel system acoustic impedance adjuster may result in, instead of, or in addition to, possible shifts in combustor-to-combustor phase, thereby reducing the possibility of modal coupling of the combustors, particularly at frequencies that are aligned with resonant frequencies of the components of the gas turbine system.
In some embodiments, each fuel system acoustic impedance adjuster may be disposed along a fuel line upstream of the head end (e.g., endcover) of the gas turbine. For example, in some embodiments, each fuel system acoustic impedance adjuster may be associated with a fuel nozzle (e.g., primary fuel nozzles and/or secondary fuel nozzles) of the gas turbine system. In some embodiments, each fuel system acoustic impedance adjuster may be associated with a fuel circuit (e.g., primary fuel circuit, secondary fuel circuit, fuel circuits routing different types of fuel such as liquid or gas fuels, etc.), where each fuel circuit may lead to one or more fuel nozzles. In particular, the disclosed embodiments relate to adjusting the components of the fuel system acoustic impedance adjuster (e.g., the moveable plunger system and/or the rotating disk system) to help vary the vibratory resonant response within the gas turbine system. For example, the movable plunger system within a particular fuel system acoustic impedance adjuster may be varied (e.g., vary the size of the plenum chamber to vary the volume of the fuel plenum between the pre and post orifice by varying the distance between a pre-orifice and a post-orifice, etc.) relative to the moveable plunger systems within other fuel system acoustic impedance adjusters of the gas turbine system. Additionally, the rotating disk system within a particular acoustic adjuster may be varied (e.g., adjusting the geometric characteristics of the rotating disk system to vary the fuel system acoustic impedance of one or more fuel nozzles, by varying the interference pattern of the orifices through the plates) relative to the rotating disk systems of other fuel system acoustic impedance adjusters within the gas turbine system, e.g., within a particular combustor or between different combustors.
Accordingly, the disclosed embodiments include one or more acoustic adjusters within the gas turbine system configured to control the fuel system impedance of one or more fuel nozzles in one or more combustors. In particular, the acoustic adjusters may be disposed along each fuel line or fuel circuit upstream of a head end (e.g., endcover) of the combustor. In such embodiments, varying the characteristics of the fuel plenum (e.g., volume, acoustic characteristics, etc.) of each combustor assembly may reduce combustion dynamics amplitudes, and/or alter the frequency of the combustion dynamics within a single combustor assembly. Further, varying the characteristics of the fuel plenum (e.g., volume, acoustic characteristics, etc.) of one or more combustor assemblies may reduce modal coupling of the combustors, and therefore reduce unwanted vibratory responses in downstream components.
With the forgoing in mind,
The gas turbine system 10 includes the one or more combustors 12 (e.g., 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, or more combustors) having the one or more acoustic adjusters 14 disposed along one or more fuel lines 16. The gas turbine system 10 also has a compressor 22 and a turbine 24. The combustors 12 may include fuel nozzles 20 that route a fuel 26 (e.g., liquid fuel and/or a gas fuel, a first fuel, etc.) into the combustors 12 for combustion within a combustion chamber. The combustors 12 ignite and combust a fuel/air mixture to generate hot combustion gases 28. The hot combustion gases 28 are passed into the turbine 24. The turbine 24 includes turbine blades that are coupled to a shaft 30, which is also coupled to several other components throughout the system 10. As the combustion gases 28 pass between and against the turbine blades in the turbine 24, the turbine 24 is driven into rotation, which causes the shaft 30 to rotate. In some embodiments, the combustion dynamics can potentially cause vibratory responses and/or resonant behavior in various components upstream and/or downstream from the combustor. For example, the combustion dynamics (e.g., at certain frequencies, ranges of frequencies, amplitudes, combustor-to-combustor phases, etc.) can travel both upstream and downstream in the gas turbine system. The downstream turbine components are of specific interest, as they are more sensitive to combustion tones that are in-phase and coherent. Eventually, the combustion gases 28 exit the turbine system 10 via an exhaust outlet 32. Further, the shaft 30 may be coupled to a load 34, which is powered via rotation of the shaft 30. For example, the load 34 may be any suitable device that may generate power via the rotational output of the turbine system 10, such as an external mechanical load. For instance, the load 34 may include an electrical generator, a propeller of an airplane, and so forth.
In an embodiment of the turbine system 10, compressor blades are included as components of the compressor 22. The blades within the compressor 22 are coupled to the shaft 30, and will rotate as the shaft 30 is driven to rotate by the turbine 24, as described above. The rotation of the blades within the compressor 22 compress air from an air intake 36 into pressurized air 38. The pressurized air 38 is then fed into the fuel nozzles 20 of the combustors 12. The fuel nozzles 20 mix the pressurized air 38 and the fuel 26 to produce a suitable mixture ratio for combustion (e.g., a combustion that causes the fuel to more completely burn) so as not to waste fuel or cause excess emissions.
In the disclosed embodiments, the acoustic adjuster 14 may be configured to vary the fuel system acoustic impedance of the fuel nozzles 20 of the combustor 12, thereby leading to combustion dynamics frequencies in one or more combustors 12 that are different, phase shifted, smeared or spread out over a greater frequency range, or any combination thereof, relative to any resonant frequencies of the components in the system 10, and/or the combustion dynamics of one or more of the other combustors in the gas turbine system. For example, the acoustic adjuster 14 may include several system components that are adjustable, such as a movable plunger system and a rotational disk system (depicted in
The combustor 12 includes a head end 44, a combustor cap assembly 46, and a combustion chamber 48. The head end 44 of the combustor 12 generally supports and encloses fuel nozzles 20 in between the endcover 18 and the combustor cap assembly 46. The combustor cap assembly 46 generally houses the fuel nozzles 20. The fuel nozzles 20 route the fuel 26, the air, and sometimes other fluids, into the combustor chamber 48. The combustor 12 has one or more walls extending circumferentially around the combustion chamber 48, and generally represents one of a plurality of combustors 12 that are disposed in a spaced arrangement circumferentially about a rotational axis (e.g., shaft 30) of the gas turbine system 10.
In the illustrated embodiment, one or more fuel nozzles 20 are attached to the endcover 18, and pass through the combustor cap assembly 46 to the combustion chamber 48. Each fuel nozzle 20 may facilitate the mixing of pressurized air and fuel, and directs the mixture through the combustor cap assembly 46 and into the combustion chamber 48. The air-fuel mixture may then combust in the combustion chamber 48, thereby creating the hot pressurized combustion gases 28. These pressurized combustion gases 28 drive the rotation of blades within the turbine 24. Each combustor 12 includes an outer wall (e.g., flow sleeve 50) disposed circumferentially about an inner wall (e.g., combustor liner 52) to define an intermediate flow passage 60 or space, while the combustor liner 52 extends circumferentially about the combustion chamber 48. The inner wall 60 also may include a transition piece 51, which generally converges toward a first stage of the turbine 24. The impingement sleeve 53 is disposed circumferentially about the transition piece 51. The liner 52 defines an inner surface of the combustor 12, directly facing and exposed to the combustion chamber 48. The flow sleeve 50 and the impingement sleeve 53 include a plurality of perforations 54, which direct an airflow 56 from a compressor discharge 58 into the flow passage 60. The flow passage 60 then directs the airflow 62 in an upstream direction toward the head end 44 (e.g., relative to a downstream direction of the hot combustion gases 28), such that the airflow 62 further cools the liner 60, and then flows through the fuel nozzles 20, and through the combustor cap assembly 46 into the combustion chamber 48.
As noted above, the acoustic adjuster 14 includes the moveable plunger system 40 and the rotational disk 42. Further, the acoustic adjuster 14 may include a fuel inlet 64 configured to receive the fuel 26 through the fuel line 16. The fuel 26 is routed through the acoustic adjuster 14. The acoustic adjuster 14 can be used to alter the fuel system impedance (e.g. magnitude and phase). For example, in certain embodiments, the acoustic adjuster 14 may be operatively coupled to a drive 67 and/or a controller 68. The drive 67 may be configured to control the moveable plunger system 40 pneumatically, mechanically, electromechanically, hydraulically, and so forth. In some embodiments, the moveable plunger system 40 includes an actuator piston 66 that is driven by the drive 67, such that the actuator piston 66 is configured to move linearly within the acoustic adjuster 14. Adjusting the acoustic adjuster 14 with the actuator piston 66 may adjust a length 65 (e.g., distance 65) between a pre-orifice 70 and a post-orifice 72. The pre-orifice 70 may correspond to a first orifice that receives the fuel 26 from the fuel line 16. The post-orifice 72 may correspond to a second opening in the fuel nozzle 20 that routes the fuel 26 into the combustor 12, (e.g. the post-orifice 72 is the opening in the fuel nozzle 20 through which fuel is injected into the combustor 12). In certain embodiments, the post-orifice 72 may be disposed within the vane pack of the fuel nozzle 20, and the vane pack may be disposed a particular distance upstream within the fuel nozzle 20. In other embodiments, the post-orifice 72 may be disposed at the tip of the fuel nozzle 20. In particular, adjusting the distance 65 between the pre-orifice 70 and the post-orifice 72 may increase or decrease the acoustic volume of a plenum chamber 74 within the acoustic adjuster 14, thereby impacting both the phase and the magnitude of the fuel system acoustic impedance. In addition, adjusting the rotational disk system 42 may adjust the interference pattern between two or more perforated plates of the system 42, thereby altering the geometry of the pre-orifice 70, as described in detail with respect to
In certain embodiments, the controller 68 (e.g., industrial controller, or any suitable computing device such as desktop computer, tablet, smart phone, etc.) may include a processor and a memory (e.g., non-transitory machine readable media) suitable for executing and storing computer instruction and/or control logic. For example, the processors may include general-purpose or application-specific microprocessors. Likewise, the memory may include volatile and/or non-volatile memory, random access memory (RAM), read only memory (ROM), flash memory, hard disk drives (HDD), removable disk drives and/or removable disks (e.g., CDs, DVDs, Blu-ray Disc™ by Sony Corp., USB pen drives, etc.), or any combination thereof. The controller 68 may be useful in automating various components of the acoustic adjuster 14, such as the moveable plunger system 40 and/or the rotational disk system 42. For example, the controller 68 may be configured to regulate the moveable plunger system 40 by controlling the drive 67.
Additionally, in certain embodiments, the turbine system 10 may include a display associated with the controller 68. In some embodiments, the display may be integrated into (e.g., mobile device screen) or separate from (e.g., distinct monitor display) the controller 68. As discussed below, the display may be used to present information to a user that enables the user to select various objectives using a graphical user interface. Additionally, the turbine system 10 may include one or more input devices that receive selections of choices from one or more users. In certain embodiments, the input devices may include mice, keyboards, touch screens, trackpads, or other input devices for receiving inputs to the controller 68. The selection of choices received from the user may include, for example, parameters of the components of the acoustic adjusters 14 (e.g., rotational disk system 42 and/or the moveable plunger system 40) that may be adjusted or controlled. For example, the user may input parameters like a degree of rotation of the rotational disk system 42, a distance 65 between the pre-orifice 70 and the post-orifice 72, a volume within the fuel plenum chamber 74 between orifices 70 and 72, and so forth. Particularly, the input parameters may be used to provide variation between the one or more acoustic adjusters 14 of the system 10, which may reduce unwanted vibratory responses resulting from combustion dynamics within the system 10.
The variability resulting from adjusting various components of the acoustic adjuster 14 may help to reduce vibratory responses in the gas turbine system 10, and minimize vibrational stress, wearing, performance degradation, or other undesirable impacts to the components of the gas turbine system 10 (e.g., turbine blades, turbine shrouds, turbine nozzles, exhaust components, combustor transition piece, combustor liner, etc.). For example, the components of the acoustic adjuster 14 (e.g., the moveable plunger system 40 and the rotational disk system 42) may be varied relative to acoustic adjusters 14 within the same combustor 12 or may be varied relative to acoustic adjusters 14 associated with other combustors 12.
For example, the illustrated embodiment depicts how the geometry of the moveable plunger system 40 may be altered between a first acoustic adjuster 80 and a second acoustic adjuster 82. Specifically, the moveable plunger system 40 may be controlled or regulated by the controller 68 via the drive 67. The drive 67 may be configured to linearly adjust the actuator piston 66 of the moveable plunger system 40, such that the distance 65 between the pre-orifice 70 and the post-orifice 72 is varied for one or more fuel nozzles 20. For example, the actuator piston 66 of the first acoustic adjustor 80 may be positioned such that a first distance 84 between the pre-orifice 70 and the post-orifice 72 of the first acoustic adjuster 80 is greater than a second distance 86 between the pre-orifice 70 and the post-orifice 72 of the second acoustic adjustor 82. In this manner, the acoustic volume of the plenum chamber 74 of the first acoustic adjuster 80 is greater than the acoustic volume of the plenum chamber 74 of the second acoustic adjuster 82, thereby impacting both the phase and the magnitude of the fuel system acoustic impedance. In particular, as noted above, varying various geometries of the acoustic adjusters 14 as described above may result in changes to the fuel system acoustic impedance that may lead to reduced combustion dynamics amplitudes and/or combustion dynamics frequencies that are different within the system 10.
The illustrated embodiment of the gas turbine system 10 depicts various configurations, patterns, or positions of the acoustic adjusters 14 within each combustor 12 and between combustors 12. For example, a first combustor 90 includes a single acoustic adjuster 14 coupled to the fuel nozzle 20, while a second combustor 92 adjacent to the first combustor 90 includes two acoustic adjusters 14 coupled to the fuel nozzles 20. Accordingly, the acoustic adjusters 14 may vary the fuel system impedance between the first combustor 90 and the second combustor 92. In certain embodiments, various other configurations, patterns, or positions of the acoustic adjuster 14 may be used. For example, a third combustor 94 may be configured without any acoustic adjuster 14, while a fourth combustor 96 may be configured with one or more acoustic adjusters 14. In certain embodiments, a fifth combustor 98 may be configured with the same number of acoustic adjusters 14 as an adjacent combustor 12 (e.g., the first combustor 90), but which may be positioned in a different arrangement, configuration, and/or position. For example, the fifth combustor 98 may include one acoustic adjuster 14 positioned on a central fuel nozzle 21, as opposed to the acoustic adjuster 14 of the first combustor 90 which is positioned on a perimeter fuel nozzle 23. As noted above, each combustor 12 may include 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 or more acoustic adjusters 14 on the same or different fuel nozzles (e.g., in a particular arrangement).
In some embodiments, the system 10 may include one or more groups (e.g., 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, or more) of combustors 12, where each group of combustors 12 includes one or more combustors 12 (e.g., 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, or more). In some situations, each group of combustors 12 may include one or more identical combustors 12 that differ from one or more other groups of combustors 12 within the system 10. For example, a first group of combustors 12 may include identical combustors 12 having a particular acoustic adjuster 14 configuration, and a second group of combustors 12 may include identical combustors 12 have a second acoustic adjuster 14 configuration. Further, the first and second acoustic adjusters 14 may be different in one or more ways, as described above. Accordingly, the first group of combustors 12 may produce a fuel system acoustic impedance that is different from the fuel system acoustic impedance of the second group of combustors 12 within the system 10, as further explained below.
As a further example, in certain embodiments, a first group of combustors 12 may include identical combustors 12 each having a first acoustic adjuster 14 geometry, a second group of combustors 12 may include identical combustors 12 each having a second acoustic adjuster 14 geometry, and a third group of combustors 12 may include identical combustors 12 each having a third acoustic adjuster 14 geometry. Further, the acoustic adjuster 14 geometries of each group of combustors may be different from each other in one or more ways, as described with respect to
As noted above, the drive 67 may be configured to operate the acoustic adjuster 14 in response to control signals (e.g., command signals) received by the controller 68. Particularly, as noted above, the drive 67 may control the actuator piston 66 so that it actuates linearly to provide axial motion that increases or decreases the distance 65 (as shown in
For example, the first plate 104 and the second plate 106 are stationary plates having orifices 108 that are identically positioned or arranged such that one or more channels 110 (depicted in
In some embodiments, the fuel (e.g., from the fuel supply 26) received at the fuel inlet 64 of the acoustic adjuster 14 is routed through the channels 110 of the rotational disk system 42 (e.g., the fuel flow 112). Further, the central plate 107 may be a rotating plate coupled to the actuator piston 66. The central plate 107 may include orifices 108 that are positioned or arranged such that the cross-sectional area of the one or more channels 110 is at a maximum when the orifices 108 are aligned with the orifices 108 of the first plate 104 and the second plate 106. In certain embodiments, the central plate 107 may be rotated such that the orifices 108 of the central plate 107 are off-set relative to the orifices 108 of the first plate 104 and the second plate 106. In such embodiments, the off-set (e.g., misalignment) of the orifices 108 may be directly correlated with the angle of rotation of the central plate 107 and the actuator piston 66. The actuator piston 66 may be rotated at approximately any angle (e.g., 1-10 degrees, 1-20 degrees, 1-30 degrees, etc.) or at approximately any fraction of an angle (e.g., 0.1 degrees, 0.2 degrees, 0.3 degrees, 0.4 degrees, 0.5 degrees, etc.) to increase or decrease the cross-sectional area of the channels 110. As noted above, the orifices 108 may be any size or shape, and further may be arranged in any geometric configuration, pattern, or arrangement. In particular, variations in the orifices 108 may vary the acoustic impedance of the fuel plenum, and/or the mass flow through the fuel nozzle 20.
In particular, it should be noted that a variety of parameters relating to the rotational disk system 42 may be changed so that the fuel system acoustic impedance and/or mass flow of the fuel 112 between acoustic adjusters 14 are varied. For example, rotating the central plate 107 such that the orifices 108 of the central plate 107 are offset from the orifices 108 of the first plate 104 and the second plate 106 varies the interference pattern between the first plate 104 and the second plate 106. In particular, the interference pattern may be varied between two or more acoustic adjusters 14, such that the interference pattern and fuel flow 112 may be varied within a particular combustor 12 (e.g., between the fuel nozzles 20 of a single combustor 12) or between two or more combustors 12 (e.g., between fuel nozzles 20 of two or more combustors 12). In other embodiments, geometric characteristics of the orifices 108 (e.g., size, shape, arrangement, etc.) may be varied between acoustic adjusters 14, such that the fuel system acoustic impedance is varied within a particular combustor 12 (e.g., between the fuel nozzles 20 of a single combustor 12) or between two or more combustors 12 (e.g., between fuel nozzles 20 of two or more combustors 12).
Technical effects of the invention include reducing unwanted vibratory responses associated with combustion dynamics by providing one or more fuel system acoustic impedance adjusters 14 (e.g., acoustic adjuster 14) configured to adjust the fuel system acoustic impedance (magnitude and phase) of the fuel nozzles 20, and/or the fuel flow through the fuel nozzles 20. The acoustic adjuster 12 includes the movable plunger system 40 and the rotational disk system 42 configured to adjust the vibratory response of the gas turbine system 10. For example, the movable plunger system 40 may be driven by any type of actuator (e.g., pneumatic, electrometrical, hydraulic, etc.) to generate axial motion which may increase or decrease the distance 65 (and thus the acoustic volume of the fuel plenum) between the pre-orifice 70 and the post-orifice 72. Further, the rotational disk system 42 may be driven to generate rotary motion 109 which may change the interference pattern between the orifices 108 of the rotational disk system 42. Changing the interference pattern between the orifices 108 may increase or decrease the size of the channels 110, and may vary the fuel system acoustic impedance characteristics of the fuel nozzles 20 and/or the fuel flow 112 through the fuel nozzles 20 routing the fuel to the combustor 12.
In particular, the geometries of the acoustic adjuster 14 may be varied within a particular combustor 12 and/or between two or more combustors 12 of the system 10. For example, each combustor 12 may be associated with one or more acoustic adjusters 14 that are each coupled to one or more fuel nozzles 20. Further, the pattern of the acoustic adjusters 14 coupled to the fuel nozzles 20 may vary between the combustors 12 of the system 10. In this manner, unwanted vibratory responses within the system 10 may be reduced. Particularly, reducing unwanted responses may reduce vibrational stress, structural vibrations, wearing, mechanical fatigue, thermal fatigue, performance degradations, or other undesirable impacts to the components of the system 10.
This written description uses examples to disclose the invention, including the best mode, and also to enable any person skilled in the art to practice the invention, including making and using any devices or systems and performing any incorporated methods. The patentable scope of the invention is defined by the claims, and may include other examples that occur to those skilled in the art. Such other examples are intended to be within the scope of the claims if they have structural elements that do not differ from the literal language of the claims, or if they include equivalent structural elements with insubstantial differences from the literal language of the claims.
