Combustor for gas turbine having a compressor and turbine passages in a single rotor element

Claim 2

In a gas turbine engine having an axial flow air compressor passages and radial flow turbine passages formed between next adjacent stator blades, a combustor comprising a housing, a plurality of segmental elements within the housing interconnected to form an annular combustion liner defining a combustion chamber and spaced from the housing to define therebetween an air supply passageway communicating with the compressor passages to receive compressed air from the latter, said combustion chamber having air inlet means and combustion gas outlet means communicating with the turbine passages, means forming an air inlet plenum communicating with said air inlet means, fuel means for introducing combustible fuel into said combustor to effect burning and the generation of hot gaseous combustion products, the stator blades being provided with air passages therethrough communicating with said air inlet plenum and said air supply passageway to receive and pass compressed air from the latter to the air inlet plenum and thereby effect the cooling of the stator blades heated by the gaseous products of combustion flowing through the turbine passages.

Claim 3

The combination of claim 1, wherein said combustion liner is toroidal in configuration and defines with the housing and air supply passage having a flow path of abut 180*.

Claim 4

The combination of claim 1, wherein said combustion liner is spaced from the housing to define a diffusing passageway to gradually reduce velocity of the airstream.

Claim 5

The combination of claim 1, wherein said combustion liner is annular, toroidal in configuration and is spaced from the housing to define a diffusing passageway having a flow path of about 180*.

Claim 6

The combination of claim 1, wherein said combustion liner is spaced from the housing so as to define an air supply passageway increasing in flow area in the direction of the airflow, and wherein the plurality of segmental elements are interconnected by slip joints which permit relative expansion and contraction of the elements to thereby maintain the flow area dimensions of the diffusing passageway substantially constant.

Claim 7

The combination of claim 1, wherein the combustion liner elements are constructed and arranged with a multiplicity of openings into which a portion of the air flowing in the air supply passage passes to provide a film of cool air adjacent the liner to shield the same from the hot products of combustion generated in the combustion chamber.

Claim 8

The combination of claim 1, wherein said fuel means includes a fuel supply tube disposed to extend through the passages in the stator blades to conduct fuel from a source thereof to the combustion chamber.

Claim 9

The combination of claim 1, wherein said fuel means includes at least one annular manifold connected to a supply of fuel and a fuel supply tube disposed to extend through the passages in the stator blades and connected to the manifold to conduct fuel from the latter to the combustion chamber.

Claim 10

The combination of claim 1, wherein said fuel means includes at least two independent annular manifolds connected to a reservoir of fuel to receive fuel from the latter and a fuel supply tube for each turbine blade disposed to extend through the passage in the turbine blades, the fuel supply tubes being alternately connected to the two manifolds and to the combustion chamber to thereby pass fuel from the manifolds to the combustion chamber.

Claim 11

The combination of claim 1, wherein said combustor comprises partition means forming an annular air inlet header which communicates with the passages in said stator blades to receive air from the lAtter, the air inlet means communicating with the air inlet header and the combustion chamber to pass air from the former into the latter.

Claim 12

The combination of claim 1, wherein an annular header plate closes the inlet end of the combustion chamber and an annular partition wall extending radially outwardly to a point short of the liner to define with the liner a combustion chamber having a U-shaped flow path.

Claim 13

The combination of claim 11, wherein a plurality of circumferentially spaced fuel vaporizer tubes are mounted in said header plate to extend into the combustion chamber and wherein said fuel means includes a fuel supply tube for each vaporizer tube communicating with a source of fuel and the vaporizer tube to deliver fuel to the latter.

Claim 14

The combination of claim 1, wherein said fuel means includes a plurality of circumferentially spaced vaporizer tubes and a fuel supply tube for each vaporizer tube disposed to extend to a vaporizer tube from a source of fuel to conduct fuel from the latter to the associated vaporizer tube.

Claim 15

In a gas turbine engine having axial flow air compressor passages and radial flow turbine passages formed in a single rotor element supported for rotation in a fixed frame including spaced stator vanes for the turbine and an annular outlet passage for the air compressor, a combustor comprising a. an annular, toroidal-shaped housing connected to the outer periphery of the fixed frame, b. a combustion chamber liner connected to the fixed frame and disposed within and spaced from the housing to define therebetween a diffusing air supply passageway communicating with the annular outlet passage of the compressor to receive compressed air from the latter, c. an annular partition means connected to the frame adjacent the stator vanes and extending in axial and radial-spaced relation to the combustion liner to define with the liner a U-shaped combustion chamber closed at the inlet end and communicating at the opposite end with the nozzles formed between adjacent stator vanes of the turbine to pass combustion products to the nozzles, d. said partition means also defining with the frame an air inlet manifold adjacent said stator vanes, e. the stator vanes being provided with passages therethrough communicating with the diffusing air supply passageway and with the air inlet manifold to pass air from the air supply passageway to the latter and absorb heat from the stator vanes, f. air inlet port means in said partition means to pass air from the manifold into the combustion chamber, and g. fuel supply means connected to conduct fuel from a source thereof to the combustion chamber for the generation of hot products of combustion.

Claim 16

In a gas turbine engine having axial flow air compressor passages and radial flow turbine passages formed in a single rotor element supported for rotation in a fixed frame including spaced stator vanes for the turbine and an annular outlet passage for the air compressor, a combustor comprising a. an annular, toroidal-shaped housing connected to the outer periphery of the fixed frame, b. a combustion chamber liner connected to the fixed frame and disposed within and spaced from the housing to define therebetween a diffusing air supply passageway communicating with the annular outlet passage of the compressor to receive compressed air from the latter, c. an annular partition means connected to the frame adjacent the stator vanes and extending in axial and radial-spaced relation to the combustion liner to define with the liner a U-shaped combustion chamber closed at the inlet end and communicating at the opposite end with the nozzles formed between adjacent stator vanes of the turbine to pass combustion products to the nozzles, d. said partition means also defining with the frame an air inlet manifold adjacent said stator vanes, e. the stator vanes being provided with passages therethrough communicating with the diffusing air supply passageway and with the air inlet manifold to pass air from the air supply passageway to the latter and absorb heat from the stator vanes, f. air inlet port means in said partition means to pass air from the manifold into the combustion chamber, and g. fuel supply means connected to conduct fuel from a source thereof to the combustion chamber for the generation of hot products of combustion.

Claim 17

The combination of claim 14, wherein said combustion liner consists of a plurality of segmental elements interconnected by slip joints to provide for expansion and contraction of the elements relative to each other and the housing while maintaining the flow area dimensions of the diffusing air supply passageway substantially constant.

Claim 18

The combination of claim 14, wherein said fuel supply means includes a plurality of circumferentially spaced vaporizing tubes connected to the partition means and extending into the combustion chamber to communicate the air inlet manifold with the combustion chamber, and wherein a fuel supply tube is provided for each vaporizer tube and disposed to extend through the air passage of a stator vane, the supply tube being in communication with a source of fuel and the associated vaporizer tube to conduct fuel to the latter for combustion in the combustion chamber.

Claim 19

The combination of claim 14, wherein said combustion liner is provided with a multiplicity of openings to pass a portion of the compressed air from the diffusing air supply passageway into the combustion chamber adjacent the liner to shield the liner from the hot products of combustion.

Claim 20

The combination of claim 16, wherein the housing is provided with depeNding spacing members which impinge the segmental elements of the combustion liner to prevent movement of the liner elements toward the housing upon heating.