COMBUSTOR ASSEMBLY FOR USE IN A TURBINE ENGINE AND METHODS OF ASSEMBLING SAME

• US 20120324898A1
• Filed: 06/21/2011
• Published: 12/27/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 06/21/2011
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: General Electric Company
• Original Assignee: General Electric Company
• Inventors: McMahan, Kevin Weston, Chila, Ronald James, Johns, David Richard
• Application Number:
  US13/164,948
• Publication Number:
  US 20120324898A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 60/752
• CPC Class Codes: F01D 9/023 Transition ducts between combustor cans and first stage of the turbine in gas-turbine engines; their cooling or sealings
• CPC Class Codes: F23R 2900/03044 Impingement cooled combustion chamber walls or subassemblies
• CPC Class Codes: F23R 3/002 Wall structures F23R3/02 and F23R3/007 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: F23R 3/425 Combustion chambers comprising a tangential or helicoidal arrangement of the flame tubes
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49348 Burner, torch or metallurgical lance making

Abstract

A combustor assembly for use with a turbine engine that includes a rotor assembly. The combustor assembly includes a casing that includes a plenum and a combustor liner that is spaced a distance from the plenum and that defines a combustion chamber therein. A transition nozzle extends between the combustor liner and the rotor assembly for channeling combustion gases from the combustion chamber to the rotor assembly. The transition nozzle includes a transition portion and a nozzle portion integrally formed with the transition portion. An annular flowsleeve is coupled radially outward from the transition nozzle such that an annular flow path is defined between the flowsleeve and the transition nozzle. The flowsleeve includes a plurality of openings extending through an outer surface of the flowsleeve for providing flow communication between the plenum and the annular flow path to facilitate impingement cooling of the flowsleeve.

Claims

1. A combustor assembly for use with a turbine engine that includes a rotor assembly, said combustor assembly comprising:

a casing comprising a plenum;

a combustor liner spaced a distance from said plenum and defining a combustion chamber therein;

a transition nozzle extending between said combustor liner and the rotor assembly for channeling combustion gases from said combustion chamber to the rotor assembly, said transition nozzle comprising a transition portion and a nozzle portion integrally formed with the transition portion; and

an annular flowsleeve coupled radially outward from said transition nozzle such that an annular flow path is defined between said flowsleeve and said transition nozzle, said flowsleeve comprising a plurality of openings extending through an outer surface of said flowsleeve for providing flow communication between said plenum and said annular flow path to facilitate impingement cooling of said flowsleeve.

2. A combustor assembly in accordance with claim 1, wherein said flowsleeve further comprises a forward portion and an aft portion extending from said forward portion, said forward portion comprising an inner surface that is oriented obliquely with respect to the rotor assembly.

3. A combustor assembly in accordance with claim 2, wherein said forward portion inner surface is oriented substantially parallel with respect to a radially outer surface of the rotor assembly.

4. A combustor assembly in accordance with claim 3, wherein said aft portion comprises an inner surface that is oriented obliquely with respect to said forward portion inner surface.

5. A combustor assembly in accordance with claim 1, wherein said flowsleeve extends between a forward opening and an aft opening, said forward opening is offset a circumferential distance from said aft opening.

6. A combustor assembly in accordance with claim 5, wherein said forward opening is positioned a first radial distance from rotor assembly, said aft opening is positioned a second radial distance from the rotor assembly that is greater than the first radial distance.

7. A combustion assembly in accordance with claim 1, wherein each opening of said plurality of openings is configured to discharge a jet of air from the plenum to an outer surface of said transition nozzle to facilitate impingement cooling of said transition nozzle.

8. A combustor assembly in accordance with claim 1, wherein said transition nozzle extends a first length defined between said combustor liner and the rotor assembly, said flowsleeve extends a second length defined between said forward portion and said aft portion that is less than the first length.

9. A turbine engine comprising:

a rotor assembly; and

a combustor in flow communication with said rotor assembly for channeling a flow of combustion gases to said rotor assembly, said combustor comprising a plurality of combustor assemblies, at least one of said combustor assemblies comprising;

a casing comprising a plenum;

a combustor liner spaced a distance from said plenum and defining a combustion chamber therein;

a transition nozzle extending between said combustor liner and said rotor assembly for channeling combustion gases from said combustion chamber to said rotor assembly, said transition nozzle comprising a transition portion and a nozzle portion integrally formed with the transition portion; and

an annular flowsleeve coupled radially outward from said transition nozzle such that an annular flow path is defined between said flowsleeve and said transition nozzle, said flowsleeve comprising a plurality of openings extending through an outer surface of said flowsleeve for providing flow communication between said plenum and said annular flow path to facilitate impingement cooling of said flowsleeve.

10. A turbine engine in accordance with claim 9, wherein said flowsleeve further comprises a forward portion and an aft portion extending from said forward portion, said forward portion comprising an inner surface that is oriented obliquely with respect to the rotor assembly.

11. A turbine engine in accordance with claim 10, wherein said forward portion inner surface oriented substantially parallel with respect to a radially outer surface of said rotor assembly.

12. A turbine engine in accordance with claim 11, wherein said aft portion comprises an inner surface that is oriented obliquely with respect to said forward portion inner surface.

13. A turbine engine in accordance with claim 9, wherein said flowsleeve extends between a forward opening and an aft opening, said forward opening is offset a circumferential distance from said aft opening.

14. A turbine engine in accordance with claim 13, wherein said forward opening is positioned a first radial distance from rotor assembly, said aft opening is positioned a second radial distance from the rotor assembly that is greater than the first radial distance.

15. A turbine engine in accordance with claim 9, wherein each opening of said plurality of openings is configured to discharge a jet of air from the plenum to an outer surface of said transition nozzle to facilitate impingement cooling of said transition nozzle.

16. A turbine engine in accordance with claim 9, wherein said transition nozzle extends a first length defined between said combustor liner and said rotor assembly, said flowsleeve extends a second length defined between said forward portion and said aft portion that is less than the first length.

17. A method of assembling a combustor assembly for use in a turbine engine, said method comprising:

coupling a combustor liner assembly to a casing such that the combustion liner is positioned within the casing and such that a combustion chamber is defined within the combustion liner;

integrally forming a transition nozzle including a transition portion and a nozzle portion;

coupling the transition nozzle to the combustor liner for channeling combustion gases from the combustion chamber to a rotor assembly;

forming an annular flowsleeve including an inner surface that is oriented obliquely with respect to the rotor assembly;

defining a plurality of openings through the flowsleeve inner surface to facilitate impingement cooling of the flowsleeve; and

coupling the annular flowsleeve radially outwardly from the transition nozzle such that an annular flow path is defined between the flowsleeve and the transition nozzle.

18. A method in accordance with claim 17, further comprising forming the flowsleeve sidewall including a forward portion and an aft portion extending from the forward portion, the forward portion including an inner surface that is oriented obliquely with respect to the rotor assembly.

19. A method in accordance with claim 18, further comprising forming the forward portion including a forward opening and forming the aft portion including an aft opening offset a circumferential distance from the forward opening.

20. A method in accordance with claim 18, wherein the transition nozzle extends a first length defined between the combustor liner and the rotor assembly, said method further comprises forming the flowsleeve including a second length defined between the forward portion and the aft portion that is less than the first length.