Annular combustor systems

Claim 2

A combustor system for generating a hot gas stream by the combustion of fuel in a pressurized air stream discharged from a compressor, said system comprising, a pair of liners respectively defining the inner and outer bounds of an annular combustion zone, an annular bluff body at the upstream ends of said liners, means for injecting fuel into said combustion zone adjacent said bluff body, said bluff body having a plurality of evenly distributed openings thereto for the introduction of pressurized air into said combustion zone, an annular diffuser connected at its upstream end to the compressor discharge and divergently curved to provide high pressure, low velocity air evenly distributed over the upstream side of said bluff body for introduction into said combustion zone, wherein an annular plenum is formed upstream of said bluff body and opening toward said diffuser discharge, and wherein the annular diffuser has a ratio of its inlet height to its axial length of no greater than approximately 4:1 or less and an area ratio of at least approximately 2.5:1.

Claim 3

A combustor system for generating a hot gas stream by the combustion of fuel in a pressurized air stream discharged from a compressor, said system comprising, a pair of liners respectively defining the inner and outer bounds of an annular combustion zone, an annular bluff body at the upstream ends of said liners, means for injecting fuel into said combustion zone adjacent said bluff body, said bluff body having a plurality of evenly distributed openings thereto for the introduction of pressurized air into said combustion zone, an annular diffuser connected at its upstream end to the compressor discharge and divergently curved to provide high pressure, low velocity air evenly distributed over the upstream side of said bluff body for introduction into said combustion zone, wherein an annular plenum is formed upstream of said bluff body and opening toward said diffuser discharge, and wherein the annular diffuser has a ratio of its inlet height to its axial length of no greater than approximately 4:1 or less and an area ratio of at least approximately 2.5:1.

Claim 4

A combustor system for generating a hot gas stream by the combustion of fuel in a pressurized air stream discharged from a compressor, said system comprising, a pair of liners respectively defining the inner and outer bounds of an annular combustion zone, an annular bluff body at the upstream ends of said liners, means for injecting fuel into said combustion zone adjacent said bluff body, said bluff body having a plurality of evenly distributed openings thereto for the introduction of pressurized air into said combustion zone, an annular diffuser connected at its upstream end to the compressor discharge and divergently curved to provide high pressure, low velocity air evenly distributed over the upstream side of said bluff body for introduction into said combustion zone, wherein an annular plenum is formed upstream of said bluff body and opening toward said diffuser discharge, and wherein the annular diffuser has a ratio of its inlet height to its axial length of no greater than approximately 4:1 or less and an area ratio of at least approximately 2.5:1.

Claim 5

A combustor system for generating a hot gas stream by the combustion of fuel in a pressurized air stream discharged from a compressor, said system comprising, a pair of liners respectively defining the inner and outer bounds of an annular combustion zone, an annular bluff body at the upstream end of said liners, means for injecting fuel into said combustion zone adjacent said bluff body, said bluff body having a plurality of evenly distributed openings therethrough for the introduction of pressurized air into said combustion zone, an annular diffuser connected at its upstream end to the compressor discharge and divergently curved to provide high pressure, low velocity air equally distributed over the upstream side of said bluff body for introduction into said combustion zone, wherein an annular plenum is formed upstream of said bluff body and opening toward said diffuser discharge, and wherein the bluff body is in the form of a plurality of angularly and radially spaced fuel injectors, each fuel injector comprising a cup opening toward said combustion zone and having a plate projecting outwardly from said cup, the plates of said fuel injectors being spaced apart from each other and spaced from adjacent liners to provide openings for the introduction of pressurized air into said combustion zone, each fuel injector further comprising a passageway for the introduction of fuel into said cup and tangential slots in said cup for introduction of further pressurized air into said combustion zone.

Claim 6

A combustor system for generating a hot gas stream by the combustion of fuel in a pressurized air stream discharged from a compressor, said system comprising, a pair of liners respectively defining the inner and outer bounds of an annular combustion zone, an annular bluff body at the upstream end of said liners, means for injecting fuel into said combustion zone adjacent said bluff body, said bluff body having a plurality of evenly distributed openings therethrough for the introduction of pressurized air into said combustion zone, an annular diffuser connected at its upstream end to the compressor discharge and divergently curved to provide high pressure, low velocity air equally distributed over the upstream side of said bluff body for introduction into said combustion zone, wherein an annular plenum is formed upstream of said bluff body and opening toward said diffuser discharge, and wherein the bluff body is in the form of a plurality of angularly and radially spaced fuel injectors, each fuel injector comprising a cup opening toward said combustion zone and having a plate projecting outwardly from said cup, the plates of said fuel injectors being spaced apart from each other and spaced from adjacent liners to provide openings for the introduction of pressurized air into said combustion zone, each fuel injector further comprising a passageway for the introduction of fuel into said cup and tangential slots in said cup for introduction of further pressurized air into said combustion zone.

Claim 7

A combustion system as in claim 2 wherein, the diffuser has a ratio of its inlet height to its axial length of no greater than approximately 4/1 and an area ratio of at least approximately 2.5/1.

Claim 8

A combustion system as in claim 3 wherein, casings are respectively spaced from the outer surfaces of said liners to form liner plenums, said liners extend upstream of the plates of said fuel injectors to form the annular plenum opening towards said diffuser discharge, the upstream edges of said liners being spaced from said diffuser to define entrances to the liner plenums and the liners have openings therethrough for the introduction of cooling air along their inner surfaces.

Claim 9

A combustion system as in claim 4 wherein, the entrances to said liner plenums are in the form of nozzles to accelerate the air entering the plenum and thus minimize entrance losses.