Gas turbines and applications thereof

Claim 1

A GAS TURBINE COMPRISING A FIXED OUTER CASING, A TURBINE MEMBER WITHIN SAID CASING, MEANS DEFINING A FIXED ANNULAR COMBUSTION CHAMBER WITHIN SAID CASING, AN AIR COMPRESSOR, A HOLLOW SHAFT CONNECTING THE COMPRESSOR AND THE TURBINE MEMBER, SAID COMBUSTION CHAMBER HAVING A RADIAL CAVITY ADAPTED FOR RECEIVING COMPRESSED AIR FROM THE COMPRESSOR AND IN WHICH COMBUSTION PROPER IS EFFECTED AND AN AXIALLY DISPOSED ANNULAR CAVITY EXTENDING REARWARDLY TOWARDS THE TURBINE MEMBER FOR SUPPLYING THE LATTER WITH COMBUSTION GAS, SAID COMBUSTION CHAMBER DEFINING AN ANNULAR SPACE WITH THE CASING FOR THE PASSAGE OF PRINCIPAL AIR FLOW FROM THE COMPRESSOR, MEANS FOR SUPPLYING SAID RADIAL CAVITY OF THE COMBUSTION CHAMBER WITH LIQUID FUEL FROM A SOURCE OF LIQUID FUEL BY ROTARY RADIAL INJECTION INTO SAID RADIAL CAVITY OF STREAMS OF SAID LIQUID FUEL THROUGH OPENINGS PROVIDED IN SAID HOLLOW SHAFT, A DISTRIBUTOR BETWEEN SAID ANNULAR CAVITY AND THE TURBINE MEMBER AND HAVING HOLLOW VANES AROUND WHICH THE COMBUSTION GAS FLOWS AS IT PASSES FROM THE COMBUSTION CHAMBER TO THE TURBINE MEMBER, SAID HOLLOW VANES OPENING INTO SAID ANNULAR SPACE TO RECEIVE AIR WHICH FLOWS IN A STREAM FROM SAID ANNULAR SPACE TO THE RADIAL CAVITY WHILE FIRST COOLING THE COMBUSTION GASES FLOWING TO THE TURBINE MEMBER, MEANS FOR DIRECTING THE AIR IN SAID ANNULAR SPACE INTO SAID RADIAL CAVITY AS A FURTHER STREAM SUCH THAT SAID AIR STREAMS ARE ADMITTED INTO THE RADIAL CAVITY ON EITHER SIDE OF THE LIQUID FUEL SUPPLY OPENINGS, SAID COMBUSTION CHAMBER HAVING AN OPENING IN COMMUNICATION WITH SAID ANNULAR SPACE TO PERMIT DIRECT INTRODUCTION THEREIN OF DILUTION AIR FOR LOWERING THE TEMPERATURE OF THE COMBUSTION GASES, A SOURCE OF NATURAL GASEOUS FUEL, MEANS FOR SUPPLYING SAID RADIAL CAVITY OF THE ANNULAR COMBUSTION CHAMBER WITH STREAMS OF NATURAL GASEOUS FUEL WHICH INTERSECT THE STREAMS OF LIQUID FUEL SUPPLIED TO SAID CAVITY BY RADIAL INJECTION, THE GASEOUS FUEL SUPPLY MEANS COMPRISING A LABYRINTH SEAL SURROUNDING THE HOLLOW SHAFT ADJACENT THE TURBINE MEMBER AND CONSTITUTED BY A DOUBLE-WALLED CYLINDRICAL CASE DEFINING A SERIES OF SEPARATE INTERCONNECTED CHAMBERS SOME OF WHICH ARE IN COMMUNICATION WITH THE HOLLOW VANES OF THE DISTRIBUTOR WHILE THE OTHERS ARE IN COMMUNICATION WITH SAID RADIAL CAVITY THROUGH A SERIES OF GASEOUS FUEL INJECTION HOLES WHICH ARE DISPOSED AT THE LEVEL OF THE LIQUID FUEL INJECTION OPENINGS, A PLURALITY OF SUBSTANTIALLY RADIAL TUBES EXTENDING THROUGH SAID HOLLOW VANES AND CONNECTED TO SAID OTHER CHAMBERS OF THE LABYRINTH SEAL, A MANIFOLD ACCOMMODATED IN THE ANNULAR SPACE BETWEEN THE ANNULAR CAVITY OF THE COMBUSTION CHAMBER AND THE OUTER CASING AND CONNECTED TO SAID RADIAL TUBES, A GASEOUS FUEL LINE EXTENDING THROUGH SAID CASING AND INTERCONNECTING SAID MANIFOLD AND THE SOURCE OF NATURAL GASEOUS FUEL, REGULATING MEANS CONNECTED TO SAID GASEOUS FUEL SOURCE AND TO THE SOURCE OF LIQUID FUEL FOR REGULATING THE QUANTITY OF BOTH SAID FUELS TO BE ADMITTED INTO SAID RADIAL CAVITY, AND A TACHOMETRIC ADJUSTING DEVICE INTERCONNECTING, ON THE ONE HAND, SAID REGULATING MEANS AND, ON THE OTHER HAND, SAID GASEOUS FUEL SUPPLY MEANS AND THE LIQUID FUEL FEED DEVICE FOR ADJUSTING THE AMOUNT OF SAID FUELS DELIVERED TO SAID RADIAL CAVITY TO MAINTAIN AT A CONSTANT VALUE THE ROTATIONAL WORKING SPEED OF THE TURBINE MEMBER.