Resonator Assembly for Gas Turbine Combustor Dynamics
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Solution Overview
Problem
Gas turbine engines face high combustion dynamics due to fluctuations in temperature and pressure, leading to mechanical and thermal fatigue, inefficiencies, and hardware damage, which existing control methods struggle to fully mitigate.
Innovation Solution
The use of selectively coupled resonators in a gas turbine engine's combustor section to absorb acoustic energy and alter frequency levels among combustor cans, thereby reducing dynamic interactions and instability modes by decoupling pressure and heat release oscillations.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Duration of action of stationary object
If passive control methods are used to reduce combustion dynamics, then hardware life is extended, but the ability to fully mitigate high dynamics is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the physical parameters of the combustor system by introducing resonators with specific acoustic properties. The resonators are tuned to specific frequencies to alter the pressure oscillation characteristics, transforming the system's dynamic response parameters to achieve better control effectiveness while extending hardware life.
Solution Approach 2:
The resonators act as intermediary devices between the combustion process and the surrounding structure. They mediate the interaction by absorbing and redistributing acoustic energy, thereby reducing the direct transmission of harmful pressure oscillations to hardware components while maintaining overall system reliability.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If resonators are used to absorb acoustic energy, then high frequency instabilities are attenuated, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the combustor system into multiple independent resonator units, each capable of addressing specific frequency ranges. This segmentation allows the complex problem of broadband acoustic attenuation to be broken down into simpler, manageable frequency bands, reducing overall system complexity while maintaining effectiveness.
Solution Approach 2:
The resonators are designed to serve multiple functions: they attenuate acoustic energy, modify pressure oscillation patterns, and can be tuned to address different frequency ranges. This multi-functionality reduces the need for additional separate components, thereby limiting the increase in device complexity while achieving comprehensive acoustic control.
3Stability of the object's composition
If pressure and heat release oscillations are decoupled, then combustion dynamics are reduced, but manufacturing precision requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces direct mechanical control of flame shape and location with acoustic field control through resonators. Instead of precisely adjusting mechanical combustion parameters to decouple oscillations, the resonators use acoustic pressure fields to achieve decoupling, thereby reducing manufacturing precision requirements while maintaining combustion stability.
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
This approach effectively reduces combustion dynamics, extends hardware life, improves system efficiency, and minimizes fatigue damage by breaking the frequency interaction between combustor cans, leading to lower coherence and reduced pressure oscillations.
Implementation Method 1
resonators coupled to selected ones of the combustor cans... reduce relatively high combustion dynamics by both absorbing acoustic energy
Implementation Method 2
selective arrangement and tuning of the disclosed resonator assemblies is configured to reduce relatively high combustion dynamics by both absorbing acoustic energy and by changing the frequency levels among adjacent cans
Data Source
AI summary
A combustor for a gas turbine engine and related method is provided in which a plurality of combustor cans are selectively adapted with corresponding resonators. The resonators may, for example, be attached to every can in the consecutive arrangement of combustor cans, every other can, every third can or the like, and may be tuned to the same or first, second, third, etc. frequencies of operation. Such selective tuning is configured to suppress one or more of out-of-phase and in-phase dynamic interaction of streams discharged from adjacent combustor cans by changing the frequencies of pressure oscillation instabilities across the arrangement of consecutive cans.