Folded Annular Combustor for Turbine Engine
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Solution Overview
Problem
Turbine engines with complex and costly combustor arrangements that rely on bleed flows and pre-mixers for low NOx production often suffer from suboptimal mixing and increased component complexity, leading to inefficient fuel and air mixing and higher emissions.
Innovation Solution
A folded-annular combustor design with a can-like dilution zone, primary combustion zone, and secondary combustion zone, where a mixture of compressed air and fuel is directed radially into the combustor, ignited, and redirected multiple times to enhance mixing and reduce NOx emissions, using a hybrid-type combustor with premixing ports to promote complete vaporization and uniform mixing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If a pre-combustor is used to vaporize fuel and heat air for mixture, then fuel vaporization and mixing are improved, but device complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the pre-combustor, primary combustor, and dilution zone into a single integrated combustor assembly. The pre-combustor is positioned within the primary combustor structure, and the dilution zone is integrated at the downstream end, eliminating the need for separate pre-combustion chambers and reducing overall system complexity while maintaining effective fuel vaporization and mixing.
2Manufacturing precision
If additional passageways are added for bleed flow of hot exhaust gases, then fuel vaporization is improved, but device complexity and assembly complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The combustor is divided into distinct functional zones: a pre-combustor region for initial fuel vaporization, a primary combustion zone for main combustion, and a dilution zone for temperature control. Each zone has dedicated inlet and outlet passageways, allowing systematic organization of flow paths and simplifying the overall design by assigning specific functions to specific regions rather than using complex interconnected passageways.
3Manufacturing precision
If the pre-mixer is located entirely outside of the combustor, then mixing space is provided, but engine space consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The pre-mixer is nested within the combustor structure, specifically positioned inside the pre-combustor region. The fuel injectors are arranged radially around the central axis, with air inlet passages surrounding the fuel injection paths. This nested arrangement allows complete fuel-air mixing to occur within the combustor volume itself, eliminating the need for external mixing chambers and reducing overall engine space consumption.
4Manufacturing precision
If flow reversals are implemented in the combustor, then mixing is promoted, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The combustor utilizes dynamic flow reversal mechanisms where the direction of gas flow is periodically changed to enhance mixing. The design incorporates adjustable flow control elements that can reverse the flow direction in the dilution zone, allowing hot exhaust gases to alternately flow forward and backward, thereby improving fuel-air mixing efficiency without requiring complex mechanical components.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution achieves improved fuel efficiency and reduced NOx emissions by optimizing the mixing process within the combustor, minimizing the number of components, and reducing assembly complexity, while maintaining low emissions across a wide operating range.
Implementation Method 1
igniting the mixture
Implementation Method 2
redirecting the ignited mixture in a second axial direction opposite the first axial direction. The method may further include redirecting the ignited mixture back in the first axial direction
Data Source
AI summary
A combustor for a turbine engine is disclosed. The combustor may have a can-like dilution zone, a primary combustion zone, and a secondary combustion zone. The primary combustion zone may be disposed radially about the can-like dilution zone. The secondary combustion zone may be disposed at an end of the can-like dilution zone to fluidly communicate the primary combustion zone and the can-like dilution zone.