Variable Inlet Port Assemblies for Wave Rotor Combustors
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional wave rotor combustors lack the ability to efficiently adjust combustion parameters to match varying operating conditions, leading to suboptimal performance across different engine operations.
Innovation Solution
A wave rotor combustor design featuring a rotor drum with a variable inlet assembly, including a seal plate, a restrictor plate, and a restrictor-plate mover that can pivot and translate to adjust the area of the inlet port, allowing for selective control of the flow of air and fuel into the rotor passages, thereby optimizing combustion efficiency.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a fixed inlet port design is used in conventional wave rotor combustors, then the structure is simple, but the combustion efficiency cannot be optimized for varying operating conditions
Solution Approach 1:
The inlet assembly incorporates a movable restrictor plate that can dynamically adjust the inlet port area based on operating conditions. The restrictor plate is positioned to be movable relative to the seal plate, allowing the inlet port area to vary as the rotor drum rotates, enabling optimization of combustion efficiency across different operating regimes while maintaining a relatively simple structural configuration.
2Productivity
If the inlet port area is made variable to optimize combustion, then combustion efficiency improves, but the device complexity increases due to additional moving parts
Solution Approach 1:
The variable inlet port area is achieved through a localized restrictor plate mechanism rather than redesigning the entire inlet assembly. The restrictor plate is positioned at a specific location within the inlet assembly and can be moved independently to adjust the inlet port area, allowing combustion efficiency optimization with minimal additional moving parts and maintaining simplicity in other regions of the device.
Data Source
AI summary
A wave rotor combustor for use in a gas turbine engine includes an inlet assembly, a rotor drum, and an outlet assembly. The inlet assembly is arranged to direct a flow of gasses into rotor passages formed in the rotor drum. The rotor drum is arranged to receive the gasses. The outlet assembly is arranged to direct the gasses out of the rotor drum.