HYBRID COMBUSTOR ASSEMBLY AND METHOD OF OPERATION

• US 20180355793A1
• Filed: 06/09/2017
• Published: 12/13/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 06/09/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: General Electric Company
• Original Assignee: General Electric Company
• Inventors: Vise, Steven Clayton, Zelina, Joseph, Johnson, Arthur Wesley, Cooper, Clayton Stuart, Pal, Sibtosh
• Granted Patent: US 10,641,169 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: F02C 3/16 the combustion chambers being formed at least partly in the turbine rotor or in an other rotating part of the plant
• CPC Class Codes: F02C 7/222 Fuel flow conduits, e.g. manifolds
• CPC Class Codes: F02K 7/00 Plants in which the working fluid is used in a jet only, i.e. the plants not having a turbine or other engine driving a compressor or a ducted fan; Control thereof rocket-engine plants F02K9/00
• CPC Class Codes: F02K 7/08 the jet being continuous
• CPC Class Codes: F02K 7/10 characterised by having ram-action compression, i.e. aero-thermo-dynamic-ducts or ram-jet engines
• CPC Class Codes: F02K 7/20 Composite ram-jet/pulse-jet engines
• CPC Class Codes: F23R 2900/00015 Trapped vortex combustion chambers
• CPC Class Codes: F23R 3/002 Wall structures F23R3/02 and F23R3/007 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: F23R 3/58 Cyclone or vortex type combustion chambers
• CPC Class Codes: F23R 7/00 Intermittent or explosive combustion chambers

Abstract

A hybrid combustion system, and method of operation, for a propulsion system is provided. The hybrid combustion system defines a radial direction, a circumferential direction, and a longitudinal centerline in common with the propulsion system extended along a longitudinal direction. The hybrid combustion system includes a rotating detonation combustion (RDC) system comprising an annular outer wall and an annular inner wall each generally concentric to the longitudinal centerline and together defining a RDC chamber and a RDC inlet, the RDC system further comprising a nozzle located at the RDC inlet defined by a nozzle wall. The nozzle defines a lengthwise direction extended between a nozzle inlet and a nozzle outlet along the lengthwise direction, and the nozzle inlet is configured to receive a flow of oxidizer. The nozzle further defines a throat between the nozzle inlet and the nozzle outlet, and wherein the nozzle defines a converging-diverging nozzle. The hybrid combustion system further includes an inner liner extended generally along the longitudinal direction; an outer liner extended generally along the longitudinal direction and disposed outward of the inner liner along the radial direction; a bulkhead wall disposed at the upstream end of the inner and outer liners, in which the bulkhead wall extends generally in the radial direction and couples the inner liner and the outer liner, and wherein the inner liner, the outer liner, and the bulkhead wall together define a primary combustion chamber, and further wherein the RDC system and bulkhead wall together define a RDC outlet through the bulkhead wall and adjacent to the primary combustion chamber; and a fuel manifold assembly extended at least partially through the bulkhead wall, in which the fuel manifold assembly defines a fuel manifold assembly exit disposed adjacent to the primary combustion chamber.

Claims

1. A hybrid combustion system for a propulsion system, the hybrid combustion system defining a radial direction, a circumferential direction, and a longitudinal centerline in common with the propulsion system extended along a longitudinal direction, the hybrid combustion system comprising:

a rotating detonation combustion (RDC) system comprising an annular outer wall and an annular inner wall each generally concentric to the longitudinal centerline and together defining a RDC chamber and a RDC inlet, the RDC system further comprising a nozzle located at the RDC inlet defined by a nozzle wall, wherein the nozzle defines a lengthwise direction extended between a nozzle inlet and a nozzle outlet along the lengthwise direction, the nozzle inlet configured to receive a flow of oxidizer, the nozzle further defining a throat between the nozzle inlet and the nozzle outlet, and wherein the nozzle defines a converging-diverging nozzle;

an inner liner extended generally along the longitudinal direction;

an outer liner extended generally along the longitudinal direction and disposed outward of the inner liner along the radial direction;

a bulkhead wall disposed at the upstream end of the inner and outer liners, wherein the bulkhead wall extends generally in the radial direction and couples the inner liner and the outer liner, and wherein the inner liner, the outer liner, and the bulkhead wall together define a primary combustion chamber, and further wherein the RDC system and bulkhead wall together define a RDC outlet through the bulkhead wall and adjacent to the primary combustion chamber; and

a fuel manifold assembly extended at least partially through the bulkhead wall, wherein the fuel manifold assembly defines a fuel manifold assembly exit disposed adjacent to the primary combustion chamber.

2. The combustion section of claim 1, wherein the fuel manifold assembly is further in fluid communication with the nozzle of the RDC system, wherein the RDC system defines a fuel injection port defining a fuel outlet located between the nozzle inlet and the nozzle outlet for providing fuel to the flow of oxidizer received through the nozzle inlet.

3. The combustion section of claim 2, wherein the fuel manifold assembly is configured to provide a first flow of fuel to the primary combustion chamber and a second flow of fuel to the fuel injection port of the RDC system.

4. The combustion section of claim 3, wherein the fuel manifold assembly is configured to provide the first flow of fuel to the primary combustion chamber at a first operating condition and the second flow of fuel to the fuel injection port at a second operating condition different from the first operating condition.

5. The combustion section of claim 1, wherein the inner liner, the outer liner, the bulkhead wall, and the fuel manifold assembly define, at least in part, a deflagrative combustion system.

6. The combustion section of claim 1, wherein the RDC system defines a plurality of nozzles each disposed in adjacent arrangement along the circumferential direction.

7. The combustion section of claim 1, wherein the RDC system defines the nozzle wall generally annular around the longitudinal centerline, the nozzle wall defining an inner annular nozzle wall and an outer annular nozzle wall.

8. The combustion section of claim 1, wherein the primary combustion chamber further defines a trapped vortex cavity within the primary combustion chamber.

9. The combustion section of claim 8, wherein the trapped vortex cavity is defined by one or more of the outer liner and the inner liner, and wherein one or more of the outer liner and the inner liner defines a first wall at a first radius, a second wall at a second radius different from the first radius, and a transition wall therebetween coupling the first wall and the second wall.

10. The combustion section of claim 8, wherein at least one of the bulkhead wall, the outer liner, and the inner liner defines one or more secondary airflow openings adjacent to the primary combustion chamber.

11. The combustion section of claim 10, wherein at least one of the secondary airflow openings is adjacent to the trapped vortex cavity within the primary combustion chamber.

12. A method of operating a combustion section for a propulsion system, the combustion section defining a rotating detonation combustion (RDC) system defining a RDC chamber, and wherein the combustion section further defines a fuel manifold assembly exits adjacent to a primary combustion chamber defined by an inner liner, and outer liner, and a bulkhead wall, the method comprising:

providing a first flow of fuel through one or more of the plurality of fuel manifold assembly exits into the primary combustion chamber;

providing a flow of oxidizer through the combustion section;

igniting a mixture of the first flow of fuel and the oxidizer in the primary combustion chamber to generate a first flow of combustion gases;

providing a second flow of fuel through a fuel injection port of the RDC system;

mixing the second flow of fuel and the oxidizer in the RDC chamber; and

igniting the mixture of the second flow of fuel and the oxidizer in the RDC chamber to generate a second flow of combustion gases.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein igniting the mixture of the second flow of fuel and oxidizer in the RDC chamber to generate a second flow of combustion gases includes providing the second flow of combustion gases through the primary combustion chamber.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein providing a flow of oxidizer through the combustion section includes generating a flow of oxidizer at a first operating condition.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein igniting a mixture of the first flow of fuel and the oxidizer in the primary combustion chamber includes igniting the fuel-oxidizer mixture in the primary combustion chamber at the first operating condition.

16. The method of claim 12, wherein providing a flow of oxidizer through the combustion section includes generating a flow of oxidizer at a second operating condition.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein providing a second flow of fuel through a fuel injection port of the RDC system occurs at the second operating condition.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein mixing the second flow of fuel and the oxidizer in the RDC chamber occurs at the second operating condition.

19. The method of claim 12, wherein providing a second flow of fuel through the RDC system includes discontinuing a first flow of fuel through one or more of the fuel manifold assembly exits.

20. The method of claim 12, wherein providing a flow of oxidizer through the combustion section includes providing a first flow of oxidizer through one or more of the fuel manifold assembly exit, the bulkhead wall, the inner liner, and the outer liner to the primary combustion chamber, and wherein providing a flow of oxidizer further includes providing a second flow of oxidizer through the RDC system to the primary combustion chamber.