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Method of manufacturing mixers

a technology of mixers and mixers, applied in the field of mixers, can solve the problems of minimizing the emission of undesirable gas turbine engine combustion products, reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and difficult to achieve, and minimizing the production of undesirable combustion products

Inactive Publication Date: 2009-10-15
GENERAL ELECTRIC CO
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  • Summary
  • Abstract
  • Description
  • Claims
  • Application Information

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

"The patent describes a method for making a mixer with a single construction by using a laser sintering process. The method involves determining the three-dimensional information of the mixer and converting it into multiple layers of information. Each layer is then fused with metallic powder to create the final mixer. The technical effect of this invention is the ability to make complex mixers with a single construction using a rapid manufacturing process."

Problems solved by technology

For example, one way in which the problem of minimizing the emission of undesirable gas turbine engine combustion products has been attacked is the provision of staged combustion.
It will be appreciated that balancing the operation of the first and second stage burners to allow efficient thermal operation of the engine, while simultaneously minimizing the production of undesirable combustion products, is difficult to achieve.
In that regard, operating at low combustion temperatures to lower the emissions of NOx, can also result in incomplete or partially incomplete combustion, which can lead to the production of excessive amounts of HC and CO, in addition to producing lower power output and lower thermal efficiency.
Conventional combustor components such as, for example, mixers, are generally expensive to fabricate and / or repair because the conventional mixer designs include a complex assembly and joining of several components.
More specifically, the use of braze joints can increase the time needed to fabricate such mixers and can also complicate the fabrication process for any of several reasons, including: the need for an adequate region to allow for braze alloy placement; the need for minimizing unwanted braze alloy flow; the need for an acceptable inspection technique to verify braze quality; and, the necessity of having several braze alloys available in order to prevent the re-melting of previous braze joints.
Moreover, numerous braze joints may result in several braze runs, which may weaken the parent material of the component.
The presence of numerous braze joints can undesirably increase the weight and manufacturing cost of the mixer assemblies.
Complexities of the swirler geometries and the associated difficulties in the machining and normal wear of the tools such as the EDM electrodes during the machining process, cause significant manufacturing variability in the mixer assemblies.
Such manufacturing variability in the mixer assemblies may lead to undesirable aerodynamic flow variability in the mixers and adversely impact the aerodynamic performance of the combustor.

Method used

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Examples

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Embodiment Construction

[0029]Referring now to the drawings in detail, wherein identical numerals indicate the same elements throughout the figures, FIG. 1 depicts in diagrammatic form an exemplary gas turbine engine 10 (high bypass type) having a longitudinal or axial centerline axis 12 therethrough for reference purposes. Engine 10 preferably includes a core gas turbine engine generally identified by numeral 14 and a fan section 16 positioned upstream thereof. Core engine 14 typically includes a generally tubular outer casing 18 that defines an annular inlet 20. Outer casing 18 further encloses and supports a booster 22 for raising the pressure of the air that enters core engine 14 to a first pressure level. A high pressure, multi-stage, axial-flow compressor 24 receives pressurized air from booster 22 and further increases the pressure of the air. The pressurized air flows to a combustor 26, where fuel is injected into the pressurized air stream and ignited to raise the temperature and energy level of t...

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Abstract

A method for fabricating a unitary mixer is disclosed, said method comprising the steps of determining three-dimensional information of the unitary mixer having at least one swirler, converting the three-dimensional information into a plurality of slices that each define a cross-sectional layer of the unitary mixer, and successively forming each layer of the unitary mixer by fusing a metallic powder. Exemplary embodiments are disclosed, showing unitary mixer comprising an annular housing and a swirler having a unitary construction wherein unitary mixer is made by using a rapid manufacturing process. In one aspect of the invention, the rapid manufacturing process is a laser sintering process.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS[0001]This Application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 61 / 044,116, filed Apr. 11, 2008, which is herein incorporated by reference in its entirety.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0002]This invention relates generally to combustors, and more specifically to mixers used for enhancing fuel / air mixing in gas turbine engine combustors.[0003]Modern day emphasis on minimizing the production and discharge of gases that contribute to smog and to other undesirable environmental conditions, particularly those gases that are emitted from gas turbine engines, have led to different combustor designs that have been developed in an effort to reduce the production and discharge of such undesirable combustion product components. Other factors that influence combustor design are the desires of users of gas turbine engines for efficient, low cost operation, which translates into a need for reduced fuel consumption while at the same time maintai...

Claims

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Application Information

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Patent Type & Authority Applications(United States)
IPC IPC(8): B23P15/04B23K26/34
CPCB23P6/007Y10T29/49318F23D2900/00018F23D2900/14701F23R3/14F23R3/283F23R3/286F23R3/343F23R2900/00018Y02T50/675B22F2007/068B23P6/005Y10T29/49746Y10T29/4932B23P2700/13F23D2213/00F23R3/28Y10T137/265B33Y80/00Y02P10/25Y02E30/30F23C7/004F02C7/222B23P6/00F23D11/38Y02T50/60
Inventor KASTRUP, DAVID ALLENMCMASTERS, MARIE ANN
Owner GENERAL ELECTRIC CO
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